Dramatic Little Known GOP Rule Change Takes Choice Of Presidential Candidate Away From Rank And File

Forbes ^ | 4/07/2014 @ 12:05PM | Rick Ungar

[Olog-hai]

… Take a look at how Republican National Committee Rule No. 40(b) read before the 2012 convention changes:

Each candidate for nomination for President of the United States and Vice President of the United States shall demonstrate the support of a plurality of the delegates from each of five (5) or more states, severally, prior to the presentation of the name of that candidate for nomination.

Simply put, the rule meant that any candidate for the GOP presidential nomination who showed up at the convention with the largest number of delegates in five states—or was able to twist enough arms at the convention to achieve a plurality of delegates in five states—was entitled to have his or her name placed in nomination at the convention. […]

Rather than only requiring a candidate to have a plurality of the delegates from five states in order to have one’s name placed into nomination, the rule was changed to require a candidate to have a majority of delegate votes in at least eight states as a prerequisite to nomination. …

[Olog-hai]

Full Forbes title:

Dramatic, Little Known GOP Rule Change Takes Choice Of Presidential Candidate Away From Rank And File Republicans And Hands It To Party Elite

Did not see this as posted in searches, so apologies if it already was. Yes, it’s Rick Ungar, but who knows if he speaketh the truth about his fellow libs.

[cuban leaf]

This was actually a big deal on conservative sites when it happened. I believe someone said that if it had been in place in 1980, Reagan would not have qualified. But I could be wrong.

[GeronL]

i think I recall that

[RIghtwardHo]

Yeah, I seem to remember that. Always good to remind us though. the GOPe run the show.

[Mouton]

Another reason they have to go.

When I was upset about something last election, my much younger (and obviously more keen) cousin said to me: why get upset. There is no distinction between either party. They are all the same guy.

Smart kid.

[G Larry]

As a CONSERVATIVE who has held fast to the rule to FIGHT LIKE HELL IN THE PRIMARIES;

Then, BACK THE WINNER in the General Election!

I would lead the march to a THIRD PARTY if they pulled this crap.

I’ll be a Delegate at the State Caucus this weekend, and ensure the GOPe get this message loud and clear!

[ZULU]

That is how that loser Bush I wound up being on the ticket with Reagan, Reagan didn’t want him, the elites did.

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, Ron Paul tried that:

Along with delegates from Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, and Minnesota, Nebraska could have given Paul the support of a plurality of delegates in five states; according to Republican National Committee rules, Paul would have been officially eligible as a candidate for the nomination at the Tampa convention. Organizers would be required to grant Paul’s faction up to 15 minutes for a nominating speech.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/07/ron-pauls-delegate-insurgency-ends-in-nebraska/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2906665/posts

BTW, those a-holes at Google now list the source rather than the FR topic when I do site:freerepublic.com searches.

[Psalm 144]

They put this in place at the 2012 convention IIRC. Willardus Minimus and Rinsewater Peebeast or whatever his name is.

2012 was the last time to make a difference in the GOP. Now it is just a matter of waiting for everyone to figure out what a charade it is and will continue to be.

[cuban leaf]

Exactly. The solution does not lie within the GOP. It lies elsewhere. A fresh start. A third party that gains power only after the GOP’s rot from within is nearly complete.

And the Democrats will be so utterly exposed for what they are that this new party just might leech members from both. There is no small number of Democrats that hate that party but have almost a gene that causes them to hate the GOP even more. The solution is a third conservative party.

Of course, things will have to get pretty bad for it to happen, as they did to get rid of the Whigs. But anyone with open eyes sees the scenario is playing out all around us as I type this.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

After the debacle of the last two Presidential elections, I am in favor of going back to the “Smoky Back Room” form of choosing candidates for Republicans.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

There is no distinction between either party. They are all the same guy.

The Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals. It's a show, not a contest.

[DLfromthedesert]

ATTENTION REPUBLICAN MEN AND WOMEN IN ARIZONA AND ACROSS AMERICA

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR ……… AND ITS GREAT NEWS FOR OUR COUNTRY AND THE WORLD.

LAST WEEK THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE ACTED WITH OVERWHELMING UNITY TO CHANGE OUR PARTY RULES TO HELP US TAKE BACK THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2016

THE NEW RULES WILL GIVE REPUBLICAN VOTERS MORE CHANCES THAN EVER BEFORE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NOMINATION PROCESS FROM THE THE GRASS ROOTS UP.

WHILE DEMOCRATS ATTEMPT TO ORDAIN THEIR NOMINEE REPUBLICANS ARE PROVIDING A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR ALL VIABLE CANDIDATES TO WIN OUR NOMINATION.

UNLIKE THE DEMOCRATS— RANK AND FILE VOTERS , DELEGATES , STATE PARTIES AND THE NATIONAL PARTY HAVE TAKEN BACK THE NOMINATION PROCESS FROM THE LIBERAL MEDIA ( DETERMINED TO UNDERMINE A GOP NOMINEE) AS WELL AS FROM THE POLITICAL CONSULTANCY CLASS.

FRIENDS …...THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE IS NOT JUST TO NOMINATE A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE EVERY FOUR YEARS BUT TO ACTUALLY ELECT A REPUBLICAN TO THE PRESIDENCY.

THE HISTORIC ACTION TAKEN BY REPUBLICAN LEADERS LAST WEEK REPRESENTING EVERY STATE AND TERRITORY MAY CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS IN THE NEXT ELECTION

This is an email from RNC Committeeman from AZ Bruce Ash who is the chair of the Rules Committee..... he is one of the precinct committeemen in my Legislative District (of which I am Chair) I know him a long time and trust him.

[WayneS]

The organized crime family known as ‘the republican party’ is only slightly less reprehensible to me than the organized crime family known as ‘the democrat party’.

[DLfromthedesert]

Also, the Liberty Republicans were very happy with the new rule.... don’t trust the Lib who wrote the article.

[nhwingut]

Conservative grassroots should have their own primary in advance of the GOP primary - have some kind of national townhall or convention. And send the winner into the GOP primary as its candidate. Otherwise the establishment choice will always come out ahead as the conservatives split the vote.

[L,TOWM]

The way things are set up in this system now, a 3rd party is a long shot. I don’t see this thing changing short of the whole rotten structure collapsing under the weight of debt and cultural dysfunction or at gunpoint.

Time to dream another dream; this dream is over.

[JRandomFreeper]

The GOP-E rigs the rules in their favor? Say it isn't so... /s

/johnny

[Graybeard58]

Close all republican primaries, let republicans choose their candidates.

I live in Illinois, on primary day, you walk in and the poll worker asks you, "which ballot do you want", they also ask for your name, (no Id.) then they hand you whichever ballot you want. The current system sucks.

[Obadiah]

As a CONSERVATIVE who has held fast to the rule to FIGHT LIKE HELL IN THE PRIMARIES;

Then, BACK THE WINNER in the General Election!

That was the creed I once upheld without question. After Dole, McCain, and Romney I will NEVER do that again. If the deck gets stacked and we get someone like Christie or Jeb then I will deliberately withhold my vote in November. Never again.