HOT NEWS UPDATE2: Compromise insufficient by ANY means.. MORE HERE
HOT NEWS UPDATE: Reliable rumors (And it has now been broken to the papers) of a ‘grand compromise’ to be announced in the morning have surfaced. If so, Large kudos belong to Steve Munisteri for this. He stood up for the grassroots on this, initiating the fight, instead of tamping it down like the RNC surely wanted. We would NOT have wanted to go through the meeting he must have had with the DC ‘Powers That Be’. We have had serious differences with Steve before- and likely will again; but, IF this results in the states retaining their power of the delegates selected, then he’s done the grassroots a BIG favor for having Texas lead the way.
HOWEVER, no movement on the Rule 12 that would let the RNC make changes to the convention ‘off-season’ on a 3/4s vote; it seems a high standard, but the Chairman can call in enough favors to get that. ONLY acceptable IF the states have some veto ability (say half of the state executive committees).
Sorry, we don’t take to the leash well. And we haven’t had our shots.
The RNC is trying to fully dictate the direction and every aspect of the convention in Tampa- as some of us knew they would. This includes changing the actual rules of the convention at the last minute. this, after discounting some delegates by an after-the-fact requirement change (Paul delegates), changing the allocation in Michigan (Santorum delegate), And innumerable little shenanigans pulled across the nation. Most of this was done to minimize the DISRUPTIVE element of the Ron Paul supporters (most are far less disruptive and very interested in becoming part of the process. We were proud to support their representation in our Congressional delegation at an appropriate level) . However, now the Republican ‘Powers that Be’ have decided the states can no longer be trusted to pick delegates. Excuse us: states picking delegates is the REPUBLIC expression that our very country was founded on; you do away with that, and you are declaring open war on the grassroots.
How bad is it? John Sununu literally went into hiding rather than accept the ‘by-the-rules’ minority reports put together to allow a floor vote on this dictatorial power grab. If, based on this, the chair refuses to even ALLOW a vote on the minority reports (because they weren’t delivered in a timely fashion), we of the North Texas Tea Party request that ALL Republic-loving delegates, in the Texas delegate and elsewhere, stage a convention walkout.
UPDATE: This Monday morning, we’ve heard they are trying to armtwist enough names off of the Minority Report AFTER the fact, to not submit it to a vote. After trying to change the rules to where you need 40% to get a minority report. Again, if this does NOT go to a vote of the convention, we ask ALL Patriots who love our Republic form of governance to walk out on the convention.
Update 2: As usual, Texas is taking the lead to retain the current rules, with massive support for the Minority report. Other states are coming to TX and asking why we’re picking fights; why can’t we just get along? My answer: WE aren’t picking this fight; the RNC is by CHANGING THE RULES! But we in Texas do FINISH fights, as they are about to find out. any other states willing to give up their rights to pick their own delegates are not interested in representing their people.
UPDATE3: Texas is solid on this issue but the RNC is applying tremendous pressure on Rules committee member to pull their names off the Minority Report: The following state delegations may not know what their representatives on Rules are doing to them. If you can get through to the grass roots members in the following states (or any state!), we believe it would be helpful:
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
UPDATE 4: Michelle Malkin is tracking the convention fight; She reports form Liberty Caucus that: The first state to split from the establishment plan and speak up against proposed changes was Texas but it has now been joined by a number of other state delegations including Iowa, Nevada, Nebraska, Minnesota, Virginia, South Carolina, Indiana and probably more by the time you receive this. Groups that have joined the fray include Liberty Caucus, Freedomworks, Eagle forum and many Tea party groups. This is NOT a fight by Ron Paul’s troops, although they’ve entered in; this is a fight the RNC picked with the grassroots, figuring they were asleep.
Update 5: Mark Levin is beating the drum on this on Facebook.
Republic rule of the Republican Party Matters!
Keep it up RNC elitists. You pull off stunts like this and many of us in the Tea Party groups may plan to have serious, formal discussions with the Libertarian Party. Are they deliberately trying to encourage and promote a third party effort??
I am already considering voting for Gary Johnson. If this is what Romney and his people have in mind now, imagine if he wins the election? If this goes through, I’m voting for Johnson, as I’m more ideologically aligned with him, anyway. I guess my Michigan vote means nothing to Romney.
The power grab by the Romney insider elites indicate that they want the grassroots moved to the back of the bus. This is a fight that the tea party will show up for. On Fox News, “Sarah Palin said Saturday a third party option is not beyond the realm of possibility…
When asked if she would consider creating a third party if neither Gov. Romney nor President Obama would budge from their current positions on a variety of issues, Palin left open the door.
“Look what happened in the mid 1800′s. The Whig party went away and the Republican Party surfaced. Because the electorate got sick and tired of the party fighting for power and not doing the will of the people.”
Palin went on to say history could repeat itself.” See article: http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/08/25/sarah-palin-says-third-party-option-not-out-realm-possibility
I was afraid this would happen. I have been saying for months that the RNC will give lip service to the Tea Party but will take us for granted ,figuring we would never go to Obama. I for one am on the verge of voting for Gary Johnson. How many election cycles do these clowns want to lose before they listen to the Conservative /Libertarians. It may be a hard lesson but one we may have to impose on them.
Hopefully Romney Inc. will get the message and back down. We cannot endure another 4 years of Obama, or there may not be enough left of this country to save.
Well, if we can focus on just the rule change–because it is AN OUTRAGEOUSLY BAD RULE. Next, We the People need to deal with Gingsberg, Romney’s attorney, who pushed for the rule change (and who all was behind it and why) and also former New Hamshire Gov Sununu who was AWOL when he should have been availble to take the minority reports of the states that did not want the rule change when all of this went down last Friday. It’s definitely a power grab to change the party from a grassroots to a Top Down–this absolutely must be solidly defeated.
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I just have one question: has it really taken youTHIS long to figure out how the RNC has been using the Tea Party all along? Seriously? Aw, hell, we’ve been warning you about that since the Koch Brothers took over your movement. Which side do you think THEY are on here?
Hardly. We’ve been their worst nightmare, knocking off their pets like David Dewhurst in the primaries. Before now, though, they’ve been willing to fight it out in the primaries, shakes hands an move on. Now they are trying to change the rules of the game- even after WINNING at thye top. We won’t stand for that.
Yeah, but they’ll win this round and they’ll keep stepping on you. ‘Twas always thus once you handed the keys to the Kochs and abandoned “Main Street, not Wall Street.” I actually wish you luck today with this because I love the spectacle of a food fight at the convention, but, gotta say, I think you’ve been had.
And, if the DNC does NOT have a similar ‘food fight’, does that mean all of those who wanted Gitmo closed, and end of foreign interventions, and all the other unkept promises by Obama, have simply rolled over to play dead, or has Soros just bought you all out? Who will be more representative of the ‘people’ then?
You could certainly argue that those who want Gitmo closed, Wall Street and the big banks asses hauled into courts, etc. but support the President anyway have rolled over and played dead, and most of us wouldn’t even give you much of an argument there. That said, those people haven’t made such a point of creating their own caucus and threatening to launch a third party the way the Tea Party has. And you might want to check the stats on the wealth of Soros versus the Kochs before you try and equate the financial wherewithall of them all. But certainly, when Soros starts providing buses and goofy hats for the left, be sure and let me know.
By the way, Mike. I’m on your side on this one. Go get ‘em! Make noise!
Hate to tell you, Kate; we’re giving the ‘Powers that be’ (in BOTH parties) more headaches than your side has managed for quite some time.
Who are y’all for???!!! third party? now? come on! Sure you can put theTea Party people agenda first…. win the fight over the rules!….BUT YOU WILL LOSE THE WAR!!!!— THEN WE ALL LOSE! If Obama is reelected, our nation is doomed! Seriously! I am begging you – Please don’t throw away votes or keep fighting right now. (I voted for Perot-learn from history) Now is not our time to fight. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE… UNITE!!!! AGAINST OBAMA!!! Be a leader – lead to defeat Obama today, then we can fight amongst ourselves! Please! WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU AND THE REST OF THE COUNTRY IS WATCHING YOU! Don’t throw this away. Can you ever look your kids in the eye if you keep this up and Obama wins?
We were all for uniting…until the RNC decided to revoke the current rights of the states to control the selection of their own delegates. They want unification? Quit trying to centralize power in the hands of the RNC elitists!
[...] http://northtexasteaparty.org/2012/08/26/to-the-rnc-the-tea-parties-are-pets-to-be-leashed/ [...]
Neither party has since the beginning has supported or defended our presence, why NOW at this convention is anyone surprised? There never will be a Kumbaya moment with the establishment GOP! Get over it, this script has been a forgone conclusion, but certainly more prevalent since 2011 with our influx of Tea Party Reps. Those of you that believed 2012 was our day of reckoning live in a fantasy world with a “silver bullet” mentality. The hard-core establishment GOP runs deep, and it saddens and disappoints me to believe any of us Tea Partiers want to take our ball and go home!
Because this is a slam against ALL grassroots groups, even the more traditional ones.
Guess the non-Romney delegates should be fitted with anti-buggery chastity belts! (to be worn on the outside of clothing, as a sign of defiance!)
I just called my local R Party here in deep blue WA… They’re getting a lot of calls against this insanity, and our delegate is voting against it. Call your R party, let’s keep the heat on!
Here are my thoughts. 1) We definitey DO NOT need to have in-fighting at this critical time. This country will NOT survive another 4 years of Socialism and trampling of our Constitution. 2) We CAN get a lot more control by making sure we flood the House and Senate with TEA PARTY PATRIOTS. That’s where the REAL power is. GET OBAMA OUT, DON’T SPLIT THE VOTE, PLEASE, PLEASE. THEN FLOOD THE HOUSE AND SENATE WITH TEA PARTY PATRIOTS.
Naturally, we don’t need this in-fighting, but we ALSO can’t take the loss of a state’s authority over its delegates. It’s a fight the RNC picked; they can end it easily enough by withdrawing all the rule CHANGES.
All I know is that deal or no deal, Romney showed his true colors by messing with the rules and acting like a dictator.
If Romney pulled this off in the primaries, I wonder what he will pull off as a president.
He lost my vote for sure
Thinking it came more from the DC wheeler-dealers (his lawyer) I imagine Mitt was horrified by the reaction and ORDERED the compromise to avoid being egg-faced. He needs to quit listening to idiots about what the grassroots think.
The Tea Party put the RNC back in power in the house and positioned them for a win in the Presidency. And THIS is how they repay that favor? Its time to clean house in DC! I may have to tear up my REPUBLICAN voter registration and go INDEPENDENT or even LIBERTARIAN.
Okay, let’s look forward …. you influence the Tea Party NOT to vote for Romney so, sure enough — Obama wins reelection. Is that your goal? You are fully aware of all of Obama’s past abuses of power, right? Folks, You ain’t seen nothing yet! Our nation will not survive but…. your good news- you will ‘win’ cause you got the RNC to change the rule back (but Romney lost your votes and many more votes that you influenced!)! GREAT leadership by all of you would be to do what you can to change the rule but keep the rheteric to be sure the Tea Party is actively helping to elect Romney NO MATTER WHAT! If he is elected, changes can be made during the next 4 years. If he loses, we don’t have 4 years-really, our basic freedoms and balance of power in government will be shredded! PLEASE – you are leading and a lot of voters are watching! Yes, let’s clean house but not help cause the house demolition!
It’s not a matter of our votes; that’s already set- No way any of us could vote for Obama, and darned few of us are foolish enough to go third party. It’s a matter of where we put in our work and money; worth FAR more than our votes. Do we work the national elections, or do we give up there and put everything into state and local races?
It a matter of which races we will end up working on, David. National or state and local.
[...] Grassroots war with RNC Power Grab still on – Minority Report Lives on Our earlier post here: [...]