Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Battle at Spokane II
This short article describes some of the atmosphere and complaints Ron Paul backers had on Day One here in Spokane, Wa.
by IL Fettucinni
(libertarian)
Saturday, May 31, 2008

Battle at Spokane II

By the end of day one at the Republican State Convention in Spokane, it became obvious through the stream of complaints from Ron Paul backers, that the Party Archs, the bosses who are in thrall to McCain, have scripted and planned every moment of this event to benefit their candidate. (Video of interviews is here, here and here.)

Complaints:
a) The Bosses would not allow physical counting of the ballots.
b) Ballots were observed thrown in wastebaskets and on the floor.
c) Speakers chosen by the Bosses spoke of "their candidate" McCain as the only candidate in the race, as if Ron Paul did not exist. Demands for equal time were denied. Early in the morning one Boss-supplied speaker began to prattle about how "our Republican candidate John McCain, the presumptive winner, etc... would do so and so when he got into the White House..." an immediate, very loud set of Booing began which turned into a now familiar chant, "Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul!!"
d) Printed ballots with no opposition candidates allowed! Straight out of Stalin's play book. I acquired a copy of one such ballot. When people began to write in Mickey Mouse and Josef Stalin as opposition they were told that no matter whom they wrote in, it would still count as a vote for the pre-printed candidate.
e) All of the delegates were told in very plain terms that if they did not turn off their personal video cameras, the cameras would be confiscated! And if people made a fuss over their cameras being stolen they would be forcefully ejected from the Convention Center.
f) The chairman who ran the proceedings from the podium constantly conferred with a Robert's Rules of Order guru. The chairman's power to override objections, rule statements inadmissible, to literally control who said what to a maximum extent assured the Bosses that no fundamental Paul rules or momentum would be allowed.
g) I was denied press credentials. I e-mailed my press application to the Republican Party office in Bellevue, WA on time. The next day I was sent an e-mail telling me that "Your organization does not meet our criteria."
My organizations were two, a Web based magazine which hosts news and commentary from all sectors called "Nolan Chart LLC" and The Whatcom Independent, not exactly known as a radical rag. I sent an e-mail back asking where I could read "the criteria" but of course got no response. Later after coming to Spokane standing on the Convention floor the first day I complained to Jeremy Doitch, an RP sub boss that there was no moral reason to exclude me from the Convention. He told me rather coldly, "This matter is closed. You are to leave this Convention Hall, the entire building which the RP has rented. If you don't leave immediately a police officer will escort you." Then these warm humans representing the RP turned on their heels and walked away.

Within this totalitarian atmosphere Ron Paul backers managed to still get delegates elected to go to Minneapolis for the RP National Convention. As of the end of Saturday the regions that had huge Paul majorities elected Paul delegates. Whatcom County which sent 31 out of 39 County pro Paul delegates to this Spokane convention is in Congressional District Two. There was a major allegation of cheating to get McCain backers in as delegates from Skagit County. Despite a fistful of evidence demonstrating fraud in that county, the Bosses refused to hear the complaints and a slate of McCain delegates was added into the mix and virtually NO Paul delegates were elected from CD Two.

Summed up, the Ron Paul backers had a mixed bag of complaints and claims of small victories, depending on which CD they were in. Paul backers from Spokane and Clark counties did well so they were claiming victories. Bellingham Paul backers were very unhappy.

Fred James
Cell phone 360-305-5463

©2008 IL Fettucinni, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Saturday, May 31, 2008
Last modified: Monday, June 2, 2008

The views expressed in this article are those of IL Fettucinni only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. IL Fettucinni 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: John Campbell
Date: 2008-05-31 13:25:11

Ron Paul has squandered a once in a century opportunity to mount a formidable third party campaign.  All the planets lined up this year.  He could have elevated the LP from obscurity to major party status and driven a stake through the heart of the rotting corpse of a party that once stood for liberty and smaller government.

 Instead he chooses to "reform the Republican Party from within".  

Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr both would have stepped aside for a Ron Paul third party run.  Now they will split the protest vote and business as usual will continue indefinitely. 

 Meanwhile Ron Paul can go back to Congress and continue loosing votes 434 to 1.  What a tragic waste.

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Posted By: Freedom Writer
Date: 2008-05-31 14:54:30

I'm so glad we live in a free country. Thanks for this report. It is sad, but valuable information and sheds some insight on how "controlled" we are.  This control is beyond party lines. The media and the financial institutions have US in a stranglehold.

If the electronic voting machines are rigged (and they most likely are...) we have a long, tough fight ahead. Ron Paul's strategy of exposing what is going on in the RP is the first step to exposing what is going on in our country, in general. Maybe he will run 3rd party somehow at the last minute... Who knows?

After 9/1 we could  be fighting a war in Iran, with McBomb vs O'Bomber with a rigged election coming up. Who knows what would happen if Ron Paul announces his candidacy at that time?

I know one thing, if that were the case, the republicrats would not be happy.

They have the media, the money, and the voting machines on their side.

We have the truth, the constitution, and enthusiastic freedom loving people.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Viva la rEVOLution!

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Posted By: Duncan Dog
Date: 2008-05-31 16:26:54

How did it ever come to be that the 'Great Experiment' turned into a two party system that effectively took the rights of representation away from the people snd put it into the hands of the ruling Oligarchy? Is this not what Jefferson warned us about?

Now what? How do we get a voice and some traction before we are officially termed 'terrorists' and criminalized for speaking out for the Constitution? The press is compromised, the parties are compromised and the Government is compromised...

 The situation has devolved to the point where they can somehow break all rules with impunity and pass any new ones that they like, regardless of separation of powers, constitutionality, or any other 'safeguards' to our guaranteed freedoms and rights.

 

Any ideas?

The game is rigged.

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Posted By: Will
Date: 2008-05-31 18:05:26

I hear ya' Duncan. For now, we have to be active. Go to party meetings. Run for positions. Run for local office. Can we have meetup groups even after the campaign? Call it a book club, or a something? Do what we can until the doors are broke in and they drag us way.

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Posted By: Duncan Dog
Date: 2008-05-31 22:56:55

These conventions are publicly funded with taxpayers money.

31 of 39 delegates from my county were RP supporters, yet there was only 1 person on the ballot? Whoever heard of an election with only one entry? They are making a mockery of the process, this is not representative government.

I say we sign petitions demanding that convention ballots be representative of all candidates, have write-in ability on all ballots and mandate public counting during the same session as the vote, to eliminate tampering.

The RP party is enslaving us by eliminating our choice of representation, and buying us with our own tax dollars!! If we voice our protest, they have us removed with our own cops, and threaten to illegally take our cameras at a publicly funded event where no law is being broken...

This is outrageous!!

The founding fathers would have called this what it is, a coup. They are hijacking the party and we are just standing by while they nominate the man of their choice and stifle our right to dissent verbally on the convention floor, as well as on ballot and have it recorded.

This bears absolutely no resemblance to elective government. It should not stand. We should be marching on Olympia and demanding a new convention.

If they tried this a hundred years ago there would have been blood, which is probably why it didn't happen a hundred years ago. Perhaps we are too 'civilized' (read:domesticated) to protect our freedom, and perhaps they know it...

It's over, we just don't know it yet.

I think I'll move to the Cook islands, or somewhere out of the way before Bush exercises his self-granted  'executive' powers to declare Martial law, throw us in FEMA work camps and steal our property with 'eminent domain' laws.

Holy cow, it's like a time-machine dropped us in pre WWII Germany, or something!!

 

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Posted By: Duncan Dog
Date: 2008-05-31 23:06:34

I meant GOP party, not RP Party... I am so incredulous at the blatant mis-use of the abuses evident in this story that I can hardly type...

 My apologies.

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Posted By: Enn Kaljo
Date: 2008-06-01 02:43:02

Didn't you know that George Bush Senior was actually Georg H. Sherff, HItler's spy who infiltrated to the US high corridors and became president...??? This is your history and it is now on making... their aim was to destroy United States from inside... learn this story

http://educate-yourself.org/cn/martinbormannphotostocompare02jul07.shtml

 

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Posted By: Melody
Date: 2008-06-02 18:50:06

CLARIFICATION: just to make sure everyone understands that RP in this paragraph refers to the Republican Party, not Ron Paul!:

"Later after coming to Spokane standing on the Convention floor the first day I complained to Jeremy Doitch, an RP sub boss that there was no moral reason to exclude me from the Convention. He told me rather coldly, "This matter is closed. You are to leave this Convention Hall, the entire building which the RP has rented. If you don't leave immediately a police officer will escort you." Then these warm humans representing the RP turned on their heels and walked away."

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