Loading ...GOP State Convention
April 27th, 2008Well-wishers and harm-casters alike have been emailing and asking me to describe what happened at this weekend’s GOP convention, though the latter tend to be from outside Nevada and rarely give their name or a way to communicate with them. Just as rarely, they use civil language. I imagine Dr. Paul is as embarrassed by some of his followers’ statements as I am.
First, some have suggested there are similarities between the GOP convention and the “Democrat do-over.” I don’t see them. Our state convention, in an orderly fashion, passed rules, bylaws, credentials, a platform, elected national committee members, and voted for the first 9 national delegates, though the uncounted ballots for 3 of those remain locked in the Peppermill hotel safe, I am told, a process witnessed and physically signed by a represenative from both John McCain’s and Ron Paul’s campaigns. We got a lot of work done.
Early in the day, the state delegates voted to depart from the way the Nevada GOP has elected national delegates for the 15 or so years I have been involved. Instead of short voice votes, the delegates wanted two separate and lengthy election processes: first, dividing the state delegates by our three congressional district, then having each third separately elect three national delegates each; second, an at-large election of 22 delegates from a list of candidates that would combine those who had applied through normal channels and those who self-nominated themselves from the convention floor. Many people who had gone through the normal channels also self-nominated themselves from the floor.
By 6pm last night:
- we were overtime on our contract for our convention space
- we were paying our stagehands and audio-video technicians overtime
- our volunteers running the convention (myself included) had already put in a 12-hour day
- only two of the three congressional district elections had been counted. The third (and largest) was about half-way done
- our rough calculations on how long it would take to compile the results of the upcoming 22-person ballot were l-o-n-g based on the three-person ballot taking as long as it had
- The convention secretary and party secretary (all volunteers) had compiled the 200 or so self-nomination candidates into their computer, but had not started figuring out who was on both lists and needed to be consolidated for the final, master ballot
- Delegates, frustrated that our 5pm end time had been missed, with no end in sight, had left and were continuing to leave to execute their travel plans.
So we made the decision to temporarily stop the convention and resume it at a later date.
It is my sincere hope that:
- This delay (of probably more than a week) will give the nomination committee time to produce a comprehensive list of national delegate candidates
- The same credentialed delegates who attended the meeting in Reno, and only those credentialed delegates, will be called back to order and quickly vote for the remaining 22 national delegates.
- The re-convening will be held in Las Vegas, so that those who already paid to fly across the state once won’t have to do that again this year.
- The elections committee can come up with a system to rapidly and transparently count the ballots under the watch of all concerned parties
- We will finish up whatever few minor agenda items remain and adjourn the convention so we can move forward together to elect common sense, limited government, pro liberty Republicans up and down the ballot.
April 27th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Ron Paul got 14% of the vote in Nevada, which some say is the most libertarian state in the country.
It seems that the Ron Paul followers are trying to get elected a percentage of delegates that is above the 14%.
It looks like that they are trying similar actions in other states. I am guessing that they are hoping to get enough delegates to nominate Ron Paul instead of McCain or to cause trouble at the national convention.
As member of 86% that did not vote for Ron Paul, these actions do not warm my heart toward their movement even though I have sympathies toward some of their beliefs.
It seems that Ron Paul is directing this activity.
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states
April 27th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Mr Beers and members of the nevada GOP
I appreciate all of the work that you and the other members of the party did to put on our convention in Reno. The only criticisim that I have is that there was no warning that we were close to being out of time. I think that if there was a warning 15 to 30 min or more that we were running out of time there would have been a lot less animosity and bad feelings.
Now onto my only concern about finishing the convention in Las Vegas instead of in Reno: the rules governing the Nevada Convention state that the convention shall be held in Las Vegas in every other presidential election year and in another county the other times. Well as the last convention was held in Vegas then in my opinion the second day can’t be held there this year. To make it fair get a place in Tonopah or bring it back to Reno.
Just so u know I am a delegate from Carson City and was at the convention and I was having a great time until the end. I would love to be of any help to you or the party so feel free to email me or call me. My phone number is listed in the records of the state party.
Kenn j Morton
April 27th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
A reminder that John McCain got less votes than Ron Paul, and that in the Precinct Caucuses, Ron Paul probably averaged closer to 40 percent, where McCain got about 2 percent. So I guess it depends on how you figure it. I figure it by Republican Party Rules, which states that Nevada will send 34 UNBOUND delegates to the Republican National Convention.
April 27th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I changed from being an independent this year to being a Republican because the Republican party finally offered hope, Ron Paul. I think many of us did for the same reason and the Republican party is full of itself if it thinks its numbers swelled this year because of John McCain. John McCain has been on ballots before and never caused much excitement for obvious reasons.
If John McCain is the best our party can do when so many other fine candidates were offered, best being Dr. Paul, then come the time for general, I may find my ballot going toward Obama or Clinton. As disgusting as that would be to me, I believe it would be better to try to awaken this country by the shock treatment they would likely provide, than to continue our slow and painful decent I suspect John McCain would carry on from the current president. This country can not afford to risk another 4 years as we change one sleepy driver for another.
April 27th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I am a elected National delegate for the 3rd Congressional. I know this because of the open and fair counting that was done. The convention was run very smoothly. I just wish we had more notice that there was a time issue. So much time was wasted with videos and useless information. My fear and the fear of so many is that open and fair counting will be lost and we will be forced to start over. I hope that things play out how you described when the 2nd day of business resumes. Also, I know the pressure you were under, when you came back to the stage after leaving. I could read it all in your eyes. I forgive you!
http://www.dailypaul.com/node/47172
April 27th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
I thought you did a great job Bob, but we would have appreciated some more explanation when the meeting was suddenly recessed. It would have also been a good idea to reduce the time-consuming fluff of the convention (entertaining videos, songs, retirement farewell speeches, etc) so we would have time to do what was necessary.
It was not your fault the election process was changed and I thought the 5 names on a piece of paper idea was a good one and voted for it.
I am a die-hard Ron Paul supporter and I would love to see him win the nomination, but I will be voting for the Republican nomineee in the general election whether it’s RP or not, just like probably every other RP supporter. We are real Republicans, many of us new to the party and we should be welcomed with open arms. Every McCain supporter I’ve talked to says McCain has it locked up anyway, so why the fight?
April 28th, 2008 at 1:09 am
It is simply not true that the cause for us running out of time was the passage of the new rule allowing nominations from the floor. The new rule did NOT require speeches from each nominee, nor did it require for each nominee to be assessed by any committee–quite the contrary. That is what we fought against and voted down. A motion was put on the floor to have the list compiled, ballots printed and handed out while moving on to other business. This would not have taken more than 2 hours, from the nominations all the way to the vote count. However, the motion was completely ignored by the chairman, instead of being restated and calling for a second, as is called for in Robert’s Rules of Order which govern conventions.
Also, in order to adjourn a meeting, there must be a MOTION from the FLOOR which must then be VOTED UPON. There was no motion, no vote, and even if there had been, the chair is to be impartial and is therefore not permitted to make any motions.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:16 am
Bob I’m really sorry that you’ve been getting hate mail over this. That’s just not right, and I agree that Dr. Paul WOULD be ashamed of the actions of some of his followers.
You have to understand that Ron Paul people have been ignored and scorned by the mainstream media (despite a LOT of momentum for Dr. Paul), and that MANY Republicans (Ron Paul-ites or not) are VERY unhappy with the “official” party choice (made BEFORE the convention where the choice is SUPPOSED to be decided) of John McCain.
While his service record is admirable, John McCain is perhaps the most liberal Republican in the Senate. WHY, oh WHY would we want HIM to represent our beloved CONSERVATIVE party?
Essentially, it was wrong of you to simply end the convention without making an attempt to see if there was a way to continue. If you were so tired from your 12-hour day, you could have stepped down as chair and handed it to Mr. Mike Weber, who was willing and able to chair the convention for as long as it took to get it done.
The McCain people should also be ASHAMED of themselves for PURPOSEFULLY leaving early simply to cut the democratic process short (fearing that Ron Paul people were “taking over” the convention).
In the end, we have a WAY worse situation:
1) Now EVERYONE has to pay more to attend the convention “part 2″ because it’s going to be in Las Vegas. So instead of maybe paying a few thousand extra to pay the sound guys to keep going and keep the room, you now have put MANY people in the position of uncertainty about whether or not they can AFFORD to attend ANOTHER convention. So basically the party was unwilling to sacrifice a little of its own money in exchange for a LOT of other people’s money. Also giving Northern Nevadans maybe a ONE WEEK notice to buy plane tickets to Las Vegas versus the MONTHS of notice that Las Vegas had to buy tickets to Reno hardly seems like a “fair” compromise. Do you know what 1-week in advance airline tickets go for versus even 1 month in advance? Probably not. Doubtless you’ve been flying on the People’s Tab for quite some time.
2) How do we know you won’t waste more of our time in Las Vegas and then abruptly end the convention AGAIN?
The whole thing was very ugly and left a terrible taste in a LOT of our mouths. I talked to several MCCAIN people that were absolutely appalled at the majority of the McCain people’s “cut and run” mentality.
People love to say, “We’re all Republicans, let’s just be a body of ONE!… as long as you all agree that our body will support a man with no principles, Mr. John McCain.”
I don’t hold you, Mr. Beers, personally responsible, nor do I think that you purposefully made this such a terrible event for the majority of us. That said, hopefully next time you’ll think LONG and HARD before you decide to swing that gavel and end the process of Republican democracy.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Good morning, all.
Alex Kramer, I can understand the wonder of folks who are new at this at the seeming wasted time with videos and speeches. Usually, there are things happening in the background that are prerequisites to “doing business.”
For example, the credentials committee’s job is to come up with the registered names and the headcount of delegates, required to determine what number of votes equals 50% plus 1 and two-thirds plus 1 and the quorum. You will recall the committee made a first report, then asked for alternates from certain counties to come back to the back to be elevated to full delegate status. They finally came back with a second report, the final report, which we adopted. While we were waiting, we had speeches and videos - but we couldn’t do any business until we had the credentials report.
At the end, we were waiting for the secretaries to cross-reference the list of 199 (I heard that was the final count) self-nominees from the floor and the nominations committee report, as well as for the non-Clark county congressional district ballots to be counted, as people already elected national delegates shouldn’t be on the ballot for the voting of 22.
The Newt Gingrich deal at the end - apparently Princilla had flown in from far away to deliver Newt’s message and she insisted on going on. The decision had been made to recess by then, but she talked her way past that.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Bob,
You impressed me with how well you ran the convention - your leadership and coolness - Next time you run for state wide office you have my vote.
Thank-you!
April 28th, 2008 at 7:50 am
What happened at the Republican Convention in Reno
Bob Beers was the chairman of the Nevada Republican Convention Saturday in Reno. If you are interested in the chairman’s perspective of what happened at the convention and why we adjourned without completing our business you should read Bob Beers
April 28th, 2008 at 11:09 am
I’m disheartened by the folks who are blaming Bob for everything that transpired at the convention, even though they don’t have the facts.
I’m even more disappointed by the silly behavior of Ron Paul’s supporters. Their obstructionist tactics do not help their candidate or the Republican party. They harp endlessly about how McCain didn’t win Nevada, but neither did their candidate. Can’t we just move on and focus on helping McCain defeat the Democrats come election time?
Lastly, thank you, Bob, for posting the facts here on your blog and for being unafraid (as always) to maintain open communication with supporters and critics alike. Would be nice to see other legislators follow your lead (I won’t hold my breath on that, though). You will always have my vote.
April 28th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Mr. Beers,
I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like to have been the chairman of the convention Saturday. You were probably suprised to see so many people really involved in the process and not willing to rubber stamp the party staus quo as in prior conventions. However, I believe you caved into those around you that would rather “cut& run” rather than allow the delgates to be elected based on the will of the delegates that had been elected and took the time and money to show up there to be part of the process. You have disenfranchised every last one of those delegates and those of us who voted for those delegates to be there.
I was an elected delegate and I thank God that I did not spend money on a ticket to Reno and on hotel room to travel there from Las Vegas only to be shut out just because I supported a candidate that the leadership has not handpicked
April 28th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Bob: Nice job on a tough gig. Let’s admit there was a problem here. If you’ve been attending for 15+ years, you know we’ve always scheduled two days for the state convention. With record attendance at the caucuses, it would only have made sense to stick with a two day convention this year.
I heard a clarion call for bringing all the campaigns together for some serious organizing and planning. Hope to see us working together in new and productive ways for the conclusion of the the state convention. (And I’d love to see a list of those nominated before I get to the meeting.)
April 28th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Murphy’s definition of a volunteer: One who consistently proves time and again that no good deed goes unpunished.
61
April 28th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Mr. Beers
That you would put one lady’s time and money (Pricilla) ahead of the time and money spent by the hundreds of delegates in attendance says a lot.
Also, if the Peppermill was truly only contracted until 5 or 6, then why the continuous jokes throughout the day about not staying until midnight or 2 am? Why were we never told about the time limit? Why was there no warning, “we only have 3 hours left, 2 hours left, etc”? Why was there no attempt to shorten the speeches or videos etc?
None of the excuses for shutting down the civil convention seem to hold any water at all.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Bob,
I can’t even tell you how disappointed my family and I are with you over Saturday’s Republican Convention. I entered the Convention with excitement and anticipation. You see Mr. Beers, this was my first State Republican Convention and I had saved money just to attend.
My intent was simple, support our parties pick John McCain.
I was really disheartened as I watched Ron Paul supporters being down graded, insulted and yelled at by McCain supporters. I always thought that people had the right to vote for and support whomever they wished.
As the day went on I saw the Republican officers, especially you dragging feet, as if it was intentional. Then I was appalled when a John McCain representative approached me and my friend to inform us that you, Mr. Beers were going to recess the convention in 30 minutes, followed by her instructions for us to leave the convention area as soon as you did this. Sure enough in 30 minutes you stepped to the microphone and recess the convention till a later date, just as we were told.
I sat in shock as McCain supporters got up and walked out on the convention, just as they had been directed. It reminded me of a childhood game that was lost and the poor sport took his ball and went home.
Then these McCain supporters stood in the doorways making “cat calls” and screaming insults at those of us sitting there in shock. I even saw McCain supporters turning off the lights like some childhood prank.
So many things went through my mind, like the amount of money I just wasted to attend. I didn’t know how to explain to my wife that this money could have been spent on my family.
I have to tell you that because of these actions I will no longer support John McCain, but that’s not the worst. My family will not support you ever again.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Bob:
Although I have been on your e-mail list for some time now, agreeing with most of your views, what you allowed to happen at the convention was a serious blunder. I hope it was just human error because anything else would make it sordid.
I hope you do the right thing and support having the State Convention 2 in Reno. There were no rule changes voted on to change the venue. It seems the rules we have aren’t followed and new ones that meet the necessity of the moment are just used without any authority. That is lawlessness. You were the chairman and it was your responsibility for much of what happened.
I hope you can restore my confidence in you along with countless others that firmly believe you really missed the mark. Do what is right even if it means the outcome of the delgates voted in are not in favor of your candidate. How about it?
April 28th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Bob,
I thought you ran the convention fairly and well except for the end. I don’t buy the claimed reasons for recessing the convention. There are many indicators of attempts by the party leaders to maintain control and send only a hand picked few to the national convention. Let me cite some of those indicators of attempts to control the outcome:
1. There were two deceptive polls of delegates prior to the convention. The first was from the John McCain campaign. I received two of those calls myself so it is not hearsay. The caller first mentioned that he was taking a poll on national political issues. He asked several questions designed to see if the person interviewed agreed with the positions espoused by Ron Paul. Only at the end of the call did the caller identify himself as working for the John McCain campaign. So the polls were designed to deceptively obtain information.
The other call was from state GOP Headquarters. They were open about the source but deceptive about the reason for the call. They said it was to delegates, so that they could arrange seating. But the main thing they wanted to know was who I supported for president. Since when is it legitimate for the state party to mislead its own members in polling?
As for the reasons for recessing the conventions, several conversations were overheard which revealed the true reasons for recessing the convention and that reason was that the party leaders simply could not stand to see a Ron Paul victory. I don’t think that necessarily Sue Lowden is a liar. An alternative explanation is that she had amnesia and mistakenly attended a convention in another state and got the facts mixed up.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
I wish to greet you as a friend, and assure you my intentions are selfless, Hello sir!
I am thirty-two years old, and have been a registered republican since 1994; however, I like to think of myself as having been a Republican since I was born because the Republican values have always been near and dear to my heart. I was born in Butte, MT, but moved to Nevada in 1987. and have since spent 21 of the best years of my life here. I have a family: five children and a wife who loves me dearly. I recently started attending local Republican functions and was considerably disappointed with the Reception that I have received. I have been mockingly called a newcomer. I have volunteered for several committees, however, was never invited to attend or notified when the actual committee meetings took place. My whole life, I have respected and agreed with the core values of the Republican Party; as it was the party that stood for low taxes and a constitutionally sound and limited federal government. With constraints on our judicial and executive braches. This ensures we get REAL republican legislators. This is the party that has an obligation to protect our Constitution. We are not a democracy, nor should we to act like one.
We are the Grand Old Party, the party of change! We must consider the Fact that we have been underestimated, and possibly infiltrated by people who are Republican in name only and really share more in common with spend-happy liberal democrats. Where is our solid, unwavering, conservative tax cutting hero today? I am a real republican at heart, and I have been sidelined for long enough. I believe in the Republican Party but also that it needs a wake up call. I believe in everything the Republican Party stands for, and am glad that our State used a caucus process this year which has brought strength to our communities and a renewed enthusiasm in the Republican Party. Together we can stand up for defending our freedoms and our traditional values which we have in common.
I personally came prepared to finish the business at hand, no matter the mental or physical challenges. I do think it irresponsible to table any issues at an event such as this. Everybody had the same amount of time to prepare. If anyone thought there would be no strategies played out on the floor of any convention brought together for the purpose of repairing this great party, state, country……. that my friend would be the epitome of delusion, and irresponsibility. Instead of embracing our new friends, we beat them down and tell them to tow party lines, we have had McCain rammed down our thought and told we NEED to accept it for the sake of the PARTY.
I have a heavy heart, I am not alone, Nevadans GOP is not alone, as uncertainty bites at our resolve and tries to press its will upon this great nation, we as Nevada need to stand up for what is right! THE CONSTITUTION.
I hardly think you need any lectures Mr. Beers. I pray we can fix this rift. I will personally work hard on your re-election campaign if you can explain (if you can). Why did this convention try so hard to divide us? Have you considered the possibility that our new friends have just made a jump in the right direction? We ALL reflect YOUR constituency.
Thank you for your time, respectfully,
Larky White
April 28th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Mr. Beers,
You say we were an hour over-time in the convention hall. I did pick up a copy of the agenda, & even though it was printed in 2 point type, I saw no times listed whatsoever. I understand it would be impossible to list times for each of the items on the agenda & stick to them, but if the hall was only available until 5pm, why wasn’t that printed in the Agenda (at least in 4 point type)? You remark about the attitude of the Ron Paul crowd. Well, imagine how we felt when we entered the hall & only saw one candidate’s banners hung over the dias. There are two candidates still in this race. There was also a message from McCain on the whole back cover of the Agenda & nothing about Ron Paul inside or out. If his participation in the Agenda booklet was allowed, I’m sure his backers would have gladly paid for an ad if this recognition required a fee. I can only say that if Huckabee, or Romney were still in the race, they & their supporters wouldn’t have been treated so disgracefully. We did not fall off the turnip truck out here, and we know the way you recessed the convention was not according to ANYONE’S rules!
April 28th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Ron Paulers….the “it ain’t fair” crying does not go that far with me. You guys are trying to screw over the voters who only gave Ron Paul 14% of the vote.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
My question is simple: Will you now submit a Bill that requires PHOTO ID’s be shown in order to vote? SCOTUS upheld Indiana’s statute. I know that you and the Republican Party run a neat ship but I also know that the Democrats would allow kindergardners to vote IF they voted Democrat.
The Ron Paulers in the race would only dilute the vote for McCain….Soooo????
April 28th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Dear Fellow Republicans,
Regardless of whom we support among the party, it is about a fair election process. I do not support McCain, however if I found out that the party manipulated the vote to “elect” another candidate I would be outraged.
All republicans should be outraged across the country. The national convention is suppose to be the culmination of the process from the grass-roots up – meaning the people of the party get to elect their nominee - not the party dictating whom the people of the party shall support. I was a delegate in Louisiana and went to the State Convention. Ron Paul delegates won the election but the Republican Party of Louisiana decided to count only the votes they wanted ignoring the rules. The Louisiana Republican party cheated the process and participants, and outright lied about the results with no consequences (personally I believe people should be in jail over this). It seems to be happening in Texas, and now Nevada. The rules of the party are there to be followed to ensure a fair election. The majority rules in most circumstances in the delegate process and not the popular vote. If a candidate organizes the delegate process and participates according to the rules and wins, then the party needs to recognize that and value the fact that there are people that care enough to participate. The Republican Party wants our allegiance but only if we agree with their preordained candidate. Meanwhile we see all the deception, lies, and criminal acts the party is committing in support of a candidate that has yet to be elected at the convention.
There is no gold or silver backing the dollar – none. Only one candidate wants to bring back the gold standard so the dollar has value and that is Ron Paul. I believe most Republicans would support Ron Paul if they only knew what he stood for and not the spin the media portrays. Please look further – like abolishing the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is not federal and does not have any reserves. It is a private banking cartel that charges Americans interest on money they print for the US govt. However, Congress was given the right to print money, not a private bank. Again, only one candidate talks about abolishing the Federal Reserve – Ron Paul. See you at the convention!
April 28th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Mr. Beers, you are correct in stating we got a lot of work done at the convention. We used a civil process to change the rules to reflect the will of the majority of the delegates. We approved the by-laws in record time. We were presented with information about the important Patriot Fund to support widows and children of our fallen Nevada soldiers. We approved a Party Platform that represented the views of a majority of Nevada Republicans, though one the presumptive nominee would have a difficult time following. All that and we still had time to watch Newt Gingrich on video!
What we didn’t do was what we all went to the convention to do and that is elect our delegates to the National Convention. The interest in changing the rules to allow at large nominations was not due to loyalty to a particular candidate as much as it was a product of Nevada’s new caucus process. We all came up from the caucus to the County and then the State Convention. Of course we were interested in sending our neighbors, those we think will best represent us, to the national convention.
Many of us understand that you were in a difficult position at the end of the convention. You were the face of the party leadership and, by the abruptness of the announcement, it appeared the party was pulling an end run to stop the inevitable, 22 of us, and by “us” I don’t mean Ron Paul supporters, I just mean those of us not on the “inside” of the party, going to the national convention, and yes, possibly nominating Ron Paul from the floor on behalf of the State of Nevada where he finished ahead of John McCain. I will echo what another commenter wrote, if you can be a part of fixing this, if you can reconvene so that the convention follows the rules agreed to and we are able to elect the people we choose to represent us at the National Convention, I have a feeling you will regain the support you need to win re-election. If this puts you at odds with Party leadership, which I hope it does not, it will still be the right thing to do. Its time to do what’s right. We will all be better off for it, you, the people of Nevada, the Party and the Nation.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Just a quick note to Lee S. Gliddon Jr.
I am a Ron Paul supporter and made the trip to Reno, I heard that there was a need for people to help out in the early morning (6 am) and so I was there to help check people in, which meant asking for photo ID as we were told to by the head of credentials. No one got pass me without showing photo ID. Did you volunteer? Several of us Ron people stayed and helped pick up after you all ran out and left your trash all over the place, where were you? Someone once told me that it was the Dems that expect something for nothing. You came, you saw, you left your trash! Thanks to all the “other” people for working together.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Just want you to know, those of you who think Ron Paul should quit because his “numbers are low.” Next time look at the Democrats numbers in a primary, millions show up, and at McCains numbers, maybe a few hundred thousands — Maybe the republicans should quit too, I mean if you want to go by numbers. Obviously, you need EVERY VOTE YOU CAN to win in November and you aren’t going about it right do you think? That’s the problem you don’t think, you do your best to alienate the new republicans. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:47 am
This is why I did not change my party affiliation to Republican prior to the caucus deadline. No matter how much the truly committed party “faithful” want, the party “leadership” obstructs the mandate. If people wanted to truly support McCain, they would have been present from the first precinct caucus proceedings all the way to the state convention. Now, we see that the party leadership is not interested in nomination a true conservative as their presidential candidate, they are interested only in nominating a watered down Democrat.
Those of you who remember what happened in 1998 when the party leadership disenfranchised a large group of Republicans: A democrat was elected. Now, it happens again. The leadership is not interested in the new blood being brought into the party by Ron Paul and other true conservatives. The party leadership alienates these people at their own peril.
I am an active member of Nevada’s Independent American Party. This will be the home for true conservatives and those disenfranchised from the Republican party. While I do not believe that Mr. Beers was culpable for the debacle in Reno, he certainly enabled it. This was a disservice to the new Republicans that were brought into the party by Ron Paul.
To the Nevada Republican Party: Your loss is our gain. I hope we can energize the RPRs to support IAP candidates against the neo-con pro-government extremists that are being offered by the Republican Party. At the very least, I expect that the IAP will fracture the conservative vote sufficiently to ensure that Republicans who have no interest in conservative values will be excluded from office.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I have issue with all these “New Republican” supporters of Ron Paul. You’re libertarians, go play with your own party.
There are many of us that have been working inside the Republican party for many years. I am 40 years old and have worked on campaigns since I was a teenager. I worked on Reagan, Bush Sr and Jr and many of the locals since Jim Santini.
I have looked at legislators like Bob Beers (who I didn’t vote for Governor) take the heat and many arrows to hold the line against business and personal taxes and generally fight against government interference in our lives and now because you want to make a fanatical statement at the Republican (not Libertarian)Party National Convention in a cause that has no legs whatsoever (Pauls candidacy)you are going to personally attack those people that have been fighting the fight for years. You all lack class and the proof of your futility is what a joke the parties you all left to join ours are.
How about you all show some class and get Ron to show the class that Mitt did. When it is apparent that you dont have the delegates you get out. That is what statesmen do.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I think it’s very important that all conservatives understand what neo-conservatism is, because John McCain is an adamant neo-con. The grandfather of neo-conservatism is Irving Kristol. Irving Kristol is a self-proclaimed neo-Trotskyite neo-Marxist. If you compare the 10 pillars of Karl Marx’s communist manifesto you will see that nearly all 10 are alive and well in this country. It amazes me to no end that the Republican party would warmly embrace this new brand of Marxism and reject real conservatism. Another prominent neo-conservative Michael Ledeen, admonishes Mussolini. I would direct Republicans that still believe in the conservatism of limited government, states rights, more freedom, less taxes, and respect for the constitution to read this article published in The American Conservative.
http://www.amconmag.com/06_30_03/feature.html
I do not see the wisdom in following the neo-Marxists who call themselves neo-conservatives to defeat at the hands of the Democrats, who themselves are socialists. Ronald Reagan won the presidency on a conservative platform that was nearly identical to Ron Paul’s current platform. Don’t believe me?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UmsP95Bl9pM
Mr. Beers I don’t know whether or not you did anything wrong at the convention, I wasn’t there, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to make the judgment. I hope that you will consider what I have written. Thank you for allowing us to comment on this article.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
The True Point of the Convention
I firmly believe everyone is missing the point about the Nevada State Republican Convention. For a true perspective on the events in Reno, please click here:
http://nevadapoliticsbydan.blogspot.com/
This is a new blog intended to present a realist’s point-of-view. Within the next few days I will also be posting my responses to selected comments posted to Sen. Beers’ blog and the two articles in the Las Vegas Review Journal and the Reno-Gazette Journal, recounting the events in Reno. Additionally, I feel everyone should read the words posted by Heidi Smith, Chairman Washoe County Republican Party (http://www.washoecountygop.org/) very succinct and to the point. Thanks for taking the time to read my opinion.
April 29th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Senator Beers,
I have a thought; I don’t know if it would work, but thought I would mention it. Would it be possible to have the second day of the convention take place in both Reno and Las Vegas through video conference technology? I don’t know if it would be logistically possible, but if it could be figured out, I think that would be the fairest way to go. Trying to travel anywhere on short notice is costly, but especially to Vegas. And many from Las Vegas have already taken time off work and spent money for travel etc. I fear that either location alone would leave out a number of bona fide delegates, which would be a horrible shame.
Regarding Saturday: The Clark County convention alone should have shown the potential for the state convention being long. After you recessed, the room was able to be maintained for an additional hour, and potentially longer had a quorum been established and the room been necessary. If those who remained behind were able to negotiate with Peppermill personnel, it seems to be that party leaders could have done the same and avoided such a chaotic and disatisfying end to the day. I think that would have been less costly than the alternative which was chosen. I realize you had a long day, because I also had a long day. I was at the registration before 6am, and that after a long hot drive from Vegas the day before. Yes, the days can be long, but I would rather put in one long day and finish the business at hand than put it off with the uncertainty of who may or may not be able to put in another long day at a yet to be disclosed location at a yet to be disclosed time. The actions taken at the end of the day were disrespectful to every single delegate no matter who they support. Disrespectful of their time, money and hard work.
You have a reputation as a fair politician. I hope you uphold that reputation by attempting to find the best way to continue this convention in such a way that as many of the dedicated and hard-working delegates as possible can attend.
Thank you for your time.
Respectfully,
Heather Cross
April 29th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
For all of you Ron Paul supporters, please realize that Nevada DOES allow write-ins on election day, so there is no need to “settle for less”.
Here is a website that clearly explains the write-in process for both machine and paper ballots:
http://www.thepeoplehavespoken.org/
Please spread this website and information to everyone you know.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
It made national news:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353546,00.html
May 1st, 2008 at 1:52 am
More Truth Regarding Convention Comments
First, let me make myself clear. I do not post merely to argue or dispute. It is just very irritating to see people posting more than an opinion without backing up their statements. That being said, I have a few comments for the following posters on my blog:
http://nevadapoliticsbydan.blogspot.com/
Kenn j (4-27, 1:37p)
Pat Kerby (4-27, 10:42p)
Carl Bunce (4-27, 11:35p)
Sarah K (4-28, 1:09a)
May 1st, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Senator Beers,
I just read in the Elko Daily Freepress a letter about the convention. In that he listed this web site which I have seen before. The organization of the Ron Paul folks seems to be from information on the internet. I see that to solve this and organize for a second convention, the internet will be a tool for such a task. In order to complete the business we will have to meet and hopefully assemble a quorm in the mean time the internet can be a way for folks to learn about the process to get there.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
A thought: How about mailing the National Delegate Selection Ballots to every State Delegate that attended the convention. Have the Delegates notarize their ballots and send them back. It would be cheaper and easier to reimburse personal notary expenses for every delegate than to reserve an entire ballroom. Also, it would save each delegate a lot of time and expense.
The necessary introduction statements could be pre-submitted by the nominees, and included with the ballots. I’m sure we could come up with some fraud-prevention methods that everyone would be happy with…
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:01 am
As a big supporter of Senator Bob Beers and a big supporter
of Dr. Ron Paul I am encouraged that despite the fact that
Ron Paul was purposely discouraged by the Republican party
the Ron Paul supporters are still going strong! However, don’t pick on Bob on this one. This man is a Libertarian
Republican and the best we have in Nevada.
I’m no fan of MCCain but I will be voting for him. I disagree that we should vote Democrat and allow them to control even one 4 year presidency.
If Hillary or Obama are elected we won’t get a second chance as these idiots and their cronies will allow every illegal in the world to pour into our country and vote. We’ll NEVER get another chance. Don’t be stupid Thomas and vote for Obama or Hillary, our country will be toast.
May 3rd, 2008 at 10:16 am
Stick to your guns Bob you know right from wrong and most don’t and never will.
Sincerely
Bill
May 3rd, 2008 at 10:57 am
John McCain and the Current Republican Party are sell Outs to Illegal Immigration,NAFTA,CAFTA,Open and Free trade And the Out sourcing Of American Jobs. I Believe Dr.Ron Paul supporters Across America should Do a write In For Dr.Ron Paul. I Know this Will Be death On Election day For McCain. But, We Then Can Galvanize A True Conservative Republican Party After the ‘Socialist’s Democrats’ Destroy America In Four Short years. I cannot And Will Not Vote For the Man (McCain) Who Introduced A Kennedy And KYL Amnesty Bill For The 20 to 30 million Illegals and Their Children Living In MY Country. As a Viet-Nam Vet, I cannot support a Man Who supports The death Of 4,000 American Citizens In a ILLEGAL,Undeclared,Imperialistic War in Iraq. Nor,the Idea That America Will Or Should Be There for Maybe 100 years! McCain Is a “NEW WORLD ORDER” man And Has Contempt For Men Like Dr.Ron Paul. He Should be defeated On Election day.
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I was quite surprised by the Ron Paul supporters at our convention. They were impressively well organized, fully equipped with electonics communication devices and strategies, and highly motivated to . . . DO WHAT? They don’t really expect their candidate to muster sufficient support in St. Paul to be the nominee, do they? With only 1/11 the polled supporters as McCain and only 1/4 the supporters of Huckabee - who is not even in the running! - do you folks truly believe your man can win? {see Real Clear Politics poll summary - http://snipurl.com/26zxc.
OK, I understand that you want Dr. Paul to have a chance to further discuss his conservative views on economics, foreign affairs and personal liberty. I find myself in more agreement than disagreement with him, but HE IS NOT THE CANDIDATE! Alright, I also understand that Dr. Paul IS still in the running, by WHY? I overheard two Paul delegates at the convention morbidly discussing the odds of Senator McCain passing away prior to the convention, leaving only Ron Paul to represent our GOP. Is that really the strategy Ron Paul supporters have in mind?
Whatever the motivations for the actions that led to the fiasco our convention became, I still feel Ron Paul is a true American hero for waging such a vigorous campaign and so clearly speaking his mind - and that of many conservatives. The fact is, though, he simply cannot win the nomination (barring such a dismal circumstance as I heard discussed by those two supporters), and the very vocal minority that is Congressman Paul’s base must admit Senator McCain is to be the Republican nominee and stop obstructing his progress to the White House.
At what point are you guys prepared to unify the party behind a candidate? That is not a question that should appropriately be addressed to the McCain supporters. That decision is for the enthusiastic Ron Paul camp to make, just as (eloquently pointed out by Mike Weber after the recess was called) was decided by the enthusiastic Goldwater supporters, the enthusiastic Reagan supporters, the enthusiastic Perot supporters, and YES, the enthusiastic 2000 McCain supporters.
We are one party. We have strayed from our core values and MUST get back to traditional American conservatism. Do you really believe the way to do that, though, is to tear the party asunder, cause havoc and discord, and give a victory to Hillary or Barack by refusing to support someone with whom you agree 80%, instead of 100% of the time? Let’s all back a winner and win! Then we’ll get the GOP back on track and return to American conservative principles and positions.
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I changed my party affiliation from Republican to Independent American Party.How can any American Who values freedom and liberty stay in a party that for the past eight years helped erode everything our forefathers gaves there lives. The CONSTITUTION means nothing to Repulican or the Democrats. An illegal war with over FOUR THOUSAND DEAD,TENS OF THOUSANDS SCARED FOR LIFE. While we stand on line at the airports millions walk across our borders (with who knows what kind of weapons). A President and Congress that will have our great great great grand children paying for our debt.And our falling dollar,the real reason oil prices is so high.REMEMBER VOTING FOR THE LESSER OF THE EVIL IS STILL VOTING FOR EVIL. I’s time to stop thing of the PARTY and take a stand for AMERICA……..
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I think that the most disheartening thing that I’ve heard since the convention is that it’s “those Ron Paul people” making everything so difficult. If I had to sum it up, I would have to say that with the exception of the last hour of the convention, everything was lively in a positive way. What is democracy without debate?
I understand that there are people who are *not* supporters of Ron Paul, but what they need to understand, is that he has swollen the ranks of the Republican Party, and *everyone* has a right to be heard.
Nevada is a state with *unbound* delegates. This is important. So many of us were drawn to the party with Dr. Paul’s refreshing words and ideas. There is nothing wrong with this. If our party refuses to accept new blood and fresh voices, we will fall. It isn’t just about backing “one candidate for the party”…it’s about re-awakening passion in democracy with the voters.
I am a college student who was apathetic about all of this until I heard Dr. Paul speak. He roused my patriotism. He reminded me that my vote could matter. He let me know that the ideas I believe in can be more than just ideas. I came to the party with fresh hopes. I’m not the only one either. We are the new faces and voices of the Republican Party, so let us participate! We aren’t here to sabatoge anything, we’re here, because in America, we have the right to have a *choice*.
For me, I believe in Ron Paul. I also believe that everyone has a right to believe in whomever they choose…let’s stop berating members of our own party just because they choose differently.
May 4th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
There has been some talk of completing the elections by mail. But it seems to me that doing this would not be valid because in order for business to be conducted, there must be a quorum. Any comments?
May 5th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I took part in a radio interview a couple of days ago about the convention and related issues. Here is the link to that interview:
http://www.alltalkradio.net/veteransinpolitics/vip050308.MP3
May 6th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Ron Paul on Fox News says he is still running for President.
Huckabee dropped out months ago.
In both Indiana and North Carolina, Huckabee finished ahead of Ron Paul.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Mike Darby…I was not there but if you, as a Ron Paul supporter, were stuck picking up trash…what does that say? Think on it a moment!
May 8th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I sometimes find unexpected things when surfing the Internet. Today I found a post written by my son Jason that I did not know about. I think it is well written and provides sound advice to party leaders about their terrible mistake in recessing the convention:
“I was at the Nevada State Republican Convention. I was involved in the process leading up to it. Our strategy amounted to reading Robert’s Rules of Order, reading the proposed convention rules as espoused by the Party leadership, and showing up. There was no attempted “takeover”. We were motivated, excited to participate in the process, and everyone else stayed home.
Before the party leadership illegally recessed the convention without a discussion or a vote we managed to elect 7 out of the first 9 delegates to the national convention. We were on our way to capturing 80% to 90% of Nevada’s entire slate of delegates (31).
The main problem is that the Republican Party leadership is not well acquainted with people expressing contrary opinions. The leaders I’ve come in contact with are incredibly uncomfortable with any individual standing up and saying, “Mr. Chairman, Point of Order” or “Mr Chairman, Point of Inquiry”.
What the Republican Party leadership likes to see is a well managed convention with zero discussion or debate. The problem is that there is no way Ron Paul supporters will win any delegates, or change anyone’s mind on any issue if we do not open up the convention process to allow contrary opinions.
The Party Establishment in Nevada seemed shocked that a super majority of delegates might actually want a fair and honest method of selecting delegates to the National Convention, rather than to rely on a handful of people in a nominations committee.
I ask you: What is the point of attending any precinct caucus in the entire country if the whole thing is rigged at the State Convention? Why even go to a State convention if the only thing you do is listen to a few boring speeches, pray to God, and salute the flag? That’s not the point of a convention. The point of a convention is to decide how the party will operate, and what the goals will be until the next convention. This requires debate, discussion, and sometimes results in conflict. And in the long term it is good for the Republican Party.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Dear Ron Paulers:
If you desire to win the hearts and minds of Republicans then I suggest do not try to wage a guerrila war in state conventions across the country. You guys are just pissing people off and creating an image that you are a bunch of loonies.
You should try to work toward the next election cycle. Perhaps try to win some seats in state assemblies. Hell, win a governor or senator seat to see if you can win a state wide race. Once you elect a governor then run that dude for president.
Right now, you guys are limited in your appeal. Ron Paul is still running for president. Yet, Hucklebee who dropped out months ago is still getting more votes in these recent primaries.
Lastly, do not cry about fairness. Paul only got 20% of vote in Nevada. You guys are trying to screw over the voters by getting him more than 20%. I think the voters will remember this for a long time.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
The ratio of non-Nevadans to Nevadans making comments is getting pretty thin, so if you’re a Nevadan wanting to comment, drop me an email.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
[...] Well-wishers and harm-casters alike have been emailing and asking me to describe what happened at this weekend’s GOP convention, though the latter tend to be from outside Nevada and rarely give their name or a way to communicate with them. Just as rarely, they use civil language. I imagine Dr. Paul is as embarrassed by some of his followers’ statements as I am. Read more click here [...]
May 13th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Bob Beers reminds me of the politicians in communist Russia or Cuba. Regardless of the facts, those people toed the party line, just as Beers did to close the convention and in defense of it afterwards. As the chairman of the convention, he should have known that he could not recess the convention without a motion to do so and a vote. In defense, he says that the parliamentarian approved the method that he used which was just to announce a recess. I would like to see him provide references in the rules of the convention. I believe that the recess should have followed Robert’s Rules of Order, which requires a motion, a second of the motion and a vote. What about it Bob, can you defend your method on your own knowledge of the rules of the convention or do you have to depend on the flawed interpretation of the parliamentarian? You have been around the legislature and other assemblies long enough to know how to recess the meeting. Please explain why you were not in error.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:08 am
The Legislature does not use Roberts Rules. Therefore, I depended on the interpretation of the elected parliamentarian.
May 17th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Jim Nance, I want to comment on your remarks given below. First I suspect that you were not at the convention by your characterization of it. Any convention operates by certain rules and the Reno convention was no exception. The Ron Paul group did not violate any rules. But the party leaders did when they recessed without a vote or discussion. There was no “guerrilla war” as you claim but an orderly and civil discussion and vote on various things. If we had lost the various votes, we would have accepted the result in a gracious manner. Unfortunately, the party leadership was unwilling to be good losers and so they closed the convention rather than accept any more losses. In politics there are always winners and losers. When one loses, it is important to show some class and accept the results. I remember that when Ronald Reagan lost in a convention battle with Gerald Ford, he showed considerable class and accepted the defeat with good humor. I was impressed with that. I have not been favorably impressed with the temper tantrums shown by Sue Lowden and others in the party leadership in Reno. They should learn from Ronald Reagan. His attitude was that it was a great honor to run for President, even though he lost the convention battle. You have not correctly described the convention in your remarks. I challenge you to point out a single irregular action by the Ron Paul forces.
>>>>If you desire to win the hearts and minds of Republicans then I suggest do not try to wage a guerrila war in state conventions across the country. You guys are just pissing people off and creating an image that you are a bunch of loonies.<<<<<<<
May 19th, 2008 at 8:33 am
I have contacted a dozen or so of the best qualified parliamentarians I could find and asked them if a mail in Ballot is acceptable. So far I have had three replies and all of them believe that a mail in ballot would not be valid. The party bylaws require that Robert’s Rules of Order govern the conduct of the convention where specific rules of the party are silent. In addition, the state party bylaws cannot be changed quickly or easily. So any subsequent ballots or meetings must be consistent with “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised”. That being said, here are quotes from the Parliamentarians that have so far answered.
Remarks of the First Parliamentarian: “As a courtesy, I’ll answer your question briefly. Understand that I have no knowledge of your bylaws and/or other rules. IF YOU USE the current edition of ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER NEWLY REVISED as your parliamentary authority, you will find on page 2 of the 10th Edition:
“Efforts to conduct the deliberative process by postal or electronic mail or facsimile (fax) transmission–which are not recommended–must be expressly authorized by the bylaws and should be supported by special rules of order and standing rules as appropriate, since so many situations unprecedented in parliamentary law may arise and since many procedures common to parliamentary law are not applicable (see pp 482-83.)”
……………………..
Remarks of the Second Parliamentarian:
I found the Nevada Republican Party’s website, which posts
your chairman’s letter. This gave me a little more insight.
Sounds like an adjourned meeting was created at the call of
the chairman. It also appears that the adjourned meeting
must take place in Washoe County. I don’t see how they
could even attempt to vote by mail . what do you do for a
runoff election? Also, it appears that the candidates
should have an opportunity to speak for themselves.
….if a quorum cannot be reached at the meeting, then
the only things that could be done are:
RONR p. 336 - 337
PROCEEDINGS IN THE ABSENCE OF A QUORUM. In the absence of a
quorum, any business transacted (except for the procedural
actions noted in the next paragraph) is null and void. But
if a quorum fails to appear at a regular or properly called
meeting, the inability to transact business does not detract
from the fact that the society’s rules requiring the meeting
to be held were complied with and the meeting was
convened-even though it had to adjourn immediately.
The only action that can legally be taken in the absence of
a quorum is to fix the time to which to adjourn (22),
adjourn (21), recess (20), or take measures to obtain a
quorum. [page 337] The first three of these motions are
governed by the Standard Descriptive Characteristics given
for them in the numbered sections indicated. A motion that
absent members be contacted during a recess would represent
a measure in the last category. Motions to obtain a quorum
are treated as privileged motions that take precedence over
a motion to Recess (20). Such motions are out of order when
another has the floor; must be seconded; are not debatable;
are amendable (any amendment being undebatable in accordance
with the general rule); require a majority vote; and can be
reconsidered. Motions to obtain a quorum are similar to a
Call of the House, which can be ordered in assemblies having
the power to compel attendance (see below).
The prohibition against transacting business in the absence
of a quorum cannot be waived even by unanimous consent, and
a notice (pp. 116-18) cannot be validly given. If there is
important business that should not be delayed, the meeting
should fix the time for an adjourned meeting and then
adjourn. Where an important opportunity would be lost unless
acted upon immediately, the members present can, at their
own risk, act in the emergency with the hope that their
action will be ratified by a later meeting at which a quorum
is present.
………………………………………………
Remarks of the Third Parliamentarian:
“As far as Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), 10th edition, is concerned, voting by mail is simply not permitted unless allowed by the governing bylaws.”
–
May 19th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
On Saturday, May 8th Clark County Republican Central Committee Chairman Bernie Zadrowski kindly shared his insights and point of view with the Republican Base. His sincere message was that we become more involved and stay involved in our local party. As he said, “All politics is local”, most of us probably couldn’t agree more.
What we probably could not agree to were some of the options put forth by the State GOP Executive Committee regarding the completion of the delegate selection. If we are to understand the general train of thought amongst the party elite, we are to believe that the possibility of attempting to reconvene the convention and not be able to establish a quorum, is so unappealing and might lead to a further disillusionment and loss of registered Republicans, that it should not even be attempted.
Thus the party leaders would argue that a mail-in ballot would be the only practical and acceptable means to elect delegates to the national convention.
Without degenerating into the various arguments that could possibly be given, for or against such a contrivance, one thought must be given to a particular of the aforesaid tactic. Mr. Zadrowski mentioned that a mail-in ballot could be considered to be fair if done correctly; he also went on to say that the option could be or had been raised of having an “independent” firm such as Arthur Andersen conduct the audit of such a scheme.
In all likelihood, this is the same Arthur Andersen that was responsible for the accounting audits of Waste Management when it’s executives were named in a major SEC lawsuit for accounting shenanigans that let the company hide about $1.7 billion in expenses from 1992 to 1997 while two top executives took $28.4 million in compensation.
It was also Arthur Andersen that rubber stamped the corporate audits of Enron and Global Crossing prior to both companies filing Chapter 11, swindling their investors, and sacking their pension funds.
Understand that this practice of offering a clean bill of health to any company that was willing to pay for it is not limited to Arthur Andersen alone, this tended to be standard operating procedure for all the Big Five accounting firms in America, though Arthur Andersen was the first accounting firm ever to be convicted of fraud.
Naturally, one can only assume that these accounting firms, Arthur Andersen included, were simply making certain that their clients got what they paid for.
Which evokes the questions: who would pay for the audit of the proposed mail-in and how can they be assured that they are getting what they have paid for?
Which elicits the summary question: what specifically is being paid for?
May 19th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
The argument has been made for party unity, along the lines that the Democrats are watching the GOP tear itself apart and will capitalize on our disarray come this come November.
I agree that the Democrats are watching what occurs in the GOP with glee but what is happening is a sort of thinning of the herd, a natural attrition, as real Republicans assert themselves within the party, and this is a healthy phenomenon. Ronald Reagan did state that, “Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican”, but I believe that only applies to Republicans that behave like Republicans.
What we should be wary of, is the fact that people within the party, who call themselves Republicans for the sake of personal gain or prestige, are watching this free for all as well. These Machiavellian parasites in the party leadership would love to see us potentially misdirect our aggression upon the sacrificial lambs that they have offered up.
Extending an olive branch (or a lifeline if you prefer), as well as sanctuary, to the incumbents that choose to do the right thing and stand on the side of justice would seem the prudent thing to do. Offer a road to safe refuge within the party and then if it is refused, let the offender burn his own bridge.
May 24th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Those who wrote the rules for the State Republican Convention may be creating a situation where, in a close election, the votes of the Nevada Presidential Electors could be successfully challenged. In a nutshell, the state convention rules committee created rules that conflict with state law and more importantly conflict with the mandate of the U.S. Constitution that the method of selection be determined by the legislature of each state.
The rules adopted by our convention in Reno require that the Presidential Electors for Nevada be selected by the delegates to the National Convention. This is in conflict with state law which requires the electors to be chosen by the state convention. Here is the wording of the state convention rules:
4.1 Electing Presidential Electors and Alternates.
“Presidential Electors and Alternates representing the three Nevada U.S. Congressional Districts shall be selected by Nevada’s Delegates to the Republican National Convention.”
There is more than one mistake in the above. The first mistake is that the selection must be done by the convention to conform with state law. The other mistakes are that there are not three but five Presidential Electors. And they do not represent the congressional districts at all, but the districts are simply used to determine the total number. The number of Presidential electors for each state is equal to the total number of congressional districts plus two. Therefore Nevada gets a total of five presidential electors. Each state gets the number of Presidential electors equal to the number of senators and representatives. The Democrats have already chose their five electors, and have done it properly by their convention. Someone was asleep at the wheel when the above rule was written into the rules.
Here is the text of the Nevada law on the subject:
NRS 298.020 Selection of party’s nominees.
1. “Each major political party in this State, qualified by law to place upon the general election ballot candidates for the office of President and Vice President of the United States in the year when they are to be elected, shall, at the state convention of the major political party held in that year, choose from the qualified electors, who are legally registered members of that political party, the number of presidential electors required by law and no more, who must be nominated by the delegates at the state convention. Upon the nomination thereof, the chairman and the secretary of the convention shall certify the names and addresses of the nominees to the Secretary of State, who shall record the names in his office as the nominees of that political party for presidential elector.”
……………………………….. …………………………………. …………………………………. ………..
It has often been said that party rules trump state law. I am not sure that I agree with that, but that line of thinking is in the bylaws of the state party. However, I suspect that very few would argue that party rules trump or have priority over the Federal Constitution. And in fact that Constitution of the United States very specifically states that the state legislatures shall determine the method by which the Presidential Electors are determined. Here is the text:
Article. II.
Section 1.
“The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.”
……………………………….. …………………………………. …………………………………. ………..
It seems to me quite clear that with the above language, it would not be legal for the party rules to have priority over state law in the matter of the selection of Presidential Electors. Therefore I conclude that when the convention reconvenes that we should amend the convention rules to allow the selection of Presidential Electors to be done by the method prescribed by the state law, which is selection by the state convention - and not selection by the delegates to the National Republican Convention.
–
May 26th, 2008 at 11:10 am
If the state party leadership continues to delay the restart of the convention, there may be an attempt to restart the convention without their cooperation. In planning for that action, which would be a last resort, I encourage all delegates to give their contact information to the following link:
http://www.votertracker.com/gopconvention/
June 14th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
The convention belongs to the delegates.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Sen. Beers,
Congratulations! Looks like you got your way. You and your buddies have successfully turned Nevada’s first Republican caucus into a farce, and now you get to select delegates and bypass the will of the caucus-goers.
Nevada Republicans,
No, silly, your votes DO NOT count! Why did you have to go and screw everything up by having opinions? Can’t you just do what Sen. Beers tells you to?
Sean