Posted on 04/24/2006 11:46:09 AM PDT by Bob J
Both are great guys but Robin Armstrong is going to win and that's the way it is :). (What's your beef with Tina Benkiser, she's been a one woman phenomenon?!?)
I'm a delegate and I know delegates in various parts of the state, I would suggest if you want your best friend to win in June, he might want to tell people who he is and announce he's running - No one I have talked to has ever heard of him.
Think I'll keep my powder dry and do some networking with various people to see who the candidates are. I may not make a decision until the caucus in San Anton.
This is good news. Having someone from the grass roots rather than the corporate/political establishment would bring a fresh, ordinary people perspective to the office.
Obviously, I'll be voting for Bobby but it is really good to know that, in the end, we win regardless.
National Defense - We must remain militarily strong, and must always protect our borders, our language, and our American values.
Thanks for your activism, Bobby Eberle!
2 Questions for all.
One, Does anyone now what Bobby's Freep handle is?
Two, Will there be a freeper get together at the GOP Texas Convention in San Antonio this year?
That handle would be "Bob J"... the thread starter ;)
Dunno about #2.
Along with the RPT packet I received, I have seen invitations for other events during the RPT weekend, but I have not seen anything for FR. I attended the FR Inaugural Party in DC in 2001 and the Freepers can throw a good party if they put their mind(s) to it. It's probably going to be tough to do anything other than have a booth at the convention at this point, unless someone wants to have a cocktail reception in their hotel room.
I don't think Bob J is the same as Bobby Eberle.
But since GB brought this thread back to life, I will say that Bobby Eberle is a heck of a true grassroots conservative who has worked for more than a decade to build the Republican party in Texas. GB, your comments to the contrary suggest ignorance or dishonesty. Real grassroots workers aren't the people who meet a couple of times a year at an SREC mtg to slap each other on the ass and say "good job," so maybe that's why you don't know him.
Your guy, on the other hand, joined the party sometime around last week and has been looking for one title after another ever since he showed up. I've met him; he's a nice guy, but what we need at RPT leadership is more doers and leaders, not more gladhanders after meaningless titles and podium time. Tina does that job well enough on her own.
On a friendlier note, how's your's going?
Let me takethe friendlier part first as I have always found that to be the better part of any conversation. I'm going like gangbusters. As you know I'm in the race for County Judge down here in Galveston County (warning, don't drink salt water - you get hallucenegenic (sp) and think running for office is a good idea). At any rate, we are ripping through the county side but I'm financially out matched 20 to one. If the guy keeps sleeping it won't matter though. Thanks!
Now on the otherside. Check your facts! All of them! I have never said anything derogatory or even less than complimentary about Bobby Eberle. I can only assume you are assigning someone else's comments to me. I am a supporter of Robin Armstrong who WILL be the next Vice Chairman RPT.
YOUR comments about Robin are ignorant and disengenuous. Support Bobby all you like. He is an honorable man. But don't denegrate another honorable man when you don't know the truth. It makes you look stupid and I know far better than that is true of you.
Robin has been a Republican for 15 years or more. He was raised in a traditional Black Democrat home. In college, as he explored his relationship with Christ and how it involved him in the world at large, he discovered he was INDEED a Republican and not a Democrat. He has gone on to serve both the Republican Party and the Conservative agenda well. he has moved liberal groups towards the middle and moderate groups towards the right and made rightwing groups stronger, righter and more effective.
YOUR comments to the contrary and your attacks on Tina Benkiser unfortunately show what seems to be the hysteria of hate and mental paranoia that has been pervasive among a few Gina Parker supporters who never were able to get over the fact that their candidate not only lost... but never really was in the running.
I know all to well how ugly a lot of things were from both camps last time. It was rediculous on many fronts. Gina conducted herself with class and dignitiy as did Tina. I told Gina so at the last convention, I admire her for avoiding a repeat at this next convention. If you will look at the nastiness from last time, then you will see that most of it came from people down below who thought they were doing their candidates a favor. They weren't, they were hurting our whole party. Keeping it going at this convention won't be a favor to anyone either.
Think about it. Tina will be running unnopposed. If everyone who is pushing Bobby is running Tina down out of the other side of their mouth, they aren't going to get very far. I suppose as a supporter of Robin I shouldn't be giving you campaign advice but I really am concerned about keeping the nastiness down. Political bluster is actually what makes the convention fun and exciting but this eating each other up (especially because this is an inside fight amopng the CONSERVATIVES) is just sick.
It is time to let it go. Let's focus on electing Republicans in November and posturing to get better Republicans on the ballot in March (EVERY MARCH).
AMEN, GulfBreeze! Your words are full of wisdom! As you said, let's focus on putting Republicans in office come November. We have our work cut out for us with the liberal media on the war path daily and with gossip as the name of the game!
This posting is also for "All Others" that have entered into this discussion.
I live (24 years) in Senatorial District 7, which is the third largest SD in Texas. Within this very large SD, I live in the NW Houston area of it. This area has been touted as the Republican stronghold of Texas. I can tell you that I am hearing more complaints against Republicans in my area, as well as from friends across the state than I have heard in many years. This is serious, especially when it is coming from this district, because this district influences a lot of what goes on in Austin and Washington. Of course, most complaints are coming from people that are not really involved in the political process. They feed off of each other and reflect what they hear or read from the liberal media, discussion boards, the local coffee shop talk, etc., without ever really investigating. Those of us who are involved need to be on our toes, and that means being knowledgeable about what we are talking about or promoting to others. We need to be positive educators to all we come in contact with!
I have been a Republican for 42 years. In San Antonio this June, I will be representing my precinct, along with my husband, for the fifth time as a delegate. I am also chairman of a Christian citizenship committee for one of the mega churches in Texas. The goal of this committee is not to tell people how to vote, but to bring a realization to Christians of the importance of voting and the importance of being informed voters. All of this is to say, I am fairly active politically, as well as being a seasoned Republican that tries to be somewhat informed.
With this in mind, I would like to share some first hand insights on Texas GOP Chairman, Tina Benkiser. I personally know Tina. She is my neighbor. Tina is a wonderful Christian lady, that not only talks the talk, she lives it daily in everything that she does.
Tina comes back home to Houston from Austin, to be with her husband, Eric, most weekends and to teach a Bible class at her church.She has been interested in what happens politically in this country since the age of five. I have heard her laugh as she shares how she began trying to help her parents with voting as a young child. After high school, she was accepted into medical school, but she knew that the medical field was not where her heart was. Her heart was with helping this state and country politically. Thus, she went to law school with the hopes of making that happen.
While some people have questioned on this discussion board about whether or not Tina reaches down to the grassroots level, I feel that I am fairly well qualified to speak to that. Tina has served as my precinct chair and SREC chairwoman. I have watched her conduct meetings for this precinct, where she would sit and educate us about the GOP platform, candidates running for office, how the rules of the GOP operated, etc. At that time I was so unaware of the powerhouse that was teaching me this vast array of knowledge. By the way, did I mention how humble Tina is? She went on to chair both the platform and rules committees for Texas GOP___both jobs that require a vast amount of knowledge, as well as an even temperament.
We have had her to bend over backwards to help our youngest son to become a Page for the GOP convention. While she wrote him an endorsement, she helped to secure another endorsement for him. Due to her efforts in this capacity, he was nominated by his high school faculty to attend Boy's State in Austin.
I have known Tina to completely walk by herself on many occasions all of our community/subdivision (15,000 residents) putting "get out the vote" fliers on doors, along with candidate endorsements. By the way, she paid for all of these materials herself. Also, all of her endorsements were decided on after she spent at least one hour with every candidate running for office. And folks there are a lot of GOP candidates on the ballot when you live in Houston. I know that when I receive a doorknob hanger of endorsements on my front door from Tina Benkiser, that those endorsements have been decided on with a lot of effort and a lot of prayer.
Last June I contacted Tina and asked her if it would be possible for her to come from Austin and to do a workshop for the citizenship committee at my church that I mentioned earlier. She graciously complied with my request. She came not as the Chairman of the Texas GOP (never mentioned at the meeting), but as a Christian citizen, who had formed the same type of committee at her church in 1991. She spent two hours with my committee of nine and our pastor, teaching us how we could make an impact on others to help preserve the Christian heritage of this nation.
By the way, the four propositions that were on the Texas primary ballot in March were written by Tina Benkiser. If you noticed, they were written very simply so that the average person could understand them and didn't have to wonder what they were "really" voting on. Tina did that on purpose!
On the day Senatorial District 7 was having its SD convention this March, Tina was traveling up and down I35 between Austin and San Antonio visiting four other SD conventions. Believe it or not, she was hoping that somehow miraculously she would be able to also make SD7's convention in Houston, but that was impossible.
I hope that some of this information helps you to know a little more about Tina Benkiser on a grassroots level.She is a phenomenal person in every respect.
Two years ago this past October,Governor Perry asked Susan Weddington to step down as Chairman of Texas' GOP to chair his fund raising committee, One Star. At that time, the Texas GOP leadership led by Gov.Perry and Texas GOP Vice-Chairman David Barton, with good reason, asked Tina Benkiser to fill Susan Weddington's position. David Barton was looking for someone that he could work well with and continue to make an impact on Texas politics, just as he had done with Susan Weddington. In fact, it was under David's and Susan's leadership, that the Texas GOP took a historical and victorious turn in Texas politics and began to control Congress in Austin for the first time since reconstruction after the Civil War. Keeping in mind that David needed another powerhouse to help him lead the Texas GOP, David selected his new partner to be Tina Benkiser.
By the way, David Barton, a very strong Christian with a PhD.in the Christian Heritage of America, is the founder of WallBuilders (www.wallbuilders.com). He speaks across this nation to colleges, universities, churches, community organization, as well as educating the U.S. Congress on the original intent of the Founding Fathers for this nation.
Keeping in mind how it is so critical to have someone that you can work with when you are trying to "make things happen" I asked Tina's husband, Eric, at the SD 7 convention, who Tina would like to see replace David when he retires in June. He immediately told me that Dr. Robin Armstrong was who they were endorsing. While I don't personally know either candidate, nor have I really researched them, I do know that it is best to pair up a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman that want to work together and who would work best together for the Texas GOP. Enough said!
IMHO, 'true conservative' ought be applied only for those running for office who are believers in the Constitution and preserving the brilliance of that contract with we the people sovereigns. Conservative principles on ALL issues flow from a careful reading and application of the Constitution ... and that from a rabid anti-abortionondemand freeper.
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