Dissent is mostly drowned out at Texas GOP convention in Fort Worth

By Anna M. Tinsley

FORT WORTH -- There were boos, walkouts and massive differences of opinion.

But a number of delegates at the Republican Party of Texas' state convention insisted Friday that the friction actually makes the party stronger.

"The perception of the Republican Party being a party of one movement, one opinion -- that's not the case," said Clifford Proffit, a Tarrant County Republican attending the convention. "There is infighting in any political organization. It doesn't weaken the organization. It strengthens it."

On Friday, halfway through the gathering at the Fort Worth Convention Center, a walkout on House Speaker Joe Straus was mostly thwarted, boos directed toward Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst were mostly overridden and calls of "Ron Paul" were mostly drowned out by chants of "Romney, Romney, Romney."

"We are a party of multiple opinions and platforms that coalesce at our conventions," Proffit said. "We find a way to come together to move forward."

The convention wraps up today with speeches from U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and the two candidates in the July 31 runoff for the U.S. Senate -- Dewhurst and former Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

The walkout

Delegates have talked since midweek about walking out on Straus, who some Tea Party activists have long said is too moderate to lead the Texas House of Representatives. State Rep. Bryan Hughes of Marshall has said he plans to challenge Straus for the speaker's seat.

But the walkout didn't quite go as planned.

After candidates for the Texas Legislature were introduced, Straus began speaking without a formal introduction, catching many delegates off-guard.

Small groups of delegates throughout the arena did leave, but thousands of delegates remained in their seats. And the cheers mostly drowned out boos and negative chants.

Straus' speech was so short -- less than two minutes -- that some walkouts couldn't even get out before he was finished. But those who left, estimated to be in the low hundreds, chanted "Oust Straus, oust Straus" once outside.

"Our focus should be on only one thing: continuing our Republican success," Straus told the crowd. "We must be united so our House of Republicans stands strong."

Clyde Barber, a 22-year-old Houston delegate who walked out, said he believed that the lack of introduction threw off the walkout plans.

"It wasn't coordinated," he said. "But we still left."

He said he and the others hope to send a message: "The Tea Party is demanding we adhere to fiscal conservatism. The party is going astray."

Ann Tannehill, a delegate from The Woodlands, said she thought that the walkout was rude but that Straus' maneuver was pretty smart.

"I think he fooled a bunch" by speaking without an introduction, she said. "It was a great tactical move on his part."

The goodbye

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison spoke to delegates for the last time as one of Texas' U.S. senators.

"I have come to every state convention where we have met since 1972," she said. "I started in college, when it wasn't cool to be a Republican."

Her speech Friday -- which began and ended with standing ovations -- was marked with some scattered boos and cries of "Ron Paul," notably whenever she said Republicans need to unite behind presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Many supporters of Paul, a GOP presidential candidate and congressman from Lake Jackson, are among the thousands of Republican delegates at the convention.

Paul has encouraged supporters to carry on and make a difference at the national convention while acknowledging that he will not have enough delegates to become the party's nominee.

The boos thrown out during Hutchison's speech didn't sit well with some, including West Texas delegate Justin G. Till, who tweeted: "If I catch one more of you Ron Paul supporters booing Sen. Hutchison on stage, I will take you the hell out."

But Hutchison moved forward with her speech, noting that Democrats are trying to distract voters from the nation's economic situation by focusing on a lack of party unity for Romney.

"They're trying to get us off topic, the topic that matters the most. The topic they don't want to talk about is the economy and jobs for working Americans," she said. "We're not distracted and we're not divided."

Eventually, some of the boos and "Ron Paul" shouts were drowned out when a number of delegates chanted "Romney, Romney, Romney," which made Hutchison smile.

The longtime leader -- who has ranked among Texas' most popular elected officials in polls through the years -- said she has six more months of work to do.

"This is goodbye for now, but I have loved this state," she said. "I have loved the opportunity the Republican Party has given to me."

The boos

Few knew what to expect when Dewhurst spoke at the convention Friday.

It was his name, uttered by Gov. Rick Perry as an example of courageous Texans who should be sent to Washington, D.C., that solicited many boos throughout the arena Thursday.

On Friday, though, Dewhurst was welcomed with a partial standing ovation that was accompanied by scattered boos and shouts.

During his speech, he touched on issues ranging from the "Texas economic miracle," which he said continues to keep Texans working and is the envy of many other states, to the pro-life, pro-economy, pro-growth approach he and other state leaders have taken.

"America truly is an exceptional nation blessed by God," he said. "The only boundary to our success as Americans is how far we dare to dream.

"But the American dream is under attack."

At one point in his speech, a group began to boo but was drowned out by a group whose shushes were louder.

Dewhurst may have picked up new supporters as he talked about legislation he has overseen -- such as a voter identification requirement, 51 tax cuts for small-business owners, moves to defund Planned Parenthood and more -- and opened up about his family life. He was raised by a single mother after his father, a military pilot, was killed by a drunken driver.

"Life was tough for my mom," he said. "She was an anchor. She taught us faith, integrity and hard work."

After thanking delegates whom he referred to as his bosses for the opportunity to serve Texas, he said every Republican must forge forward.

"If we don't fight for it every single day, the American dream is at risk," he said. "We have so many conservative warriors. ... We won't stop fighting until we send Barack Obama back to Chicago."

Some delegates yelled out that Obama should be sent to Kenya.

"Wherever he wants to go is fine, perfect, great," Dewhurst said. "I'm with you."

Staff writer Barry Shlachter contributed to this report.

Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610

Twitter: @annatinsley

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