Curly Haugland, Republican Committeeman from North Dakota, says every delegate in Cleveland will be unbound, and he’s right, of course. The RNC says they’re bound, but the RNC has no authority in the matter. The highest authority in the Republican Party is a majority of delegates to a National Convention. They can do any damn thing they please. If a majority of them can organize, they run the whole show — up to and including the selection of the Chairman of the Convention. Paul Ryan’s role is provisional. He’s not guaranteed the job. This is the most unusual year in politics that anyone has ever experienced. Things that have never been done before may be done this year, including an uprising of the Republican grass roots in Cleveland.
There will only be one rule at this Convention — Rule 1237.
After 2012 the wizards at the RNC came up with a set of Rules designed to assist in the nomination of a moderate, or “mainstream” Republican, like Romney and McCain. Those rules have never been ratified by a majority at a National Convention, and are therefor provisional only. A lot of State Parties don’t like being dictated to by the RNC. That’s why North Dakota and Colorado opted out of presidential preference contests at their caucuses. So any rule that a majority of States don’t like can be thrown out by the Rules Committee of the National Convention, subject to ratification by the full Convention.
The Republican Parry, as an institution, is in trouble. Pew has it viewed unfavorably by 62%, favorably 33%. I think the nomination of Donald Trump would kill it off. I’d consider joining the Libertarians. The RNC has screwed the pooch. And if Trump were to be nominated these knuckleheads would bear some of the blame. They tried to rig the system against someone like Cruz, and wound up with Trump instead. I don’t think a lot of the delegates to Cleveland will be in a mood to rubber stamp whatever the RNC feeds them. They’re incompetent.
I had a good talk with Rep. Ken Ivory of the American Lands Council today, and made my apology, which he graciously accepted. Ken and the Council have accomplished a lot more than I realized. They’ve made some serious progress. Ken asked me to head up the effort to have our federal lands Resolution included in the National Platform, a task which I’m happy to perform. It’ll be like eating chocolate ice cream. It will also give me a chance to get to know delegates from all the Western States, the ones on the Platform Committee. Relationships like that can come in handy.
Cruz has a big speech tomorrow at the California State Convention. It’s his best chance to introduce himself to the voters of California. He’s also got to keep his eye on Indiana, so it’s a balancing act. There’s one California issue he should address, and if he doesn’t I’m going to pass it on to Joseph Semprevivo. It’s a no brainer, and a good one.
1968 was a brutal year. One of the very worst. We had George Wallace and street riots in Chicago. I can’t recall mob violence playing a role in Presidential politics since. This is not good for Trump. He, personally, has incited violence. This is all part of what Trump brings to the table.
Who wants that?
reaganproject.com 