What has happened to the South Carolina Republicans?

One can remember the day when their state convention was worth attending. There was excitement in the air and energy on the floor.

You could feel it.

Last weekend’s GOP convention, which attracted more than 2,000 delegates and alternates, didn’t measure up. It was orderly, boring and dull — five hours of misery.

Gov. Mark Sanford failed in his role as keynote speaker to stir ’em up. His talk was a big snooze.

One would have thought with the state’s top party leaders present under one roof, he would have thrown the troops some red meat and gone after the Democrats. Sanford talked about a “shining city on a hill.”

Previous Republican governors — such as Carroll Campbell — brought delegates to their feet with good-natured jabs at the Democrats.

Sanford seemed preoccupied. It had been a tough week. He and the GOP-controlled Legislature were at loggerheads over his veto of a major economic development bill. Before backing off, the governor threatened to sue lawmakers, exacerbating an already deteriorating relationship with the General Assembly.

At one point, Sanford spotted House Speaker David Wilkins in the audience and asked, “Do I call you David or Mr. Speaker?” He probably wanted to call him something else. The relationship between the two has been chilly, at best.

Thanks to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, it wasn’t a total waste of time. He proposed that the GOP do a better job reaching out to black voters.

But for Graham, it was not one of his better moments. His performance lacked oomph.

The highlight of the convention was the brief appearance of the candidates running for the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Rep. Jim DeMint surprised everyone with a new, dynamic style, causing observers to wonder if he hadn’t been taking elocution lessons.

Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride tried to revive the audience, but failed. “Good morning,” he said. No response. He tried again. The delegates finally woke up.

Charleston real estate developer Thomas Ravenel tried a different approach. He told a couple of Hillary Clinton jokes. Even that didn’t work .

Former Gov. David Beasley got the biggest applause. His address, short on substance, was primarily a mix of old campaign speeches and some new material.

Former Attorney General Charlie Condon delivered perhaps the best speech. He chided Republicans for being big spenders, accusing them of acting like a bunch of Democrats. Again, the response was ho-hum.

In the old days — when Republicans were hungry — the conventions were more fun.

There were backroom deals, fights over who would be chairman, disputes over the party platform, bitter clashes between the Christian right and party regulars, and crisp debates over issues.

Delegates were quick to cheer anyone who was an officeholder. But this time they didn’t react strongly to anything or anybody.

President Bush’s name was rarely mentioned. When it was, the response was tepid. Noticeably absent were state legislators, constitutional officers and party officials.

The Republican Party seems to be suffering from too much prosperity. They’re fat and happy and aren’t impressed with any GOP bigwig.

Republicans certainly remain the favorites come the general elections, but they must ratchet up the excitement and interest in their candidates.

If not, November could be tougher than they expect.