Posted on 06/04/2008 7:51:35 PM PDT by traviskicks
Republican activists' Houston case warned state leaders will try to shut out grass-roots opposition at meeting next week
A Harris County judge on Wednesday ordered the Texas Republican Party to comply with state election law at its state convention in Houston next week after Republican activists alleged that the party illegally uses procedures to minimize grass-root dissent.
Visiting Judge Tom Sullivan issued the temporary restraining order on Wednesday, a few hours after it was requested in a lawsuit filed by activists across the state.
Represented by lawyer Gary Polland, a former Harris County Republican Party chairman, the group alleges that party leaders violated procedural laws at past conventions and plan to do so again. The next hearing on the case is scheduled for Monday.
Texas law says a political party's state convention must choose a permanent chairman before doing most official business. Polland and Wharton County GOP Chairwoman Debra Medina said the party instead elects a permanent chairman late in the convention, shutting off dissent beforehand about the selection of convention delegates and new state party leaders, the adoption of a platform and other actions.
"If they want to exclude the grass roots and control the process it's not right," Polland said.
Medina worked in the primary re-election campaign of her congressman, Ron Paul. The activists she heads call themselves "Goldwater Conservatives, Reagan Republicans, Robertson Crowd, Ron Paul Republicans, and, well, real Conservatives" on their Web site, www.fairconvention.org.
Texas Republican Party spokesman Hans Klingler said the party follows the rules and is willing to address complaints about how the convention is conducted.
"We are a rule-of-law party," he said.
The state convention at the downtown George R. Brown Convention Center will select delegates to the Republican National Convention and hear speeches by top GOP elected officials. Some Republicans in Galveston, Nueces and Parker counties want the convention to block the seating of delegates from those areas on grounds that they were selected in violation of party rules.
Without changing the way the convention is run, Polland said, the party risks alienating some of its grassroots supporters, "and 10 or 15 percent disaffected Republican voters means (Democrat) Barack Obama wins Texas."
Polland and Medina are convention delegates.
The State law is broad and does not lay out the rules and organization for the convention. That is why we have a “rules committee” and an “organization committee.”
From what I understand, the demand is that the Convention immediately elect a State Party Chairman rather than hold the traditional First General Session, with ceremonial proceedings, followed by Caucases, etc., with the current State Chair acting as temporary chair for the pledges, some guest speakers, party news and cheers.
http://www.texasgop.org/site/PageServer?pagename=2008_Convention
The Chairman is elected later, but before the final elections of delegates and passage of the Platform and Rules.
The difference will be that our Party Chairman will be re-elected on day one, rather than on day 2.
Mr.? King? LOL!!!
Not this woman.
Wrong again just as L Ron Paul
Forget the silly “country club” comments. You just show that your target is some strawman that you want to tear down, not a rule of law or the building up of the Party. You definitely don’t seem to identify yourself as a Republican.
If we vote on the permanent Convention Chairman at the first general session, rather than at the second, their lawsuit will causing practical problems for volunteers who have to pay for hotel rooms and leave jobs and other obligations to attend the convention.
Since we have to travel from Comal County to Houston, that extra 2 to 3 hours of lee-way before it is necessary for us to cast a vote, will make a real difference. For those of us who planned to drive up on Thursday morning, needing a quorum and having that first official vote at 3 PM is much better than at 12 noon. They’ll either get to leave the house earlier on Thursday in order to absolutely be on time for the opening prayers, or pay for an additional hotel night and meals away from home.
Thanks a lot notfair and all. Because we had our State Convention training for our County Wednesday night, before this ruling came in, I’ll have to call all the delegates and alternates and let them know what it’s going to cost them not to miss that first official vote. And I’ll be sure and let our delegates know which candidate(s) and their supporters we have to thank for the extra time and money.
The way things stand, if we are not absolutely on time and in our seats at 12 noon, no harm done. If things change because of some judge’s ruling, delegates will need to be registered and organized before 12 noon.
Our delegates and alternates usually organize at our first SD Caucus, so that we know who is present and can seat the alternates to cover for any delegates who are not present. The first votes for our delegates are usually to elect the permanent member for our Senatorial District of the rules, platform, organization, and credentials committees - not the permanent chairman of the Convention.
If the vote for the permanent Convention chairman is taken at the first general session we will have to meet as a County delegation before hand, sometime between when the 9 AM Registration opens and the 12 Noon beginning of the First General Session. Where are we going to hold this meeting? It sure is easier in the rooms for the SD caucus than it will be to have to arrange for a room or just try to work it out in the big meeting hall, with the delegates and alternates spread out much more.
It seems to me that they were left out; however, it also seems to me that they are NOT original Texans, but imports from a certain New England state that is a far way from the legendary Texas. All those quoted by me, I suspect, are Texan born Texans.
Again, having an extra day to debate who will be the State Chairman and who will be the National delegates — just how does this stifle grass roots activists?
If I recall, it took me days to figure out
The temporary credentials/platform/organization and rules committees meet on Wednesday and Thursday, before the opening session. Any delegate or alternate can attend as a guest. The permanent committee members are elected in that first Senate District Caucus, but the actual reports are not adopted until after we elect the Party Chairman on Thursday and the Permanent Committees meet on Thursday night (again, the grass roots members may attend these as guests).
You sound like a Faber College Omega.
Let freedom Ping! Or else shake your chains!
Ping!
2008 Texas Republican Primary
Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates
John McCain 697,767 51.21% 80
Mike Huckabee 518,002 38.02% 16
Ron Paul 66,360 4.87% 0
Mitt Romney 27,264 2.00% 0
Fred Thompson 11,503 0.84% 0
Alan Keyes 8,260 0.60% 0
Duncan Hunter 8,222 0.60% 0
Rudy Giuliani 6,038 0.44% 0
Hugh Cort 728 0.05% 0
Hoa Tran 604 0.04% 0
Uncommitted 17,574 1.29% 0
Total 1,362,322 100% 96
As a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, i can agree with most of that.
Ron Paul gets a pass cause he's originally from Pittsburgh, and did pretty well in our primary.
Houston Comical is so gleeful about the Paulbots’ legal trick that they posted the same story on-line under 3 different headlines. Only 2 got posted on FR.
Ron Paul and Gary Polland are going to reap a whirlwind of Republican anger over trying to disrupt the convention. They won’t be able to run for dog catcher after this.
;^)
“the country club culture is what runs this country”
True
“provides jobs, and pays the majority of taxes to support so many that get to enjoy so much that they could not without the country club culture”
BS
Paul has done just fine in his district WITHOUT support of the Republican Party apparatus. Last election he took 60% of the vote ~and how did the rest of the Republican Party do in that election? i believe that he has twice run unopposed by any Democrat.
Chris Peden didn't have a chance, despite party support.
All the Republicans would manage to do is to damage themselves if they would choose such a foolish course.
Are you claiming that every employer is a socially liberal, globalist, big government, anti-gun elitist? The country club set is considered by most conservatives to be the Rockefeller Republican wing.
Your characterization of grassroots conservative and constitutionalist Republicans wanting the party establishment to follow the rules as being “disruptive” says a lot about you.
The current Republican (Tory) party can either reform its ways or be destined for oblivion. I’m coming to the conclusion that some of you Tories would prefer the latter.
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