Tropical Storm Isaac Skips RNC 2012 But Storm Developing At The GOP Convention

UPDATE 10:01 PM: The following states' Rules Committee delegates have both signed onto the Minority Report: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, and Texas.

If your state is listed above, below, there is no need to call them. If your state is not listed above please call. Locate the phone number of your state's delegates on the Rules Committee here, call them immediately, and tell them to oppose Romney's Rule 15, that strips grassroots activists of the ability to participate in the Republican platform process.
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Tampa, FL - Bill Smith, ARRA News Service: Tropical Storm Isaac skipped past Florida and is heading towards New Orleans and is projected to potentially be a Hurricane when it reaches the Louisiana, Mississippi and potentially Alabama coast. Even those in Arkansas and Missouri may receive more than just rain as the storm rages across the delta and heads for the Ozark Mountains.

While Isaac has passed by the Republican National Convention, an internal storm is brewing at the RNC Convention. And it has nothing to do with Ron Paul supporters or the presently "wet" anarchists. However, the results of this storm could be more dangerous to the Republican Party in the future years than if RNC 2012 had been hit by a full blown hurricane.  With the compression of the convention dates, it is easy to focus on the need to choose a candidate and to ignor the importance of the party rules by which the Republican Party will be governed in the future and the platform which details the consensus beliefs of Republicans.

Establishment republicans under the GW Bush administration weakened the Republican Party by pushing away strong Reagan minded republicans.  Since President Bush retired, the state republican parties and the county republicans have work hard to re-establish and to revitalize the conservative base of the GOP.  And that has included working with TEA Party groups, Patriot Groups and other and welcoming them to be part of rebuilding the Republican Party.   Now, control freaks and establishment Republicans in the Romney campaign are seeking to take control of State Parties and even who can be members of the National RNC from the states.  Conservative Republican icon, Morton Blackwell who has invested his life in developing conservative leaders for the future best explains this destructive storm developing in the Republican Party and at RNC 2012.

Dave Nalle, Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus, published a letter to RNC2012 Delegates by Morton Blackwell which details the problem at hand:

Dear Fellow Delegate,

On Tuesday of this week, as Republican National Convention delegates, you and I will be voting on rules changes that could fundamentally change our Republican Party — and not for the better.

Over the years, I’ve served on the Louisiana and Virginia GOP Rules Committees. I currently serve on both the Republican National Committee’s Standing Committee on Rules and on the National Convention’s Committee on Rules and Order of Business.

I was Barry Goldwater’s youngest elected delegate in 1964, I was honored to serve on President Ronald Reagan’s White House Staff from 1981-1984, and I have attended every Republican National Convention Rules Committee meeting since 1972. My wife and I have contributed major donations to the Romney-Ryan campaign.

These rule changes are the most awful I’ve ever seen come before any National Convention.

I’m writing you today to urge you to join the growing effort to stop the worst-ever changes in this Rules Committee’s Report and to vote in favor of amendments to Rules 12 and 15. The Minority Reports will restore important rights and protections which state parties and grassroots Republicans would lose under the Rules Committee Report as written.

These amendments to Rules 12 and 15 are contained in Minority Reports supported by at least 25% of the members of this convention’s Committee on Rules and Order of Business.

It’s rare for Minority Reports to come before our national convention, but the issues involved here are vital to the future of our party.

I must tell you there is tremendous arm-twisting now to peel signers off of the Minority Reports.

Finally, whether on Minority Reports or on voting down the Rules, it will require at least six states’ delegations to insist upon a roll call vote.

I will not pretend that the deck is not stacked against us.

But many state leaders, liberty-minded activists, and grass-roots conservatives are up-in-arms as word of this power grab spreads.

Our convention will make this important decision Tuesday as some of our first work. Many folks skip these procedural sessions thinking nothing of importance occurs.

This year, that is far from the truth.

If the Rules Committee Report were to pass without adoption of the Minority Reports, it would amount to a power grab by Washington, D.C. party insiders and consultants designed to silence the voice of state party activists and Republican grassroots by:

*** Handing national party officials the power to change national party rules adopted by state and grassroots leaders at the Republican National Convention. For generations, the prohibition of manipulated changes in the national Rules of the Republican Party between national conventions has served as one of the crown jewels of our party. It’s a power grab which opens the door to many future power grabs.

*** Stripping state parties in all states with binding primaries of the power of choosing who will represent their states as national delegates and alternate delegates.

This outrageous change would empower presidential campaigns to disapprove and remove delegates and alternate delegates selected by rules adopted by state Republican parties. Rather than grassroots activists who won delegate and alternate delegate slots by following state party rules, a large majority of positions would be handed to top donors of the winning campaign.

*** Gutting the great and successful reform adopted in the current election cycle to stop the dangerous trend to front-load the selection of national convention delegates. Our party would move again toward a national primary which would deny grassroots Republicans the opportunity to vet presidential candidates in a nomination contest of reasonable length. This reform must not be abandoned.

Like most of us delegates to this convention, I’ve spent years gladly battling in the trenches for our Republican Party.

And as the President of the Leadership Institute — which specializes in training thousands of conservative activists, students, and leaders to fight for our country’s future –I can’t tell you how disheartened I am to see these rules changes even considered.

These rule changes would give good folks like you less of a say over our Republican Party in favor of insiders and consultants in Washington, D.C.

At a time when Tea Party activists have re-invigorated our Republican Party — leading to massive gains in the U.S. House, the Senate, and many state legislatures in the 2010 elections — why would we want to discourage activism?

Thanks to their efforts, you and I have a new generation of exciting conservative leaders in Washington, D.C., who — in many instances –were elected despite the opposition of establishment-backed opponents.

Certainly this is not to say GOP leaders are always wrong.

But history shows that our Republican Party grows when we welcome newly active participants and treat them fairly.

Our Republican Party is strongest when we listen to the wishes of grassroots conservatives.

Instead of strengthening our party, these insider power grabs will weaken it.

For these reasons, I urge you to join the growing effort to adopt the Minority Reports when the Rules Committee Report comes up for consideration by the convention.

Morton Blackwell

P.S. Some of the most important work of the convention will take place on Tuesday where you and I will be voting on rules that could fundamentally change our Republican Party for the worse.

New rules will be voted on that have been designed to silence state Republican parties and Republican grassroots in favor of party insiders and Washington, D.C.-based consultants.

The vote will take place at Tuesday’s convention session, and I’m counting on you join the growing effort to defeat these new rules.

Please vote to adopt the Minority Reports on Rules and urge your delegation to call for a roll call vote on all Rules-related votes.

This fight is too important for us not to make a stand.

Phyllis Schlafly via Eagle Forum initiated the following action item:

Shenanigans are happening at the Republican National Convention, and we need your help to protect your state's delegates!

A proposed rule change would allow the Presidential nominee to “disavow” duly elected delegates and force the states to hold new elections to replace any delegate or alternate deemed unacceptable by the Nominee.

This would not only undermine the will of the electorate and give the presumptive nominee enormous power to block delegates with whom he or she disagrees, it would impose a financial burden on the state to hold new elections to replace the disavowed delegates. States would have to write rules to govern this newly imposed burden.

This would take power away from the state parties and put the Nominee in charge of determining your state's delegates.  Some are calling this the largest power grab in Republican Party history.

There is a Minority Report being circulated that would stop this change.  We need you to contact your state’s delegates serving on the Rules Committee.  These delegates and their contact information is listed below.

Take Action Here is a list of delegates serving on the Rules Committee listed alphabetically by state.  Please take a moment to find the delegates from your state to urge them sign onto and vote FOR the Minority Report from the Rules Committee to stop the proposed change. The vote is expected to take place Tuesday.  Please only contact delegates from your state.

Michael Duncan at Freedom Work said,

As you may know the Romney camp is pushing new rules, specifically Rule 15, which would strip grassroots activists of any meaningful ability to participate in presidential politics. The process has always been bottom-up, but Romney officials have rewritten the rules so that the nominee can stifle any dissent on the platform committee and even unseat delegates. Make no mistake, this will weaken the process by which Republicans chose their candidate for president and push the grassroots out of the party process.

From Buzzfeed reporter Zeke Miller: "The Republican National Convention Rules Committee voted 63-38 to approve a new rule allowing granting the Republican National Committee — and Mitt Romney — sweeping new powers to amend the governing document of the GOP.

The move came at the encouragement of Mitt Romney supporters on the committee, including Romney's top lawyer Ben Ginsberg, who stressed that it would grant "flexibility" to Romney and the committee to adapt to changing political environments. The rule allows the RNC to amend the party's rules without a vote by the full Republican National Convention. And it offers the Republican Establishment a new tool to keep at b[a]y Tea Party initiatives that threaten to embarrass or contradict party leadership and stray from a planned message." (emphasis added)

Tags: RNC 2012, problem, rules, control by Mitt Romney campaign, establishment republicans, conservative republicans, TEA Party supporters, Republican Liberty Caucus, Morton Blackwell  To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!