Ron Paul – Reno, Nevada – GOP Convention – 8/26/08

Nevada GOP Plays Games Ahead of State Convention

Nevada GOP Plays Games Ahead of State Convention

Brock Lorber
Blog: Bloody Mary Breakfast
Date: 4-23-2008
Subject: Presidential Campaigns for 2008 – United States

After a conversation this evening with Ernie Hancock, in which we wondered aloud what games the Nevada Republican Party would play against Ron Paul in this weekend’s state convention, I received the answer in the form of a telephone survey.
As background, it must be stressed that, in Nevada, the Republican party is a private enterprise. While we comply with state election laws, the conduct of the party, its bylaws, and operations are conducted privately. Members, officers, and delegates are bound only by their consciences.

Under a new system implemented this year, Nevada Republicans do not elect a presidential candidate, but rather conduct thousands of mini-elections to select delegates, first at the precinct level and then at the county level. The delegates elected at the county level converge at the state convention to elect 34 delegates to the national convention. As in every other step, those delegates are bound only by their consciences.

Having said that, the apparatchiks in charge of this private party have done everything possible to thwart the Nevada campaign of Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul (who, by the way, placed second in the straw poll conducted on the morning of the precinct caucuses). State officers tried to extort $10,000 from the campaign for the list of Clark County (Las Vegas) delegates while the other major campaigns got the list for free. Other counties reported similar shenanigans.

There was no question that the NRP would battle Ron Paul Republicans this weekend, the question was how they would do so without inflicting collateral damage on non-Paul delegates. The answer is, by using our non-refundable registration fees to survey delegates before they show up.

While I was in a meeting tonight discussing this weekend’s festivities, I received a call from (866) 750-5167. After I left the meeting in disgust (it turned to talk of leadership councils, committees, and bylaws), I dialed the number and got a busy signal. About twenty minutes later, I received a phone call from the same number asking for me by name.

Now, the phone number on which I received the call is special. It is a temporary number until I get my usual number ported to a new provider. Until yesterday, only four people had that number: my wife, my father, the Ron Paul Campaign Coordinator for Clark County, and Ernie Hancock. Yesterday, however, I registered for the state convention and provided that number specifically because it is a temporary number.

On answering the phone, I was informed that the call was from mumble-mumble (Consumer Research Realty Corporation?) with a three question survey for me. Without waiting for assent, I was confronted with these three preambles and questions (paraphrasing):

1)The surge in Iraq has decreased attacks on civilians and our own troops. Do you think we should stay in Iraq and finish the job?

2)There have been no terrorist attacks in the US since 9-11. President Bush says that is due to the provisions in the PATRIOT Act. Do you support the PATRIOT Act?

3)Who are you supporting for President in this caucus cycle?

I answered all three questions honestly and intelligently, that is, wrongly. Therefore, officially, I am marked as “one of them”. As I am out registration fees, hotel, and airfare for this weekend, who wants to bet that I won’t be seated as a delegate this weekend?

On a related note, if anyone is up for a little bingo-bango-bongo on the golf course in Reno Saturday, let me know. I’m pretty sure I’ll be free.

ADDENDUM: After writing this, but before posting it, I’ve received an unconfirmed report that the calls are coming from the John McCain campaign. If this is true, then the NRP is providing private registration information to the McCain campaign, a whole ‘nother level of scummy. If not, still scummy, just less so.

The Greatest Ron Paul Conspiracy Theory

Weekly Editorial:

I’ve recently read about how the state republican parties are trying to change the rules to eliminate Ron Paul supporters from the ranks of the delegates. Surprisingly (as a Ron Paul supporter) I find comfort in this report. At least the Ron Paul detractors finally admit there may be more than a couple supporters and that they are everywhere.

For the longest time, Ron Paul supporters were believed to be clever gremlin type creatures who created mischief and disappeared, if seen at all. These mythical creatures were rumored to be the creation of one lone internet spammer who lived in his mother’s basement and singlehandedly perpetrated the largest Sanjaya effect on the electorate.

I know the Ron Paul supporter(s) is supposedly the largest group of conspiracy theorist(s) ever assembled, but let’s look at some of the conspiracies assembled about the lone Ron Paul supporter. (Since Ron Paul seemed to be pretty much beyond reproach, conspiracies of this evidently busy supporter abound in large numbers.)

O Politicians were “threatened” in person (even on their front porches) by this deranged Ron Paul supporter.

O Glenn Beck had the “swat team” protect him after a “serious” death threat.

O RP signs were planted everywhere by phantom and holographic supporters. The lone Ron Paul supporter evidently learned from the Federal Reserve and created 10s of millions of dollars in campaign contributions from thin air.

O The Ron Paul supporter was accused of racism. The racist quotes were posted everywhere but the supporter who wrote them was never located or named.

O The RP supporter was blamed for all kinds of mischief ranging from the satirical Fred Thompson forum to any rumor appearing on the internet supporting any and all off the wall conspiracies.

O Two or three Ron Paul supporters were constantly blamed by Sean Hannity for tens of thousands of spammed votes after debates. This clever spammer somehow got around FOX NEWS’ 1 vote limit. (No one has figured out how, yet.) This resulted in Ron Paul winning the debates by the viewers (or viewer.)

However, with all these threats, acts of violence, and other reported mischievous occurrences, the mystery remains: Who was behind it all? I have yet to hear of an arrest made of a Ron Paul supporter who threatened the politician on his front porch. Did Glenn Beck’s swat team ever find the source of the threat? No names have ever been named. Was the mysterious RP supporter behind the myriad of different hoaxes ever confirmed? The one or two conspiracy nut job spammers behind the tens of thousands of post debate polls are still at large to this day.

Now the local GOPs are changing the laws to bar these figments of imagination created by one spammer from going to the GOP convention. This leads me to the question. Who are the true conspiracy nut jobs?