POWER GRAB COMPLETE; Parliamentary rules be Damned!
HOT UPDATE3: They ignored every cry for recognition, call for minority report or points of order. Ayes and nays were equal volume on Rules per Malkin’s tweet (and video), but Boehner ruled Rules committee motion carried (and I’m sure was not ABOUT to let the question be called.) The steamroller moves on…right over the grassroots.
Now you all can see why some of us wanted no part of this farce in Tampa.
HOT UPDATE2: Just WOW! Minority Report fails to get enough signatures initially because of delegates replaced at the last minute. Now the Rules Committee is being held in incommunicado, with all other passes that were issued for the committee room being revoked until the time expires! Per Michelle Malkin (They let them in with 10 minutes of time left.)
HOT UPDATE: The Romney camp has now taken to removing member from the Rules committee – who the heck they can do THAT legitimately, we have NO idea. Obama’s dictatorial nature is currently being matched by Romney’s goons at the convention.
Bottom line: They are willing to ‘compromise’ on Rule 15 (delegates picked by states without interference because they know they could use the new Rule 12 (essentially the National chairman can do whatever he wants with a 75% vote of the RNC- which he is in the position to ‘buy’) to undo that. We suspect the ‘compromise was offered strictly as a mechanism to try to strip off enough votes off of the Rules committee members to invalidate the Minority Report: here is a list of Rules Committee members. EMAIL OR CALL them with your support of the Minority Report and ask them to support it.
If enough states cannot be had to sign onto the Minority Report, then the ENTIRE Rules reports needs to be voted down! (Which should leave last conventions rules in place.) Demand a roll call on the ENTIRE Rules vote!
Here is the letter to the delegations from the Rules committee ‘rebel’, Morton Blackwell:
Do not be fooled into believing that a good “compromise” has been reached which is even near acceptable.
The Minority Reports are alive and well. Although ferocious efforts have been made to get Rules Committee members to withdraw their names from the Minority Reports, grassroots outrage actually persuaded additional Rules Committee members to sign onto the Minority Reports since the Rules Committee meeting last Friday.
The Rule 15 “compromise” affects only one of the three most damaging changes which the Minority Reports would correct. That is the proposal that presidential candidates would be given the power to disallow and remove delegates elected under state party rules or state law.
Unchanged in the “compromise” are the gutting of the currently-in-effect reforms which succeeded this year in stopping the trend toward a national presidential primary and the very worst change proposed in the national rules, the proposed new Rule 12, permitting the Republican National Committee to regularly amend the national party rules between the national conventions.
The Minority Reports would solve both problems.
Proponents of the “compromise” ignore the enormously destructive problem of the proposed Rule 12. Rule 12 would enable 75% of the Republican National Committee later to eliminate their “compromise” and to destroy or make drastic changes in dozens of other rules which have served our party well over the years.
In practice, Rule 12 would enable an RNC chairman to enact almost any rules change he or she desired, because an RNC chairman already has so much power and influence that he or she can almost always can get 75% or more of the RNC members to vote for or against anything. A chairman already has the enormous “power of the purse,” and should not have also the power to change party rules at will.
There is already quite enough power flow from the top down in our party. Instead of approving more power grabs, we should be looking for ways for more power to flow from the bottom up. That’s how to attract more participants into our party.
The media’s picked up on this series of last-minute manipulations by D.C insiders and consultants, and I’m sure you’ve been bombarded with contacts from both sides.
The truth is, this isn’t a compromise. It’s far from it.
This is insider establishment politics at its worst – and they’re dealing furiously against grassroots conservatives like you and me.
And no change to Rule 15 will mean anything if a party chairman decides to use the powers given under a new Rule 12 that allows the RNC to change the Rules of the Republican Party between national conventions.
So I’m asking you to support the full Minority Reports on the Rules – and to not be fooled by any so-called “compromise.” I especially ask you to take a stand in your delegation for a roll call vote on the Minority Reports.
Cordially,
Morton Blackwell
This is no time to trust the RNC, WHO PICKED THIS FIGHT WITH THE GRASSROOTS. Call your delegations and DEMAND they support the Minority Report in full and support a roll call vote on it!
Somebody who has experience editing Wikipedia and who understands the content of the new rules please edit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Republican_National_Convention in an objective way, describing what happened at the convention and providing references. See the talk page for that article. Thank you.
Would this allow Ron Paul to be able to run for president or has he chosen to stop running regardless of the results?
He’s retired as far as we know. He is NOT supporting continuing for himself.