Posted on 05/02/2012 12:29:44 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Last week, I wrote about the Ron Paul movement's success in Minnesota, organizing effectively to take delegates in the Congressional-district conventions that elect delegate to the big show in Tampa. Minnesota isn't the only caucus state where this has taken place, the Washington Times reports, and the Paul campaign may end up with a more significant presence on the campaign floor than the official caucus/primary counts suggest. Will they be able to create "mischief" on the floor and disrupt Mitt Romney's smooth ascent to the top of the ticket?
Mitt Romney may be the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, but Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is quietly racking up some organizational victories that could complicate Mr. Romney’s anticipated coronation at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., this summer.
Exploiting party rules, loyalists for the libertarian congressman from Texas in recent days have engineered post-primary organizing coups in states such as Louisiana and Alaska, confirming what party regulars say would be an effort to grab an outsized role in the convention and the party’s platform deliberations.
In Massachusetts, the state where Mr. Romney served as governor, Paul loyalists over the weekend helped block more than half of Mr. Romney’s preferred nominees from being named delegates at state party caucuses — even though Mr. Romney won his home state’s primary with 72 percent of the vote. Many state GOP establishment figures, including longtime state Republican National Committee member Ron Kaufman, won’t be going to Tampa in August as official delegates.
Mr. Paul, who is Mr. Romney’s only active challenger with the expected withdrawal Wednesday of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, “is doing more with less than any modern presidential campaign in recent memory,” said Doug Wead, a Paul campaign adviser who served as an aide to President George H.W. Bush.
“More surprises coming,” Mr. Wead, an evangelical Christian, blogged this week. “It means that Ron Paul will be a factor in Tampa.”
Ralph Hallow writes that a few more surprises might make Paul strong enough to deny Romney a first-ballot nomination, but that’s unlikely. Massachusetts aside, the Paul campaign has mainly flexed its muscles in states where Romney didn’t do well — and where Rick Santorum succeeded, such as Minnesota, Iowa, Louisiana, and probably Missouri when they hold their fourth or fifth event that will actually select delegates. The net effect of the Paul conversion will be to weaken Santorum’s influence, not Romney’s. Romney will win enough bound delegates from primary states to secure the nomination on the first ballot.
At this point, what would Paul gain from disrupting the convention? He won’t get the nomination, and he’s not going to get the VP slot, either, especially if he disrupts the convention. Neither will his son Rand, who only just started his first-ever political office. The Pauls want to play a long game, transferring the movement leadership from father to son, while maintaining their influence with the GOP. Rand has much more potential than his father ever did within the party, and everyone knows it.
That potential will be destroyed if Ron Paul and his movement derails the convention and it leads to a second Obama term; they will take all of the blame, and they will deserve it if they pursue that strategy. The Pauls are more rational than that, and they have used a frankly brilliant strategy to lay the groundwork for Rand in the next few cycles. They played by the rules and won these obscure battles. The big question — at least here in Minnesota — is whether they will stick around and do the work that these jobs require. Paul movement members have a reputation for a lack of follow-up in this state, and we’ll see whether that applies after these victories.
This does point out the need to end the caucus system, however. People who cast presidential-preference ballots in caucus states are almost entirely unaware that backroom machinations could produce a much different result than they intended. Minnesota and other states that have clung to the antiquated, 19th-century caucus systems — especially states like Iowa, Maine, and Nevada, where the state parties couldn’t properly count their ballots — need to join the 21st century and give Republican voters a direct method to choose their representation in presidential nomination processes.
Is the pope German?
They deserve what they get.
Is not that the point of a Convention?
The Paulbots have a point. Reagan went down swinging at the Convention[76]. Was that wrong?
Only if 1) he can gain a plurality of delegates in 5 states, and right now it appears he has pluralities in 3 (Iowa, Louisiana and Minnesota; Colorado might be also, but the reports haven’t been clear on that, so that would be 4), then 2) can prevent Romney from winning on the first ballot, which is pretty much mathematically impossible at this point, unless Ron Paul starts winning some primaries.
Reagan also won several primaries and had the ability to force a floor fight, but when they lost the rules vote, they eventually gave in.
Unless Paul starts winning some primaries, its not possible for him to deny Romney anything, because even the Paul delegates from Massachusetts are pledged to support Romney on the first ballot.
I've also enjoyed the comparisons to Harding and the 1920 from some Paul supporters. I suppose if you want to buy the nomination in a smoke filled back room that is the model to use.
I just heard on CNBC that Newt is suspending his Presidential Campaign.
Does this mean that Ron Paul is our last chance for having an Open Convention in Tampa?
My choice for Republican Presidential Nominee is Sen. Jim DeMint, R-Sc, who “says” that his doesn’t want to run for President.
Since May 29 is the Texas Primary, Paul’s win there would go a long way to achieving an Open Convention in Tampa.
If the “Anybody But Romney,” (ABR), folks are serious, maybe they should support the last ABR Candidate standing?
By characterizing it as “mischief” the author trumpets his/her bias.
Good points.
Since May 29 is the Texas Primary, Paul’s win there would go a long way to achieving an Open Convention in Tampa.
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Paul won’t win Texas nor even come close......
In Harding’s day the party picked the nominee at the convention. Now they are picked the day AFTER the election (for the election in 4 years).
I really don’t think the mess we have today is all that much an improvement (or when you look under the covers all that much different) from how they did it 100 years ago.
This is why Newt should also stay in this thing. Suspend the campaign but go to Tampa ready to play the floor if necessary.
Given that they are now the last stand between us and Romney...
LET US HOPE SO !!!
“Can Ron Paul delegates cause mischief at the RNC national convention?”
I sure hope so! RINOmney shouldn’t have a smooth ride taking the top spot as a liberal...
I think Ron Paul wants to do a Ross Perot for Dick Obama.
If Newt is out, I may very well vote for Paul in the Texas Primary, just for the heck of it.
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