Monday, September 3, 2012

The ayes have it? Well, now, them's the rules, y'see

Ron Paul in or out - but which is it?

Rude treatment at the Republican National Convention sealed the deal - Ron Paul delegates are out. So are any other delegates that don't suit the intended nominee, or the incumbent. Don't like the rules? Just move the goalposts.

Rep. Paul will appear on the Leno show tomorrow night. What will he say? Third party candidate? Who knows? The producers say they never comment on a guest's motives for being on the show.


Ginsberg’s version of Rule 12 empowers the RNC to bend its own rules to suit their needs at any time without submitting the changes to party members gathered at the quadrennial convention. This unprecedented revision places the control of the GOP in the hands of the Establishment candidate without suffering the inconvenience of listening to dissenting voices. In the future the nomination of an incumbent Republican president is guaranteed and upon leaving office, he will be able to name his chosen successor through manipulation of the party rules.
Curiously, the driver of a bus carrying the delegate holding the official objections to the proposed rule changes circled the venue refusing to stop, causing that delegate to arrive too late to file the objections. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) then proceeded to call for a vote on Ginsberg’s rewrite of the Republican rulebook.

Standing at the podium and reading from a teleprompter, Boehner instructed those in favor of the rules to say “aye” and those opposed to say “nay.”

Video of the vote clearly demonstrates that those against the adoption of the Romney-friendly rules numbered at least as many as those in favor. In light of the closeness of the voice vote, Boehner should have called for a roll call vote rather than a voice vote. But in another example of unexplained deviation from applicable Republican Party protocol, Boehner ignored the dissenting votes, declaring, “The ayes have it.” 

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