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2012 Republican National Convention Rules Changes and Dirty Tricks

“National Convention Rules Changes are designed to stop more than just Ron Paul supporters.” – Scott Rohter

Re: Proposed Rules Changes involving the way in which new Rules will be adopted and the way delegates to the Republican National Convention are to be selected.

Mitt Romney left his mark on the Republican Party at the last Republican National Convention. Facing rather stiff opposition from Ron Paul supporters Mitt Romney lent his support to rigging the rules at the Convention in order to make it easier for him to get the delegates that he needed to win the nomination. There was a slightly less harmful version of the proposed Rules Changes that was passed Tuesday August 28th while a bus driver working for the Republican National Committee was driving senior delegate Morton Blackwell and the entire Virginia delegation around in circles instead of to the Convention Center so they would not be present to object to the new Rules when they were offered for consideration. That is the type of Republican Party that we belong to. It is the Party of Dirty Tricks reminiscent of Watergate. In almost forty years since Richard Nixon left office the Republican Party hasn't apparently learned anything. They will still do anything to win including cheating. In addition to Mitt Romney the villains in this drama were Republican lawyer Ben Ginsberg, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, and the Republican strategist Karl Rove.

It’s a bit complicated but there were several proposed changes to the Rules that were being considered on the first day of the Convention while the chief opposition to the rules changes and longtime Republican conservative activist from Virginia, Morton Blackwell was being driven on a joy ride while the vote was being taken on the floor. When Blackwell and his delegation caught on to what was happening they demanded that the bus driver pull over and let them off. They walked all the way to the Convention Center, but unfortunately they arrived too late to stop the Rules Changes from being adopted.

The general gist of the idea as it was portrayed by the people who were behind the proposed rules changes was to prevent a hostile takeover of the Republican Party and the National Convention by members of the Ron Paul faction and the Campaign for Liberty. Without Mr. Blackwell present who was by no means a Ron Paul supporter or the members of the Virginia delegation, he resistance to the proposed rules changes faded away.

So what are the rules that were at issue and how were they changed? The two rules that were at stake were Rule #12 and Rule #15. Generally the changes in the rules shift power from the State and County Republican Parties to the National Party and the RNC, and to the Party’s Presidential nominee. That would be Mitt Romney. The changes in the rules are already being referred to as “The Romney Rules.” They effectively disenfranchise conservative activists of all kinds all across America. They disenfranchise TEA Party Activists, and not just Ron Paul supporters! Both the TEA Party Movement and the Ron Paul supporters sprung up as a result of the intransigence of the old school, old paradigm politicians, but instead of listening to the growing cries from the grassroots, the Establishment essentially muted the volume and turned them flat down!

Morton Blackwell is not just a typical delegate. He is a long time member of the RNC. His singular voice in support of grass roots activists was picked up by Freedom Works who then wrote an excellent article in real time about this important subject. Blackwell’s  voice was also echoed by Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly, Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, pundit Michele Malkin, talk show host Mark Levin, and others, but because Establishment insiders like John Boehner and John Sununu, controlled the gavel and had a better knowledge of the procedures, they won the first skirmish. However they have not won the bigger war! Conspicuously missing from the cries of foul was Establishment figurehead Newt Gingrich…Who would have guessed that? … Well, ME!

Not only were the new rules designed to muzzle the Ron Paul Revolutionaries during the Convention at Tampa, but they are also designed to squelch any conservative opposition to a second term for Mitt Romney in 2016, if he wins in 2012. They are specifically designed to prevent the conservatives in the TEA Party from gathering enough support in the ensuing four years to coalesce around another authentic conservative candidate in 2016. Perhaps it will be Michele Bachmann. Perhaps it will be Alan West. Perhaps it will be Scott walker. But whoever it is, these rules changes are designed to make it harder for conservative activists in the TEA Party to be heard from on a par equal to the Establishment.

What Rules were affected?

The change to Rule #12 is designed to allow the RNC in Washington the power to enact new rules between National Conventions without an actual vote of the Party delegates. This change in the Rules was adopted!

The proposed change to Rule #15 was defeated! This change was designed to give the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee (Mitt Romney) the right to replace any delegate to the convention that he didn’t like. There was also hidden inside of this proposal a new method of re-allocating delegates in order to stack the deck for the Establishment’s favorite candidate. These changes were defeated, however a variation of these changes was passed and retitled Rule #16 which essentially binds a delegate to vote for the winner of their State’s Primary. Most people have no objection to this.

Mr. Blackwell opposed the entire compromise because of the change made to Rule #12. His logic is impeccable! He said that as long as Rule #12 remained changed and the RNC can make up new rules between National Conventions which occur every four years, there is no guarantee that the RNC will not re-write any rule that it doesn’t like at a later date! The RNC usually goes along with its Chairman. That is Reince Priebus. The Chairman usually follows the lead of his President, or the Party’s presumptive nominee. That would be Mitt Romney. So in effect Romney’s Rules have squashed conservative activists like the bugs that he really thinks we are!

I totally support Mitt Romney 100% as the Party's nominee and I also call on Reince Priebus and Mitt Romney to reverse or rescind the changes to Rule #12 that were passed on the first day of the National Convention which make it much more difficult for all grass roots activists including Tea Party activists all over America to have any influence inside of the Republican Party… The real villains here are Karl Rove, Reince Priebus, and unfortunately Mitt Romney! I can support Mitt Romney and also support fair and decent Party Rules at the same time. I can do both!

For whatever well intentioned purpose this Rules Change was originally proposed IT WILL HURT ALL REPUBLICAN GRASS ROOTS ACTIVISTS, NOT JUST THE RON PAUL PEOPLE…. IT MUST BE RESCINDED, AND THAT SHOULD BE THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR MITT ROMNEY AFTER HE OFFICIALLY  ACCEPTS THE PARTY’S NOMINATION, NOT SOME CAMPAIGN SPEECH IN OHIO!  SHOW US MR. ROMNEY THAT YOU REALLY DO BELIEVE IN CONSERVATIVE VALUES.

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Outside Sources
Morton Blackwell Letter
http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/dean-clancy/romneys-rnc-power-grab-what-happened


"The truth, the political truth, and nothing but the political truth.
A journalist has no better friend than the truth."
- Scott Rohter

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