Ron Paul wins IOWA -ROMNEY IN PANIC!

[wildernessvoice]

Ron Paul has a plan. Have Paul delegates show up at Tampa.
Is it working?? Pretty good. It appears that Ron Paul will have 5 states at Tampa- enough to have him nominated from the floor. Mittens??? IN A PANIC!!


How Ron Paul's "Delegate Strategy" is Working
Brian Doherty | April 24, 2012

As five more states take to the polls to try selecting their choice for the Republican Party nomination today, various interesting things have been happening in the world of Ron Paul's march through the caucus states, whose straw poll results often don't bind delegate allocation meaningfully.

First, a look at Iowa, where the Des Moines Register notes how successful Paulites have been within the state GOP apparatus:

Six of the new Iowa GOP state central committee members elected at district conventions Saturday have publicly expressed support for Paul, a libertarian-leaning presidential candidate: Dave Cushman, John Kabitzke, Joel Kurtinitis, Marcus Fedler, Jeff Shipley and Kris Thiessen....
Two more new central committee members have close ties to Paul. Tony Krebsbach was a county coordinator for Campaign for Liberty, a group Paul founded. And when Chad Steenhoek was running for the Iowa House in 2010, the Campaign for Liberty PAC gave him a donation and Paul spoke on his behalf. Steenhoek said Saturday he caucused for Gingrich. Steenhoek said he doesn’t subscribe to a Ron Paul philosophy so much as a Republican philosophy of limited government and individual rights.

The growing Paul faction in leadership positions at the Republican Party of Iowa — including the new chairman, A.J. Spiker, who was the Paul campaign’s Iowa vice chairman and can break ties in central committee votes — has created tension with Iowa Republicans who do not share their affection for the Texas congressman or subscribe to some of his views....

This can all be very important for what is able to happen for Paul in Tampa in August:

For some, Saturday’s push wasn’t as much about Iowa as it was about the national effort for Paul.

Several Paul loyalists said they harbor hope for getting Paul nominated at the national convention in Tampa, Fla., in late August. In order to do that, Paul must have a majority of support from at least five state delegations. With states like North Dakota, Minnesota, and others on track, his supporters could then attempt to nominate him from the floor.

Iowa’s 28 delegates are all “unbound,” meaning they can individually decide which presidential candidate to support. To stop Paul supporters from controlling the Iowa delegation, Romney backers in Iowa said they will likely focus on teaming up with Christian conservatives here.

Paul loyalists did well in getting their supporters onto the GOP’s “state nomination committee,” which will nominate Iowa’s 13 at-large national delegates. Another 12 delegates will be selected June 15. The GOP chairman and Iowa’s two Republican National Committee members are also delegates.

In another story from the Des Moines Register, the Paulites are already ruffling Romney feathers:

There was a bit of a ruckus between the Romney campaign and three top Iowa party activists at the Republican National Committee meeting Friday when the Iowans declined to sign a “delegate pledge form” in order to get their photos taken.

The three — Republican Party of Iowa Chairman A.J. Spiker and Iowa’s two RNC members, Steve Scheffler and Kim Lehman — later said it was an innocent dustup. They were waiting in line for a group photo with Mitt Romney at the meeting in Arizona, and intend to support the eventual GOP presidential nominee, Spiker said in a telephone interview.

CNN’s Peter Hamby reported that Romney had a private reception during which RNC members and state GOP chairs could get their pictures taken with the presumptive nominee.

But reception guests apparently needed to first sign a pledge promising to support Romney as a delegate to the GOP’s national convention. CNN reported that the Iowans refused to sign and “the dispute became heated.”

The Iowa Republican, meanwhile, fears that this sort of independent-mindedness from the Iowa GOP against the national masters could lost Iowa its first-in-nation caucus status. The writer thinks it's likely--though remember, we won't know until June 15--that after first Romney and then Santorum were the announced "winners" of Iowa, that it is likely Ron Paul actually will have the majority of the state's delegates:

If Saturday’s district conventions are any indication, in 54-days the Republican Party of Iowa will announce that Ron Paul, the third place finisher in the caucuses, will emerge with a majority of the delegates selected to go to the Republican national convention in Tampa.

*As The Hill notes, Ron Paul--exactly as he predicted the night of the Minnesota straw poll--looks like he's won the majority of delegates in that state:

Paul took home 20 of the 24 possible delegates and nearly all the alternative delegates Saturday during the Minnesota congressional district conventions....

Thirteen more at-large delegates will be chosen at the Minnesota state convention, but the delegation demographics there will be very similar to those in the congressional districts, and Paul appears poised to come away with even more delegates after the May 4 convention.....

“Ron Paul’s victories today declare his delegate-attainment strategy to be a success and they demonstrate that the media and Washington pundits are undercounting his delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa," said Paul campaign manager John Tate in a statement.

Paul, who has nearly $1.8 million cash on hand and no campaign debt, has repeatedly stated he would stay in the race until the very end, and hopes his victory in Minnesota will carry over into other states...

*Daily Caller with more on the meaning of the Minnesota win:

[Paul advisor Doug] Wead wrote on his blog that after GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is an a “panic” the Paul landslide. Similar efforts to bolster the Texas congressman’s delegate count are underway in Iowa, Colorado, Maine and other states.

“[A] number of Romney Hawks are now deeply concerned that Ron Paul has already laid the groundwork for similar success in six more caucus states,” Wead wrote. Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul declined to comment on the record about whether or not Romney is indeed in a panic....

The Paul campaign is being mum about the prospect of other delegate coups. The libertarian-leaning candidate’s spokesman and campaign manager did not respond when asked if surprising landslides are anticipated in other states.

Paul advisor Wead also notes in the same article the Caller was quoting the New York Times official delegate counts aren't keeping up with facts on the ground in caucus states such as Iowa and Minnesota.

*A Paul delegate from Washington's Jefferson County, John Connolly, has his own personal take on the Paul delegate process, from last month but just came to my attention. Highlights:

Here is the data from Jefferson County – my county.

Of the 115 precinct delegates selected only 31 chose to put their name in the hat to become County Delegates for the State Convention which happens May 30th through June 2nd. Why so few people? Because many can’t make it on those days or do not have the funds to travel. Interesting that it can come to that level of sacrifice, which I have stated is the strength of the average Ron Paul supporter. It takes time and money to be at the state caucus and even more so at the national convention in Florida in August. I’m thinking the Ron Paul supporter is going to pull the underdog with his or her own cash more than any other supporter for any other candidate.

Breaking this 31 down here is what we have.

Ron Paul – 17

Mitt Romney – 8

Rick Santorum – 4

Newt Gingrich – 2

*Meanwhile in Washington's King County caucus this weekend, Ron Paul activists doing well prompted party insiders to just try to call the whole thing off at a GOP meeting, as reported in The Examiner by Emilie Rensink:

After the caucus commenced at 9 a.m., there was a nomination from the floor to elect prominent policymaking activist and community leader Tamra Smilanich to be the permanent chair of the caucus. She won by a majority of the vote.

Shortly thereafter, King County Republican Party Chairwoman Lori Sotelo announced that the caucus was to be adjourned, claiming that Smilanich was an 'operative' of the Ron Paul campaign and that she had 'taken over' the caucus. The electing of Smilanich to be the permanent chair turned the event into a Ron Paul campaign meeting instead of an official GOP caucus, according to Sotelo.

The insurance that was purchased for the event, she claimed, was paid for and covered by the King County GOP only, not the Ron Paul campaign....

Supporters of Ron Paul and other candidates alike agreed that Smilanich, regardless of her presidential preference, was voted in according to Robert's Rules of Order and that her position was therefore legitimate.

Smilanich continued the business of the caucus, and delegate speeches were made. However, before the first round of voting could be finished, Sotelo again interjected and claimed that the premises must be vacated because Smilanich was acting on the part of the Ron Paul campaign....

....at approximately 12:30 p.m., Lori Sotelo announced that the space had been rented for only a limited amount of time and that the caucus could not continue. A motion was made to move the caucus proceedings to the basketball court outside on the grounds of the school, and this was agreed to by the body.

....a quorum was maintained, allowing the caucus to be completed....Many delegates present were concerned that the election of delegates for the caucus, although apparently done in accordance with official party rules and Robert's Rules of Order, would be invalidated somehow by the KCGOP.

[wildernessvoice]

As well as making Romney look weak it opens the door for Ron Paul to have a say in Republican dogma. This has been the prize Ron Paul has sought all along.

Paul spokesman Jesse Benton told The Daily Beast the campaign believes “we’ve got the money and the grassroots support to do what we want to do in Texas” as opposed to other primary states such as Indiana, where Paul is struggling for media attention. The campaign sent out a press release Tuesday, bragging that it had finally opened a headquarters about an hour south of Houston.

Benton acknowledged the increasing possibility that Paul would not be the GOP nominee, but made clear that the “secondary goal of all of our political action [has been] getting limited-government, libertarian-leaning folks involved and taking over the party apparatus.”

Part of the plan for doing that is accumulating enough delegates to give the Texas congressman the necessary leverage in Tampa to mold the GOP platform to his taste. By finishing second in the delegate tally Tuesday night, Paul kept his hopes for doing so alive.

[wildernessvoice]

...and then there was :

“Ron Paul Wins Minnesota Delegates by a Landslide”

That’s the headline right now at Slate where Dave Weigel writes:

A few weeks back, when Rick Santorum was arguing that he could power out delegate wins by organizing the little-noticed state conventions and caucuses, I agreed with him. And then Santorum quit. This left the state delegate pool hot and panting for Romneymentum, right?

Not quite yet. Over the weekend, Minnesota held congressional district conventions. Now, the state’s February caucus — one of the trio of non-binding contests Santorum won early that month — went 45 percent for Santorum, 27 percent for Paul, and only 17 percent for Romney. The Associated Press and other groups went on to estimate that Santorum would win 17 of Minnesota’s delegates, Paul would win 10, and Romney 6.
Wrong. Ron Paul dominated the CD conventions. According to a tweet from RNC committeewoman Pat Anderson, Paul took 20 of the 24 delegates available in the CDs.That’s 20 delegates more than the zero that Paul got from Minnesota in 2008. Keep watching this. The Paul movement spent five years prepping for a guerilla delegate campaign…

[wildernessvoice]

....and the crooked crap from Alaska. The GOP can thank RAND Paul for holding back his father from running as a third party candidate:

For the record, this is what I, Evan Cutler, wrote (not said) in my email to Eric of the Alaska Dispatch today:
Hello Eric
Thank you for your questions. Here are my answers.
1. Do you think the Alaska Republican Party is intentionally trying to make it difficult for Paul delegates to complete state party business and to participate at the state convention or national convention?
My Answer: “While I cannot read anyone’s mind or intentions, the numerous verbal and written accounts I’ve received from frustrated delegates of varying candidate affiliations, would make a reasonable person suspect this is the case. As a duly elected Delegate and District 27 Bonus Vote myself, I now sit on the ARP State Central Committee, and feel duty bound to do my level best to help turn this unfortunate situation around.”
2. I've been forwarded several emails, a few of which originated with you, that accuse party officials of continually making it difficult -- through disinformation or mismanagement -- for Paul delegates to participate. Please comment on that.
My Answer: “Considering your question asks about “disinformation” and emails alleged to have originated from me, it is impossible for me to make an informed comment without seeing said emails, and matching them against my own records of sent mail. All I have advocated for is that the party follow its own rules and the law to enable all duly elected delegates to fully participate in the election process regardless of what candidate they support.”
3. Do you stand behind your previous statement in March, that perhaps its time for new leadership for the Alaska GOP?
My Answer: "True leadership is the ability to pull people together towards common goals, not separate out one’s supporters and discourage the rest from participating in the process. With some notable exceptions, Incumbent Party Leadership to my mind is harming our party. By doing so, they are inhibiting all of our ability to focus on working for a fair and open party process that draws Alaskans of every stripe to work together for life, liberty, Constitutional law, and a sustainable economy. I for one, will be voting for new party leadership.”
4. How did the Paul 2012 national presidential campaign become involved, to the best of your understanding as a Paul organizer for Alaska?
My Answer: “To be clear, I am simply an unpaid, grassroots volunteer organizer who happened to start the Facebook Group Alaskans for Ron Paul 2012 this past New Years Eve. That group grew to over 650 members, and then spawned 40 other Alaska groups for each District. The official Ron Paul 2012 Paid Campaign Staff visited our state, and we dearly appreciate all of their energy, encouragement, and intelligence, most especially their bringing Dr. Paul to speak in both Fairbanks and Anchorage on March 4th where over 2,500 participants came to hear Dr. Paul’s Message of Peace, Personal Liberty, and Respect for the Constitutional Rule of Law. It has been my honor to contribute what time and resources I could to help their efforts.”
5. What are the prospects for some Santorum-Alaska delegates to land in the Paul column?
My Answer: “We welcome Santorum & Gingrich supporters with open arms and have already had a number of them join the cause! We fully support a fair process that encourages full participation from every delegate in the election process.”
Evan Cutler, Organizer
Alaskans for Ron Paul 2012 (http://www.alaskans4ronpaul2012.org/)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Alaskans4RonPaul
Girdwood, AK 99587
From: Eric C. Adams [mailto:eric@alaskadispatch.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2012 3:07 PM

HOW PAUL LOST ALASKA:

But Alaska? Paul enjoys a deep volunteer base here. His supporters were organized on Tuesday night. It would seem, though, that the campaign simply wasn't able to convert that enthusiasm into victory.

Ron Paul for Alaska campaign chief Evan Cutler said the candidate's supporters and organizers who were out at the polls Tuesday night harbored other suspicions.

.
"People were turned away at the polls that were registered to vote due to confusion among the poll volunteers. Voter registration databases were outdated," Cutler said his organizers reported, going on to add that, "younger voters, voters of a certain demographic were turned away" and that the campaign had conducted exit polling across the state and that numbers reported by the state party leaders "didn't jibe."

The allegations didn't stop there. Cutler also accused party bosses of levying "poll taxes" of at least $50 for participation in post-vote district conventions. The Paul campaign even accuses Alaska GOP Chairman Randy Ruedrich of rigging his own district via teleconference to make sure Mitt Romney -- the state establishment Republican choice -- won a majority.

An email Cutler sent Ruedrich was forwarded to Alaska Dispatch.

"There were some other complaints about the process in your own district," it said. "According to the reports I received, when the District Convention convened there were 7 delegates in your cohort and 7 in the Ron Paul one. Instead of letting people vote then, I was told you instead called supporters from your side one by one until you had enough people on the Romney side on the phone to take all the delegate slots. …"

While the he-said, she-said continues, one thing is certain: the Alaska Republican Party's rules are labyrinthine. Who knew that people could vote via teleconference in a district convention? Doesn't that seem like a recipe for accusations of preference or vote-weighting?

"It's fully appropriate," Ruedrich said.

The Paul campaign doesn't think so and Cutler said he and other up-and-coming young Republicans weren't pleased with the way Ruedrich was managing the state's GOP.

"Ruedrich and others are bending their own rules for Romney. It's not fair. There's a history of game playing in Alaska's Republican Party. People shouldn't be disenfranchised. They shouldn't have to pay to play. … Ruedrich should probably go," Cutler said.

Alaska's Republican presidential poll is conducted solely by party bosses like Ruedrich and isn't overseen by the state's Division of Elections. Cutler isn't the first conservative to call for Ruedrich's head.

But much mightier politicians (including Sarah Palin) have taken him on, only to be frustrated again and again.

[Faramir]

If America can just prevent Romney from getting his 1144, maybe they can get a brokered convention?

[RedDog]

Romney is the nominee. We have to focus on Obama now. If Paul can't see that he never had any business running. He has to take one for the team now and step back.

[CrunchyCon]

Romney is the nominee. We have to focus on Obama now.

I have to disagree. I realize that realistically Romney is now the nominee, and that Obama is (very slightly) the lesser of two evils, but I can no more bring myself to support Obama in good conscience than I can Romney.

Realistically, I think our only option as conservatives is to support a third party candidate for president, while concentrating our time, energy and active support on conservative Republicans down ticket.

[Red Green]

Romney is the nominee. We have to focus on Obama now. If Paul can't see that he never had any business running. He has to take one for the team now and step back.

I don't know what team you're playing on but I sure ain't playing on that dog-hating sociopath team.

Look, if you want bigger govt, join either the Obama or the Romney team. It really does not matter which one you join, you'll win in the end.

[Faramir]

Romney is the nominee. We have to focus on Obama now. If Paul can't see that he never had any business running. He has to take one for the team now and step back.

I'm going to use all my powers of persuasion to stop my wife from voting for Romney.

[Red Green]

Romney is the nominee. We have to focus on Obama now. If Paul can't see that he never had any business running. He has to take one for the team now and step back.

I'm going to use all my powers of persuasion to stop my wife from voting for Romney.

Many thanks for that. What state is she registered in?

[Faramir]

Romney is the nominee. We have to focus on Obama now. If Paul can't see that he never had any business running. He has to take one for the team now and step back.

I'm going to use all my powers of persuasion to stop my wife from voting for Romney.

Many thanks for that. What state is she registered in?

Colorado. Funny thing is, if you haven't seen a US ballot, you actually have a long list of choices.

[Narrow Back]

Romney is the nominee. We have to focus on Obama now. If Paul can't see that he never had any business running. He has to take one for the team now and step back.

Nonsense.

[pirapoi]

If America can just prevent Romney from getting his 1144, maybe they can get a brokered convention?

I can't see that happening. There are over 950 delegates still at large and Romney only needs 300 more to secure the nomination.

[free_life2]

The man of liberty squaring off against the two Goldman Sachs henchmen Romney and Obama. I see only one hope in that lineup.

[wildernessvoice]

Romney is the nominee. We have to focus on Obama now. If Paul can't see that he never had any business running. He has to take one for the team now and step back.

Pretty hard to expect Ron Paul's YOUNG supporters to "take one for the team" when they were speared in the corner.
However, I recall people from Free Dominion attending a Conservaive convention out west and they were able to put in place some significant party platform planks- that, I believe, were ignored. I vaguely remember discussion on this board at the time.

This is what Ron Paul hopes to do. One examines the "Too Big To Jail" banks and their contributions to both parties and you must agree that something must be done.
Ron Paul thinks he can influence the GOP. He fails to understand what corrupt bassturds they are. The GOP and the Democrats are owned by the "Too Big To Jail" banks . I marvel that the boys at the Federal Reserve haven't had him killed. I honestly believe he is protacted because the internet would expose any foul play.
It is possible that neither party is worthy of any citizen playing on their team. Why? Because we all know who owns both teams.