Posted on 08/27/2012 2:32:18 PM PDT by Ron C.
Drew McKissick is a longtime conservative activist and blogger who is in attendance at the Republican National Conventions Rules Committee meetings. He and others on the ground are sounding the alarm over rules changes that he and many other attendees believe will hurt grass-roots movement conservatives. The battle is being cast by some observers as a narrow fight between Ron Paul advocates and the rest of the party. Drew says thats not true. And many other state delegations who oppose top-down delegate choices are chiming in.
First, heres Drews call to arms (my emphasis added in bold):
Fellow conservatives,
Those who are in Tampa working to maintain the influence of grassroots conservatives in the Republican Party need your help!
(Excerpt) Read more at michellemalkin.com ...
Sounds like there will definitely be a third party at some time in the near future.
if these lot want to be liberal on social issues then they need to have their on libertarian convention.
We are the republican party, it;s bad enough we allow Paul a platform to spew his liberal views at our nomination process.
I’ve been trying to warn FR for two days on this and most Freepers, except for a few believe this is about Paulbots maneuvers when it’s not - it’s about the Establishment trying to push out any Tea Party and Conservative dissent or voice in the future. Wake up folks!!!
Not unless you want to see that third party lose to Democrats for the next 3 to 4 elections. A third party is NOT the way to go. Keeping the GOP conservative is BY FAR easier than a third party. Just look at how many have been formed, and have gone nowhere!
There will be NO further tolerance in the GOP
to anyone who dare oppose Romney Death Panels,
RomneyCARE/ObamaCARE, RomneyTAXES(”fees”)
or Romney Marriage, and especially ANYONE
who attempts to speak up about the truth.
God bless them.
GO TEA PARTY PATRIOTS!
This is a power-play against the Tea Party movement - a move to 'democratize' the GOP. We can't let it happen.
Thankfully this may already be going down to defeat simply because the 'word got out' and it is being strongly opposed.
BUT - find your state number at the bottom of Malkin's article and strongly urge them to vote against this rule change!
The grassroots have always chose the delegates, and the delegates choose the candidates - without a candidates ability to cut various delegates out of the process!
They want the candidate chosen by GOP 'insiders' to be able cut out delegates they think might not vote for them! That's what the Democrats do - and we don't want the GOP moving that direction in ANY WAY!
This is “Romney” at work. Trying to ensure his 2016 run. Already trying to shut out a possible challenge.
But this kerfuffle isn't about the Paulites - this is about delegates being disenfranchised - not allowed to vote, IF the supposed nominee doesn't like how he THINKS they might vote!
Another disturbing issue is that there is the new rule that the Republican National Rule committee (made of Establishment types) can change the rules whenever they want to with just a 3/4 vote.
Those rules govern the primaries. Historically the rules are changes only at the convention every 4 years. Now, if the Republican National Committee doesnt like any of the rules passed in Tampa, it doesnt have to wait four years, because with a 3/4 vote they can change things whenever they want to do so, this could affect the 2016 primaries because the Committee could do as they desire if they see somebody as a serious threat to Romney or somebody else. If you have rules that can change ahead of time, then the deck can be stacked
(imagine that President Romney goes to the left and lets just say for example that Sarah decides to primary him, well he and the GOPE can take a look at the lay of the land right before the primaries start and change the primary rules to benefit him or make it more difficult for Sarah to challenge him)
Pick up your phone and call your state GOP party office, and demand that this new 'rule' be strongly opposed!
Romeny now pulls down his mask and is showing his true colors!
OKay!
sounds like the GOP “big tent” wants a ringmaster in charge instead of those in their “big tent”.
For sure. No doubt he heard Sarah Palin’s talk about a Third Party in 2016.
GO SARAH!
This is a liberal attempt to stop the free-exercise of legitimate voters - albeit in the microcosm of delegate to a political convention.
The GOP must die. It does not and will not speak for its people.
Third party is assured.
If he keeps it up, he'll lose far more than a few votes at the convention!
Well folks, how would you have liked it if say Sarah Palin or Jim DeMint had ran and won the nomination by winning the popular vote in the caucuses and primaries - except that some little faction took over the conventions in the various states and rigged the delegates to their candidate instead.
That’s exactly what the Paulsheviks did in Iowa. Santorum and Romney tied, Paul ran a distant third, but of our delegate slate of 28, 23 are voting for Ron Paul. Is that what you want, a small group rigging delegates with smoky back room deals made by the 1% of the 1%, or the will of the people reflected?
We also had those who supported Ron Paul at the convention but said they supported Romney so they would get elected. If this were again, a Sarah Palin or Jim Demint, would you want false flag operatives ambushing you at convention by claiming to support one candidate but voting for another?
This rule didn’t come out of a vacuum. Let’s think this thru more, because next time it might be a bona fide conservative that someone is trying to undermine.
kook paul is not in any way main stream. He is not tea party, main party, or anything other than a joke.
historically we always have these kooks pop up when their nutjob candidate does not make it. kook paul should man up and unite with the party and tell his paulists to stand down. Even IF there was a floor fight it would be over before it started since kook paul has no significant votes.
This isn’t about the Paulsheviks - this is about shutting down Tea Party delegates, which pose a far greater threat to the GOP-E.
They represent us, they don’t own us.
‘...give Romney at shot.’
Mormons don’t drink, Sarah.
The time for that battle is in the local republican clubs and parties.
Take over those AFTER this election, RIGHT AFTER the election. You have to do the work now, right now, with an eye towards 2014.
To have these fight now is usuless and only demonstrates disorganization for the media.
In the words of Mr. Spock, “please, not in front of the Klingons.”
Well I may be colored by my recent convention experience here in Iowa Ron, but I’m so tired of seeing the popular will of the people ignored. I don’t care how just the cause, when 1% of the 1% can rig things to their liking, it bugs me.
I fully understand that’s how we do the electoral college, but at least there’s some play off the popular vote. It is so easy to pull strings via the convention process with only a moderate amount of organization. Not a Romney fan but I’m just thinking about the future when we have a candidate we DO like.
Then I assume you would prefer a state’s delegates to reflect and represent the popular vote of the party membership as a whole.
It wasn’t just Romney that got screwed in Iowa, it was Santorum too.
What is a delegate if he’s not allowed to vote? They had better stop this top-down stuff, in both parties, before people give up on the system.
Romney and Rove are the ones who are remaking the party to be liberal on many issues including social issues. And this effort to disenfranchise delegates is being led by Romney. Read the full article. It talks about many Tea Party types who have tried to boot RINOs out in primaries opposing this change. With this change Romney can apparently ban any delegates he doesn't like and pack the convention with his own. Then the delegates the states elect will have no say in anything the party does.
Matt Kibbe of FreedomWorks is on the scene. Many Romney supporters are now coming forward to disavow the Romney campaign-led effort:
The first state to split from the establishment plan and speak up against proposed changes was Texas but it has now been joined by a number of other state delegations including Iowa, Nevada, Nebraska, Minnesota, Virginia, South Carolina, Indiana and probably more by the time you receive this. Opposition is snowballing because Republicans dont want to see their party traditions tossed aside by big government insiders.
The battle is being cast by some observers as a narrow fight between Ron Paul advocates and the rest of the party.
The bottom of the article has the state GOP phone numbers they want you to contact in bullet point #1 below.
THE BELOW LINK has the phone numbers for the CONVENTION RULES COMMITTEE members for each state (2 per state). In bullet point #3 they want you to contact them as well.
CONVENTION RULES COMMITTEE members phone numbers/e-mails
1) We need all conservative Republican grassroots supporters to contact their state GOP and let them know that they OPPOSE the rules change that will give future presidential campaigns control over who gets to be a delegate (current RULE 15, but is being renumbered to 16) and OPPOSE the new RULE 12 which allows the RNC to change the rules at any time between conventions.
2) We need them to contact any DELEGATES to the convention they may know and tell them they OPPOSE the rules change and want them to support a move on the floor to amend this change via the MINORITY REPORTS and support a demand for a ROLL CALL VOTE if necessary.
3) We need them to contact the CONVENTION RULES COMMITTEE members for their state (each state has two) and tell them they want them to SIGN THE MINORITY REPORTS before Tuesdays session at 2:00PM. You can find a copy of the list here.
A third party should have been formed about 3 elections back. It’s too late now.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Romney’s poll numbers drop after the convention.
Thanks for the heads up. Emailed my reps and shared on FB.
Thanks very much, dearest RedMDer!
FB = great idea!
The candidates that I am supporting are there and currently posting on FB so they should see my “share”.
Excellent!
I too am one of those who will vote for Romney, because the alternative is unthinkable.
But, this underhanded power-grab stinks to high-heaven, undermines the full-faith and fairness of the convention, and undercuts the very reason that we send delegates to a convention in the first place!
It's just DIRTY POLITICS, which we have long kept (mostly) out of the GOP, particularly at local levels.
I guess temporarily we'll have to rename it the DOP - the Dirty Old Party.
Re: Romeny now pulls down his mask and is showing his true colors!
So now we hope to elect a new, self-appointed Emperor? Lord help us.
Rattle their cages! We need to let them know we're watching and NOT approving when they act like DEMONRATS!
CONVENTION RULES COMMITTEE members phone numbers/e-mails
Dear Mr. XXXXX,
As a Pennsylvania Republican voter, I am asking you, in your role as Convention Rules Committee member, to oppose the rules change that will give future presidential campaigns control over who gets to be a delegate (current RULE 15, but is being renumbered to 16) and also to oppose the new RULE 12 which allows the RNC to change the rules at any time between conventions.
I am asking you to sign the Minority Reports that will try and stop these rules changes from being adopted before Tuesdays session at 2:00 PM.
I want a Republican party where the grass-roots are allowed a voice in what happens at the convention and not one where their votes can be overruled by a central authority.
Thank you.
Hats off to both of you for sounding the alarm. Transparency and accountability are the watch words here. We have to maintain our status in the party and move it in the right direction.
This may be the reckoning that is needed to really take back America...
Thanks for that list - email costs nothing - but frequently works wonders!
FReepers, lets multiply this and send them an email BOMBSHELL!
If King Bozo Oligarch is re coronated there will be no election in 2016.
When the National GOP committee (three people from each state) begin to think they can disenfranchise some of the delegates from various states - we need to tell them NO WAY!
Why elect delegates if they aren't allowed to vote - or their votes can be trashed without counting!
THAT'S DIMRAT VOTER FRAUD!
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