Roundup of DMN coverage of last weekend's State Republican Convention in Dallas

 From the beginning -- 
DAY ONE:

Texas Republican convention arrives in Dallas; first up, show of unity between Perry, Hutchison
Our fearless leader Ryan Rusak sets the scene:
6:00 AM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
Good morning, political junkies. It's a great day to be a politico in Dallas: 15,000 delegates, alternates and guests (along with us media types) are here for the two-day Texas Republican Convention.


The action starts right away, with a Texas Federation of Republican Women breakfast featuring Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison. The two have not appeared together since the incumbent governor soundly defeated the senator in their heated primary battle in March. And Hutchison hasn't said much publicly about the campaign since her loss. As Wayne Slater noted earlier this week, expect the "Kay Bailout" and "Slick Rick" talk of those days to yield to pledges of unity and warm, if somewhat forced, interaction between the two.
http://tinyurl.com/2g4u23b



Republicans slinging red meat
12:47 PM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
Jeffers reports on TX GOP Chairman Cathie Adams' opening remarks at convention.
http://tinyurl.com/2bbzplc


Anita Perry introduces husband
Jeffers:
12:57 PM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
Texas First Lady Anita Perry is introducing her husband, Rick Perry, to convention delegates.
http://tinyurl.com/22sb3vn


Hutchison gives robust defense of Texas congressional delegation
Meanwhile, Rusak reports from Texas Federation of Republican Women breakfast:
1:08 PM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
Kay Bailey Hutchison's endorsement of her primary foe, Rick Perry, was the main highlight of their joint appearance at this morning's Texas Federation of Republican Women breakfast in conjunction with the state GOP convention here in Dallas. But Hutchison's robust defense of her colleague's in the state's congressional delegation was noteworthy, too.
http://tinyurl.com/29aqc63



Cornyn continues GOP pep rally
Jeffers has it:
2:09 PM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
The message for delegates at the GOP convention is simple: Don't stray away from Texas values.


Sen. John Cornyn said President Barack Obama was bringing a Chicago approach to the White House. He went on to talk about patronage, ward bosses etc. Kind of made me homesick.
http://tinyurl.com/23rzous


Stay away from Greg Abbott's daughter
Jeffers warns us the AG is apperently packing.
3:02 PM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/25vuxhf


Todd Staples talks tough
Jeffers continues to monitor the manliness:
3:35 PM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
"If they think they can mandate and legislate away our individual freedoms, I have one thing to say," he said. "Come and take it."

http://tinyurl.com/2fm2n9r


House Speaker Straus hears some boos
Jeffers reports:
3:42 PM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
House Speaker Joe Straus is not the most popular Republican at this convention.
http://tinyurl.com/2bprvlf


Texas lite governor's showdown with Rahm Emanuel: face-poking nearly cost him a finger, David Dewhurst says
Gillman gives us a fascinating glimpse at the world of big-time politics:
3:56 PM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
Most Rahm Emanuel stories involve cussing. One involves a buck naked lobbying effort at the congressional gym. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's involves a confrontation featuring behavior so menacing, he came close to snapping Emanuel's finger.
http://tinyurl.com/2ag9una


Dems get into the act with a trailer, an elephant and fake money
via Rusak: Intern reporter Neena Satija brings us this report on the Democrats' efforts to crash the Texas GOP party on Friday:
5:50 PM Fri, Jun 11, 2010
Lest the Texas Republicans steal all the headlines this weekend, the Democrats had their own little show near the Dallas Convention Center on Friday afternoon. Parked outside Eddie Deen's Ranch on South Lamar Street was a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom green-and-white mobile home that the Texas AFL-CIO is generously offering Governor Rick Perry for $1 a month.

http://tinyurl.com/28f7g8c
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Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away...

Ex-Texas gubernatorial candidate an outlier at state GOP convention in Dallas
Hoppe reports on the insurgency:
12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, June 12, 2010
The Magnolia, as state Republican Party convention hotels go, is an outlier. And it's here in the lobby that Debra Medina, the tea party favorite who made an impressive stand in the primary for governor, is rousing the GOP rabble.
http://tinyurl.com/38oppkr

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DAY TWO:

Day 2 of the Texas Republican convention: platform, elections and (more) speeches
Rusak wakes us up early for the second day of the State Republican Convention:
8:00 AM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
Might Republicans be turning into Democrats?


At least in one way, perhaps. Their tradition of tight-ship, done-before-dusk conventions could be lost today as the GOP puts off the business of its gathering at the Dallas Convention Center until the late afternoon. Debra Medina thinks it's all done on purpose; make sure you don't miss Christy Hoppe's story [see above -- jj] on Medina's counter-convention event Friday night.
http://tinyurl.com/32sh468



Mayor Leppert: Dallas has a prayer
Slater reports:
9:01 AM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
Delegates were up early Saturday morning for a prayer rally that started the day at the state Republican convention.
http://tinyurl.com/3xzrln8


Shoot, there's Jerry Patterson
Hoppe reports from the jungle:
12:52 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3y6pbsq


GOP platform calls for Texas to adopt immigration law similar to Arizona's
Jeffers looks at the planks:
1:27 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
Texas Republicans are proposing a platform that calls for stiffer immigration policies and state laws that require local police officers to "verify residency status" of a person "upon arrest for another crime."
http://tinyurl.com/32jav8r


Speaker Joe Straus blasted by former state Republican Party vice chairman
Jeffers again:
2:01 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
Former Texas Republican Party Vice Chairman David Barton distributed four-page attack document today that casts House Speaker Joe Straus as a Republican helping Democrats defeat the conservative agenda.
http://tinyurl.com/37ycl6z


Floor fight for Republican Party chairman looming
Hoppe reports on Adams' ouster, from the beginning:
2:31 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
Reports out of nominations committee is that Steve Munisteri has won the chairmanship race from the caucus vote.
http://tinyurl.com/356v8sj


Marijuana activists share their message at Texas GOP convention
Neena Satija reports that Medina wasn't the only one excluded from the proceedings:
2:45 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
Craig Johnson of Protectyouth.org, an organization that advocates for regulation and taxation of marijuana, applied for a booth twice before he was finally rejected.

http://tinyurl.com/2bwhb4n


Nominations committee picks Steve Munisteri
...even as (Hoppe reports) the fight for chairmanship continued:
3:18 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/33uqokq


The shopping scene at the Texas Republican convention
Neena Satija took a quick trip through the marketplace at the GOP convention and found some fun items:
4:16 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
If you've got the urge to go on a little shopping spree this weekend, the Texas Republican Convention is the place to be. They've got T-shirts with clever slogans, posters, pins, tea party earrings - the list goes on.
http://tinyurl.com/2upwzyo


Barbour to Texas GOP: Don't let 'purity be the enemy of unity'
The AP was on this one:
5:37 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour told Texas Republicans on Saturday that the stakes in this fall's elections were "higher than any midterm election in my lifetime."
http://tinyurl.com/35bdhd6


Munisteri wins election as Texas Republican chairman with 59 percent of vote
Hoppe continues the chair narrative:
5:47 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
In a rare floor fight, the state Republican Party ousted a long-time social conservative leader and instead elected Houston lawyer Steve Munisteri as its new party chairman.
http://tinyurl.com/2vozro6


Republicans slam gavel on convention
Gromer bids us adieu -- till next week, when the Dems have their convention down in Corpus.
7:50 PM Sat, Jun 12, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/34qfrqv


And, at the last, the platform:
Immigration most pressing platform issue at state GOP convention

Gromer Jeffers reports:

Texas Republicans voted Saturday to call for a state law to require local police officers to verify that people arrested on suspicion of a crime are in the country legally.

If Republicans have their way, the Legislature would make it a crime for an illegal immigrant to "intentionally or knowingly" be in the state of Texas.
http://tinyurl.com/2dc5c9f


Other GOP platform proposals:


12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, June 13, 2010
Other proposals in the Texas Republican Party platform approved Saturday:

• A law to require that a sonogram be performed and offered to a woman seeking an abortion.
• Strengthening the State Board of Education's powers.
• Fighting efforts to increase the tax on gasoline or to index it to inflation.
• Outlawing of all sexually oriented businesses, including strip clubs. Dallas is one of the adult entertainment centers of the country.
• Requiring voters to produce a photo ID before casting a ballot.