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As Goes Nevada, So Goes the Country!
Nevada GOP Moves Forward with Two Resounding Resolutions
November 6th was a lackluster date for most Republicans, even more so for followers of Ron Paul. After being stomped upon at the Republican National Convention, many went back to their states to lick their wounds and take stock of their chances for liberty candidates in 2014 and 2016.
Nevada was one of the six states which had a plurality of their delegates nominate Ron Paul at the national convention (the others were Minnesota, Iowa, Oregon, Alaska and the U.S. Territory of the Virgin Islands). This exceeded the requirement of the Republican Party’s Rule Number 40 for “support of a plurality of the delegates from each of five or more states.” But in a power grab, the RNC changed the number of states from five to eight ex post facto.
Las Vegas is what comes to mind when most people think of Nevada, but the state is actually made up of three very different geographic and cultural divisions. In the north is Washoe County, containing the second largest city in the state: Reno. Washoe and Clark County (Las Vegas) had enough of the Harry Reid voting machine success to turn the state blue November 6th; but all the other rural mining and cow counties in Nevada were decidedly red. For a state whose motto is “Battle Born,” the situation hasn’t changed much in almost 150 years since statehood.
Let My Delegates Go!
Ron Paul’s message of liberty is popular with Nevadans, and when the majority of the national delegates elected at the Republican State Convention were his followers, it didn’t take much to figure out that trouble would be brewing. Most of these delegates had been bound from a binding vote that was taken at a 2010 GOP State Central Committee (SCC) meeting regarding the 2012 caucus. Mitt Romney won the caucus in Nevada, and the majority of the delegates were bound to him on the first ballot. Would these delegates throw off their traces in Tampa? If you followed the convention, you know that they did in their attempt to nominate Dr. Paul. Upon their return to Nevada, the Delegation Chair, Dr. Wayne Terhune, along with the delegates who unbound, were sternly censured by the Nevada GOP Executive Committee.
But, Ron Paul’s Nevada following does not take censure lightly, and they were well-prepared for the first post-national election GOP State Central Committee meeting in November. Two resolutions were presented that dealt with the binding, and the rules changes at the national convention (“Re-establish Republican Unity and Principles”).
The Opinion on National Delegate Binding Rules resolution, basically stated “…that the Nevada Republican Central Committee (NRCC) finds that the Nevada Special Caucus Rules of 2012 were not properly considered by the NRCC because the body was rushed into a decision on the delegate binding process without proper notice, research, or debate,” and “…to formally propose rules at the next regular NRCC meeting to prevent this from occurring in the future, by requiring the same prior notice for the adoption or amending of rules as is currently required for the adopting or amending of the by-laws.”
There was testimony from SCC members as to the chicanery involved in the 2010 meeting in which Congressman Mark Amodei, former State Party Chair, implied to County Chairs that the binding would not come up at that meeting, and that “No issues of importance would be decided. Binding won’t be on the agenda.” It was a meeting they could miss.
It was brought up that the 2010 SCC vote to bind Nevada’s national delegates also violated the Code of Federal Regulations, 11 CFR 100.2 (e) and 42 USC 1971 – Sec. 1971, Voting Rights, which states: ” No person, whether acting under color of law or otherwise, shall intimidate, threaten, coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he may choose, or of causing such other person to vote for, or not vote for, any candidate for the office of President.”
There was quite strident arguing about parts of the resolution, particularly a paragraph that would have censured Amodei for his manipulation of the 2010 SCC meeting. Those particulars were stricken, but the important body of the resolution remained: the binding violated Nevada GOP State Party Rules, and more importantly, Federal Regulations. The Nevada National Delegates should have never been bound. No state’s delegates should have ever been bound. The resolution passed, and Nevada will never be bound again.
The RNC Rules Were NEVER Passed!
If you were at the GOP National Convention, or watched it on tv, then you witnessed the chaos that ensued when a new set of draconian rules were swept into place, even though it seemed like a majority of the voice vote was “NO!” In spite of the dissension, Convention Chair John Boehner continued to read the teleprompter which scrolled up that the rules were unanimously passed.
Regarding these rules changes, Shawn Meehan presented a Resolution to Reestablish Republican Unity and Principles, or a Resolution to Restore the Power of the Grassroots. Drafted by nine Central Committee and Executive Members, who represented all factions in the state, Meehan explained, “If this resolution passes, we’ll default to 2008 rules. We need to let the RNC know that we are supportive of them, but are petitioning them to obey the rules. We voted unanimously to delay bringing this resolution forward until after the election, out of respect for Romney. Ron Paul is the one who did not get nominated because of the rules change. In the next election, you could be advocating strongly for a minority candidate, but YOU could be disenfranchised. Our rules need to be enforced. We are in direct contact with Vermont, Maine and Texas. They will take this resolution verbatim if we pass it, and consider it for their own resolutions. We don’t want to punish (National Chairman) Rance Priebus, but want to get his attention. Pixie dust, and pretending to get along just doesn’t work.”
The resolution (printed at the end of this article), recognizes that the 2012 Rules were never passed and that the 2008 Rules were in effect for the convention, and still are in effect. If that is the case, it “RESOLVED that the Nevada Republican Central Committee petitions the RNC that the record of the 2012 RNC Convention be amended to show that Dr. Ron Paul’s name was put into nomination by the submission of the six nominating forms in accordance with the rules in effect at that time.”
In an addendum regarding “Specific Grievances:”
1) The report of the 2012 RNC Convention Rules Committee was not accepted properly. Legitimate cries of “Division” were heard, clearly requiring actions which were not taken (see Rules of the House of Representatives, Rule XX, 1. (a) Voting and Quorum Calls)
2) Therefore, Rule 40(b) could not have been amended and the original requirement for five states remained the criteria. Considering this and that the RNC Secretary was handed candidate nomination forms in accordance with the rules, there should have been a nomination from the floor. The record of the convention fails to reflect this.
When the vote for this resolution came to the floor of the SCC meeting, it passed in a huge outcry of “Aye.” Not just the Ron Paul supporters were incensed with the new rules and how they were forced upon the party. Now, this resolution must take wings and fly to the rest of the states and be passed if the party is to truly move on. The final paragraph of the addendum reads: “This Party belongs to all of us and We The People declare that the rules will be followed. Going forward, the duty to ensure integrity in our party falls to all our members. Mr. Clint Eastwood was most correct at our convention when he stated, “We (you and me) own this country…politicians are our employees.” The leadership of the RNC are our employees. As Republicans, we must remain engaged and supervise our employees.”
Since Nevada’s November SCC meeting, nationally there are now 31 State Committee Co-Sponsors of the Resolution to Restore the Power of the Grassroots. These numbers continue to grow as more states hold their own State Central Committee meetings.
This resolution will be submitted at the RNC Winter Meeting, January 23-26 in Charlotte, NC, at the Westin Hotel. GOP Chair Rance Priebus will also be up for re-election, and his future is bleak for keeping his post at the helm of the party. Besides the Ron Paul factions, the entire grassroots was alienated by the rules changes he orchestrated at the convention, and it is likely that his days are numbered as far as leading the party. His head is also on the chopping block for running what was universally perceived as a dismal campaign for Romney.
Ron Paul Never Got His Nomination Speech
While the passage of these two resolutions by Nevada Republicans were a triumph for those who love liberty, it was little solace for those who had worked so hard, and risked so much to nominate Ron Paul. The good doctor was actually nominated. He could have taken the podium and given the most memorable speech of the convention. Paul’s supporters still fervently believe that if he had been the Republican nominee, Obama would have been defeated. Paul’s message of freedom, peace and sound money rings true with everyone, including the notorious 47%.
But, knowing Dr. Paul, he would look at what happened at the Nevada State Central Committee meeting in November of 2012, along with 30 other states, as proof that his message is still very much alive, and that the flag has never fallen. The cause for liberty has taken over Nevada’s and other state’s Republican Parties, and it is what will unify the GOP nationally, if it is smart enough to realize what a prize it has in the universal movement created by Ron Paul.
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Sunday, December 2, 2012
Cyn-Seer-ly Yours
