RNC member: "rule was designed to prevent Ron Paul delegates...from being counted"

Four members of the Rules Committee at the Republican National Convention are discussing what to do with a delegate rule that could limit opposition to Donald Trump.

The rule requires candidates to win a majority of delegates in eight states to be considered for the GOP presidential nomination. Trump has already reached that threshold.

The rule could put Texas Sen. Ted Cruz or Ohio Gov. John Kasich out of the running from the start in a brokered convention. On the other hand, dropping the rule could allow another candidate to join the fray, even one who hasn't competed in the primaries.

"I'm not a big fan of that rule," Rules Committee member David Wheeler told Politico. "The rule was designed to prevent Ron Paul delegates — their votes from being counted. I don't think it's necessary to do that this year."
GOP Convention Committee Takes Aim at 8-State Rule That Helps Trump

Is this from The Onion? You don't want to call it a conspiracy, fine. You don't want call it corruption ("because it's just how things are"), fine.

What I want to know is...

Who in their right mind is taking this primary stuff seriously and why?

An RNC member is admitting to changing a particular rule one election in order to rob a certain candidate then saying that the rule doesn't need to be changed in the next election because it won't be necessary to rob a different candidate? And, using the word "rob" is quite accurate.

As to the following question:

Do the GOP and the Democratic Party have to follow state laws?

My conclusion is that the answer is "Yes" but it's apparent that the parties have ways of getting around state laws despite the fact that they apparently have to follow them.

Is this "Alice in Wonderland" or real life?

a reply to: Profusion

Good find. You don't need to give them enough rope. They brought their own.

for any substance to this, you have to ignore the facts that nobody voted for him (ok, yes paulbots we know you did), he pulled out in january and was never a remote threat.

if the internet was around when perot run would they all be rossbots?

a reply to: Profusion

So... Allow me to get this straight in my head.

Ron Pauls campaign was scuppered because he was seen as dangerous, despite the fact that the man is one of the most reasonable, intelligent, and outwardly pleasant people ever to run for office, and yet Trump, who by all accounts is a walking apocalypse with a fake tan and hair possessed by the spirits of dead janitorial staff, is just fine?

I think that says something probative about the mindset of the Republican Party of the United States of America. Something very, very bad indeed. To suggest that they have their priorities all wrong is to rather understate the issue.

a reply to: TrueBrit

You've got it straight.

a reply to: TrueBrit

I voted for Paul, and saw all of this happen. You could look at it from my standpoint, if you so choose.

Paul was great, he was everything I could have ever hoped for in a candidate. He was the voice of reason. The GOP in it's self righteous stupidity silenced that voice. Now, Trump is the polar opposite of Ron Paul. He is payback for what they did. I support him only because I want to see this party destroyed. They gave up on America. The people still believe.

a reply to: Bobaganoosh
Do you think this development could bring him back in? Wouldn't that be interesting?

a reply to: Bobaganoosh

Does it not seem odd to you, that you are prepared to make this a protest vote, despite the fact that the Republican Party seem comparatively comfortable with Trump?

They are not scuppering him in the same way they did Paul, because they are ok with him, so why give them what they want?

a reply to: ClownFish

A wonderful daydream. I no longer kid myself about the viability of this country though. It is top heavy, the slightest eddy will cause it to capsize.

a reply to: Bobaganoosh

Paul was great, he was everything I could have ever hoped for in a candidate.

Oh come on , who wants a candidate who's voting record matches what they say?

Just tell me what I want to hear, now that's the candidate of choice.



Plus what republican would support that crazy Ron Paul who voted for less govt, less regulations, and more privacy rights.all things against republican ideals.

Romney now there was a true republican , that guy gave us Obamacare 1.0 and liked govt funding for private corps. Ahh he was a great republican.

/realityOfThemAsses

a reply to: TrueBrit

I don't really see that they are okay with him. Not the hard liners anyway,...

I see buzz of they get their establishment dude or they throw the election to Hillary. Also, I'm not conservative. Every vote I've ever cast has been a protest vote. I just don't see the point in voting for fictional characters or third parties that stand no chance.

a reply to: Profusion

An RNC member is admitting to changing a particular rule one election in order to rob a certain candidate then saying that the rule doesn't need to be changed in the next election because it won't be necessary to rob a different candidate?

Anyone paying attention in 2012 saw this happen -- they didn't even try to hide it. And plenty of Republicans were cheering the whole way... plenty of those who didn't cheer just sucked it up and still voted for Romney as the "lesser evil"... and plenty of folks walked away saying "never again."

There's a good reason so many of us have no use for either of the two parties, as well as their candidates.

It's not an accident that Gary Johnson is polling so well in three-way match-ups with Hillary and Trump. And with just 5% of the popular vote, Gary Johnson can be a gamechanger in this left/right paradigm....

a reply to: Profusion

This election cycle is really exposing a lot of corruption and manipulation within both party systems. Why bother with primaries? In fact why bother voting at all if party delegates and the electoral college decides who is going to be the next president of the United States? The majority vote is showing it's a fallacy in the United States. The U.S. points it's fingers at other countries who rig their elections, but were doing the same thing! It's just that the manipulation and back room deals are being hidden from the public.

The electoral college should be abandoned. It's just another way to make those states that have a higher population have more influence in selecting our president.

Until they repeal Citizen's United, give all candidates the same exact campaign budget, eliminate the party system altogether, give all candidates the same amount of debate time, stop giving time to political spinsters, stop allowing public political endorsements, and eliminate the electoral college which gives populated states an unfair advantage on deciding the next president, will we ever have free, fair and uncorrupted political elections.

I love how since Democrats were proven 100% to have superdelegates in the bag for Hillary no matter what there have been a huge increase in posts about how unfair the Republican primaries are.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: Bobaganoosh

Does it not seem odd to you, that you are prepared to make this a protest vote, despite the fact that the Republican Party seem comparatively comfortable with Trump?

They are not scuppering him in the same way they did Paul, because they are ok with him, so why give them what they want?

This is what I've been saying for a loooooong time, my friend.

Ron Paul was the center of a media blackout, and as others mentioned many Conservatives looked their other way or just simply voted for "the lesser of two evils."

If Trump really were as "dangerous to D.C.," and "anti-establishment," as the media has been making him out to be... well, I have to ask - why not do what has been done to Gary Johnson in '12/'16, or perhaps just return to the methodology of Ron Paul '12.

If you ask me - Trump is controlled opposition who is giving the false illusion of being "anti-establishment."

a reply to: RomeByFire

Well quite.

I do not know what says "well connected establishment figure" as loudly as a guy with a personal fortune in the billions, owns the sort of golf courses frequented by the very wealthy elitist chumps who have been the bane of American conservativism for generations and shows no outward understanding of matters which occur beyond the tip of his nose. He is like Mitt Romney on steroids, with only half the personality.

If a man has ANY billions of dollars to his name, even a man who has more than a million dollars to his name, you cannot trust a damn thing they do or say, because it is not possible to EARN that amount of money. There are only three ways to gain that sort of cash, and only one of them is both legal AND even remotely morally acceptable. You can win the lottery, rob a bank, or cheat everyone you ever met or did business with, out of as many of their dollars as you can.

That is the exact, the precise, the absolute definition of the problem that people have been having with Republican candidates for YEARS! Unrelatable, aloof, and clueless as to the real lives of regular people in the country, the problems they face in daily existence. This man has never faced hardship even nearly as extreme as that which is faced by those he is trying to secure the votes of, and that should be very concerning to people.

double post