GOP Nominations: Don't do it (GOP-E Screwing Up Virginia)

Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch | May 30, 2012 | Richmond Times-Dispatch Staff

[Timber Rattler]

In October 2011, the Republican Party of Virginia's State Central Committee voted to nominate its 2013 statewide ticket in a primary. Tuesday's Times-Dispatch reported that the committee might change the rules and opt to nominate candidates in a convention instead. The appropriate response runs to three words: Don't do it.

The Times-Dispatch long has considered primaries the preferred vehicles for nominations — for both parties. Although primaries can compel campaigns to spend more money, they tend to leave less blood on the floor. Caucuses and conventions often turn personal; they open wounds. They also attract activists, ideologues, partisans and crackpots who might not represent a party's mainstream. Primaries broaden the base.

Candidates who have declared their 2013 intentions presumably entered under the assumption a GOP primary would occur. A rules change now would violate an honor code that, although unstated, ought to govern party operations.

The principal candidates for the GOP's gubernatorial nomination are Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. A move to a convention likely would boost the latter. Bolling's team urges the committee to stay with its original decision. Cuccinelli's team expresses its confidence it would win in either a primary or convention but adds that it would welcome using the money it would spend in a primary to defeat the Democratic nominee in the fall. If Cuccinelli were to repudiate a rules change, a drive for a convention would collapse. This is a test not of procedure but of character.

[Timber Rattler]

GOP-E monkey business in Virginia---trying to eliminate the primaries there in favor of a centralized boss-controlled convention. They're now trying to change the same rules they agreed to last year.

[muawiyah]

Actually, if we eliminate the primary we eliminate the opportunity for out of state operators like Mitt Romney to manipulate the competitiveness we should have in candidate selection.

We know the current primary system can be abused ~ we saw it happen this year.

Until the underlying legislation can be FIXED there's little utility to a primary ~ except to out of state party bosses.

[cripplecreek]

Any minute now the new defenders of the E will be along to inform us that this is a good thing if it keeps those wacky Paulistinians at bay.

[DarthVader]

No the GOP-E fears the convention because most activists are Tea Party types and have been taking over the local GOP organizations. I am a delegate and know this to be true.

[muawiyah]

Just want to make clear to everyone, GOP-e in Virginia go by the names of McDonnell, Bolling and Cantor. Bolling wants the primary system so he can cheat.

[muawiyah]

AGAIN!

[ngat]

Nope. Conventions are better. Fairer. More democratic. Less affected by the big-money, “bosses”, corporations.

[mvpel]

They open wounds, like when the duly elected chairman of the Louisiana caucus was roughed up by the cops at the behest of the man he had just replaced.

[CatherineofAragon]

These Romneyites in my state will stop at nothing to skew things their way. The sight of Bob McDonnell makes me sick now.

[cripplecreek]

Agreed. The best part is that they're able to make compromises that don't require trading their principles away. They're forming coalitions that are bowling over the old guard.

From the Michigan convention, both RINO RNC committeemen lost their seats.

We won!!!

Michigan's conservative movement made huge strides over the weekend, and the message is now guaranteed to be carried to Tampa and Washington D.C...As I left the floor at Cobo, a long line of conservative activists were manning the railing behind the delegate area, exchanging "high-fives" with everyone as they left....we had legitimately proven we could beat the establishment at their own game, using their own rules...it was a marvelous feeling...Michigan has set the tone for the national convention, let's hope the nation is watching...

[marktwain]

Conventions do not give the MSM as much clout.

[deport]

This is about statewide candidates not the Presidential nomination, correct?

Virginia had a primary on Mar. 6, 2012 in which Romney won with 59%+ of the vote?

[cripplecreek]

These Romneyites in my state will stop at nothing to skew things their way.

I'm in Michigan where the cowards had to change the delegate allocation rules the day after the primary to save poor Mitty the indignity of a tie.

[CatherineofAragon]

I remember hearing about that. But hey, Romney’s our conservative savior, so let him do his thing! /s

[ngat]

“They open wounds” is a strange metaphor for what happened in Louisiana.

What happened in Louisiana was exposure of a crooked machine that needed exposing.

Now we KNOW.

[cripplecreek]

I've been told that its just a crazy conspiracy theory brought by sore losers.

The Michigan Republican Party (MRP) Credentials Committee voted 4-2 last night to give Mitt Romney both of the state's at-large delegates, State Policy Committee Chair Mike Cox told MIRS today.

Cox was one of two "no" votes on the committee which met via telephone, along with attorney Eric Doster The "yes" votes included GOP National Committeeman Saul Anuzis, a Romney supporter, and MRP Chair Bobby Schostak.

That would put the delegate split at 16 for Romney and 14 for Rick Santorum, after each candidate won 14 delegates apiece in those divided by Michigan's 14 congressional districts.

As MIRS first reported on Wednesday, the MRP was delaying a final decision on the delegate split until after consulting with attorneys.

Cox said that according to the MRP rules, Santorum and Romney should each get one of Michigan's two at-large delegates based on their take of the popular vote.

"I supported Mitt, but the vote was clearly wrong," Cox said of the Credentials Committee. "It's kind of like Third World voting. We published rules and then we voted to change the rules."

Because The Narrative Cannot Survive A Rewrite

[EDINVA]

“-trying to eliminate the primaries there in favor of a centralized boss-controlled convention.”

Quite the opposite, actually. Conventions are exactly when the insiders lose control to “.... activists, ideologues, partisans and crackpots who might not represent a party’s mainstream. Primaries broaden the base.”

The fear here with the RTD and GOP-E is that those crazy ideologues who prefer Cuccinelli will swamp a convention. They saw it happen in ‘94 with Ollie North, and didn’t much like it. It’s what happened when they held the convention that yielded George Allen who went on to serve as governor then senator.

Who do you think voted last year to go for a primary??? Primaries are ridiculously expensive, not only for the candidates, but also for the Commonwealth that has to pick up the tab for the actual running of the primaries. And primaries don’t do a damned thing to “expand the base.” They only attract hard-core partisans and those willing to cross party lines to affect the outcome of the other party’s election. Until there is registration by party in VA, primaries make no sense whatsoever.

[Timber Rattler]

Yeah, this is state level politics.

[Larry - Moe and Curly]

GOP-E. “...honor code...”.
Mutually exclusive.

[Flintlock]

Howsabout “RINOS DREAD CONSERVATIVE TEA PARTIERS—AGAIN” (?).