Speakers exhort convention crowd to vote in November

In anticipation of the national nominations committee’s report to the Republican Party of Texas State Convention, a series of get-out-the-vote speeches were delivered by Republican heavy-hitters. The first to take the stage was Texas Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples. He expressed hope that the next president would “not punish hardworking taxpayers for their success,” and said that Democrats’ idea of change would bring about increased dependency on government. He said that the Democrats in federal government were “hiding from a national energy policy,” observing that when the Democrats took over Congress in January of 2007 the price of gasoline was $2.33 a gallon.

He also emphasized property rights, suggesting that students should learn the 14^th amendment the way they have to learn the pledge of allegiance. (The 14^th amendment says no one shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process.)

Following him was Roger Williams of Texas Victory 2008, whose goal is to increase voter turnout and ensure Republican success in the general election. He criticized the media for declaring the GOP to be “dead” in 2008. “Reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated, he said.

Williams was followed by Congressman Joe Barton, who again criticized the Democrats in Washington for voting “no on every energy initiative.” He exhorted the attendees to vote for the 19 Republican incumbents in the U.S. House (the largest Republican congressional delegation in the country), and to elect the new candidates, including Pete Olson, who is running for CD 22, Tom DeLay’s old seat which was captured by Nick Lampson after DeLay’s resignation from the U.S. House.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, and Justices Dale Wainwright and Phil Johnson followed, extolling the virtues of the rule of law, and emphasizing the duty of justices to interpret it and not write it anew.

Next came State Board of Education Vice Chairman David Bradley, flanked by fellow SBOE members Terri Leo and Gail Lowe. Bradley told frightening stories of school students who need calculators to find half of 24 and 4 times 3. He also took the opportunity to emphasize his belief in a Creator, rather than the belief that “our ancestors were apes.”