GOP Chaos-Ron Paul takes over Nevada State Convention

[Yellowdogtexan]

This is some what funny. Ron Paul's supporters took over the Nevada state convention and the GOP had to cancel or adjourn the convention without electing any delegates to the national convention. http://www.lvrj.com/news/18312799.htmlThe state Republican convention was called off Saturday evening without electing national delegates, prompting protests from a record crowd that included many supporters of presidential candidate Ron Paul.

State Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, the convention chairman, announced that the convention would recess indefinitely about 6 p.m., saying the party's contract with the Peppermill Hotel Casino had expired and the gathering would reconvene at a later date.

"We simply had hours and hours of work left to do," he said in an interview afterward.

It was the sudden and frustrating culmination of a long day that had pitted the party establishment that supports presumptive nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., against the insurgent Paul supporters.

Up to that point, the convention had appeared to be proceeding slowly but smoothly after a rules change powered by Paul supporters required a lengthier process than was originally planned for voting on delegates to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., in September.

"They hijacked the party away from the people," Paul supporter Chloie Leavitt, a 44-year-old Overton resident, said as she left. "We were winning and they shut it down."

Paul supporters appeared to be a large share of the 1,347 state convention delegates. After Beers left the building, some attendees initially refused to leave and tried to restart the convention, but they failed to reach a quorum.

"Unfortunately, with the rule changes implemented this morning, we did not have time to complete the process," Nevada Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Lowden said in a statement. "Our contract for the meeting space had expired, as had our budget, and ballots were unable to be physically produced by the nominations committee. We had to temporarily recess the convention."

She said the party would ask to use the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, which was provided free to the Clark County Democratic Party by UNLV for use in their do-over convention earlier this month after they botched their convention on Feb. 23.

Paul's supporters succeeded in overturning party rules that would have allowed only pre-approved delegate slates to be elected to the national convention.

They argued anyone present ought to be able to run for national delegate. Their move to change the rules succeeded by a wide margin.

Once that change was made, Paul campaigners were prepared for an intensive conventioneering effort, passing out their own suggested delegate slates for their people to vote on in hastily assembled delegate elections.

The McCain campaign hadn't prepared for this contingency, having assumed the pre-approved delegate slates would be pushed through, a source with the campaign said.The Paul people were winning and were going to get some delegates elected to the GOP national convention until the GOP shut down the entire convention. Evidently mccain is not that popular in Nevada and the Paul fans were able to get the advantage on mccain.

[Matt]

McCain is not that popular with most including many here.
Even super conservative leader Rush is against him.
He is the candidate by default and hasn't decided how to handle it yet.
Ron Paul's followers are a devoted bunch.
They could stir things up in the Republican party yet ~ ~~

[Trueblue]

Paul's supporters succeeded in overturning party rules that would have allowed only pre-approved delegate slates to be elected to the national convention.

They argued anyone present ought to be able to run for national delegate. Their move to change the rules succeeded by a wide margin.


The GOP may survive yet. That's not directed against McCain, he has been [at times] a good example of what the GOP says it is. That's a slam at the get-in-line mentality of the current GOP.

[Trueblue]

And surely anybody can see that get-in-line doesn't serve the people. It serves those who benefit economically from political power.

[toxic]

...
Ron Paul's followers are a devoted bunch.
They could stir things up in the Republican party yet ~ ~~

I agree.

If the economy turns very sour before the National Convention or McCain were to have a dehibilitating heatlth problem, Ron Paul could upset the GOP boat.

In my town, Ron Paul yard signs are still up.

[Yellowdogtexan]

Here is another account of the GOP running away from their own convention in Nevada http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080427/ap_on_el_pr/nevada_republicans Outmaneuvered by raucous Ron Paul supporters, Nevada Republican Party leaders abruptly shut down their state convention and now must resume the event to complete a list of 31 delegates to the GOP national convention.

Outnumbered supporters of expected Republican presidential nominee John McCain faced off Saturday against well-organized Paul supporters. A large share of the more than 1,300 state convention delegates enabled Paul supporters to get a rule change positioning them for more national convention delegate slots than expected.

"I've seen factions walk out. I've never seen a party walk out," said Jeff Greenspan, regional coordinator for the Paul campaign.

Delegates cheered earlier in the day as former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney urged support for McCain. Later, though, Paul got even louder applause as he delivered his message of individual freedom and fiscal responsibility.

State Sen. Bob Beers, the convention chairman, was booed loudly as he called for a recess Saturday evening. He said that the party's rental contract for a big meeting room at a Reno hotel-casino had expired and there was too much work left to complete.

State GOP Chairwoman Sue Lowden said the rules change wasn't anticipated. She denied any anti-Paul bias, saying expected slates of national delegates were prepared through a fair and open process by the convention's nominations committee and the party thought the convention would accept them.

[Yellowdogtexan]

Followup. Ron Paul has forced the GOP to cancel the GOP convention in Nevada http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/NEWS19/807180503/1321/NEWSThe Nevada Republican Party decided Thursday not to reconvene its scuttled state convention this month, claiming it couldn't generate enough interest to reach a legal quorum to elect delegates to the national convention in St. Paul, Minn.

Instead, the party's executive board, in a private conference call July 25, would decide who from Nevada will attend the Republican National Convention to formally nominate U.S. Sen. John McCain.

The state party abruptly ended its state convention in April to head off a delegation of Ron Paul supporters who had captured control of the proceedings and appeared on track to elect a majority slate to the Sept. 1-4 national convention.....

Although Paul, a Texas congressman with a strong libertarian bent, has dropped out of the presidential race, his supporters continue to stay active in Nevada. They hope to push the Republican Party in their philosophical direction.

"This is pretty much what we figured they would do all along," said Dr. Wayne Terhune, a Sparks dentist who funded the insurgent convention. "I don't see how this would really help the party."

Longtime Nevada Republicans said they've never experienced an aborted state convention.

"I don't ever remember such chaos in the party," said Barbara Vucanovich, a former congresswoman who has been involved in party politics since the early 1950s. "Frankly, its an embarrassment for our state and also makes it difficult for John McCain. He needs all the electoral votes he can get."

The dispute is almost certain to end up in court.

"Now, it becomes a legal issue with the RNC," said Washoe County Republican chairwoman Heidi Smith. "You will have two groups going. The group that the state party puts together, I think will prevail."The Ron Paul campaign is planning some sort of protest for the Republican National Convention. Maybe they will have to cancel that convention also :LL

[Yellowdogtexan]

As I expected the lawsuits are being filed on this mess http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/25659504.htmlA group of state Republican delegates are suing the Nevada GOP to try to earn representation at the National Convention.

The lawsuit comes just two days after the State Party announced it will appoint national delegates without re-convening the initial state convention.

The group filing the lawsuit mostly consists of Ron Paul delegates, but one activist says the litigation is less about McCain versus Paul and more about right versus wrong.

"The GOP is illegal in writing up their own slate behind closed doors," says Doctor Wayne Terhune a Republican activist. "And we want to put a halt to that and make the GOP accept the June 28th delegation."

Terhune helped pay for the convention that produced what those involved are calling the only legitimate republican delegation in the state.

Party officials intended to appoint delegates back in April, but called a recess when a vocal group of Ron Paul supporters protested rule changes.

Washoe County Republican Chair Heidi Smith says the final say on which delegates go to Minneapolis will likely be made by politicians and not lawyers.

"We'll have to wait and see what the State Party attorneys say, but I feel, in the end, the Republican National Committee will make the decision."

Terhune says he and Mike Weber, who chaired the June convention will likely take their case before the National Committee. It's a move that would seemingly contribute to the ongoing division within, but Smith says that's politics; and what grows apart, will eventually come together.

"It's somewhat like Obama and Hillary," says Smith. "You had fighting between those two and then they came together. So, in this respect, we're the same way in that we have two sides that are arguing the interpretation of the law, but when it comes to republican politics, they're all together."

Terhune says he expects a decision on this lawsuit to come sometime next week.