Posted on 09/01/2012 1:16:40 PM PDT by Lazamataz
Recently, the GOP passed some Presidential primary and delegate rules changes, in a very shady manner, that enraged conservatives. This rule will lessen the impact of delegates, and soften the voice of conservatives and Tea Party members. I was one of those who were enraged. In fact, I was at the front of the parade.
However, in life and especially in politics, not all is as it seems. One of Mitt Romney's closest advisors, a man by the name of James Bopp Jr., led the charge to prevent the rules from being this drastically changed. In a letter he wrote, he states:
This is the biggest power grab in the history of the Republican Party because it shifts the power to select delegates from the state party to the candidate. And it would make the Republican Party a top down, not bottom up party.
It would also hurt state parties because they use delegate selection as a way to honor party volunteers and party contributors. A Presidential candidate will have his own agenda for delegate selection. As a result, this always is a threat to party regulars who make up most of our delegates. But it is also a threat to both moderates and conservative who could be purged, depending on who is the Republican Presidential nominee.
This proposal is an over reaction to the problems in a few states where Ron Paul delegates threaten to not support the winning Presidential candidate. I agree that they should honor that pledge, but that can be fix by a few tweaks in a few state laws. Massachusetts handled this successfully by requiring an affidavit promising to vote for the candidate, Mitt Romney, who carried the state. But the Rules change here is overkill -- killing a fly with a sledgehammer.
After the Rules change imbroglio, I decided not to dash off a furious editorial, but instead to let time reveal all the workings, and to allow a little cooling off period. I'm glad I did. It's not as simple as it seemed.
Are there some scoundrels in the Republican party? Absolutely. John Boehner, who ruled against the floor vote in an entirely arbitrary way, springs to mind. One cannot help but think that Karl Rove clapped his chubby little hands together upon the Rules Change, as well. John Sununu, another villain in this power grab, may have been instrumental in removing key Florida delegates from the Rules Commitee. Perhaps the largest and most damning villain in the fiasco is Ben Ginsberg, who is Romney's chief legal advisor. It appears he was interested in even more power-consolidating Rules Changes.
There will be more revelations in the days ahead. It has been leaked to me that there will be more to follow, and that it may well show that Romney's camp initially wanted the Rules Change -- to undercut the Ron Paul brigades -- but when some of the party Establishment took the ball and ran too far downfield, that many in the Romney camp backed off of support. Of course, at that time, it was too late. The blue-blood establishment hacks had grabbed the concepts, racheted them up, and ran as hard as they could for the goal line.
So, we are starting to see the first glimmers of discontent in the Romney camp over the Rules Changes. If more follows, the changes may well be addressed -- with a little push from us, the Dreaded Grassroots.
The fact remains, though, that the Rules, having been changed, are horrific for the grassroots conservative and Tea Party members.
Romney, if he wants our support, should lead.
He should get in front of some conservative groups and let us know that the Rules will be changed again to allow our voices to be heard. We do understand if Romney himself cannot do it, since it is an old chestnut -- run to the right for nomination, run to the left for election -- but a high level surrogate would help us believe his intent.
The jury is still out. Is Romney willing to forego conservative support? We shall see. The blowback from a Romney rejection would be tragic for his election efforts.
Um, #140. Yes, though.
Well, to be fair, I'm not explaining anything away.
I am, however, offering (hopefully) interesting and new data, that will allow people to make up their own minds.
Consider me LazamaFoxNews.
Meant to include you on my post 120.
I believe the only hope the democrats have of retaining power these days is the GOP defeating themselves.
Unfortunately, the GOP seems determined to give the democrats hope.
Having known and worked with some incredibly wealthy people, I know they will use whatever means they can afford (financially/PR-wise) to get what they want. That’s just reality. Anyone who has even brushed those lofty circles will tell you the same.
No freaking way this was a mistake. It may have been a plan gone wrong, but it was indeed a plan. And I have reservations that it ‘went wrong’ to begin with on further reflection. If you want a break with a group that you consider a liability, it makes PR sense to get them to walk away from you.
But regardless, it was no error in either scenario.
Romney’s PERSONAL pick of Paul Ryan is what started the gears turning in my head about him. He went against the advice of his advisors and picked a real, true, TEA Party Conservative. I don’t picture Mitt Romney as someone who can be pushed around.
I’m not saying he is, or ever was, my preferred candidate, but he IS a hardnosed businessman, one side of a two edged sword. Let’s see how well he wields it.
Hmmm...I was under the impression the video came from the rules vote. I even heard Boehner reading the words.
Oh, I *know* it was a plan to shut out Paultards, to begin with.
But I feel establishment types saw a chance to shut out Tea Party members and conservatives too, and took it.
THAT'S the part where I (may ... not convinced yet) believe it spun out of control.
It has been presented several ways. Earlier today someone posted it that it was the Presidential Nomination video (thread was zotted)
That is another good sign.
But I need more. I need something from Romney (or a very highly-placed surrogate, so that Obama cannot run against the Tea Party) that this Rule went too sweeping, too far.
Uh, Romney and the people around him are the "old guard."
The priest who negotiated the deal between Michael and the Vatican bank, all the while never intending to keep his bargain.
So you're basing this attempt to rehabilitate Team Romney on a second-hand DC source making cryptic statements?
Perhaps I am in the minority here (although I doubt it), but let's just say in the grand scheme of things, away from this website, "you guys" are a small percentage of "us".
In response to your meat:
A) Conventions do not give 15% bumps ( 3-4 5-ish?) and Independents are what we care about - no one else matters; with that you must agree.
B) Given A, then: Obama needs all the votes he can get
C) Not all the "takers" from last time are going to vote this time. Many are long gone from their 2008 residences and are too freaking lazy to register again.
Good piece, Laz...
Whut?!?! Ya mean yer not gunna beat us over the head with some documental, verificized, signitated truthiness that absolutitally can't be refutified?
A good test as to where Romney stands?
Boehner is no longer Speaker in 2013.
Rumors and rumblings? You gotta be kidding me! You seriously expect us to believe this in spite of Romney's lengthy and extensive record of political expediency?
No. Just for the record- my acquaintance is a separate one altogether. I am NOT the source of this piece in any way- I only read it and realized it had the same information I learned last week and that OTHERS have posted about here at FR as well.
This is complicated- and messy- par for the course in politics. It seems wise to wait until we have all the information we can get about this, eh?
I was FURIOUS about this- and settled down a bit after finding there may be more than meets the eye at first glance. IF nothing is done to fix this, I’ll start hollering again!
Seriously looking forward to a not so fond farewell. Same with mcconnell.
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