• Tag Archives RNC

  • RNC Rules to Stifle Ron Paul in 2012 Could Come Back to Bite in 2016

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The Republican National Committee, or RNC, may use the tactics it used to stifle Ron Paul in 2012 to handle a possible floor fight over Donald Trump.

    The first order of business at the Republican Convention this coming June will be to ratify new rules. What this means is that the rules the RNC agreed on after the Convention in 2012 will expire as soon as the gavel drops to open the new meeting.

    Now, usually this is mainly procedural – the party affirming the parts of the Convention rules that are still applicable, maybe changing around some things for the benefit of also-rans or the standard bearer.

    However, in recent years there’s been a push to use the rule changes to undercut the party’s more extreme, populist and anti-government wings.

    In 2012 there was a very real chance that Ron Paul’s supporters would upend the entire Convention by forcing a fight over their candidate. Rick Ungar has a good breakdown of what happened, but here’s a quick play-by-play of the situation.

    Paul’s supporters were going to use pluralities in five states to force Paul’s name onto the ballot through Rule 40 (B). The rule specified that that be the threshold for placing a candidate’s name on the ballot.

    In other words, 40 (B) said that any candidate with the largest share of delegates in five states could be placed on the ballot for nomination. If Paul, for example, had 30 percent but no one had higher, he would have a plurality.

    As a way to stop the insurgency against Romney and ensure his victory, the RNC changed the rule to a majority of delegates in eight states. Now a candidate needed to win at least 50.1 % of delegates from eight states to be on the ballot. And that’s still the way it is, and the way it will be until the 2016 Convention.

    Under these current rules, there’s no way of determining a clear delegate winner until Super Tuesday, at least. By switching from plurality to majority, it makes New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina relatively meaningless. All three states will see a roster of candidates over ten deep. Getting a majority of those delegates is near impossible by primary voting.

    The problem for the RNC only gets worse when you consider the threat of Donald Trump’s poll numbers. If there’s one candidate right now who seems poised for majority delegate dominance, it’s Trump. This leaves the RNC with two options, and neither are good.

    First, the RNC can leave the nominating rules in place. This would either put Trump forward as their sole nominee, or, in another twist, would put no-one forward if no-one reached the berth.

    Second, the RNC could change the rules in an attempt to get another nominee. This would make a Trump independent run at least more probable.

    Source: RNC Rules to Stifle Ron Paul in 2012 Could Come Back to Bite in 2016


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  • RNC power play makes third party more likely

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The national Republican Party has made a series of decisions this week that has lead to a renewed call for the establishment of a viable third party. Constitutional Conservatives, Conservative Populists, and Libertarians are frustrated by how they are being shut out of the political process at the national level.

    In a story that has received very little attention in the national media that tends to take its marching order from the well-funded major parties, the Republican National Committee has spent much of this past week trying to unseat duly elected delegates to the national convention because they are supporters of Congressman Ron Paul. The final blow came yesterday when the RNC, unable to get the Maine delegation to comply with a series of so-called compromises, simply decided to nullify the entire Maine delegation and replace them with their own hand-picked delegates. In effect, the Republican National Committee has said that Maine does not exist. In response to this perceived abuse of power, Republican Governor Paul LePage from Maine quickly made a statement that he will follow through with his promise to boycott the National Convention because he believes his citizens are being disenfranchised.

    Later in the day, the RNC passed a new rule, giving itself power to change any rule without a delegate vote. Grass roots Republicans have reacted by calling this a power-grab designed to stifle dissent. They believe the GOP is consolidating power in an attempt to override grass roots intentions that may run counter to their top-down agenda. Grass roots activists believe Governor Romney is either behind this top down assault or he is a perpetrator by omission. In either scenario, many are seeing this as a harbinger of what would come if the Governor were elected President of the United States. On the surface it looks like a management style that would be a threat to representative democracy.

    These decisions came on the heels of another decision apparently made to ensure that supporters of Congressman Paul are not heard at the convention, at least not while the national television cameras are rolling. The nomination roll call vote has been moved up to Monday morning instead of Wednesday as had been originally scheduled. The RNC apparently is afraid that some supporters of Congressman Paul will use the roll call opportunity to express admiration for him instead of Governor Romney.

    These decisions appear to be motivated by a national GOP that is desperate to create the illusion that there is uniform popular support for Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Unfortunately for the GOP, there are serious divisions within the party writ large that are brewing beneath the surface. Those divisions have become more visible as the GOP has disenfranchised a growing segment of the Conservative Movement, the liberty voters who identify with Congressman Ron Paul. Instead of trying to find a way to assimilate their ideas and absorb their energies, the national GOP has instead closed ranks and consolidated power.

    Full article: http://www.examiner. … d-party-more-likely/


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  • Ron Paul: A notable omission from the list of speakers at the 2012 RNC

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to last from 27 to 30 August here in Tampa Bay, is expected to draw thousands of visitors into the area. By Friday, 10 August, the Republican National Committee had released the majority of the names of the individuals which had received invitations to speak at the upcoming Republican National Convention. Some of these names include in Thursday’s edition of TBO.com include former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Current Florida Governor Rick Scott, and Current Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

    Admittedly, the Republican National Committee claims there are a still few speaking slots, including that of the “Keynote Speaker of the Convention” have yet to be filled, and therefore the selection process has not been completed. However, there is one blatant and inexplicable omission from this list of chosen Republican speakers that could cost the GOP millions of votes in November: Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Paul.

    According to the rules set forth at the Republican National Convention in 2008, Ron has met the requirements for receiving a fifteen minute speaking slot. However, to this point, the Republican National Committee has chosen to remain silent on this issue.

    Mandated requirements to secure a speaking slot at the RNC

    According to the rules created and adopted by the Republican National Committee, a candidate for President only needs to have received a plurality, not a majority, of the assigned delegates in just five of the fifty states. At the time of publishing this article, Ron Paul had earned the plurality of the delegates in Iowa, Minnesota, Maine, Louisiana, and Nevada, which gives Paul the necessary five states. Paul may have also received a plurality of the delegates in Massachusetts and Colorado, which would bring the number of states to seven.

    Romney’s behind the scene work to disenfranchise Paul and his supporters

    However, even though the Romney campaign seems certain it has the Republican nomination won before the convention, its operatives have been working in states such as and Louisiana to ensure Paul cannot claim five states with a plurality delegates and in turn deny Paul’s legitimate right for a fifteen minute speaking slot at the Republican National Convention.

    This should lead many Americans to question why Romney would be working feverously to further disenfranchise a group of voters he must have to defeat Obama, and what he has to lose by allowing Ron Paul the fifteen minute speech he rightfully earned according to the rules of the Republican National Convention.

    The Real Delegate count versus the AP Delegate Count

    While the media outlets have always concentrated on the delegate counts calculated by the Associated Press (AP), which have continually ranked Ron Paul in last place in delegates, the more accurate calculations present a different proportion of delegates for each candidate. The AP has awarded Romney 1480 delegates versus 137 to Paul, and 806 still outstanding.

    However, the Real Delegate Count shows Romney with 1177 allotted and 419 leaning, Paul with 255 allotted and 263 leaning, and 2967 delegates still outstanding.

    Full article: http://www.examiner. … kers-at-the-2012-rnc


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