Here’s a story for you. Hillbuzz has an eye-witness report of a take-over of the Minnesota GOP organizational convention for the Senate, with Paulbots swarming, disruptive and insistent that rules be suspended:
Ron Paul’s Devious Plan to Steal the Presidency – Hillbuzz – read it all here:
Yesterday I attended the Republican organizational convention for my Senate district here in Minnesota, and what I witnessed was an organized take-over of our nomination process by Ron Paul cultists. They came to this convention with the sole intent to take over as many of the delegate seats as they could, and sadly, they succeeded.
When I arrived at the convention and took my place with my fellow precinct delegates, I quickly noticed that something was awry. As soon as the man leading the convention (the Convention Chair) began to ask if there were any motions to bring to the floor, several Paulbots lept to their feet to make motions asking to “suspend” the rules so that people who were in attendance could add their names to the delegate nominations. Before the convention, delegates had been contacted to see if we were interested in running for the State Delegate positions, and we were given plenty of time to put our names in the hat to run for these positions.
The Paulbots, who did NOT submit their names prior to the convention, were now demanding that they should added to the list of nominees that very day. This is normally outside of the rules, but the Paulbots (there were at least 50 of them spread throughout the auditorium) through a suspension of the rules, demanded that they be added to the list of nominees. It was difficult to override their votes, as they had descended en masse to this event, and the unsuspecting non-Paul delegates were confused as to what was going on!
After some manipulative moves on the floor, and by using Roberts Rules of order AGAINST the Convention Chair, they were able to add all of their names to the delegate nominations.
I’ve never seen such unmitigated rudeness at a convention before. The Paulbots would leap to their feet screaming “Point of order!” every time they thought that the chair was being dismissive of them.
The entire process was chaotic and psychotic, and the non-Paul delegates were stunned. They didn’t understand what was happening, and I tried to explain to an elderly woman from my precinct that this entire coup was PLANNED, and that the Paulbots had every intention of flooding the State delegates with Paul supporters.
Author Tamminator says the video below of the Denver County Assembly meeting is similar to what happened in Minnesota. Click the link above and read it all, including some information that Paul plans to run on a third party ticket if he can’t win the nomination.
First – the author of this post uses the term “paulbots” and “cultists”, which is insulting to those of us who believe Ron Paul is the best candidate to beat Barrack Obama while proving over a long career he does what he says he’ll do, and that’s follow his Oath and the Constitution. Shame on the writer!
Second – Minnesota has an open caucus, and held a non-binding straw poll on February 7th. No delegates were chosen and the results of the straw poll have no bearing on who the delegates will be for – just like Maine, for example.
Third – The Delegates in question – supporters of Ron Paul – have organized themselves outside of the direction of the official campaign, in almost every district (and possibly all of them) in the US. This is true grass-roots, or organizing from the people UP, not a campaign DOWN.
Fourth – The rules of each convention work like this: prior to the Convention the Rules of the GOP of that state govern, unless not addressed, and then Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised govern (I have yet to find a state where this is not the case). If delegates wish to change the Rules of the Convention, which are created by a Rules Committee made up of party insiders usually, they may amend or vote down the Report of the Rules Committee. Sounds like they used the rules they didn’t create AGAINST those who created them.
Those of us who support Ron Paul find his perpetual dismissal by the media, the outright vote fraud in Iowa, Nevada, Maine, and other states, and the insulting attitude of some like this writer to be “rude”, and we won’t stand for it. It is a mistake to believe that Ron Paul will bolt the party and run on another ticket, considering the delegate counts you see in the mainstream media are mostly made up of wild guesses and projections. Case in point – the state you’re looking at here. Guess who’s going to have a majority of delegates from Minnesota? Maine? Nevada? Iowa? Colorado? Washington? All done following party rules, and the law.
Remember, these rules were created 2 years ago to benefit Mitt Romney. He’s going to lose the nomination due to his own campaign’s tactics.
One last thing – this does NOT apply in Oklahoma. Delegates are bound by party rules and state law based on the results of the Super Tuesday Primary (14 Santorum, 13 Romney, 13 Gingrich). The only way a Ron Paul delegate from Oklahoma would get to vote for Paul would be to attend the National Convention as a delegate for one of those who got delegates, and have that candidate drop out or endorse another rival. Then their delegates would be freed to vote their conscience. Best bet for that is Gingrich, and I don’t think he’s going to do that. I DO think we’re going to have a contested convention, and I think it will be a good thing.
Thank you, Steve, for your insight into the process.
Let me add that this story is presented as representative of some that are being seen more frequently as the controversy over the delegate process escalates.
What do these people want? Why do they have so much passion and enthusiasm? Why are a select few on either side approaching this process with hostility? Why do they feel the need? Where is the old guard’s hand in guiding and fostering this new found interest? Cleveland County did such a great job, and set a great example of getting it right. Where is the Cleveland County report? This is what should be at the top of the news. Republican Party working together. Republican Party showing unity. Republican Party displays patriotic cohesion at County Convention!
The same thing happened at the Maine GOP Convention May 5th & 6th, 2012, using “Suspension of the Rules”. The 6 candidates for US Senate never had a chance to address the convention. It was a shameful fiasco.