FOX 31′s Eli Stokols:
Eight of Colorado’s 36 Republican delegates, all of whom supported Ron Paul, abstained Monday morning rather than pledging their support to the presumptive GOP nominee, Mitt Romney.“We’re here because principles matter a lot more than candidates,” said Jim Gaston, an alternate delegate from near Trinidad who supports Ron Paul and refused to pledge his support for Romney. “The Republican Party platform is actually pretty Constitutional, but our candidates don’t always follow it.”
Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call told FOX31 that the diversity of the delegation is a positive…
The obstinacy from the Colorado delegation’s more libertarian members took place during a breakfast at the delegation’s hotel ahead of the Republican National Convention, which begins Tuesday. The breakfast also included a short speech from Matt Romney, the candidate’s second oldest son.
Originally, Colorado delegates for both Rep. Ron Paul and the victor of Colorado’s February caucuses, former Sen. Rick Santorum, declared their non-support for presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney. Allegations of shenanigans were frequent from the Paul contingent as state chairman Ryan Call was accused of keeping his thumb on the scales for Romney–all of which were disregarded, and Santorum delegates had long since given up the fight.
With this final edition of the Ron Paul insurrection faltering as prior ones have, there are two ways to summarize it: first, and obviously, they weren’t successful in seriously challenging Romney for the GOP presidential nomination. Paul’s high water marks this campaign season were placing second in the New Hampshire and Minnesota primaries. But the Paul campaign was arguably more relevant in 2012 than any prior election–an indication of growing support for Paul’s libertarian issues, or Romney’s continued weakness. Probably a little of both.
Say what you will about Ron Paul, he filled a vacuum many on the right needed.
Paul himself might have had a formal speaking slot, but he rejected two requirements: that his speech be pre-approved and that he formally endorse Romney.He refused, telling The New York Times, “It wouldn’t be my speech. That would undo everything I’ve done in the last 30 years. I don’t fully endorse him for president.”
In numbers far greater than Romney would prefer, he’s not alone.
The Ron Paul candidacy illustrated how the GOP will do whatever it can do disenfranchise its own dissident, party membership — in addition to Democratic voters, nationally:
Ron Paul never had a chance. Ron Paul’s only purpose in this race was to sow dissent and infighting on behalf of Democrats. Democrats, including Colorado Pols, did more to prop up Paul’s hopeless campaign than Republicans did.
One of the biggest reasons why I think Paul is an idiot is the way he allowed himself to be used by Democrats. It was so obvious by early spring that Paul was a hopeless Dennis Kucinich candidate, but unlike Kucinich, Paul has “legitimacy.”
It’s proof positive of the liberal subversive media, among other things.
The point is that the GOP can’t even follow it’s own rules in its own nomination process. The GOP shows, time and time again, that it can’t be trusted.
The clip above is from FOX. Hardly a representative of the “liberal subversive media,” I propose.
Local Fox news stations are NOT FNC. You can’t use that when you feel like it and ignore it when you don’t.
As for the nominating process, Romney won it by a huge margin. Democrats are the ones interested in keeping the sour grapes going, not real Republicans. We are united behind our nominee.
conservatives, not so much.
unless we have to break our own rules to kick you out of it.
Whew, I missed you – my cup of stupid was almost running dry today.
Too funny:
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/s…
Boy, that name sure takes one back to ColoradoPols circa 2008, for sure.
Amusing to note that Sweatshop Central gets preferential treatment at the GOP convention over, say, Maine.
There are winners and there are losers. Wisdom comes from know when you’re doing more harm than good. For Paul supporters who call themselves conservative, that time passed a long time ago.
Fox affiliates don’t have a liberal reputation. (Not to lend legitimacy to the myth of “liberal media,” but tell me with a straight face that you believe Fox affiliates, including “American Bad-A$$” Eli Stokols and Fox-31 KDVR, are part of it.)
He’ll tell you you’re wrong. Also, Stokols has been veering left lately, so he won’t be getting praise from the right for long.
“Ask Stokols — even though he can no longer be trusted”??
Dude, you’re a total mess whenever you go off-script . . .
You failed to address the question. Do you really believe you can sidetrack me so easily?
Dio once again has your number – you’re a mess.
Paul won not only delegates, but actual state delegations.
Kucinich didn’t win even one delegate.
Paul had more legitimacy than Kucinich because a fair-sized minority of your party actually voted for that lunatic.
… because he finished in double-digits in two primaries that came well after the real race was over. Fact remains: he had no real Dem support; Paul has a rabid following of a nontrivial fraction of Repubs.
To quote: “One of the biggest reasons why I think Paul is an idiot…”
Pretty soon, you’ll be left with just old, angry white guys, and even a few of them are suspect.
Except for the Limeys. Don’t forget, Arap has a thing against them too.
Gosh, their chair must have dug up Bruce Benson’s speech from 1992. That year there was an incumbent REpublican President. About 40% of the delegation were specifically run and supported by pro-choice advocates. Some Buchanan supporters were pro-choice stating that their Buchanan vote was a protest against George HW Bush. Some Buchanan delegates were true believers, including a mother and son about the age of 20. When it came time to vote, all the pro-choice delegates (most of whom aren’t Republicans any more or are RINO’s)agreed to vote for Bush as a sign of unity. The convention organizers were bound and determined to have a unanimous vote for Bush. This 20 year old kid was not. He refused to budge, even after Buchanan authorized his delegates to vote for Bush in the most inflamatory and party-damaging speech ever, given by Buchanan. The Colorado delegation kept passing for this reason. I can’t even remember what Bruce Benson said each time he went to the mike and announced that Colorado was passing (you know the chairs all say something complimentary about their state when they announce their vote). Still, the kid refused to change his mind and refused to vote for Bush. There was a lot of pressure from big wigs on him. He never waivered. Even after Buchanan released his delegates, the kid refused to vote for Bush. He finally voted for . . . . drum rolls . . . . Rush Limbaugh. Don’t know whether you can understand this, but in those days, all the rest of us in the delegation could say was “who?” Brings back good memories.
or is there something tangible to be gained? In 2004, the small group of Kucinich delegates held out for a speaking spot for Dennis and got it.
The pageantry of the convention is a really big deal for some reason and it’s worth quite a lot to the parties to try and get a unanimous vote. Ron Paul already declined a speaking spot and he’s retiring from elected office. Perhaps he hopes to have some leverage on rules changes? Maybe he’d like a cabinet appointment.
Paul declined to speak, because it came with the condition that he endorse Mitt.
He’s not interested in a speaking spot- for the reasons you mention. He’s holding onto a bunch of delegates and convention organizers really really like to push for a unanimous vote. Paul’s delegates especially are important to bring back into the fold since they trample the message so much.
The convention doesn’t represent enough leverage for a Fed chairmanship. I’d love to know what negotiations are going on. Alternately, if the Romney people have decided to write off the libertarian right of the party, that would also be fun to watch.
it looks like the rules just passed. The convention chair didn’t recognize several people calling for points of order and the minority report didn’t receive a vote.
It looks like anything Ron Paul was likely to get out of his delegates has already expired. The message being pushed now scapegoats the Paul delegates as the entirety of the rules fight mess… meaning that Ron Paul is unlikely to have any leverage at this point.