Posted on 06/09/2008 4:46:59 AM PDT by Zakeet
After a decade of political dominance, the Texas GOP is opening its party convention in Houston this week with a troubling prospect: Grumpy Republicans may not turn out to vote this fall.
Many of the grass-roots Texas Republicans see presumptive presidential nominee John McCain as not conservative enough. Others still support presidential candidate Ron Paul. Some are unhappy over immigration, high federal spending, a sagging national economy and rising gasoline prices.
"A lot of them, and rightly so in many cases, are mad. They're concerned," said Roger Williams, chairman of the Texas GOP's voter turnout efforts this year. "What we've got to do is alleviate those concerns and get them to vote."
"We're the underdogs, and anybody who tells you we're not hasn't been out and about," Williams said.
[Snip]
Cathie Adams, president of the Texas Eagle Forum, said McCain is not building bridges with the grass roots by sending Romney to speak to the Texas convention in his place.
"It would have been better if he had come himself," Adams said.
Adams said many delegates to the convention will want to be reassured about McCain on immigration. She said many are upset that he supports a process of granting citizenship to those who entered the country illegally.
Adams said McCain cannot win just by telling voters the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is bad.
"Everyone I know is unhappy with the prospects of Obama," Adams said. "But they'll stay home rather than just go out and vote against someone."
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Yeah, they remember what it got them the last two times.
And only NOW they are concerned...? Where have they been since 2006, under a rock?
I don't believe the GOP gets it yet. It's not that some "Republicans" are "grumpy". It's that some "Republicans" are no longer "Republicans".
In its own way, another 4 years of the GOP in the White House would be worse than 4 years of Obama -- inspite of the nonsense the GOP is spouting to try to make us afraid of Obama.
Grouchy and Grumpy...
Hi Ho Hi Ho..
To the polls we will not go..
You must have jest
He’s not the best...
Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho
“A lot of them, and rightly so in many cases, are mad. They’re concerned,” Understatement of the year! The conservative base is raging all across the country!
Texas is safe, it’s other states I worry about, there is no way that Noriega is going to beat Cornyn.
Clinton getting the nomination would have assured plenty of turnout for republicans even with our weak candidate.
At this point, who the heck knows?
This article would have been more credible if the author had used the word bitter instead of grouchy.
More red meat... everyone stand up now and testify. ;-)
Anger I’m hearing pure plain ANGER.
Whazzzamatter?
All we “grouchies” want is a REPUBLICAN we can actually cast a vote for without throwing up.
McNutt is the ANTI-Republican—on WAY TOO MANY issues.
Rush Prediction Comes True: Sitting Out ‘06 Equals McCain ‘08 February 8, 2008
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_020808/content/01125111.member.html
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: I want to go back to the archives of this program. I want to illustrate for you my prescience. When I tell you that you are on the cutting edge of the societal evolution if you are a regular listener here, this will establish it. October 18th, 2006. This is prior to the November elections, the midterms, and I was getting phone call after phone call from conservatives saying they were not going to vote. They were mad as hell. They were sick and tired of the Foley thing and Macaca. They were sick and tired of Republicans not governing as Republicans, and to hell with it, and this is what I said to them.
RUSH ARCHIVES: “This notion that it doesn’t matter who wins because the Democrats aren’t going to have a big enough majority? That’s going to lead to another thing that I will share with you. It’s going to lead to the nomination of John McCain for the Republican presidential candidacy.
In two years, you same people who will have helped bring about an ascension to power by the Democrats, are going to be so angry — you’re going to be so fed up — over what they have tried to do, over the things they will maybe have accomplished, that you are going to demand power back, and you will accept anybody that you think has a chance of winning it. And right now, that looks like McCain, above anybody else — who, I must tell you, is not a conservative.
And so what are you probably going to end up doing? You’re going to be so frustrated by 2008, and the thought of Hillary Clinton becoming president so obnoxious, so abhorrent; that in 2008 you will flush your precious principles down the drain and elect a Republican, precisely the kind of Republican you think you’re running against now — or you will at least nominate one. Who knows how that election will go?
So the very principle that you are fighting here, if you succeed, you will be given a candidate who fits the very thing you’re angry about: somebody who’s not conservative enough but probably has the best chance of winning.”
RUSH: That was me on October 18th, 2006 — from this very studio, from behind this very microphone — telling you what was going to happen if you sat out the ‘06 November midterms to show those Republicans a lesson, that you were going to empower Democrats and they’re going to make you so mad over the things they try to do, and you’re going to be so upset and so frightened of Hillary coming along that you will nominate anybody you think can win —
and I specifically predicted, October 18th, 2006, that not voting in 2006 and not holding the House and not holding the Senate, would lead to the nomination of John McCain. It has happened. Don’t doubt me.
I want to take this a step further. Now that I have your attention, I want to take this a step further, because McCain is the Republican nominee. It is over. Huckabee is going to stay in. There are five caucuses and primaries this weekend, and Tuesday’s a biggie, and he’ll stay in to see how he does there, but he’s going to have to get out, too. But he’s going to do what he can to keep angling for the veep slot. He has no chance of getting the veep slot.
He will soon be thrown under the Straight Talk Express like everyone else that Senator McCain vanquishes. ...”
Also see: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967406/posts
Also see: “Well, Rush was right on this one, mainly because the Huckabee voters were the same ones who stayed home in 2006 our of pique over feelings of being ignored. Remember how the PA voters turned on Santorum because he endorsed Specter, at the behest of the president? Santorum was one of our best conservatives, but they turned on him because of one lousy mistake.”
17 posted on 02/08/2008 8:31:20 PM EST by Eva (Benedict Arnold was a war hero, too.)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967406/posts?page=17#17
bttt
Sure, they were safe for a good 18 months. No need to play ‘conservative’ until the elections loom closer.
Actually, I was thinking of the Presidential elections in 00 and 04.
I know this Texas transplant is done voting “against”.
“”Everyone I know is unhappy with the prospects of Obama,” Adams said. “But they’ll stay home rather than just go out and vote against someone.”
Then you know conservative who put their personal concerns over the wellbeing of America: Dx change your friends they are dangerous to our liberty, this is NOT a game it is real life and staying home so the democrats can take complete control will have consequences beyond our worst fears.
If they replace “grouchy” with the word “dissatisfied”, they’ll be able to diagnose their own malady.
If you have to actually explain that to anyone, you’re not dealing with someone who is emotionally mature enough to accept reality.
Emotional immaturity trumps emotional maturity every time. (IQ has _nothing_ to do with it).
Yeah, agree for sure. As a citizen of this great state, I despair that Texas has probably missed it's window of opportunity about twenty years ago to succeed and become it's own county as we have allowed way too many snow birds to migrate here along with their Marxist upper-midwest values. Sooo, barring succession, I am giving serious thought to either skipping the POTUS block and only vote for state and local candidates. Or, depending on my mood at the time, maybe just stay home and watch Loony Tunes - Btw, is this show still on?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.