Wayne Slater, on the just-ended state Republican convention in Dallas:
For a party in power, there seem to be a lot of martyrs in the Texas GOP.
Rush Limbaugh says Democrats are the party of victims. But it was the Republicans at their state convention in Dallas this weekend who clearly saw themselves as the oppressed and mistreated.
“The fox is in the henhouse,” said congressional candidate Stephen Broden of DeSoto of the myriad enemies bearing down on conservatives. “And they have one thing in mind — fried chicken salad.”
For all the Republicans’ success in Texas, the barbarians are apparently at the gate: liberals, atheists, socialists, Hollywood, the media, a White House at work on wrecking the country and ruining their lives.
Everywhere you looked at the Dallas Convention Center, people were wearing their victimhood.
This is, of course, nothing new. It’s been the mantra of the state and national GOP for years, but it has become more prominent lately, especially with the Tea Party movement. It would be funnier if it weren’t so pathetic.
That sense of victimhood, of being under siege, is reflected in the party’s official platform, some highlights of which you can see in the sidebar here. A few choice nuggets:
Calling for repeal of the Real ID Act, which “creates an unconstitutional and privacy-inhibiting national ID card.
Note that at the same time, the Republicans want to make it a Class A misdemeanor criminal offense “for an illegal alien to intentionally or knowingly be within the State of Texas”. Since they also want to make it illegal for anyone who can’t prove their residency status to be able to get a driver’s license, that document would in effect become your “national ID card”. You’ll still have to show your papers to get anything done in this state if they have their way.
Creating a felony offense for anyone who performs a marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple.
Just in case you thought it wasn’t possible to make gay marriage any more illegal in Texas. I have no idea who might be out there performing rogue gay marriage ceremonies, but I suppose one cannot be too careful. I presume the next step will be to deputize people in other states to make citizens’ arrests of gay marriage ceremony performers on behalf of the Republican Party of Texas.
Banning the use of red light cameras.
As a reminder, it was a Republican, State Rep. Jim Murphy, who authored the legislation in 2007 that codified the use of red light cameras in Texas.
Calling for the repeal of the state lottery and opposing any further legalization of any type of gambling.
As a reminder, it was a Republican, State Rep. Ed Kuempel, who was the author of the joint resolution in 2009 to allow for casino gambling.
You get the idea. For more on the wackiness that was in Dallas, including the election of a new RPT Chair, Steve Munisteri, see the Trib, PDiddie, Dave Mann, and Abby Rapoport.
I’m really curious about the same sex marriage thing & haven’t been able to find out what it actually says. Since there is no such thing as a same-sex marriage ceremony (with any legal standing) in Texas, I have to assume that the GOP would like to start arresting ministers in gay-friendly churches who perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. Such ceremonies carry no legal wait, but people do have them, to mark the occasion of their marriage with their friends and families, even though their marriage is not legally recognized.
Of course, the state interfering with churches is exactly what they’ve been warning us about, isn’t it? Except for it not happening in any states with same sex marriages.
I suppose the next step will be to make it illegal for Texans to get married outside the state. Viva freedom!
I don’t have my copy of the 2010 platform with me at the moment, but I am pretty sure it is the exact same as the 2008 platform which is on the state and Harris County GOP websites, and that the prohibition does not apply to actions of churches but only to any county clerk who might roguely determine to issue licenses despite the law. There are a few examples in the recent past in upstate New York and San Francisco where clerks ignored state law or had their own interpretations of those laws, which upon legal appeal were overturned. So rogue clerks do exist.
I don’t agree that Republicans see themselves as victims, but a very different worldview was on display at the Dallas convention–support for teaching creationism, all sorts of wacky groups with booths including the John Birch Society, Texans for Better Science Education which opposes teaching evolution, a group concerned about Christian Martyrs being persecuted in foreign lands, the usual gun rights and graphic pro-life groups.
Nonetheless, the delegates kicked out firebrand Cathie Adams by a floor vote of 4200 to 2500, even though Steve Munisteri was painted as insufficiently fervent about his pro-life position (he donated to pro-choice Kay Bailey Hutchison, supported more moderate Sarah Davis over Bonnie Parker in the HD 134 primary, etc.) and even though Munisteri was falsely accused of being gay and truthfully accused of being divorced.
What many on the Left do not get, is that the Tea Party folks are not racist homophobes or obsessed with religion. They are just fervent about the national deficit, allowing local government to make decisions which the constitution does not assign to the federal government. Social issues are not their focus.
So, it really requires a special law to punish clerks who ignore the law on one issue, a problem that has never happened in Texas and if it did, would not actually lead to any marriages that violate state law?
Somehow, that seems less likely a rationale for the plank than the GOP simply creating an opportunity to remind voters that they don’t like gay people.