Vic "The Politics Guy" Beradelli, co-chair of the Maine RLC and Penobscot State Committee, said this in an e-mail that went out to some:

"These are the resolution votes at today's special meeting of the Maine GOP State Committee. They were amended to past tense because they were submitted originally for special meeting prior to the Republican National Convention which Webster managed to put off until Sept. 1, after RNC ended.

Resolution to express displeasure that the duly-elected delegates to RNC were not seated and expressing displeasure that the State Chair did not intervene on their behalf passed 45-21.

Resolution calling the challenge filed by outgoing-National Committeewoman Jan Staples and Maine Romney Chair to be of a "divisive nature" to the party passed 40-22-4 abstain.

Resolution that the Maine State Republican Committee has "No Confidence" in Jan Staple's ability to represent Maine "in a fair and professional manner" passed 40-22-4 abstain.

Resolution formally requesting Chair Charlie Webster to remove Staples immediately from the Rules and Bylaws Committee passed 37-22-7 abstain.

Committee members acted in an orderly and dignified manner, although Webster had a uniformed Waterville PD officer wearing leather riot gloves stationed in the back of the meeting room and two officers on the sidewalk outside!

Several attempts by pro-Webster members to adjourn without votes were defeated by significant voice votes.

One person was outside the meeting with a sign reading, "MAINE GOP...GRASSROOTS UP NOT TOP DOWN!"

Channels 8, 13 and 23 and a print reporter were outside the meeting room and did interviews on the sidewalk.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the State Committee is Nov. 10, the Saturday after Election Day. The only other regularly scheduled meeting in 2012 is on Dec. 1, which is election of State Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer."

We've had the RNC rig the game, steal the show, and invalidate all of our hard work that many begun long before the 2012. Many people are discouraged. Why?

I've had it on my mind a lot lately, what do we do from here? It would be so easy to run, and many are prepared to jump ship on the Republican Party now. Admittedly, I've seriously considered it too. The RNC doesn't care about us. But they're not winning.

I had a high up GOP leader here pull me aside the other night after a replacement delegate nearly blew a blood vessel for people being upset with him. This individual told me that the old guard are all waiting until after the election for us to leave, they all expect it and they're merely laying low until they can come back in and retake their old positions. He pleaded with me not to leave and others to not as well. I heard the same thing at the State Convention as time went on and it became increasingly clear what the score was: we're only here for the man, once the man is gone, we will be, too.

But it's more than a man. It's a message. And if this is truly the case, then we're not going anywhere.

The RNC won this battle by successfully thwarting the nomination of Congressman Ron Paul and preventing a speaking spot. They won.

BUT, they're losing the war. When a local supporter the other night said it wasn't worth it, I told him to wait. In November, as a result of the great divide spawned by the infighting and the tactics by the RNC and Romney campaign, there will be heavy losses. The GOP will lose ground in the U.S. House, fail to capture the Senate, and will lose the Presidency hard like in 2008. That will be our victory, as we show our strength.

From there, we continue on retaking the Republican Party. If we bow out now, they all come back in and retake one of the two major parties and now have a powerhouse to enact their big government, warmongering policies. Even if we're not advancing our goals, we're complicating theirs, and that should be enough to keep moving forward.

Nobody said this was going to be easy. Nobody said this was going to happen over night. And it certainly isn't going to be solved in a single election cycle.

Do it for Ron. Ron Paul fought for three decades as a one man minority among hundreds of tyrants and was the laughing stock of Congress. He was a lunatic, a nut job, an outcast. Did he ever give up his fight for freedom? It all eventually paid off.

I plead with you all to stay the course within the Republican Party. I'm not asking you to vote for Romney, go for whomever. But as far as your party activism for the future goes, we can't let the neoconservatives take back sole control of the GOP. Or else we all lose.

Onward, for liberty!

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated."
-Thomas Paine

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...inning-the-war!

This from Maine conservative radio host Ray Richardson:

The Governor of Maine, Paul LePage, in a conversation five minutes ago said that if they do not seat the Maine Delegation at the RNC, he will not go. These folks need to be seated.

The Governor gave me explicit permission to make this public.

Good for you Governor ... I appreciate, once again, that you stand up for what is right for Maine

Thank you Governor!

http://www.fox19.com/story/19218317/...-by-cianchette

This weekend, the RNC, via Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster offered a "compromise"... take a look:

"1. A majority of the delegates sign a statement agreeing that, if Ron Paul is not on the ballot, they will vote at the Convention for Mitt Romney.

2. Instead of Brent Tweed, Charlie Webster or Paul LePage would serve as the spokesperson for the delegation and announce the votes cast for president. That spokesperson would also handle all media on behalf of the Maine delegation.

3. There will be nothing negative said about Mitt Romney or positive said about Obama (especially to media).

4. The Delegation will be admitted to the Convention, and to all committee assignments, without barrier.

5. The Contest brought by Jan Staples and Peter Cianchette will be withdrawn."


The Delegation for the Maine GOP responded:

" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Maine's Elected Republican National Delegates Say "No Deal" to Their
Challengers

Portland, Maine, August 7, 2012 - By unanimous vote of those present, the
40 contested members of the Maine Delegation to the Republican National
Convention being held this month in Tampa, Florida, did not accept a deal put
forward by Charles Webster, State GOP Chairman.

Brent Tweed, the elected Chairman for the Delegation, notes that the proposal
would have required the delegates to sign a binding pledge to cast their votes for
Mitt Romney at the Republican National Convention if Ron Paul did not appear
on the ballot.

Speaking on the decision, Tweed said, “We were rightfully elected by the
Republicans of Maine to represent them as unbound delegates in Tampa. It is
unreasonable for the Republican Party at either the national or state level, or for
any campaign for President, to attempt to pressure the Maine Delegation to vote
any particular way. We will not be intimidated into signing political deals under
threat of being unseated. We are accountable to the Maine Republicans who
elected us, not the Mitt Romney Campaign.”

Additionally, the proposal would have required elected Delegation Chairman
Tweed to relinquish his responsibility as spokesman for the Delegation.
According to Tweed, the Delegation Chair is traditionally the individual who
announces the votes cast by the State Delegation, but the proposal requires that
the responsibility be given to a delegate who supports Mitt Romney.

Webster said the contest would be withdrawn providing the Delegation members
agreed to a deal he reportedly brokered with the Mitt Romney Campaign,
according to Tweed.

Both Governor LePage and National Committeeman Rick Bennett have stated
their support for the Delegation. LePage’s office stated last week, "Governor Paul
LePage stands behind Maine Republican National Committeeman Rick Bennett's
position that all Maine Delegates should be seated at the Republican National
Convention."

Many elected members of the State Legislature have signed a petition requesting
the withdrawal of the contest, including Senator Lois Snowe-Mello (R-Auburn),
Rep. Aaron Libby (R-Waterboro), Rep. Rich Cebra (R-Naples), Rep. Beth
O’Connor (R-Berwick), Rep. Ellie Espling (R-New Gloucester), Rep. Ryan
Harmon (R-Palermo), Rep. Mike McClellan (R-Raymond) and Rep. Stacey
Guerin (R-Glenburn).

Snowe-Mello was on the Romney slate of Delegates at the State GOP
Convention in May but states, “I feel that we should allow the people who were
elected to attend the National Convention to represent our State Republicans.
These are folks who believe in the founding principles of our forefathers. We
should be proud that they are Republicans and are our future. I stand by the
Governor and Rick Bennett.”

#####"[/QUOTE]