[EL] GOP convention and brewing fight over 2016 nomination & convention rules

[Rob Richie]

Most folks are focused on the political show that is part of the 2012
general election campaign, but party conventions of course are
fundamentally about something more -- the leaders and activists of a major
party coming together from the 50 states, DC and the terroritories and
defining the party and the rules that govern it.

That traditional definition of a party doesn't seem to sit well with some
members of the Romney team, and they've pushed through rules in committees
that could have a big impact on 2016. The press has picked up primarily on
the penalties for states like Florida that break rules involving when to
schedule contests -- a welcome change. But proposed rule changes also get
deeply into who gets to be a delegate, to what degree they are bound by
nomination contest preferences and how fairly they will reflect voter
preferences -- with apparent interest in going back to more winner-take-all
contests that distort that kind of fair reflection.

Election law list participant Jim Bopp is among those quoted in stories
about it, calling the proposed changes “the biggest power grab in the
history of the Republican Party" -- see the first link below to the
Washington Times piece by Ralph Hallow, who knows the world of GOP internal
politics very well.

The Buzzfeed piece has the specifics of the proposed changes.

 Among those changes, the role of proportional allocation of delegates
isn't central to the fight, but remains widely misunderstood by the media.
That's reflected by an error in the Politico piece, which repeats the
inaccurate conventional wisdom that Romney would have gotten a bigger lead
more quickly with winner-take-all rules. FairVote's numbers show that view
is wrong. See:
http://www.fairvote.org/romney-delegate-total
and
http://www.fairvote.org/2012-presidential-primary-resources

Sounds like this all could get a little messy amidst the hurricane and
hullabaloo.

- Rob Richie

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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/aug/26/gop-officials-accuse-romney-of-power-grab/
GOP officials accuse Romney of ‘power grab’
Say he’s trying to rig rules for 2016 delegate selectio
By Ralph Z. Hallow
The Washington Times, Sunday, August 26, 2012

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http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/romney-rules-changes-could-spark-gop-convention-fl

Romney Rules Changes Could Spark GOP Convention Floor Fight
Romney campaign pushes rules change that has the grassroots livid — and
trying to force a fight at the convention on Monday. “Minority Report!”
Zeke MillerBuzzFeed Staff
Posted Aug 25, 2012 1:13pm EDT

######################
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80110.html?hp=r1

Mitt Romney asserts control over 2016 calendar
The Romney campaign’s move will mean less consequential state conventions.
By JAMES HOHMANN | 8/24/12 2:58 PM EDT Updated: 8/25/12 7:41 PM EDT

#########

http://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2012/08/mitt-romneys-assault-on-the-grassroots-at-the-rnc/
Mitt Romney’s Assault on the Grassroots at the RNC (Updated)
Shane Vander Hart | August 26, 2012 |



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Rob Richie
Executive Director

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