[PetroniDE]

A good time was had by all...... I met many Freepers from different parts of the state for the first time, and met people whom I had conversed with via Paltalk for the first time.

Feedback from fellow Freepers indicated that the FR booth was very successful. We were in the most active aisle in the exhibit, and booths adjacent to ours were very happy to be next to us. We had the Democrat seal with the crying baby from Election 2000, and that was the most popular image in our booth (and among the most popular of all exhibits).

I have some pictures, but since I use a camera from the 1970's, it will be a few days before they get posted. In the meantime, I will link the original thread for pictures posted.

I will also provide a link when available for the "Report of the Permanent Rules & Order of Business Committee" and the "Report of the Permanent Platform & Resolutions Committee".

[PetroniDE]

I have provided a link for the first batch of pictures.
Flyer --- Please ping your list.

(Original Thread and Pictures)

[Humidston]

Great report, DE! I'm still crying in my beer that I couldn't make this one.

Isn't it great - meeting FReepers in living color?? And you're right... Our FR booth is BEAUTIFUL and very professional looking. It's a magnet for delegates.

[Flyer]

*BUMP and PING*

Hey. . . that would be a GREAT name for a band!

[Syncro]

Thanks for your report PetroniDE...

Manning the FR booth is real treat to do...I helped with it in Dallas last summer at the NFRA convention and really enjoyed it.

[Dog Gone]

What was your impression of the fight over the platform and the insistence of many delegates that each candidate adhere to it?

It's my impression that many of the delegates seriously want to turn American into a theocracy and don't want anyone to disagree with that.

[Rad 1]

good synopsis of what went on in Dallas. Good info and a good time that was had. What else could anyone ask for. Thanks

[BellStar]

This is my second time to serve on the Credentials Committee. Our Committee chair Rene Diaz
did a great job. I salute him. I would have loved to spend more time with all you Freepers but we
were very busy in our committee. This is a great report you have given especially for newbie's.

[BellStar]

This was the single most important Convention in Texas history. This election cycle will determine
if we are to continue in a conservative direction in Texas. We need to set that prairie fire in the
grass roots that Ronald Reagan talked about and get out our people. And get out OUR voters.
Our life depends on it. Suit up and show up and volunteer! Please don't let the twins Apathy and
complacency give Texas back to the liberals.

Freep mail me and I will tell you where you can help!

[jf55510]

Three rules involved removal of term limits for National Committeeman/woman, State Party Chairman/Vice-Chairman, and SREC. I made a motion (eventually passed) that resulted in all three rules being adopted/not adopted in a single vote.

Were you for or against term limits? The reason I asked is that after talking to people it seemed like that term limits for Nat'l Committee Man and Women and the SREC would be removed but keep for Weddington and Barton(which I do not really understand). But since they were combined they all died.

Two other points. It seemed to me that Roberts Rules were selectively followed on what Sen. Shapiro wanted. I thought the parlamentairan was wrong a couple of times.

Also the platform needed to be voted on plank by plank. There are inconsistancies all over the place. Espically in the area of Free-trade and CFR. In the part on CFR they call to get rid of Shays-Meehan but then state they want to limit judicial contributions. It was fun though. This was my first convention and I had fun.

[Conservative]

For months, I have been puzzled as the Bush administration, along with Congressional Republicans, have wandered to the left. Campaign Finance Reform, The abandonment of Brett Schundler and Judge Pickering, Israel, environmental issues, etc., were all issues in which Republicans have abandoned the Conservative base which has put them in power.

While a delegate to the Texas convention, I became even more frustrated with our leadership's attitudes towards the Conservative base.

The centralization of power in the state chairman rather than decentralization to the more-apt-to-be-Conservative SRECs.

Rick Perry, in his speech, rolled out more socialist programs without even taking a breath than any Republican in the history of Texas.

And after working very hard on platform issues at all three levels (precinct, senatorial, and state), it was insulting to find that our state leadership (Weddington and Barton) want us to line up and support Republican candidates come hell or high water..... (thanks for all you do)......but will not require our candidates to endorse our Conservative platform.

It is beginning to appear to me that the Republican party no longer is contributing much to the conservative versus liberal debate.

Rather, I see that our leadership at the national and local levels hungers for the power resulting from a victory in November far more than it cares about the core principles of our party.

I will vote for the candidates in November. But it will be hard to generate much enthusiasm to work for them in the meantime.

[Redbob]

Petroni:
It was good meeting you on Saturday at the booth.

On this my second state convention, I was just a bit more involved as the Sergeant at Arms for Senate District 12.
Imagine my disappointment at learning I would not actually be permitted to bear "Arms"!

[Redbob]

"I made a motion (eventually passed) that resulted in all three rules being adopted/not adopted in a single vote."

So that was you! Good job, and thanks for shortening the convention a good bit.
If the convention chairwoman had had a corner of a clue, she'd have suggested this herself.
She certainy isn't in the same league, leadership wise, as Michael Williams who chaired the Houston convention in '00.

[texlok]

I'm afraid the GOP in Texas is hurting itself on two issues (sorry, probably the wrong thread):

1)Getting rid of the state lottery - It's great and all, and I support that, *BUT* unless you provide a real solution to making up that revenue, that doesn't involve new taxes, there is no point. This also plays into the state income tax crowd

2)Getting rid of bilingual education : Sounds great, english only, etc. but just in the Austin area alone, we have a 100,000 people that can't speak english. If the kids of those 100,000 people in my area (and I know it's much much higher in south Texas and the Houston area) don't have a good way of learning english, they'll not make it through school, and will end up dropping out and end up getting on some sort of public assistance, which means my taxes will go up in some way, shape, or form.

Yeah, yeah, I'm cold-hearted and care only about keeping my taxes down. I support much of what the platform calls for, but some of these planks were either crafted with no thought in the end-results, or the people crafting them aren't from Texas, or haven't lived here long and are from the north.

Putting aside results/solutions, let's look at elections. A part of the Texas GOP really seemed anti-Hispanic. Those people could hurt Conservatives in Texas for years to come. Yeah, I'm being cold-hearted and just seeing Hispanics as numbers at the polls now, but let's face it - GWB was able to win, in part, to wooing Hispanic voters. Maybe they weren't that large of a chunk of voters, but they helped. If those Hispanics that share the same Conservative/religious values that the rest of us share, feel like we see no place for them on the right side, they'll vote for the dems, and that just means more votes will have to be made up elsewhere, and that will especially impact local districts.

Sorry for rambling. It just took us so long to get GOPs/Conservatives in power in Texas, and I don't want it discarded because of a few people or groups of people.

[zeaal]

Well, how did the Pages do? One of my dearest friends was in charge of or you could say "Queen of Pages" for the event. She reports this evening that the kids participating in the Page Program were remarkable young people.

I asked her if she noticed the FreeRepublic.com booth and she said everytime she passed by the booth there were always people there. Both visiting the booth and being staffed by Freepers.

THUMBS UP!

[anymouse]

Photos from the Texas GOP Convention:

MAF at FR Booth

Darth in front of FR Booth

Brunch

Anymouse and friends

Banquet

Gov. Rick Perry Speaking at Reception

Gov. Rick Perry Speaking at Reception