Bryan
04-14-2016, 01:35 AM
With all the recent Colorado delegate controversy it is worth bring up the Nueces County delegate issue that came up in Texas in 2008, as part of the Ron Paul campaign.
The Texas Delegate System
Texas uses a hybrid primary / convention system to determine national delegates. One Election Day there is both a primary and after the poles close, a precinct convention that is open to anyone who voted in that party’s primary. Part of the convention business includes electing delegates for a county or district convention. At the county / district convention, delegates are selected to the state convention. The state convention has a multitude of purposes including electing delegates to the national convention on presidential voting years.
Nueces County 2008
In Nueces County (Corpus Christi), Ron Paul supporters were well organized with many delegates being voted to the County convention. At the country convention, the Ron Paul supporters, and many others, were quite surprised when the convention chair / leadership started to introduce a new slate of delegates who were to be credentialed for the country convention who did not get duly elected at the precinct convention. Names started to be read off, taking some time to which some of the Ron Paul supporters started to call for “points of information” and “points of order” to try and get an understanding of what was going on. Their calls were simply ignored all the way up to and past the chairs ruling of “The Aye’s have it.”
The party establishment rammed through their agenda by simply ignoring everyone else, more or less, pretending like they weren’t even there.
The next day the local newspaper reported the claimed justification that the party leadership had to stop a hostile takeover of the party. Of course part of the entire point of conventions is to allow for a takeover of the party.
The Ron Paul supporters however did not stop their fight by simply being ignored, they did the correct things and after being ignored, they called to leave the building and hold a “rump convention” in the parking lot and continued with their own business, including electing their own slate of delegates to the state convention. Holding a rump or alternate convention is within the party rules and is a technique that allows for the issue to be ruled on at the state convention.
All of this was captured on audio, and is available on youtube; it is worth listening to, be sure to note the controversy which begins around the 3:30 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-fARjv3tFk
Some historic discussion on it:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?133679-You-re-not-going-to-believe-this-audio-Nueces-County-Texas-Republican-Convention
State Convention
The Nueces County delegate fight was on, at stake, whose delegates would get seated at the Texas GOP state convention, those of the party establishment or those from the rump convention?
The issue was taken to the state convention, and the final result was that the Ron Paul supporters got boxed out by claims of rules violations and with effective parliamentary handling by the convention chair. Exactly how this was done is a bit complicated; it can partly be explained by watching the videos of the convention, which are very illustrative.
I had videoed all of the proceedings; and put it on youtube. IMO, the four parts below are interesting as a study of parliamentary matters:
Texas State GOP Convention Temp. Credentials Proceedings (Day 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUJNUkBkVFQ
(Nueces County starts around 4:15)
Texas State GOP Convention Nueces County Proceedings -Part 1 (Day 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMkoA9RNvQQ
Texas State GOP Convention Nueces County Proceedings -Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMV9rlWDENk
Texas State GOP Convention Nueces County Proceedings -Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkyIkMfiNtM
(Note: this ends in a bit of a ruckus).
Originally posted here: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?143331-Nearly-complete-proceedings-on-Nueces-County-at-state-convention
Lessons
- Learning the rules of the convention has great value.
- Learning convention strategy to prevent your agenda from being boxed out has great value.
The Texas Delegate System
Texas uses a hybrid primary / convention system to determine national delegates. One Election Day there is both a primary and after the poles close, a precinct convention that is open to anyone who voted in that party’s primary. Part of the convention business includes electing delegates for a county or district convention. At the county / district convention, delegates are selected to the state convention. The state convention has a multitude of purposes including electing delegates to the national convention on presidential voting years.
Nueces County 2008
In Nueces County (Corpus Christi), Ron Paul supporters were well organized with many delegates being voted to the County convention. At the country convention, the Ron Paul supporters, and many others, were quite surprised when the convention chair / leadership started to introduce a new slate of delegates who were to be credentialed for the country convention who did not get duly elected at the precinct convention. Names started to be read off, taking some time to which some of the Ron Paul supporters started to call for “points of information” and “points of order” to try and get an understanding of what was going on. Their calls were simply ignored all the way up to and past the chairs ruling of “The Aye’s have it.”
The party establishment rammed through their agenda by simply ignoring everyone else, more or less, pretending like they weren’t even there.
The next day the local newspaper reported the claimed justification that the party leadership had to stop a hostile takeover of the party. Of course part of the entire point of conventions is to allow for a takeover of the party.
The Ron Paul supporters however did not stop their fight by simply being ignored, they did the correct things and after being ignored, they called to leave the building and hold a “rump convention” in the parking lot and continued with their own business, including electing their own slate of delegates to the state convention. Holding a rump or alternate convention is within the party rules and is a technique that allows for the issue to be ruled on at the state convention.
All of this was captured on audio, and is available on youtube; it is worth listening to, be sure to note the controversy which begins around the 3:30 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-fARjv3tFk
Some historic discussion on it:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?133679-You-re-not-going-to-believe-this-audio-Nueces-County-Texas-Republican-Convention
State Convention
The Nueces County delegate fight was on, at stake, whose delegates would get seated at the Texas GOP state convention, those of the party establishment or those from the rump convention?
The issue was taken to the state convention, and the final result was that the Ron Paul supporters got boxed out by claims of rules violations and with effective parliamentary handling by the convention chair. Exactly how this was done is a bit complicated; it can partly be explained by watching the videos of the convention, which are very illustrative.
I had videoed all of the proceedings; and put it on youtube. IMO, the four parts below are interesting as a study of parliamentary matters:
Texas State GOP Convention Temp. Credentials Proceedings (Day 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUJNUkBkVFQ
(Nueces County starts around 4:15)
Texas State GOP Convention Nueces County Proceedings -Part 1 (Day 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMkoA9RNvQQ
Texas State GOP Convention Nueces County Proceedings -Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMV9rlWDENk
Texas State GOP Convention Nueces County Proceedings -Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkyIkMfiNtM
(Note: this ends in a bit of a ruckus).
Originally posted here: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?143331-Nearly-complete-proceedings-on-Nueces-County-at-state-convention
Lessons
- Learning the rules of the convention has great value.
- Learning convention strategy to prevent your agenda from being boxed out has great value.