Ask Ron Paul why he remains in the Republican race for President, and he will speak about giving true conservatives someone to vote for. Ask him what he hopes to accomplish, and he will mention adopting a conservative platform, winning the battle of ideas, rallying a new generation to the cause, and the like.
All noble and worthy objectives. However, there are hints that something else may be afoot.
One big hint comes from an unlikely source: Hillary Clinton. Last month, Clinton told Newsweek magazine:
I have a very close race with Senator Obama. There are elected delegates, caucus delegates and superdelegates, all for different reasons, and they're all equal in their ability to cast their vote for whomever they choose. Even elected and caucus delegates are not required to stay with whomever they are pledged to. This is a very carefully constructed process that goes back years, and we're going to follow the process. [stress added]Clinton is right. There is a difference between "pledged" delegates and "bound" delegates. Some pledged delegates are bound: that is, they must vote as per the primary or caucus results for their state. Others, though, are unbound: they are free to vote for the candidate of their choice. The Clinton campaign has been taking advantage of that, encouraging delegates pledged to Obama to defect. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign does the same thing: For instance, though Clinton won the Texas primary, Obama now claims the majority of Texas delegates.
On Feb. 5, Paul netted 16% in the Minnesota caucuses and won four counties: Lincoln, Meeker, Red Lake, and Blue Earth. The vote was non-binding.
That achievement represented only the RPR's first effort in Minnesota. In their latest, as reported by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune Apr. 7, "they captured six of a dozen GOP national convention delegates elected at congressional district [CD] meetings in the 4th, 5th, and 6th Districts."
So far, the Star Tribune adds, "Delegates have been selected in six of the state's eight congressional districts, with Paul supporters winning seven of the 24 seats chosen to date. Six more delegates will be selected in the remaining two districts, and [eight] will be chosen at the state party convention next month."
Marianne Stebbins, the Paul campaign's State Co-ordinator, told the paper that "If we get enough delegates, we'll be able to get [Paul] speaking time at the convention." She described the RPR as "just a bunch of disorganized people who happened to get lucky. At least that's the impression we want to leave."
In the 6th CD, chairman Andy Aplikowski became almost apopleptic on finding that two of the three elected delegates (and all three alternates) were Paul supporters, and moved to bind them all to vote for McCain. According to the Minnesota Monitor, the motion passed after "RNC officials contacted during the event said that party rules dictate that delegates to the national convention must endorse John McCain or see their votes tossed out." (However, the state party constitution forbids CD conventions from binding delegates.)
In contrast, a delegate reports that in the 5th CD, "three Ron Paul supporters were elected to the three National delegate spots at our convention. Our convention was orderly and the party leadership ran our convention with class, showing respect for everyone in the room. I know that our story isn't as sexy as the CD-6 story which seems to be generating more heat than light, but I feel it's one that should be reported alongside it."
Paul took only 4.5% of the vote in Missouri's Feb. 5 primary, which was won by John McCain. However, the RPR did much better at the county conventions the following month, winning between 1/5 and 1/3 of delegates to the state convention on May 31.
In St. Charles Co., Paul supporters organized a Conservative Values coalition, which dominated the convention and filled 111 of 137 state delegate slots. The convention also passed several amendments to the state platform, plus a motion to give National Delegates an option to not vote for the primary winner.
In Jackson Co., the RPR passed a motion to unbind Missouri's national delegates, and voted in a full slate of 175 Ron Paul state delegates after County Chairman Bunk Farrington led a walkout of Party regulars.
In Greene Co., Paul suporters elected 72 of 112 state delegates.
The RPR also dominated the Boone Co. convention. A 61-year-old grandmother, attending her first convention ever, had this to say of the experience: "Although I was concerned about the intentions of the Ron Paul supporters in the room, everyone was very polite and civil to one another, and I am convinced that those young supporters of Ron Paul would be the first ones to step up and volunteer to defend this country if we were threatened in any way."
Ron Paul came second (beating John McCain) in the Nevada caucuses, and won Nye County outright. At the Mar. 9 Nye Co. convention, "Of the 65 delegates elected to go to the Nevada State Convention, 42 were Ron Paul supporters (64%)! We also got three planks added to the county platform regarding: Opposing a National ID card, Eliminating the Federal Reserve System, ... and Repealing the McCain-Feingold Act." Party unity was a key theme. Says Republican Central Committee Chairman Fely Quitevis: "The Ron Paul people, we gave them enough time on the floor and they were heard. It came out good."
Party unity was also a major theme at the Clark Co. convention, Mar. 8, in Las Vegas. State Republican Chairwoman Sue Lowden "got big cheers" when she announced that Ron Paul would speak at the state convention Apr. 26. Lowden told the RPR: "I welcome you to join our Republican Party, to stay a part of this engaging conversation." Reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "A record number of state delegates volunteered, 895.... Since that is less than the number allowed, they were all made [state] delegates without an election." [stress added]
North Dakota (where Paul received 21% in caucus on Feb. 5, and won 5 pledged delegates) held its state convention in Fargo on the weekend of Mar. 28-29. On Mar. 30, Josh Whitford filed a terse report on his blog: "What a week and weekend it has been here in Fargo, ND. Leading up to this weekend I have been preparing and helping Ron Paul to organize with the state convention for the Republican Party.... I am happy to report that Ron Paul will be receiving 11 of the 23 delegates up for grabs at the National Convention this September in St. Paul, MN."
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3255.html
http://www.nolanchart.com/article3438.html
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http://www.nolanchart.com/article3747.html
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©2008 George Dance, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Sunday, April 20, 2008
Last modified: Thursday, July 31, 2008
The views expressed in this article are those of George Dance only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. George Dance is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
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Reader Comments:
Posted By: Steve Parent
Date: 2008-04-20 12:13:33
I thank you for posting this article although it comes out later than i would have hoped it is very much appreciated.
This is a strategy that is legal and every American should know about for this was a system put in to place to assure us a fair election based on support not false information, vote fraud or unfair media attention just to name a few.
Myself and many others are working to continue to educate every American on how our country and political process works and we encourage everyone to read and understand our information to help better America and bring it back to it's roots that our founders left to us and explained the importance of our obligation on what we must do to protect our Freedom and our Liberty.
Our newest forums are under way and they are www.revolutionbroadcasting.com which is a live radio broadcastfeaturing hosts from rprrradio, Rpi radio and ronpaul radio and where we will continue to educate everyone that we can on how America should be run and one at a time if we must but we will continue every day until America is back on track and our Government is under control of the people once again.
Our new blog spot is : [link edited for length]
Continue to fight for your rights everyone for America was left to the people not the Government.
Steve
Posted By: ZJ
Date: 2008-04-20 15:07:34
Rally caps, let's win this!
Posted By: Jeff Wartman
Date: 2008-04-20 16:31:42
Posted By: creator
Date: 2008-04-20 17:28:01
George, thanks for this outstanding series, and thanks to Dr. Parent for his tireless efforts!
In response to Jeff Wartman, I would say that if the convention becomes a brokered one, the sheer quantity and enthusiasm of RP delegates will carry the day despite the party "leadership." And should Dr. Paul win the nomination, (and given and HONESTLY COUNTED election) you will see a popular vote landslide for Paul unprecedented in modern history. Ron Paul's platform is a VERY BIG TENT indeed!
Posted By: jdayh
Date: 2008-04-21 04:41:09
GREAT ARTICLE!!!! Please make some typo changes to the main post, as I recieved this email from one of the people mentioned in it..
Hi,
Great email!
You mention me there, but my name is Not "Om Gullprisen" that is a title of a video.
My name is "Hans Lysglimt" and I run "Farmann.com" online.
Please change if possible.
Thanks!
Regards,
Hansthanks again for your amazing piece, please keep up the good work.
Posted By: Tannim
Date: 2008-04-21 08:19:16
For Jeff, it's very simple: if they do, then they get back to their roots and the neoconliberal takeover of the GOP ends. If thye don't, then they get exposed as what they are and the neoconliberals have destroyed the GOP. Either way, the neoconliberals in the GOP are exposed for all to see, in bright disinfectign sunlight, and America wins.
The ramifications are left to the reader.
Posted By: Cathy
Date: 2008-04-21 10:50:26
Thank you George for your research and posting of this article. However, please don't forget that Ron Paul has also been cleaning up the county conventions all over WA State. He won 107 state delegates out of 113 at the Spokane Co. Convention, and 11 out of 13 at the Stevens Co. Convention. He also won a couple other WA counties, but I don't have the figures memorized for the other counties. The WA Republicans for McCain started accusing Ron Paulers of "hijacking the County Conventions". So Hurray for the Ron Paulers in WA state also!
I am an adamant "Ron Pauler" who used to be a Democrat until I started doing some serious research into the UN and all their awful plans for this country, and found out all the Democrats have been heavily backing the UN coup over our country with the pushing of the North American Union and the SPP/NAFTA/CAFTA, etc etc etc. So anyway, I am now an elected Ron Paul state delegate that is hoping and praying to be nominated into the National Convention as well. I appreciate reading that the unbound delegates can't be strong-armed into voting for pro-UN McCain! I never would anyway- I 'm an absolutley devoted Ron Pauler...all the way- will stand behind him regardless of the rigged long-shot stats. I believe such a fine person may even be part of a miracle-about-to-happen, and get elected in spite of the controlled media that is attempting to tell us who we will elect this year. They have no control over me- that's for darn sure! I tell the media that "our time is now and their era of control over the people is no longer happening." We the People have the internet and we will not be stifled any longer. We need him to save our Constitution and our sovereignty from the UN coup on America made up of the "North American Union". God Bless the Efforts of Ron Paul and all he stands for and against. I'd say he's the only people's candidate I've seen in the past 10-15 Presidents, and after all their treasonous acts against the people throughout the past 95 years, it is really time for him to help this country's people.
Posted By: patrick henry
Date: 2008-04-22 09:07:55
One battle at a time wins the war. Keep fighting PATRIOTS
LoD
Posted By: George Dance
Date: 2008-04-29 10:49:56
Thank you to all who responded. Special thanks to (1) Steve Parent, and (2) Cathy for the news from Washington State. I was going to write about WA in Part III, but there was just too much news from Texas. So it looks like this planned trilogy will have at least a Part IV.