Electoral College and Primaries - the only way to win.

There are approximately 2,500 delegates to the Republican convention. 650 of those delegates are not bound by their state's primary result. This is due to their states statutes. My state, Virginia, is one of those. Our delegates are not pledged to the primary winner. However party pressure and respect for the democratic process is usually enough.

If Ron Paul wins the primaries, and he has not convincingly made the case to the Republican party that you can be anti-war and conservative then expect shady deals and back door compromises to be made while we're all waiting for the convention in september.

Divide 2500 delegates by 4 candidates and realize that those 650 un-pledged delegates will be enough to swing the primary election in favor of a pro-war candidate should such a deal be achieved.

Yes, it would be a scandal. But it's happened before. That's why Aaron Burr does not make the list of Presidents of the United States.

Also I believe there was a scandal sometime back in the 60's - 70's with the Democratic party and that's why most of their delegates today are pledged to the primary winner.

--EDIT--
Also, like zeniper said...If no candidate is decided after the 1st round. Then all 2,500 delegates are free to support whoever they want during round 2.

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This is a muddy area to be sure. But, as I understand it, the Republican convention is one thing - where delegates are used to support a candidate. The convention next September in Minnesota is likely to be a "jump ball" since nobody will have a lock on the nomination going in. So, if at the end of the first ballot, there is no winner, then all bets are off and states can vote for whomever they like. This is where Ron Paul delegates can do the most good, by lobbying hard within their state republican organization to support Ron. The more the better, obviously.

The electoral college is for the general election, not for the convention. Big difference! The convention is to supply the candidate. The other is the actual contest between Ron (or maybe someone else) and Hillary Clinton (or maybe someone else). I don't know beans about the electoral college.

Finally - you cannot be a delegate unless you vote in the Republican primary election. Most of them are in January, February or a bit later. The convention is in September.

The Supervisor of Elections, who can influence districts and influence when the primary happens....(see new hampshire).

Remember Kathryn Harris?

write these people encouraging them to adhere to the expected primary dates.

also, write the Republican National Committee showing your support of Dr. Paul and encourage them to do the same, given he truly is conservative and is doing a great job of rebuilding the republican base.

my two cents

Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong or add to what I say below....... but lets say you are a Republican, and a delegate in your state.

Lets say your state goes Romney, yet you cast your delegate vote for Ron Paul,

...it is my understanding that you could or would be in a world of legal trouble since you have made pledges and promises to vote your state's popular GOP vote.

Perhaps that is not true of all states, but it is my impression on how it is.

It depends on your state as far as primaries are concerned. Generally people get a little confused about how this process works. And then it behaves in a different fashion for general. BUT, I assure you, outside of an internal coup, winning the popular vote is 90% of winning the election. The way the numbers aggregate is how someone can lose electoral even while winning the popular.

I suggest checking teh rules for your state and contacting your meetup group to find out how to become a delegate, etc etc..

seriously, read something about the electoral process.
start with wikipedia.
the electoral college is not some kind of random jury but determined by the state elections.