Posted on 08/01/2012 9:26:16 AM PDT by Kfobbs
The anointed Texas political establishment contender, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, was leading in the GOP runoff race to capture the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. He had a who’s who list of solid republican mainstream backers. Most state and national election experts had already inked Dewhurst into the senatorial win column.
Yet, in the conservative voter trenches of Texas, the real who ’s who that truly counted was the voters and a Tea Party movement that would not say die or give up. In their corner was the former Alaskan Governor named Sarah “I’m Not Afraid to Fight” Palin. Palin endorsed Ted Cruz, and Ted Cruz won! Boy did he win.
But that is not the whole story. GOP insider politics in Texas had Dewhurst leading comfortably. In fact, in one corner of the political ring was Dewhurst, and the royalty of Texas politics who came out in a big way for the 66-year-old Dewhurst. The Lt. Governor even loaned $24 million from his fortune to his campaign to insure his win.
In the other corner of the political ring was Cruz, who had been the former state solicitor general and had never run for office. He was the proud son of a Cuban immigrant, and was without GOP mainstream support. Therefore he was like Rocky Balboa entering the heavyweight fight with little experience but a lot of heart and most importantly he had lots and lots of conservative grass roots Texans in his corner.
This was the runoff election and in round two, Ted “Rocky Balboa” not only got his second wind, but he received conservative Tea Party support from Texas and around the nation. He also obtained conservative...
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
I would be on high alert for an Alaska type of resonse from the Republican Party, failing that, look for the GOP Elite to openly support the Democrat candidate in the general election.
That and the fact “Dirty” Dewhurst turned off voters with his 99% negative, lying and just nasty campaign!
Don’t go away mad country clubbers. Just go away.
And don’t even think about starting a third party. You have been teaching us for decades how stupid that would be.
No, it shows Cruz power and the power of all the people who volunteered in his campaign. My daughter and I worked in the Coburn campaign in OK, and when it looked like Coburn was going to win, a whole bunch of folks showed up during the last week and tried to take credit for it.
It is the local folks who do all the work and make the difference.
Texas may finally have a great Conservative Senator.
Next: primary Cornyn out of the Senate.
But if you are OK, you have no idea how ugly Dewhurst campaign got and he just bombarded the TV, Radio & Internet with his lying garbage, people were sick of it.
Please. Spin fodder.
Credit goes to Texans for Cruz, Levin for turning national heads to Cruz early, and to both Freedom Works and Jim DeMint for early big money. This was a ground war not a celebrity endorsement contest and Texans know it, having scars to prove it. The early endorsements, before the momentum, are the most appreciated. By Palin time it was already nearly a party, but fun to have her in Texas for the pre-vote confetti.
You make my point. Even Palin gave kudos to the early motivaters, like Mark Levin. She tends to endorse just before the break away but tests the water, coming in right after the heavy lifting starts to pay off.
It’s only anecdotal, but I got eleven Republican voters to the polls for Cruz who were not planning to bother (frankly, they were mostly fair-weather voters who generally only bother with the general election), and the main selling point that worked with at least eight of them was Palin’s endorsement.
This wasn’t about Palin. It was about Dewhurst and Texans being sick of him and Rick Perry.
Palin didn’t hurt Cruz, of course, nor did any of his other endorsements. But he would have won anyway.
But he would have won anyway.
Maybe. But don’t you like a 14 point spread than a 1 or 2 point spread better?
Ditto...exactly what my response would’ve been.
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner.
Yup. The deviant conservatives will be punished. Rick Perry said,
You will note of course that he did NOT say, "all TEXANS."
So, here is what I think he means. 'If you guys can elect him without us and without our money, go for it. Otherwise you'll have to dance to our tune.' He'll show up to conservative ralleys, etc. but he won't do diddly to sell Cruz to the public at large. Don't expect to see a dime of GOP money for Cruz.
This is what the RINOs have done to every conservative nominee I can remember in California. Of course, they expect us to fall in line with their "moderate" "he can win" nominees.
I don’t doubt that. For those who weren’t paying attention as you say, celebrity name can help, (or hurt) but, vastly, the candidate was made viable by early money and the early De Mint endorsement of one splendid, competent, smart constitutional scholar with extraordinary experience and savy. And Palin fans tend to credit her with the sun’s rising regardless.
So, here is what I think he means. 'If you guys can elect him without us and without our money, go for it. Otherwise you'll have to dance to our tune.' He'll show up to conservative ralleys, etc. but he won't do diddly to sell Cruz to the public at large. Don't expect to see a dime of GOP money for Cruz.
Oh, please. If anything, it shows that Perry knows which way the wind is blowing in Texas. To see his remarks as a veiled threat to withhold money is ludicrous.
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