It's over... or is it? Enlighten me please.

[drexhex]

OK so right now the situation is that the MSM is reporting McCain as the winner. People on this forum are split between it being over and it just starting. Which is it?

Tell me if these are true or not:

1) McCain was born outside of the US and is not eligible according to the 14th Amendment

2) There's no real penalty if pledged delegates vote for someone else the first round

3) The votes of the delegates who don't show to the national convention don't count

4) With 2/3 vote from the delegates we could have a Rump Nat. Convention

5) McCain could lose the nomination due to the funding fraud

If just one of these are true, we have a better chance to win the nomination now than ever before, IMO.

[acptulsa]

OK so right now the situation is that the MSM is reporting McCain as the winner. People on this forum are split between it being over and it just starting. Which is it?

Tell me if these are true or not:

1) McCain was born outside of the US and is not eligible according to the 14th Amendment

2) There's no real penalty if pledged delegates vote for someone else the first round

3) The votes of the delegates who don't show to the national convention don't count

4) With 2/3 vote from the delegates we could have a Rump Nat. Convention

5) McCain could lose the nomination due to the funding fraud

If just one of these are true, we have a better chance to win the nomination now than ever before, IMO.

Number one is the sixty four million dollar question right now. The Constitution is not especially specific. I personally think it's clear enough that McCain, born not in the Canal Zone but in the Republic of Panama, is not eligible. In any case, I personally believe that this answers number two because who would penalize a delegate for refusing to vote for someone who is very possibly ineligible? We could have a rump convention if any significant number of delegates think the party is violating its own rules, and again, if they have good reason to doubt the convention is nominating an eligible candidate, that would qualify. And yes, there are investigations underway concerning McCain's campaign and their handling of money.

I agree with you. I, too, think our odds are very good--provided we keep in the fight!

[Lovecraftian4Paul]

I say it doesn't matter with McCain. They would simply re-unleash Romney or even Giuliani to take the nomination. The war hungry GOP will never let Ron Paul, who is anti-war and hasn't won a single state, win the nomination under any circumstances.

An independent run is the only new start, and the only viable choice.

[VRP08]

I, too, think our odds are very good--provided we keep in the fight!

yes, that would be a very important part. :rolleyes:

[drexhex]

Got a PM from "Temperance" :

They've still not approved me.. guess that's what happens when you sign up before an election day :P

1) McCain was born outside of the US and is not eligible according to the 14th Amendment

2) There's no real penalty if pledged delegates vote for someone else the first round

3) The votes of the delegates who don't show to the national convention don't count

4) With 2/3 vote from the delegates we could have a Rump Nat. Convention

5) McCain could lose the nomination due to the funding fraud

1. We'll see. It's never really been that challenged. Popular court opinion has sided with McCain on this one where it has come up before, but it hasn't ever been directly challenged.

2. In some states, it is against state law and is considered voter fraud. In the GOP, you will lose your delegate status (meaning your vote won't count anyway, thus dropping the majority needed), you will be banned from the GOP for life. You will not be allowed to run for any office under the GOP, nor will you be allowed to be a delegate or serve on any committee. Further, if enough do it, they may see it as collusion , and it is possible for Ron Paul to be ejected from the party as well.

3. Yes, you must be on the floor to vote at the convention. If you are a delegate and are not there, then an alternate will vote. If there's no primary OR alternate there, the vote will not count. Proxies are not allowed.

4. No. The rules do not allow for you to form a rump convention via a 2/3rds majority of the delegates. You're prohibited from making any rules at the convention without going through proper committees before the convention. You're also not allowed to do anything directing the binding status of more than one state's delegates per vote. A rump convention is a rejection of the convention, not an act that takes place inside the convention itself.

5. What McCain did MIGHT or MIGHT NOT be fraud. He secured a loan from a bank based on collateral of possibly accepting federal funds. The full details of his loan are not our business, as it's contract law. If the bank does not pursue a case against him for loan fraud, I suspect that he didn't commit anything wrong. It's the bank's discretion on this one, since they are the ones who are holding the note. If he did violate rules, I doubt that they have the power to take the nomination from McCain. The best they can do is fine him.