Posted on 01/03/2012 1:43:15 PM PST by Happy Valley Dude
There's been a fair amount of chatter/concern that the importance of Florida's Republican primary could be dramatically diluted if the RNC further penalizes the state for its early primary by allocating its delegates proportionally, rather than winner-take-all. After all, divvying up 50 delegates four or five ways would make the state a lot smaller prize for the winner.
On a conference call with reporters today, however, RNC officials all but dismissed the prospects for Florida losing its winner-take-all status. As it is the state's number of delegates will be slashed from 99 to 50, and there is no mechanism to restore those delegates later, RNC officials said.
The party's rules committee will meet in New Orleans in January and may consider added penalties for states that violated the officially sanctioned schedules - such as lousy seating, limiting floor passes or VIP passes - but the Rules Committee has no say over the delegate allocation.
There remains a possibility that someone could file a contest challenging the allocation of delegates, but that wouldnt even be taken up until summer.
Florida by the way, is not the only state losing delegates for busting the schedule. So will New Hampshire (cut to 13), South Carolina (cut to 25); Arizona (cut to 29); and Michigan (cut to 39). Other states, such as Iowa, Maine, Colorado, and Missouri won't lose delegates despite earlier-than-allowed elections because their elections will be non-binding.
Iowa gets 23 delegates. All this for 23 delegates? Wow! And not winner takes off. Well the only good to come from it is President Santorum will have even more exposure and money rolling in after the win.
This is big news for Newt!
Newt surge!!!
I like the proportional representation rather than winner-take-all approach because the winner-takes-all favors an establishment/CINO candidate who enters with a lot of money and establishment endorsements (like Bush/Romney). The establishment likes to get the contest over early by a knock-out punch in the first few states that will cut off fundraising for the early losers.
How so? Romney is the best bet to win Florida -- there is no recent polling, but the latest from mid-December had Romney up a point on Gingrich, with Newt dropping. It's bad news for conservatives since a prolonged contest favors us.
Cain is on the ballot here in FL. Lot of folks like him. Might be interesting!
GO NEWT!
“How so? Romney is the best bet to win Florida.”
What you smoking, I wan’t some!
My prayers belong to Newt Gingrich!
I hope Newt spends his time and money in South Carolina and Florida.
The heck with New Hampshire.
Doesn’t that mean that the RNC is breaking its rules and making a special exception for Florida despite its flouting the RNC rules?
“I like the proportional representation rather than winner-take-all approach because the winner-takes-all favors an establishment/CINO candidate who enters with a lot of money and establishment endorsements (like Bush/Romney). The establishment likes to get the contest over early by a knock-out punch in the first few states that will cut off fundraising for the early losers.”
The winner-takes-all states also retain more punch with a united delegation, but my state was changed from winner-take-all over to proportional due to some rule changes made by the RNC (allegedly - it takes some research to find out exactly what happened.) Also, we were changed from a Super Tuesday state to an April primary by two federal judges. And this is a state with more delegates than yours even if you hadn’t been penalized!
Screw Iowa and NH.
South Carolina and Florida will determine the GOP nominee.
Yes. But what do you want the RNC to do? If they come down hard and punish Florida, while the Democrats go down there and wine and dine everyone and make lots of promises....you are playing a very dangerous game. Those 29 electoral votes are critically important. The electoral math becomes extremely difficult if Obama holds Florida.
Then they shouldn’t enforce the penalties on the other states and, while we’re at it, they shouldn’t have rules they aren’t willing to enforce.
Are Floridians really going to vote for Obama because the RNC followed through on its rules? Don’t they already have the idiotic gift of holding the national convention there during hurricane season?
After Newt wins SC, of course he wins Florida. Period.
Screw the pols that say otherwise — because the conservative vote will be split MUCH less after Perry and Bachmann fail to make it out of Iowa today.
In Newt versus Willard (I doubt Santorum or Paul will be big factors in SC & FL) contests, Newt demolishes the liberal in disguise - Willard.
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