Ideological Purity Runs Rampant At The Texas GOP Convention In America’s reddest state, moderation and prudence are increasingly seen as a betrayal of conservatism and a reason to purge the GOP.By John Daniel Davidson
June 18, 2018 SAN ANTONIO — “God doesn’t change, he’s the same yesterday today, and forever,†said a young man in a white cowboy hat and a long-sleeve Texas state flag shirt. His voice rose as he spoke. “If you look up at the sky and see that God has moved, he hasn’t moved—you have. God doesn’t move or change, and we shouldn’t either!â€
The man was not a preacher and this was not a church service. He was a delegate and this was a meeting of the Permanent Platform Committee at the Texas Republican Party’s convention, which concluded its biannual meeting this weekend in San Antonio—a gathering of nearly 10,000 delegates, lawmakers, party activists, and merchants hawking MAGA hats and Trump T-shirts.
The young man ended his biblically inspired testimony by saying, “I strongly urge this committee to retain the current language in the plank about homosexuality.â€
He was referring to the 2016 party platform, which included a plank condemning homosexuality as “a chosen behavior†that is contrary to “fundamental unchanging truths.†But at this year’s convention, the language was softened. Instead of passing judgement on homosexuality as such, the plank calls on the State Legislature “to pass religious liberty protections†for those who disagree with gay marriage.
The idea was to send the message that the Texas GOP is a big tent and that protecting religious liberty is more important to Republicans than excluding gay Texans from the party. The debate over the plank’s language was nevertheless protracted and at times fierce. Gay marriage, like abortion and the Second Amendment, are no-compromise issues for many Texas Republicans, especially the hard-core grassroots activists who attend the state convention, like the young man in the white cowboy hat.
What Does Conservatism Mean to Its Activists?<..snip..>
http://thefederalist.com/2018/06/18/ideological-purity-runs-rampant-texas-gop-convention/