Reflections On The GA GOP Convention
I will start off by saying that I was actually pleased overall with the way the chair ran the convention. Yes we lost. Yes we
nearly got completely shut out. Yes I felt sick to my stomach…I HATE losing at anything! This however, was even different. It’s hard to describe. On the one hand numbers win in conventions yet on the other you desire to be allowed to speak. Not force your way in just to be heard. Have honest discourse and real debate.
I say pleased because (I am trying to be objective) Randy Evans who chaired the convention did well following the Rules and Robert’s Rules of Order. The only real issue I take with him is that he didn’t have a division count on adopting the rules. Instead he went with a subjective, “In the opinion of the chair the Yays have it.” From my vantage point it looked pretty close leaning to agree with him but to remove all doubt and any chance of complaints and screams of fairness a count would have been appropriate. I know this would have taken time but again it would have given a concrete objective vote and there could not have been any complaints.
But we move on…it is what it is. The people in charge of the state party are in charge. They have been involved for years and have taken control and set the agenda, rules, sit on the committees, are the chairs, etc. They have the numbers and in politics numbers win. It’s that simple. The numbers are changing!
We lost because we didn’t have the numbers. It’s not personal and I will not let it get personal…ANY MORE. I have tried to understand that people have been involved but this convention taught me that politics isn’t personal. After the convention I am more resolute. I understand that these conventions are not personal…it’s just politics.
I also find several points of hypocrisy in the way we are treated and the way we are expected to be.
Here’s what I mean…In the form of a letter to the State GOP:
Because I have been friendly and listened to people that have been involved for years, I have heard this more than 10 times recently. “I don’t understand why the Paul supporters don’t work with us. They want it all done absolutely their way or nothing at all.” Then you present lists of delegates that completely shut us out. It seems that you are the fraction that wants to have everything done your way or not at all. You complain that we fight yet when we try to work with you we get shut out and are forced to try to fight from the floor at conventions.
See what most people will never know is that on Friday morning of the convention after all the interviews before the nominating committee were suddenly cancelled some members of the nominating committee approached the Ron Paul leadership and asked “what do we need to do to have an easy convention?” We gave them a list of names. It wasn’t a list for every single slot. And we didn’t even expect to get 100% of that list through. We just wanted to give them so “qualified” people to work with. Some have been involved in the state GOP for YEARS. Serve as county chairs. Sit as state committeemen/women. Some have led Tea Parties. Some have held other elected offices in the state. It wasn’t a list of young newbies or irate radicals. Most were people that were/are respected in the party. We were tying to work with the leadership to not have a divided convention.
We were wanting to work and have a fair “easy” convention. We were not being antagonistic of dysfunctional. We were asked and we gave names. Only to have two of those people make the list from nominations. Two out of 65 total name read off.
You tell me who was working with who? You tell me who was the one that was trying to get 100% of things done their way?
Again, you complain that we fight yet when we try to work with you we get shut out and are forced to try to fight from the floor at conventions.
You ask us to participate and support the party and its candidate and have no problem and cheer when you prevent us from participating. You intentionally disenfranchise us then ask us to continue to be involved. You feel victorious when you prevent us from having a voice and opportunity to speak and then feel somehow slighted when some of us question if we would support the presumptive nominee despite his position on issues.
You stop just short of considering some of us cultish because of our passion and expect us to use that passion to fight for the party. You tell us that you are encouraged to see young people involved then insult us. You want us to grow the party but stifle our participation.
What you fail to understand is that we bring more than passion, youth, and energy. We bring conviction and dedication to the principles of the constitution that demands NO compromise. We bring knowledge on issues from sources of information that are not in the back pocket of special interest. We bring a deep desire to see the government decreased. We represent more than lip service to the Constitution we bring resolve to see this country restored to the principles written therein. Most importantly we bring FRIENDS.
Here is where I want to thank you. I want to express my deepest appreciation to you the State GOP leadership.
You see what you haven’t grasped yet is that we are growing…and growing faster and exponential than the established section of the party. WE BRING FRIENDS!
In 2008 Randy Evans forced all the Ron Paul delegates to stand in an effort to embarrass them. AND it worked. The numbers were embarrassing.
I noticed that you didn’t do that this year Mr. Evans. Why? I have a suspicion that it’s because you knew they weren’t embarrassing…they were rather impressive. You didn’t want the shame of hearing/seeing the numbers confront you. You knew there was formidable growth. I dare say that Ron Paul had a plurality of delegates at the convention. He didn’t have more than all the other delegates combined but he had more than any other candidate did…AND YOU KNEW IT!
So thank you state GOP for nearly shutting us out! Your efforts at the state GOP have not discouraged us. You have not defeated us. You have not deterred us. Instead your efforts have made us realize that though we have grown we have more work ahead. We are not just passionate…WE ARE RESOLVED! We are determined! We are convicted! And we are convinced that we MUST, for the sake of our country, win.
Because of your actions we will not rest. If we would have prevailed Saturday we would have become lazy. We would have settled into comfort. Instead we are reminded that we cannot rest. We cannot sit idle while our freedoms are destroyed. While our money is destroyed. While our reputation around the world is destroyed. While state’s rights are destroyed. While free markets are destroyed. While incentive to work hard and provide for yourself and your family is destroyed.
See starting Sunday we were already planning our next moves. We were organizing. We are preparing. We ARE GROWING.
You and I both know that we are the ONLY growth in the party. So this is what I want to say…THANK YOU! In 2016 our numbers will go from not being embarrassing to being the majority. You will be trying to work with us so you can salvage two delegate slots. WE WILL REMEMBER! So enjoy it while you can.
You could have worked with us. You could have treated us with respect. Instead in 2008 you embarrassed us. In 2012 you were determined to prevent us a representation. In 2016 we will remember.
Thanks!
What about the committee removing the adoption of the amendment to the Resolution about the NDAA? For that I spit in his face.
It doesn’t matter if their candidate would have voted for NDAA 1021, they wanted their convention to be ‘easy’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGzX6LcOmtY
Fantastic letter! Could not have said it much better.Nothing worse than a group of people who admit to disliking the candidate and then fighting off anyone who openly disagrees. I was there and I would say you summed it up well.
Excellent recap..absolutely spot on! I have expressed to my son that he and his friends need to continue the momentum and to actively participate at the local level of the Republican party to have a blow-out majority in 2016. Keep the momentum!
The problem with your contention is, the Paul folks had 28% at most. That’s what your committeeman got. So y’all never could reach the 33% required to continue debate. If the early “easy ” stuff had not been so contentious, there wouldn’t have been a quick end called for debate on the delegate matter. But when the same guy gets up and argues over every resolution, we were done. Who fights over resolutions anyway? If you’d like some advice, stay engaged and make friends at the county level. Don’t come kicking down the door in 2016 demanding your fair share.
Anyone’s a charmer with cameras rolling.
I’d still like to see hard evidence that it was legal to withdraw the resolution after an amendment had already been adopted. The substance had changed. I don’t think a resolution can be withdrawn once its substance has been changed by the body of the convention.
Seems to me that’s why the delegates were there: to vote on such things, not submit to the whims of the Resolutions Committee who did not foresee their mere bark being amended into an actual bite.
Are you seriously going to post on a blog and brag that you spit in someone’s face? Is this what the Ron Paul movement is all about?? I don’t think so. If you did do that you should offer a complete apology or be arrested for assault.
The GA GOP State Convention was a complete corrupt farce and a waste of time and money. Anyone who thinks this was even close to the GOP’s own rules and nominating process is seriously deranged. These people are nothing more than psychotic personalities who love power and money just like their buddies under the Gold Dome and in D.C.
Sorry I went. Lesson Learned. Once bitten on this one was ENOUGH for me.
If you were a Ron Paul supporter, you got screwed the worst at the state convention by the plotting and scheming Sue Everhart. It was decided by Sue and her party folks that no Ron Paul supporter was going to the RNC convention. They decided to keep that ultra-quite because, in the words of Sue Everhart: “We need those people to come to the convention to help pay for it so we won’t loses money.” The state GOP waited until Friday morning the 18th to issue an email stating “We have over 200 applications from people to be national delegates and we do not have time to have all the interviews, so we will make decisions by looking at resumes only.” (code for we’ll choose our friends) In fact, the first draft of the Nominating Slate was already made when this email was sent out, and distributed to “select people” (no Ron Paul supporters), These immoral acts of rule-breaking and manipulating, and lying by Sue Everhart, John White, BJ Van Gundy, the Committee on Appeals, Legal Counsel Anne Lewis (who told Sue all this plotting and scheming was Okay) all designed to ensure that Ron Paul people did not get to go to the national convention. These people want our money and support but don’t want us. The behavior of these people at convention was disgusting, dirty politics at its best. The end of Sue Everhart’s tenure can’t come soon enough. I remember the underhanded way Randy Evans obtained his position. These people give our party a black eye. We need to restore HONEST, ETHICAL PROCEDURE IN OUR PARTY!!
Were it not for the outwardly, openly declared statements of so many young Paul supports that they would violate their oaths and vote for Ron Paul in the first round, I think they would be far more openly embraced. I had more than one make just that statement to me. When I suggested that doing so would negate the votes of a huge majority of voters, completely disregarding their opinions and votes, and that to do is a violation of an oath, a misdemeanor, and completely unethical, the huffed up like a toad and stomped off…..Dr. Paul espouses ethics, but encourages unethical behavior???? What separates us from the opposition is our adherence to the rules, even if the rules do not favor our personal objectives.
I hope that the young supporters of Dr. Paul will remain active, enthusiastic, involved, and continue to learn the process, the rules, and become some of the future leaders of the GOP. Remember, when you start at the top there is only one way to go….
J West — I agree that we should follow rules. I will report, however, that one Old Boy at our District Conv bellowed that he would, as a delegate to NAtl vote for Romney & only Romney … so that sentiment is not one-sided.
I am interested to see that nobody has discussed what I consider to be a major underhanded & sneaky move — to have the Natl Committeeman & Committeewoman votes done by secret ballot. 1400 delegates paid a fair amount of money to come & vote on Party issues – why not do it openly? This way we the outsiders have no idea of the real totals of the votes. Alex got a (well-deserved) Standing O for his nomination speech fo Committeeman … but a bit less than 30% of the vote? [Come to think of it, I thought it was declared that 1400-odd delegates were there …….. but when I add up the vote totals for Committeeman, as best I remember them, I get 1600-odd. Any way to check on this?
One more point : I think the timing of Sat was deliberate and very clever. The arena was a good 80` all day, there were scads of mostly mind-numbingly boring speeches (Ag Commissioner !!!??), then 2 hours for the ballot and counting procedure (why couldn’t that have happened while the convention got on with business? – and a standing vote could have been over in 30 minutes, even if the SAs had to count), so that it was 4pm by the time we got to the meat of the reason for assembling : election of delegates to Natl. Any chance for the RP Liberty Crew hinged on not accepting the Nom Comm slate. I venture to say that many potential fence-sitters stood up for acceptance because they were tired, hot, sweaty, and ready to go home. That vote might have been quite different at 1pm.
Not all the Dr Paul supportes are young – I’m 66.
Calling Randy Evans fair is crazy. None of those votes was 2/3, and he called it from the chair to get himself to the convention (yes, he was on the list, a conflict of interest). He called the vote on rules in his favor; he called the vote to call the question in his favor; those things invalidate the convention and are a breech of Robert’s rules. Had the vote been counted, he wouldn’t have had the numbers on his side. He himself admitted before those votes that he couldn’t see through the lights, as did the other woman who chaired the national committeeman elections, as did Jordan Alex Johnson (who had been on the stage and appealed to Randy for a vote). Randy Evans and the committees who withdrew the resolutions, made the slanted rules, and picked the unbalanced slate were all in this thing together.
The sad thing is that none of this did them any real good. They probably could have won the final vote on the slate even if they had counted the other votes and allowed discussion from the floor; they might have even done it faster, but instead Randy opted to cheat to win and discredit himself and his party in the process.