Should Montana Republicans lead the Ron Paul Parade or Separate itself from Ron Paul? The line is drawn by rtbohan
(libertarian)
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Contrasting guest editorials in The Missoulian have drawn the line across which a major fight will take place in the Republican state convention. The Party's rules for delegate selection are bound to be a flash point for a major confrontation between the religious conservatives and the libertarians for control not only of the delegation but of the mind of the state's Republican Party.
On May 19, State Senator Jerry O'Neill, who had already endorsed Ron Paul for President, published a guest editorial in The Missoulian ([link edited for length]) calling on the Republican state convention to :"get in front of Ron Paul's parade toward history."
On May 28, Dallas D. Erickson, a Christian conservative lobbyist and Republican precinct committeeman from Ravalli County, countered with a guest editorial calling on the convention to separate the party from Ron Paul, whom he characterized as "a sly fox" trying to slip libertarian ideas into the Republican Party([link edited for length] 13).
Mr. Erickson,after twenty years of lobbying to censor and regulate sexually oriented businesses(or SOBs, as he calls them), bears a particular animus toward Senator O'Neill, whom he regards as his strongest opponent. He regards O'Neill and Paul as libertarians rather than true Republicans, and says they want to turn the Republican Party into the "Anything Goes Party".
All of this has set up a fight at the State Convention, which will be held June 30. Of course, there will be a primary in the state on June 3, but the Republican Party is not obligated to pay any attention to the votes in the primary, and may be prevented from doing so.
Motivated by a desire to be one of the early deciders in the 2008 election cycle, or by a desire to establish party leadership control over the delegation to the national convention, or both, the Republican Party of Montana opted to have the delegates pledged by a caucus in February. To ensure that there was no question, the Montana caucuses were not open to ordinary voters but were specifically limited to local party officials.
Because the Republican Party in Montana had been relatively inactive, the local chairmen used the strange caucus system as a means of recruiting new precinct committeemen and other officials, bringing a large number of young voters into the party machinery. Not surprisingly, a large number of these newcomers were Ron Paul supporters. The result was that, while Mitt Romney, the choice of the Party leadership, won 35% of the vote and carried twenty counties, Ron Paul finished second with 25% of the vote, carrying nine counties. John McCain received 22% of the vote and carried six counties.
Ron Paul has filed the papers necessary to be on the ballot June 3. Presumably, John McCain will also be on it. Whether other Republican candidates will also be there I do not know. With attention focused on what it appears will be the final shootout between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, all of the attention is focused on the Democratic primary rather than the popularity contest of the Republican primary.
And the Republican primary, while not meaningless will have no effect on pledged delegates unless Mitt Romney officially withdraws from the campaign, something he has so far declined to do. So the convention may choose a delegation pledged to Romney, or a delegation pledged to the primary winner if Romney withdraws, or an unpledged delegation.
Paul supporters have shown in the other contests this year that they are less interested in the pledges than in the individuals selected as delegates, as their emphasis is on bringing change to the party. And regardless of the position of Governor Romney or the outcome of the primary, there is likely to be a fight over naming the delegates.
The party rules(www.mtgop.us) call for a nominating committee to prepare a slate of delegates. Nominations are allowed from the floor of the convention, but presumably those nominees would be running as individuals against the nominating committee's slate. The rules also allow for caucuses to provide competing slates of delegates, but this is at the sole discretion of the State Party Chairman. This means that any consultation and planning among the Paul supporters will probably have to be done before the convention.
Ron Paul is scheduled to be at the Montana convention. Senator O'Neill and Mr. Erickson will also be there. Will Senator O'Neill and Representative Paul convince Montanans to lead the parade toward history? Will Mr. Erickson be able to prevent the idea of personal freedom from rearing it's ugly head at a Republican gathering?
The only thing that is certain is that a storm is brewing in Montana.
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There is a storm brewing around the country. The national convention is where the lightining is going to strike.
I will practicing peaceful civil disobedience. I hope others will too. Im sick of being told that Im not Republican enough.. I cant wait to see what happens!
From what I understand, Montana has large oil, and coal resources(that they can't use thank's to D.C.)-and a whole pile of guns.
Oh, and has suggested that it will consider a USSC ruling on the 2nd amd other than an individual right a breach of it's contract with the U.S.....and withdraw from the Union.
