Gage Skidmore
May 16th, 2012, Hartford, CT – In a race meant to represent the interests of the majority of primary and caucus participants, the GOP establishment has done little else but show who they would prefer to represent them on the national stage against Obama in November. Let’s look to the Nevada caucuses in February. According to state rules the winner of the caucus receives the majority of the delegates’ votes in the first round at the Republican National Convention. In prime time coverage, Romney was named the clear victor while polling was still in progress in the most populated county in the state.
One might consider this to be an anomaly, even after the Iowa caucuses devolved into a botched mess, but a nearly identical situation occurred in Maine. Months after the state party representatives were discovered reporting results before the totals were counted to declare Romney the clear winner; Paul was awarded 21 of the 24 delegates. The Republican National Committee then threatened to not seat said delegates as a result of a Romney supporter’s assertion that Maine did not adhere to its own rules as well as those in Nevada.
Ben Swann from Cincinatti’s Fox covers the subject nicely:
Voter fraud in Maine?
Ben Swann: Maine Releasing ‘Corrected’ Caucus Numbers – 2/16/2012
This has all coalesced in the unknown results of the Arizona State Convention and an announcement from Dr. Paul’s campaign:
Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that Liberty is the way of the future.
Which is a far cry different from the headline the Washington Times boasts.
Despite the mainstream media’s reporting it seems as though Maine and Nevada managed to give Paul an ultimate win only for each state to be threatened with not being heard at the RNC. Is the GOP really so set on a Goldman Sachs and Lehman Bros funded Romney that it refuses to follow its own processes? Do the individuals who voted in primaries and caucuses really get a say after all or is the Republic dead? At best, given the ethically questionable behavior of party elites it is difficult to know which candidate the people truly wanted to represent them and whether or not their voices will be heard.
