One of the major items on the agenda for today at the #RNCinCLE was the approval of the Rules. Two of our contributors were on the floor and liveblogging what occurred, Steve Albertson and Mick Staton.
There were attempts on the Rules Committee prior to the convention to 1. reform the rules to allow a stronger grassroots national party, and 2. to unbind Delegates. Both were soundly defeated on the Rules Committee, but the effort to unbind was resoundingly defeated.
Fast forward to Monday July 18. Those seeking to alter the rules to reform them per item 1 above sought a roll call vote on the rules to at least know where the Delegates stood on the proposed Rules. In order to obtain a roll call vote the majority of seven delegations needed to submit petitions asking for a Roll Call vote. This is per RNC rule 39.
Although there was word that eleven states may have submitted such petitions. It appears verifiable that nine states did: Colorado, D.C. (legally not a state…), Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
At approximately 4:00 PM Steve Womack took the stage as Chairman and called the vote on the rules. The voice vote was completely indiscernible. Womack stated that the Ayes have it and attempted to move on to consideration of the Platform.
Amid chaos on the floor Womack left the stage until about 4:21.
Upon retaking the stage he called for the vote on the Rules again. This time the Vote was easier to hear. He stated the Ayes had it and attempted to proceed with the next order of business.
The microphones for the delegations were turned off. Eventually Womack recognized Phill Wright of Utah who moved for a Roll Call vote.
Womack announced that nine states had submitted signatures asking for a roll call vote but that sufficient signatures had been withdrawn from three of them, so no roll call vote would be held.
There was lots of shouting from the floor but the microphones were off. I next saw Wright attempt to do the smart thing. Wright tried to make a point of information. This is a privileged motion that supersedes most other business under Roberts Rules. He likely would have asked for identification of the states that no longer had sufficient support for a roll call vote, and would ask for them to be polled or otherwise verified.
Ken Cuccinelli was seen seeking a point of information as well.
Womack refused to recognize either speaker. The Colorado and Iowa delegations walked out. Womack instead recognized representatives of the Platform Committee. For the next 15 minutes representatives of the Platform Committee spoke about Republican values, ironically discussing the top down closed process of the Democrats. At the end a vote was taken on the Platform. Once that vote was concluded, the Rules vote could no longer be procedurally challenged.
Trump Delegates from other states were being told this was an attempt by the #NeverTrump movement to derail the Convention. Instead they solidified centralized power at the RNC for the next four years. And this was done by ignoring parliamentary procedure.
137 comments
Ken Cuccinelli,
What an embarrassment for Virginia. An out of control sore loser! Let an alternate replace you and go home if you’re going to continue your spectacles! At a minimum, let someone with maturity and professionalism step in as Virginia’s primary voice. Ironically, and hypocritically, you stifled the voices of Trump supporters at the Virginia State Convention and rammed a disproportionate, unfair Cruz delegate slate, including yourself!, through with dirty schemes of delaying the convention, and less consequential votes, for many hours. And co-opting John Whitbeck to allow “late” registrations throughout the convention to call in your fellow schemers, while delaying votes until many Trump-minded delegates had left. I used to risk my life constructing 8’x4′ campaign signs in medians for you, but you have changed into a power-hungry narcissist over a short span. You lucked out ducking an indictment for all your greedy behaviors with Johnny and Star Scientific. You need to be truthful with the press. You needed seven states’ majorities to get your roll call vote. Apparently three of nine states saw through your real agenda and opted out. Your insertion of Cruz delegates into slots which were won by many other candidates was dishonest at its roots. I received emails from them describing your plan, as they were obviously embarrassed by your ploy to unwind delegates. Admit that was your real objective and cut the crap about RNC control. Guess you won’t get your bonus from the Cruz machine. You really need to go home!
Is Governor Kasich at the convention? No one has mentioned him.
No, and will not be. Ass kicked by Trump. Policy differences.
Nope, on purpose.
What channel are you watching, they all musta mentioned it about million times. And you didn’t read it/hear it anywhere???
The party snubbed him when they didn’t anoint him President because he won the Keystone, er the Buckeye State in the primary.
Looks like none of these Gore/Lieberman-like candidates A) think that the creme de la creme of the GOP will matter in future elections or B) have retired from Republican pursuits — and for that reason… They are out!
That support the nominee pledge meant nothing to him. His character is very shallow, just don’t get between him and a stack of pancakes.
Fitting.
Be nice. Ted may very well surprise us.
Just one of the many reasons I will never vote for Trump? The stupid pettiness of his supporters.
Just one reason I have no respect for neverTrumpers, they put personal feelings above patriotism.
I don’t see a vote for Trump as patriotic. Deluded (since you seem to overlook that he has been a progressive Democrat all of his life) and shortsighted… yes. Patriotic… not so much.
I especially enjoyed his progressive democrat support for Reagan.
You can vote for Trump, or you can hasten the fall of the Republic — Can you choose wisely?
Ummm, yah… about that: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/10/donald-trump-ronald-reagan-213288
Reagan ran in 1980 and 1984 — Trump supported him. You want pictures?
Your article discusses Trump’s dissatisfaction with the Pre-Bush Administration.
I could find no contemporaneous statements on the part of Trump supporting Reagan for President. I did find one picture of him shaking Reagan’s hand at a function but that does not show that he supported or voted for Reagan either time.
I could have sworn I saw a whole bunch of supporting material, but not now — I’m finding all kinds of things recently, but not going farther back than a year or two — perhaps Google does not favor our quest? These are good though: http://conservatives4palin.com/2016/03/donald-j-trump-the-long-road-to-the-white-house-1980-2015.html
Good thing you’re not a Republican, we have more than enough pettiness withoutcha.
I’m sure you find the dems more toward the company you keep.
I have never voted Democrat and will not start now (just because Trump would make a horrible president doesn’t mean that Hillary would be better and the reverse is true too).
If you’re not supporting Trump, you’re not a Republican — you may be just an independent voter, but we will have many more to compensate for your backsliding ways.
Fret not, we let just about anyone vote, so you’re in good company.
You are correct… what I am is a conservative.
Not so much — when it is not necessary to change, it is necessary not to change.
Facilitating a Republican loss is in no way Conservative.
If Trump wins, he may be more conservative than you expect, if Hillary or the like wins, they will not be.
If you truly were a conservative and favored a conservative outcome, you would join us in a glass of Kool d’Ade 2016 vintage and sip deep then hurl the plastic tumbler into the recycle bin.
Either we hang together, or hang separately — bet on it.
You keep right on believing that (or at least trying to)…
Feeling a little butthurt? Lying Ted sunk his chances when he resorted to libtard tactics with his cheating. Oh and don’t forget his closeted support for TPP…hardly what America needs.
Ted lied about nothing. Your guy on the other hand? He wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him on the ass.
You are in a state of denial. Take a look in the mirror if you want to see a perfect example of pettiness.
Give it up folks.
…
… — … Morse code for SOS. HELP!
never learned morse code so did not know but got me thinking
Vote Trump
Come on – offers were made to provide a bonus to closed primary states. Given no bonus exists currently it should have been gratefully accepted.
Here’s the dirty little secret you can read between the lines. There weren’t enough reformers in the minority willing to accept that deal, a deal Cuccinelli was willing to accept. The minority made the perfect the enemy of the good last Wednesday-Thursday.
Or you can read it in Politico: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/rnc-2016-donald-trump-delegates-225651
Ken had weeks and months to choreograph the Convention and to create a climate of cooperation and success — Instead, he chose to go Beau.
This was a political bungling of the highest order. This is not Ken’s first rodeo and he knows from Harrisonburg and the district “conventions” how the gavel works.
I’m pretty much convinced that Ken only knows how to win when he can cram the Beer Hall full.
I also don’t buy that Ken was the voice of reason in this matter, his pathetically choreographed badge drop shows Ken playing to his audience — live by the never — die by the never.
Ken was the father of this failure.
///
How do you insert the pic?
The antics today by the RNC/Trump leadership was despicable and served only to anger the delegates, anger the 63% who did not support Trump, and those at home watching the chaos. It certainly did win anyone over to the Republican party or to vote for Trump. The RNC/Trump leadership couldn’t have handled this worse if they planned.
The majority of delegates were not angered. 63% is a deceptive number — one could do the math and come up with larger numbers who did not support any of the other candidates. The transparent roll call call as a test vote failed and the only antics were the theatrics of Iowa and Colorado that had a ‘streamlined’ nominating process and sadly our Virginia Delegation Chair.
Delegations from Iowa and Colorado walked out today as did Ken Cuccinelli.
Colorado prevented voters from having a say in the primary. It was a mess. Cruz lost. Kasich lost. Trump won the nomination. Elections have consequences.
Iowa Farmers who earn millions from taxpayer subsidized corn production for ethanol that has destroyed every small engine in America and dope smokers from Colorado where they legalized marijuana? This is who you look up to in the GOP? Seriously? IOWA is so corrupt they should be in prison. All of them.
Ken got caught with his hand in Johnnie Williams Cookie Jar along with Sponge Bob McDonnell and Cooch is lucky he wasn’t prosecuted. Bring it on, Lady.
Petulance as policy demonstrates the leadership of toddlers.
Nothing new about rules disputes. Each one has a winner and a loser.
The difference is, this year the losers can’t accept that they’ve lost.
And in their infantile paralysis, they’ll help Killary C-unton become president.
And they’re so BLIND to their failings that they DENY they’re helping her even as the do it.
And claim to be intellectual giants while they do it. They are entitled to as much scorn as can be conceivably heaped upon them.
I’m here to heap scorn and chew Bubblegum and I’m all outta Bubblegum!
Remember when Cruz boasted that he won 5 contests in a row, with 1.3 million voters?
Except Arizona was the same day as Utah and CO, WY and ND did not allow voters. Voter-less contests and Cruz said “this is how elections are won”.
Now they want voter-less elections nation wide! 14 Million voters be damn.
#NeverTrump = No Voters Required!
Ken Cuccinelli & Mike Lee wanted to suspend democracy and nullify 14 million Registered Republican Voters! Tyranny!
No they did not. You are mixing together two different things. Ken and Morton Blackwell’s petitions had nothing to do with Trump.
They did want to reward States that have closed primaries with “adequate compensation” as they wanted to do the same based on States with a history of Republican reps. In other words, let’s make Utah (and other closed/history States) more powerful. Let’s change the rules in order to unbind the delegates so that their voices, NOT THE VOTERS, are heard.
Mike Lee is in full support of the ‘conscience’ voting movement.
Ken Cuccinelli aligned with them for their own agenda.
The end result was the an attempt to unbind the delegates.
In Colorado the GOP bosses even eliminated my right to vote!
Yeah, the “conscience” vote idea conjured up at the remote island retreat. No doubt the progressives in attendance came up w/that little goody. Too bad, so sad, it backfired.
What remote island retreat? Why am I never invited to these things? Mackinaw? An estate on Lake Buckeye?
Sea Island in GA is the one I am referring too. There have been numerous “retreats”. Romney had one in Utah. The progressives and RINOs were in full unity to try to come up w/a plan to oust Trump. Tom Cotten, Tim Scott, ya know supposed good guys that used the Tea Party to get elected were in attendance. Zuckerberg and his ilk went to brainstorm w/them.
Hmmmmm and Scalia was attending maybe????
Now THERE’S a conspiracy!!!!
Scalia was on a private resort in Texas. So many resorts and retreats for rich elite political class, it is hard to keep up.
Vote Trump
Ken’s calculations and actions tainted Morton and his legitimate efforts. The forces of RNC might not had prevailed had Ken and Beau pursued objectives differently. I don’t think that it’s reasonable to expect Trump supporters to link arms and sing kumbaya with Ken, Beau, and the NeverTrumpeters.
Actions have consequences, Ken at the RPV convention is the other side of the coin of Priebus at the RNC convention.
Expect Carthage not to wave kindly and say thanks for all the salt.
Both wanted to nullify 14 million voters right to vote.
I could care less who married who!
NeverTrump = No Voters Required! Disgusting!
What about the 20+million voters who didn’t want Trump? Sometimes the lesser of two evils is still evil.
They will get their chance in November — we shall see what they do. In this case, the lesser of two evils will get to appoint a few (probably evil) SCJ’s. Did you want the greater evil to do the appointing instead???
You falsely assume that others who received votes got them because they were not FOR the candidate but against Trump. He had 16 opponents, do the math. It is a proven fact that most voters vote for the candidate, and it can easily be argued with your math skills that even more voted AGAINST your candidate.
Jeanine, now your are making your point in clear English.
It is about Trump, and you consider him evil. Why the dance?
What is crazy, for me, this is not about Trump. Tho I support him.
It is about my right to vote!!! Who is the GOP? GOPe or Voters?
How many times have I spoke against the Congressman from WalMart, Steve Womack? A-1 Establishment. Just follow the money in the link below. When will you people listen?
https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00031857&cycle=2016#cont
Over and over, more taxes, the Womack/WalMart tax attacks, The Establishment wants your wallet!
http://womack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=341068
http://www.werherecoalition.org/news/thomas-carlson-blog-steve-womack-wants-raise-missouri%E2%80%99s-taxes-8450-person-internet-sales-tax
https://cei.org/content/house-introduces-internet-sales-tax-bill
When you lie down with Nevers, you wake up alone.
The Roll Call vote was a test vote toward changing nominees and thwarting the will of the voters — the GOP Convention chose wisely.
This is the point period. Nothing, absolutely nothing either required, called for or necessitated any of the proposed primary rule modifications to be tied in ANY manner or fashion to the unbinding movement. To once again stress this simple fact NOTHING called for the close association and in effect joint RNC negations with the unbinding clique to achieve those changes. Indeed a prudent political head would have very likely clearly realize that co-joining the two issues placed the rule changes at a severe disadvantage and passage handicap.
Thursday afternoon and once again early Friday morning the individuals pushing the rule changes were offered counter proposals from the RNC and a golden opportunity to cut the rules issues away from the unbinding theatrics and on both occasions the opportunity was declined. Cuccinelli had an agenda most certainly but that it was primarily about the grassroots or even rule modifications I believe is a very debatable issue.
Throwing your credentials to the convention floor and sprinting to conduct a MSNBC live broadcast interview on how the RNC robbed you was classic political theater. I can’t honestly recall in my lifetime where so few have spent so much effort for a cause that put so many American futures at jeopardy in so ill defined and remotely likely of a cause. What we need to hear from these individuals now is silence and for those with a forgiving nature feel free to work for their redemption. For me, in this particular instance, I believe they knew fully well what they were doing and the party needs to hole punch their party membership cards and send them on their way elsewhere.
I believe Ken also showed his mettle when he gave a TV interview at the delegation while the Bengazi guys were speaking. Class shows.
It is called being SELFISH and SPITEFUL. There is no other reason for it at this stage in the election. These people will ultimately in the end pay for being the traitors they are one way or another. It is embarrassing and shameful, and I will be so happy when the party is rid of them.
Your party is getting so small that it soon won’t exist. Trumpsters aren’t exactly a welcoming group. Who wants to join a group of nasty, name calling, rude people? Good thing you don’t need anyone else to win the election. That 37% of Republicans who voted for Trump may not be enough but don’t count on any of the people you’ve insulted to be won over.
We don’t want you, or need you. It is our party now.
Yes, her feelings are so much more important than the fate of the nation. Only neverTrumpers believe they are the smart set.
Exactly.
My sentiments exactly! Trumpsters need a cram course on ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’! With one side of their mouth, they are offending us and with the other telling us we must stand with them to make it possible for their candidate to win. Am I the only one offended by this kind of ‘Team Building’??? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQseX26mOGg
Remember the Harrisonburg!
Please. Your feelings are not the center of the universe. Consider the fate of the nation.
You have to be wanted first, the date for Never Trumpers to be wanted or welcomed has passed. Go to the other side, go away, or put up and shut up is usually how it works. The Never Trumpers are the ones that have to change their attitude, we are not going to beg you, we are on the train and having fun, making new friends, excited, happy, hopeful that we can turn the country around enough to save it. We are on the last thread of keeping our land as the USA, Trumpers seem to know and understand that. I owe the anti-Trump people nothing. It isn’t our job to grovel to you to come to our side.
You have been to GOP conventions right? Please tell me what other candidate has been put through the ‘unity’ wringer only for them to take a powder when it came time to demonstrate THEIR party bona fides.
I have gotten more crap for being a Trump supporter by members of my own party (and participants of this forum) than I have ever experienced with any other nominee.
Tell me about the NeverMcCain, NeverBush, and NeverRomney movements within the GOP. Tell me about people that campaign to be national delegate by OPPOSING a particular nominee.
You can’t beat a somebody with a nobody and you can’t get the toothpaste back into the tube.
Here’s how this is going to play out:
The Trump people, both inside and outside the party are going to step up and do what needs to be done during the campaign.
The others with a brain will bow their head, shuffle their feet, and do what needs to be done during the campaign.
The selfish political parasites will shake their fists at the sky and play around in comment sections (it’s what they do.)
And the yahoos who put all their chips on not-Trump when they spun the wheel, will find themselves having to work harder for Trump than they did for their first choice in order to atone and maintain political relevancy in the future.
Or they will voluntarily self-exile for a short or long term. But don’t think you’ll have Beau Correll, Shak Hill, Ken Cuccinelli and the other political ‘Checkers’ to kick around anymore.
Ok, we’ll always have Shak.
So true, so true. When you are caught out red handed, and lost any pretense at credibility the least further damaging approach to move forward is always to just shut up. But this group is unique as they fervently believe 12 of them in an echo chamber really means there is a multitude from all the sound they create bouncing back on themselves.
After all they represent the voter base “real” positions not the 13.4M preference voters for Trump (they were Democrats remember) and the massive show of nonsupport they generated at the actual Republican convention. Some may be salvageable but most will need go to live in Romneyland with Mitt and Jeb.
Romneyland is where they belong.
OK, there is no one on this blog that I would sentence to Romneyland — that’s just harsh!
I would have no problem doing it. LOL!
Hard to believe this guy was a legislator and Attorney General for Virginia, there is no excuse for the leader of the delegation to act like that — if it was unintentional, Virginia dodged a bullet and ended up with a McAuliffe — if it was intentional, well, it’s just embarrassing. Either way, Virginia will have to give big numbers to Trump to demonstrate that we have our political… stuff… together after KC and the Roll Call Band showed a different side of the Commonwealth.
Kenye Cuccinelli doesn’t deserve the credentials nor respect afforded to a leader of a Delegation.
Don’t know about the dodging the bullet part, McAwful is awful, but yes, to the rest.
What would he do as Governor, throw his Rolex to the floor when things didn’t go his way?
Ken lost it in the class camp and has shown it thusly at least between Harrisonburg and Cleveland.
Babytime has no place at political conventions — he didn’t know when to hold nor when to fold.
Personally, I find the guy creepy and a little off, however, he was the GOP nominee and once again division in the party caused him to lose and McAwful to win. Va seems to really like the Democrats winning.
I am coming from the other side of this, but I need to point out there is a critical mass of truth in what LW and “Quixote’s horse” have to say.
The delegates unbound/free the delegates movement should have been unceremoniously and publicly disassociated with the pro-grassroots rules changes. They were made by both groups of rules opponents to look like they overlapped. The spokespeople for the grassroots reforms needed to be people who were clearly in opposition to the neverTrumpers.
This of course is a question of strategy, and not right and wrong.
The strategy followed by the reformers stunk, but the actions of the GOP Establishment were morally wrong.
Agree, but I’d expect the actions of the GOP establishment always to be morally wrong — it’s why we oppose them.
Ken and company were out politicked and received a big Fail for his convention performance.
The account I read showed that Team Ken could have obtained a considerable win at the negotiation table but could not pull it off.
Building a movement or an agenda against the will of the electorate is doomed to failure. You can win with the voters, or you can win with the delegates, or with both, but you cannot with neither.
Paul as you realize I always hold your opinion and take on issues with the highest regard whether we are in agreement or not and here I am willing to say OK the pile of prima facie evidence pointing to this debacle may simply have been more strategy incompetence then willful association with the unbinding delegate’s convention movement. A face saving out I frankly would willingly and thankfully grab if I were among this group, but in the end will it matter?
Their efforts and actions has seriously tainted Virginia’s pro convention supporters arguments and future strategies to the point that the convention process supported by these individuals now will be openly questioned regarding being in the best interests of the base voter post Nov. election. They have cut their own ground from under themselves with their slating actions and perceived associations with the unbinders.
I frankly have a difficult time attributing this to “bad strategy” given the level of political experience among this group but stranger things have happened in politics. I hope you are correct in your assessment and I will personally judge it’s merit based on the future level of continued anti-Trump rhetoric forthcoming from this group and those behind the scenes.
In the end it won’t matter.
The efforts of pro-convention supporters are tainted.
Your basis for future judgment from this group is sound as long as you evaluate them on a case by case basis. Some will be vocally anti-trump, some will be silent, some will support the nominee. I will point out that full throated support is much harder after you have been punched in the throat. If a person is vocally anti-trump, hold their feet to the fire. But I’ll be here pointing out that guilt by association is BS. Just because someone opposed the rules doesn’t mean they agree with whatever anti-trump garbage is spewed by some other person who opposed the rules.
Political experience, dare I say, is overrated. Case in point, Trump.
If looking at this as bad strategy, imagine if the people on the floor advocating for a roll call vote most forcefully were people who had unequivocally declared support for Trump, instead of just Ted Cruz’s former surrogates. Truly neutral Delegates that could be viewed as truly neutral could have sold this properly.
There was a missed opportunity — Trump supporters were naturally anti-establishment (myself included) The Cruz people wanted another bite at the Apple and wanted to Groundhog Day the Nomination. Had the Nevers been even slightly politically savvy, they would have seen that the political benefits of making nice vastly more profitable than tilting at this windmill (and I know because…?)
The part that I can’t figure out is by what byzantine logic would obtain a desirable objective for the nevers from a TrumpDump?
If it was at all possible to get away with jettisoning Trump, the RNC would have figured it out and done so. If, in collusion or without collusion, the Nevers could have bounced Trump… then what?
Did they actually believe that the Virginia third place guy would magically become the nominee? Did they think that the Man from O.H.I.O would levitate onto the dais?
If Trump was taken out, he would be replaced with someone acceptable to the establishment and NOT the Constitutionally challenged Canadian.
Remember how Mitt gave the endorsement for Cruz in Utah? The wording was more definite than a Clinton testimony, he endorsed/supported/urged a vote for Cruz IN THE UTAH CONTEST.
I find it hard to believe that we (on the Conservative side) have such little practical political acumen and sense. Has anyone else noticed that Conservatives are always the Charlie Brown and the establishment always Lucy?
Aren’t we all tired enough of this already?
Jeanine, you are absolutely right. At the morning meeting with the delegation, Ken explained to us that unbinding delegates was off the table. This was not about convention rules, it was about the RNC rules we have to live by for the next 4 years — rules that the Trump supporters complained about at the RPV Convention. But as usual, many of the Trump supporters had their mouths open and their ears shut and didn’t understand the issue on the floor. So we will continue to have a centrally run, top-down processes from the RNC for the next 4 years.
Yes, because the history and behavior of the delegation chair and his Mini Beau have been so unifying since the primary.
Doesn’t surprise me that Ken botched up the rules fight because of poor persuasion and salesmanship — the behavior of the Nevers have divided a natural coalition and illustrated that a GOPeRINO is a better and more trusted ally than Sir Ken the Fair.
I saw the behavior of Team Ken in my district, at Harrisonburg, I’ve had Media Beau crammed down my craw every day.
The forks have been and are now ready, the never are done.
I think Trump won the nomination fair and square.
However, he does not have the demographics to win. He will lose. He cannot win with just the base. As many or more Republicans will not vote for him as Democrats who will. It’s a media joke.
I am just the messenger.
I think you are wrong.
I hope your wrong.
If the NeverTrumps undermine Trump and he losses, the GOP will never win another presidential election. Most of the silent majority will never vote for another Republican. The GOP will have to change it’s name and start over.
I am just the messenger.
Give me the Trump demographics that lead to a win? I can’t see it.
The NeverHillary demo.
Well, yes, but are they not cancelled out by the NeverTrump demo?
No, NeverTrump will do as well in the general as they did at the convention
Ok, where does the billion dollars Trump needs going to come from?
Hillary needs the billion, not Trump, he knows how to get the value from a dollar.
And how to manage the dollars.
Do the math, how much did he spend during the primaries, how much did the other guys spend. Drive around your district, talk to some of the folks flying the Trump signs and wearing the Trump hats. He’ll get the votes he needs, he’ll get the money he needs. He set the record for GOP primary votes, you’ve been around, what is your political tricorder telling you?
a new unpublished poll shows Trump is tied with Hillary at 43 % each in Connecticut and in fact, the Republican candidate is within striking distance in several historically Democratic states. The poll was conducted by the Harper Polling Firm for the U.S. Senate campaign of GOP State Rep. Dan Carter.
The way I look at it, if the Hildebeest or Billary is in trouble in Connecticut,
then she has big problems elsewhere.. Who cares about the other fake polls.
So where am I going wrong with this ??
http://www.newsmax.com/John-Gizzi/trump-hillary-clinton-poll/2016/07/17/id/739056/#ixzz4Eqr4Z75D
You need to look at an average of polls.
If we lose in November, we cease to become a viable party and the demographics guarantee that we can never win again. We may be silent, but we will not be the majority. Name changes won’t help.
I am just a snout counter.
We could have a conservative party, not a big government party nominating a Bush or a Trump.
There is zero viability to a third party fantasy. We will become electorally irrelevant and stay that way.
You are technically right, but nobody can win with just the base. Trump is the guy walking the talk about bringing more voters into the party — he’s done it in the primaries, he’s convinced this Conservative that he is Conservative enough, and Republican enough, to be my President.
I am just a voter.
If he was really focused on winning, he would already have begun using air time at the primary to broaden his base with more inclusive messages. Instead, he doubled down on convincing a group that has already committed to him.
That’s right, he’s not really focused on winning — and he should have been more inclusive and less mean during the primaries, then everyone would be united and dancing in circles holding ribbons — the contest is over, he won the voters he needed to win, and he won in the style he needs to win in November.
He’s not going to get any hugs or donations from you and your side — you will either vote for him out of your own self-interest, or you will succeed in being one of the last generations to experience American liberty and prosperity.
The nomination is over, he’s the guy, time to suck it up and support the nominee, or go fishing.
Money ?
$100 went to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation this morning. You never used your big kid name, so I retained the call on where to donate the money.
You are absolutely right. Hilary is very beatable, and yet the Republican party managed to nominate the one person who cannot beat her. Rubio would be 10 points ahead of her in the polls now. Thanks, Trump voters.
Agreed! This is what happens when county committees vote in inexperienced hayseeds wearing their T-Shirts to serve as delegates who lack situational awareness and good judgment.
Cuccinelli and Lee’s circus failed because 3 states’ delegates revoked their names from Cuccinelli’s petitions he ran all day when they actually figured out what they had been duped into SIGNING.
Cuccinelli made a fool of himself and the State of Virginiia’s delegation LIVE on national network television. Thanks Ken. Boy did we dodge a bullet not electing YOU GOVERNOR.
Cuccinelli tied his wagon to a full speed train. It got messy.
Hasn’t he been working on this for months? Either he didn’t have the votes, or didn’t have the acumen — either way, he lost and took down Morton’s hard work and reputation.
Ken has gone cuckoo. Like George Allen and some others, he needs to go off and retire in LaLa Land. It is time for “career” politicians to realize they need to find a new career.
Ken is responsible for his own ‘oyster’ from the GOP…. wait for it….
Rush was just making fun of him.
Did you actually read the post? If you did, you would know you’re dead wrong. Cuccinelli had nothing to do with unbinding the delegates. Read the post. Sheeze.
Cuccinelli may have been there for noble reasons, but I have absolutely no trust in Mike Lee. He was in support of the unbinding of delegates to vote their conscience and nullify the 14 million voters that supported Trump.
Both said after, it had nothing to do with Trump. But, with Lee, I am sure that it did. Next Colorado delegation walked out. Colorado was the delegation that presented the conscience argument to begin with.
The Colorado GOP Executive Committee eliminated my right to vote Aug 21, 2015 and have lied, Lied, LIED ever since. They, including Mike Lee, talk of their rights as delegates as though Registered Republican Voters never existed.
Jeanine, what issue is more important to YOU than your right to vote?
The convention “rules” allow for delegates to vote (that is a voting republic).
It means that ALL of the representative delegates could vote.
( that is a lot more than 2 people, and no, it is also not the entire 300 million US population)
What is ironic, their anger at not being able to vote, was an effort to nullify the vote of 14 million Registered Republican Voters!
Delegates have a right to vote, but
Registered Republicans votes mean nothing!
It means alot.
So do others.
The delegates got there, via votes and state conventions. Similar process for decades.
Each and every delegate to the convention is a representative of a portion of each of the States.
That helps there to be enough room in the convention building.
And yes, there can be, and are, unresolved issues.
Placing the blinders on and forcing matters is usually an impatient, or short timers approach to issue resolution.
Nothing new.
Some are interested in the long, lasting game too.
12 million of those were Democrats conducting an Operation Chaos.
Really? You actually think that? If that is the case, we should all fall to our knees prostrate and chanting ‘We’re not worthy’
The democrats, in a concerted effort specifically chose Donald Trump because our superstar candidates could have easily bested Team Hillary, so they in concert, and in secret, and en masse, selected the candidate who could not possibly have a chance against the dems.
And I thought I was conspiracy minded — why wouldn’t they have picked Ted Cruz instead as he clearly was ineligible and would have lost as well?
You’re new to politics this cycle right?
You’re a fucking asshole.
Many would agree with you on that, but many more would not make up fantasy numbers and conspiracies.
Trump is the guy, we are all Donald, onward, to victory!
No, they didn’t. I know that’s what you desperately want to believe, but it is 100% incorrect. They wanted to reform RNC rules, not nominate a different candidate. I was there, deeply involved in the process, and know this first hand.
Yes you indeed were, very involved.
Yeah right, then I guess the vitriol, the neverTrump, the blog posts, the comments, the Harrisonburg magnanimity, the lawsuits, the on camera Beau latched on to Ken’s back, the months and weeks gone into planning by Team Ken clearly paid off with political success. Ye shall reap what ye have sown.
Please tell us about the deals turned down, please correct the reporting we have seen.
For now I choose to believe my own lyin’ eyes.
If it was seriously only about the ‘fairness,’ the ‘voice,’ and the ‘rules’ — Team Ken botched it on a biblical scale.
Steve, reading this blog 7 days later is very interesting. Most of these comments are from people who have been drinking Kool Aid for months. Regardless of how honest or how honorable you are, you are trash in their minds if you do not agree with them 100%. Sad.
He Who Hath The Gold Maketh The Rules.
Gold = Votes
Wouldn’t then the correct course of action to make a point of order that the Chair did not recognize the Point of Information? Seems like KC and the rules experts that have been working on this convention for so long would not have been sidetracked by this.
“Point of Order? What? We didn’t hear anything.”
Then the body agrees with the Chair. Ken has had months to plot and plan for every contingency… except not having enough votes.
so he threw his credentials to the floor on live TV. childish
His character thus reflected by his actions again — just think of this as him throwing his medals over the fence.