Mitt Romney does a number on Ron Paul and shuts him out of the convention

August 24th, 2012 by John Presta

Ron Paul will not have a speaking role at the Republican National Convention that starts on Monday, August 27th.

Ron Paul will not be formally nominated either, according to Politico. Thanks to some Romney-friendly “committee on contests,” Ron Paul's Maine delegates were were invalidated and the RNC split the at-large delegation in half.

Ron Paul needed five states to become part of the process. In addition to Maine, Ron Paul tried to make claims on Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Oklahoma. The only states that Ron Paul effectively controls are Nevada, Iowa and Minnesota, which fall short of the five states needed.

Lest you think that this is a coincidence, the Romney campaign also will break tradition by nominating Mitt Romney on the first evening of the convention, reports the New York Times blog, The Caucus. Officials look at two potential threats. The first threat is from Hurricane Isaac which would help if the proceedings are cut short. The second threat is for possible disruptions from Ron Paul supporters, who are not averse to making their voices heard. The Ron Paul supporters have no great love for Mitt Romney either.

In fairness to Mitt Romney, the Ron Paul forces have not been frozen out completely and were part of the discussions. In the 2008 Republican convention, Ron Paul was completely taken out. Ron Paul supporters didn't get everything they wanted either.

By no means did the Paul backers get everything they wanted in the platform. Four attempts to add support for a ban on indefinite detention of American citizens failed. They lost some skirmishes against social conservatives over civil unions. The foreign policy section wound up not including restrictions on when a president could declare war, as they wished, but the document could have been decidedly more hawkish without them there.

Thus, the key differences between Mitt Romney, the sort of conservative, and Ron Paul, the uncompromising, real libertarian.

Ron Paul will be speaking at his own convention in Tampa. Ron Paul will deliver a keynote address to supporters at the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome at the campaign’s “We are the Future Rally,” which runs from noon to 6:00 pm ET. The venue is sold out with 11,000 seats and calls it, the speech “the Republican National Convention doesn’t want the rest of America to hear.”

So don't be looking for Ron Paul to make a major speech at this year's convention. But as a side note, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), son of Ron Paul, will be making a prime-time speech on Monday night.

Why?

Mitt Romney may need Rand Paul in the United States Senate. That's what politics is all about.

Send John Presta an email and your story ideas or suggestions, [email protected].

John is the author of an award-winning book, the 2010 Winner of the USA National Best Book award for African-American studies, published by The Elevator Group Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots: How Barack Obama, Two Bookstore Owners, and 300 Volunteers did it. Also available an eBook on Amazon. John is also a member of the Society of Midland Authors and is a book reviewer of political books for the New York Journal of Books

been a long time sense anything I am proud of came out of politics, if ever.........


so why is it that we are trying to push the democratic process on other nations when our own elected officials are afraid of and fight against a true democratic process at home?

does this meam RP will shave off his Hitler Moustache ?

Seriously, though..

To the victor go the spoils....

I do believe Rand will be speaking
or parking cars...

This is a Republican Party/Libertarian Party issue, which predominantly belongs to the Republicans. It's their show and they get to make their own rules (as long as they are not illegal or unconstitutional)

Robert they aren't following they're rules that's my point.

what rules ?

The Parties can have any speaker they choose it's their convention...
Or not...

Bill I won't waste my time. Obviously you won't read what you don't want to.

I read the Op...

This just it;

Romney admitted that he believes Obama was born in this county.



He is going to loose lots of votes from the Fox crowd . . . . . . . .

No,

The Alex Jones crowd...

You dont get it.

sure I do..

I don't think you do...

RP is and has been a small potato in the big picture...

sorry but it's true...

Im not saying hes not Bill, never have.

Why are they changing rules throughout the process? Scared oligarchs want to maintain theyre power is why.

Either the GOP accepts change or the DNC will continue to ruin the country.

Dude,,,

RP has no bearing on this election.
his 1% of voters are meaningless in the grand scheme...

He should've run as an independent from the begining,,

Anyone remember Paul Harvey? Well, here's the REST of the story: At the Iowa Caucuses, it was noted at many precincts that win, lose, or draw at the end of the evening, they asked for volunteers to be delegates. Almost all the Paul supporters stayed on, and volunteered. The delegates votes are ONLY COMMITTED TO THE WINNING CANDIDATE FOR THE FIRST BALLOT. Some people, before Mittens sewed up the nomination, thought the nomination process might boil down to a floor fight. It was thought that if that happened a bunch of the volunteers would suddenly change their votes to Ron Paul. There's not going to be a floor fight. If there was any thought of somehow twigging the first vote, requiring a second, it's now shut down. Stopping a possible attempt to bypass the system IS Democracy in action.

NOTE: Full Disclosure, I was in the Herman Cain area of the "anybody but Romney" camp. He's the nominee, I'll vote for him. Priority one is getting Obama out. Priority two is getting enough conservatives (NOT Republicans, CONSERVATIVES see what the Tea Party did in Indiana, Texas, and Florida, if you need clarification) in the Senate to keep Mittens honest.

Exactly where I stand my ground..........Well said sir.


Ron

" Stopping a possible attempt to bypass the system IS Democracy in action."



Yeah.........ok. Ignore the blatent changing and ignoring of their established rules to get the predetermined result that was desired.


Wheel he does serve a purpose. And I never had any grand illusions that he was going to win a landslide. He's bringing a voice of liberty back to the GOP, and a new generation is hearing that message. Like I said the party has to change.

CW if the Tea Party turns into a new haven for the purely christian conservatives than it will fail. You can clearly see two sects of TPers.

I understand that. But, those are the Republicans rules, not the Libertarian's, Democrat's, Independent's or any other party's rules.

The more I think about it, the more I remember tons of crap like this all the time form both the Dems and Reps over the years. That doesn't make it right (or wrong). Politics will always be a nasty "game".

It is just coming to me and I am still thinking it out, but I suspect the Electoral College System is a contributing cause to matters like this. Notwithstanding the possibility of this, I'd really like to see Presidential Elections determined by a national popular vote.

(I also see an irony here in that Paul, Jr. is speaking at the R Convention.)

Wheel, gets it 100%. He just doesn't agree that it is as significant as you do. That doesn't make him ignorant or wrong. He just has a different opinion than yours. That's all.

I thinks his alignment with tradional Rs was a tactical decision (Wheel actually called this I believe). I agree Robert, but stolen delegates should mean something to everyone. Paul wasn't going to take the nomination with them. Its a faction shutting out others and its sheet like this that will elect Obama.