[ad_1]
DALLAS – If there’s one overarching theme at the CPAC Convention in Dallas this weekend that goes beyond devotion to former President Donald Trump, it’s an absolute commitment to actively defeat what most people here are aggressively attacking Hold America on a neo-Marxist left.
Speech after speech, participants are encouraged to take action, fight, and stand up against Democrats who they say are trying to take over America.
What you need to know
- Conservative activists and grassroots organizers have gathered in Dallas for the three-day CPAC convention
- An important theme of the convention is the fight against what many participants see as an attack by the radical left
- Action and commitment are the most important things here, said Fran Rhodes, president of the True Texas Project
“Be it the Liberals, Marxists or Democrats, they are demanding that we give up our culture,” said Don Huffines, a former Texas state senator and now Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
“Patriots, grab your rusty swords of freedom! Help me sever the chains of government and awaken the sleeping sheep from their slumber to help us restore the freedom that was stolen from us! ”Huffines conjured Game of Thrones-like images to the crowd for the three day Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) Convention in Dallas.
“This is Texas. We will not bend our knees to any man or government for no reason! “
The Huffines appearance at CPAC is significant as the Texas Republicans prepare for the busy season. The Dallas businessman is popular with congressional conservatives who blame Abbott for giving in to the Liberals in his pandemic response and accusing him of being Republican or RINO by name.
Now there are two Conservative challengers to Abbott in the Republican governor primary. Allen West, the former head of the Texas Republican Party and a staunch critic of the governor, also announced his candidacy this month.
The opportunities presented by two ultra-conservative Republican gubernatorial candidates in the primary campaign have put the conservative grassroots activists of Texas – like the thousands gathered in Dallas for CPAC – into full swing.
“Action and commitment are key here,” said Fran Rhodes, president of the True Texas Project, a grassroots conservative organization founded 12 years ago by members of the Northeast Tarrant Tea Party.
The organization changed its name to reflect a nationwide shift, said Julie McCarty, the organization’s founder and a household name in the grassroots conservative movement in Texas.
But calling the True Texas Party “Tea Party 2.0” would be an accurate description, she said.
If there’s a difference between the group then and now, it’s because the True Texas Project is less focused on promoting new candidates and more focused on holding elected Republicans accountable for conservative priorities, Rhodes said .
“If we can elect some new, strong Conservatives in large numbers, then that will be historic,” said Rhodes. “Whatever happens in the elections, we will continue to do what we do, which is to educate and motivate citizens to get involved.”
The organization works on a classical basis and encourages the members of the local chapter to deal with local party districts, races and issues. It holds training courses on voter registration and advocacy. It also has lobbies in Austin.
During this year’s legislature, more than 130 representatives from the True Texas Project in Austin advocated abortion, gun rights, and other Republican priority issues. They testified at hearings, spoke to lawmakers, advocated committee members and wrote position papers, Rhodes said.
According to McCarty, the group is gaining momentum. In early 2021, the True Texas Project had three local chapters. It will have 17 locations across the state by the end of 2021, she said.
“And we’re just getting started,” said McCarty.
Abbott is seen as a presidential candidate and puts the Texas gubernatorial race in the spotlight. It also means that Abbott, fearing the aftermath of the right-wing party, has been campaigning even more conservatively in recent weeks.
He has stated that Texas would build its own border wall to stop illegal immigration. By calling for a special session of the legislature, he put important conservative issues on the agenda, such as electoral integrity, transgender youth in sport, critical racial theory and censorship on social media.
Before the rise of the Tea Party and the 2014 election, Texas had been a fairly traditional, business-friendly Republican party, said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
In the past seven to eight years, the Texas Republican Party has become a socially conservative first and business second party and has become more conservative, Jillson said.
“Abbott is very conscious of this and very sensitive about not allowing anyone to exercise their rights consistently,” said Jillson. “So he keeps moving to the right. And to make sure there wasn’t enough room to his right for someone like Don Huffines or Allen West, let alone [Lt. Gov.] Dan Patrick, to give him precedence in this regard. “
Both parties are working hard to attract more voters before the 2022 elections. The Texas Democrats predict that there are up to 2 million unregistered voters who, if registered, would vote Democrats.
Former MP Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, works for the Left and is traveling the state on a campaign-style tour to get Democrats excited about suffrage and more registration. O’Rourke hasn’t announced whether he will face Abbott, although many Democrats are hoping he will.
The Texas GOP has been threatened in recent years by diversification and growing demographics, some of which are fueling the growth of the Democratic Party. Though Republicans still hold three times the power, recent wins in the Texas house in the 2018 elections shook the GOP enough to organize and maintain the status quo in 2020.
That is why Conservative Republican activists, like thousands here at CPAC this weekend, said it was so important to get organized and get to work.
“Grassroots activism can have a big impact, especially if they focus on talking about topics where they can be more successful,” said Brendan Steinhauser, an independent Republican strategist based in Austin. “It’s harder to take that energy and choose an incumbent and try to replace him with an outsider.”
Trump has dominated CPAC for the past few years, and this year’s convention is no different. Some wonder if such devotion will hinder the party’s future, especially if Trump’s dominance in the party continues to fuel divisions in the GOP.
The heavy reliance on Trump in the Republican Party gives cause for concern to some activists and grassroots organizers.
While everyone out there is hoping for a savior, there is much to be done, McCarty said.
“Trump will not save us. We have to occupy ourselves and save ourselves, ”she said.
[ad_2]
