What if delegates don't go to the conventions?
Submitted by wolfangel on Mon, 03/03/2008 - 18:16
I am a delegate and have signed papers saying I will go across the
mountains to the state convention if elected next Sat.The convention
is three days long!So I have to pay for the trip,hotel,etc.Plus take time off work.I will do this for Ron Paul
but do you think the McCain delegates are willing to put in that much effort?Some of the other Ron Paul delegates won't even do it!So my question is this---how can they say how many delegates a
candidate has until they actually show up at the state and national conventions?
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there's a very good chance
there's a very good chance delegates for other candidates won't show up. here in IN we were looking at the state convention from 2004. in Allen County there were around 150 delegates. only 40 showed up to the state convention. hopefully that holds true this time. just that the 40 who show up are Ron Paul delegates
No matter who you vote for, the government always gets in - Bill Hicks
As Has Been Said Many, Many Times Before
Nobody is the nominee until the delegates actually vote in September, for this very reason.
Most local and many state level organizations can't fill all their delegate slots because not enough people are interested for the reasons stated above, and others.
If a delegate is out of the room, say in the bathroom, when a vote is taken, they don't get to vote. You'd probably have to check your state's GOP bylaws to see what penalty, if any, there is for missing a vote (probably none) or not voting as pledged. These rules appear to be set by the GOP state-by-state. Alternates can fill in if the delegate informs his state organization that he has to leave early, or can't go at all.
Probably there are provisions to accept new delegates on the floor at the last minute as well. All of the above are reasons why the candidate with the most supporters has an edge.
The McCain delegates are probably all party loyalists who will do this every year because they support the party. They may not even like McCain very much. When there is a front-runner, the party machine kicks in to support them, but McCain's only been the front-runner for a few weeks. RP delegates will want to be respectful of the loyalists who work hard every year, if they want to win them over.
And for goodness sakes, go! Even if you think RP has no chance at all. If you have to, get your Meet-up to help pay your way. Find others to share rooms, etc. After all, your taxes help pay for it!
IMissLiberty
IMissLiberty
Maybe we should set up a fund...
I know that I for one would be more than happy to donate to a fund set up to help pay for the expenses incurred by Ron Paul delegates to attend the convention! I have no idea what the legalities would be of such a fund but maybe one of our other "Pauliticians" can look into that and set the ball rolling on that one?
"There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know." -John Heywood 1546
Dr. Ron Paul is my HERO!
Do this Locally
We do not need appeals for money all over the Internet and no way to know if they're scams.
Local Meet-ups ought to be able to figure out who is really a Ron Paul delegate. Plus they can carpool, etc., if they're from the same area.
IMissLiberty
IMissLiberty
You amaze me....
you are right again!
Which Ron Paul delegates won't do it?
Do you know who they are? If it's a financial issue they should figure out what their shortfall is and organise a fundraiser - get the local Meetups involved. It would be absolutely criminal if we had the delegates we need and they just didn't show up.
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Live Free or Die - Amen to that
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Live Free or Die - Amen to that
Yes I know them
Only a certain amount of delegates get to go to the state convention and they don't think they are good speakers so they would rather send someone else.
But they will be there to vote for
state delegates next SAt.
If a delegate is unable to
If a delegate is unable to attend they for one in most states are in breech which really doesn't hold much weight.
If they are unable to attend that is what the alternate delegates are for to take the spot of someon not able to attend but if the alternates do not attend they lose thier vote thus would be less votes for who ever they are wanting to vote for.
This is why 1191 commited delegates are required to secure the nomination and why this is going to be a brokered convention.
www.buckforchuck.com
www.whokilledtheconstitution.com
www.revolutionbroadcasting.com
Dr. Steve Parent
So how do they know
who is a commited delegate if
they haven't gone to the state
or national conventions yet?I
don't get it!
They Don't; That's the Point
The State Conventions in some states have a formula based on the popular vote for assigning delegates. In other states, they don't. Some states assign them both ways. All the numbers thrown out are projections and speculation.
The delegates who are "bound" have to sign a pledge. I tried looking up the GOP bylaws in one state to see what the penalty is for violating the pledge, but there wasn't one.
You'd still have the problem of being willing to violate a pledge, though, wouldn't you? I'd have to see the exact wording, which would probably vary from state to state. Perhaps one could miss the first round of voting by being outside the room. Also, I don't know if they use secret ballots.
This is a game that the candidate with the most supporters inside the system wins. Ron Paul has more supporters willing to appear than McCain does, I think. It's now a question of getting them elected as delegates and making sure they show up on time.
IMissLiberty
IMissLiberty
IMissLiberty is right
The MSM doesn't know. GreenPapers has an idea but nobody is actually reporting it.
ALL of the MSM delegate numbers are what I call a fantasy league. No basis in reality.
The convention always happens
It's just that usually the vote is a formality as they know that one candidate has more than 50% of the vote. That's not going to happen this year, which means that the candidates start arguing their case to swing the delegates who didn't vote for them first time round - hence hte term brokered.
That's my understanding of it anyway. They can't declare the nominee until the vote is actually taken at the convention.
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Live Free or Die - Amen to that
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Live Free or Die - Amen to that