GOP Intimidation of Ron Paul Delegates

March 15, 2012

LCR Blog

By Ryan W. McMaken

“The Republican elite are afraid of Ron Paul. Why would they be intimidating his delegates if they weren’t so scared of his message?” –KTRN

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March 13, 2012
GOP Intimidation of Ron Paul Delegates
Posted by Ryan W. McMaken on March 13, 2012 12:28 AM

In some places, such as Maine and Minnesota, Ron Paul is likely to outperform the straw polls in terms of proportion of delegates won. As Lew Rockwell has noted, here and here, Ron Paul activists are sometimes able to take control of the local machines.

Sometimes, however, the opposite apparently happens. As The Washington Times reported on March 10th, Paul actually underperformed his vote tally in Wyoming with local caucuses over the weekend.

If you’ve ever been a Ron Paul delegate, you know that the GOP central committees will employ every trick in the book to avoid having to seat Ron Paul delegates. They will freely ignore their own bylaws, apply rules in such a manner as to only exclude Paul delegates, and will liberally employ intimidation tactics through verbal abuse, and even physical manhandling of delegates.

In the end, if everything else fails, they’ll attempt to get you to switch your vote by begging you to be a “team player” and by claiming that Romney is electable and that your dissent will keep Obama in power.

They did it in 2008, and some Ron Paul delegates switched their vote to the “electable” John McCain at the national convention, as I noted here.

I described my own delegate experience in 2008 here. Trust me, they’ll do everything they can to intimidate, harass, or just plain exclude you.

The video shows what is probably a fairly typical experience for many delegates:

Click here for the full report.

Only Remaining MSM Reporter Covering Ron Paul Is Pulled

March 15, 2012

Info Wars

By Steve Watson

“Are you getting angry yet? The mainstream media is completely ignoring Ron Paul. There is massive vote fraud happening around this primary election. Ron Paul is secretly winning. If he loses this thing and runs as a third party candidate – you better watch out!” –KTRN

It is now official. The mainstream media is no longer covering Ron Paul’s presidential campaign.

A few weeks ago Dylan Byers of Politico reported that NBC News was the only media organization that still had a reporter covering Ron Paul full-time.

Now Byers has filed an update revealing that Anthony Terrell of NBC News has also been reassigned.

“Ron Paul is officially embedless.” writes Byers, adding that NBC has refused to comment on the decision.

Byers also reveals that other mainstream organizations, including Fox News, have no intention of putting a reporter back out full-time.

“Paul doesn’t have as many events right now as the other candidates in the race,” Hunter Ryan, the politics editor at Fox News Channel, told Byers.

“He is focusing on certain states. I am planning on covering him… [and] a combination of embed and bureau resources will be used to cover Paul going forward.”

“For most political reporters, he is all but irrelevant to the future of the GOP contest.” Byers adds.

Click here for the full report.

Anti-War Icon Dennis Kucinich Loses Congressional Seat In Primary

March 8, 2012

USA Today

By Susan Davis

“Whether you like Kucinich or not, it is obvious that the powers that be wanted him out. You see, they love war, and Kucinich is all about peace.” –KTRN

Rep. Marcy Kaptur won her primary Tuesday and ended fellow Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s 16-year career in the U.S. House, making him the first incumbent to lose their re-election bid in 2012.

Kucinich was not alone. Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt was in an unexpectedly tight primary fight in her Cincinnati-area district and lost to Brad Wenstrup, a physician making his first run for Congress.

Meanwhile, former representative Mary Jo Kilroy, who was defeated in the 2010 Tea Party wave, was denied a comeback attempt for a Columbus-area district by former state representative Joyce Beatty, a Democrat.

Click here for the full report.

Six Romney Family Members Hit Campaign Trail… For RON PAUL

March 6, 2012

Info Wars

By Steve Watson

“If Mitt Romney’s own relatives won’t support him, why is anyone else?” –KTRN

No less than six relatives of Presidential candidate Mitt Romney have joined the campaign trail in the race for the GOP nomination, but they’re not supporting the former Massachusetts governor, they’re campaigning for Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Three of Romney’s relatives will even speak at Idaho caucus sites, declaring their support for Paul in a story that is sure to create a buzz around Paul’s campaign as he looks to pick up his first caucus win on Super Tuesday.

The Paul campaign issued a press release Monday introducing five Romney relatives, then issued another release shortly afterwards noting a sixth.

Travis Romney, Troy Romney and Chad Romney, all cousins of Mitt Romney, will speak before Ron Paul crowds in Idaho today. Ty Romney and Jared Romney, whose grandfathers are cousins of former Michigan Governor George Romney, the father of Mitt Romney, have also declared their support for Paul.

“I don’t dislike Mitt at all,” Chad Romney (pictured above) said. “He seems like a nice guy. He just doesn’t understand the constitution like Ron Paul.”

“It’s Ron Paul or bust,” Chad Romney added, “Now, a lot of people will ask me if I’m related,” he said. “And I always say: ‘Yes, I’m related, but I vote for Ron Paul.’ ”

When asked who he would vote for if the ticket turns out to be Romney vs Obama, Chad Romney said “I don’t know if I’d vote for either one of them. I’d just write Ron Paul in there.”

Click here for the full report.

How Ron Paul May Have Won — And Lost — Maine

February 17, 2012

Reuters

By Amy Fried and Michael Socolow

“What has happened in Maine’s primary is a joke. Talk about fraud and corruption. Ron Paul probably won the state, but they are doing everything in their power to deny him of victory.” –KTRN

Washington County, Maine, is the easternmost point in the continental United States. This region of rocky shores and pinetree forests is populated by proudly independent — and defiant — citizens.

The Republicans in Washington County have supported such radical and underdog candidates as Ross Perot and Patrick Buchanan in the past.

Too bad they didn’t get to participate in the Maine caucuses last weekend.

Due to a snowstorm, the Republican party in Washington County (and in various locations in neighboring Hancock County) was forced to reschedule its caucuses for this coming weekend. Yet despite not having results from these precincts, Maine Republican Chairman Charlie Webster declared Mitt Romney the victor in the Maine caucus. Romney, Webster reported, earned 2,190 votes, while Ron Paul finished second with 1,996 votes.

According to the Associated Press, the chairman of the Washington County Republican Party, Chris Gardner, a Romney supporter, called state party leaders and expressed his “complete and utter dismay.” Washington County Republican leaders, who moved their caucuses to this coming Saturday after snow made it difficult to meet last weekend, will convene these postponed caucuses this Saturday, and County Chair Gardner is hoping that state party officials will change their mind and accept the results.

He shouldn’t hold his breath.

After all, the Republican leadership in Maine refused to accept the results of other caucuses that were completed in time. Eighteen towns that held caucuses in Waldo County reported their results by the Feb. 11 deadline, yet those totals showed up nowhere in the final tally. Nor did the results from Waterville or Belfast make it into the GOP numbers even though the caucuses held in those towns were also completed by the deadline.

Click here for the full report.

Why Ron Paul Has A Good Chance Of Winning In Nevada & Maine

February 2, 2012

Info Wars

By Steve Watson

“If Ron Paul could win one or two of the primaries, the focus might shift his way. It looks like Nevada and Maine might prove to be his biggest chances of a clear cut win. Don’t count him out yet.” –KTRN

While Mitt Romney walked home an inevitable victory in the winner takes all Florida primary this week, the Ron Paul 2012 campaign was busy campaigning in Maine and Nevada, where the Congressman’s team has been busy building on a six figure ad buy.

Paul’s campaign has a lot riding on Nevada where the Congressman, scheduled to hold a major press conference in Las Vegas today, has polled consistently high for weeks.

Indeed, Paul has been running ads in The Silver State since last summer in anticipation of the caucuses which begin this Saturday, Feb 4th. When Paul unveiled his centerpiece budget plan last October, he did it in Las Vegas.

Four years ago Paul placed second in Nevada behind Mitt Romney. This time around Paul’s support has grown exponentially, while Romney’s has more or less remained the same. The Congressman has had two offices open in Nevada for months and has amassed a sizeable army of volunteers to canvass for the campaign, just as he did in Iowa and New Hampshire. In contrast, Newt Gingrich only opened an office in the state last weekend.

Furthermore, as noted in the Wall Street Journal today:

Paul’s core supporters have been campaigning in Nevada since September, and a group of Paul backers made a coordinated effort to become elected as Republican officers in their local party groups after a delegate dispute in the state party convention in 2008. “The ground game and the grass-roots activity never stopped,” said Carl Bunce, chairman of Mr. Paul’s campaign in Nevada.

As the article notes, it is Paul and Romney that hold the cards in Nevada – Paul because of his strong organization, and Romney because Mormons account for more than one-quarter of caucus-goers.

Click here for the full report.

Ron Paul Will Defeat Mitt Romney In The Virginia Primary

January 27, 2012

The Hill

By Brent Budowsky

“Don’t count out Ron Paul just yet.  You never know what could happen.  He’s in it for the long haul.”  –KTRN

In a dramatic head-to-head contest that will win huge attention throughout the political world, I now believe that Ron Paul will defeat Mitt Romney in the Virginia primary. The implications could be enormous. This result would dramatize the fact that a majority of Republican primary voters favor a candidate more conservative than Mitt Romney. This prospect could also inspire the mother of all money bombs for the Ron Paul campaign.

If I were the campaign manager for the Gingrich and Santorum campaigns, I would be suggesting that all conservatives vote for Ron Paul in Virginia. Ditto the conservative movement leaders from all conservative points of view and throughout the conservative media.

So far, the pundit debate has largely missed the point that Mitt Romney has hovered between 26 percent and 38 percent in various state votes and polls. It is ridiculous for anyone to suggest “this race is over” or “this race will soon be over” (as many pundits wrongly have) because, obviously, the nominee will need 50 percent-plus-one of all delegates. I emphasize delegates.

What is certainly unique about Virginia, so far, is the prospect of a straight Ron Paul versus Mitt Romney contest, with no other candidates. If this does not change, the Virginia vote will be a pure play of Romney versus Paul, and also a contest purely of Romney versus the conservative movement, which I would expect to unify behind Paul for the Virginia vote.

This pure play will dramatically increase media coverage for Ron, because the Virginia race will take on a life of its own as a unique head-to-head battle. This will provide fundraising opportunities for Paul going into, and coming out of, the Virginia vote. This will boost whatever role Ron Paul chooses to play, whether it becomes convention player, kingmaker or third-party candidate.

Click here for the full report.

Vote Fraud Endemic In United States

January 26, 2012

Disinformation.Org

By Brad Friedman

“It makes you wonder if our votes even count.”  –KTRN

The voting systems in use for the nation’s first three all-important electoral contests in the 2012 primary — from Iowa to New Hampshire to Saturday’s South Carolina Primary — go from pretty great to intolerably horrible. And then comes Florida, which deserves its very own special category, thereafter.

The “First-in-the-Nation” caucuses in Iowa allowed voters to vote on hand-marked paper ballots, counted by hand in front of the public at the caucus site, with results announced to everyone right then and there before being called in to GOP headquarters and before ballots were move anywhere. The wonderfully transparent system allowed for Republican voters by the Iowa GOP (which they hypocritically fight against allowing for everybody else in other states, and even in their own during general elections) is just about as close as we general get in this country to Democracy’s Gold Standard. It’s also what allowed reporting errors to be discovered and confirmed by the public after an election with some 122,000 votes counted transparently within an hour or so of polls closing, leading to almost nobody charging “fraud” even though just 34 votes are said to separate first and second place in the certified results of the impossibly, and historically, close election.

As of the “First-in-the-Nation” primary in New Hampshire, however, election transparency for voters and their ability to oversee their own elections began to disappear. While a lucky 10% of voters enjoyed hand-marked, publicly hand-counted paper ballots, the rest of the state’s voters were allowed to vote on hand-marked paper ballots, but forced to tolerate secret tabulation on oft-failed, easily-manipulated Diebold optical-scan systems programmed by a company (LHS) with a history of criminal behavior and convictions. The results from those 90% of Granite State voters may have been tallied accurately by the Diebold op-scanners or, as seen in the disastrous 2008 Presidential Primary, not. Since NH doesn’t bother to actually check to see if their machines tallied the hand-marked paper ballots correctly, we’re unlikely to ever know if they did — barring a recount request where, by then, the secure chain of custody of the paper ballots would be uncertain (to put it mildly.)

Click here for the full report.

There’s Something Very Odd About GOP Primary Pre-Polling And Vote

January 23, 2012

Info Wars

By Eric Blair

“A very interesting point is brought up here:  how could Gingrich win the South Carolina primary when the day before the vote he had to cancel a major campaign stop because of lack of attendance?  Something seems fishy with this entire thing.”  –KTRN

Okay. It’s time somebody says it. Something seems very strange about the GOP primary pre-polling and vote thus far.

As a Ron Paul fan, I didn’t want to seem like a sore loser after the odd Iowa result where the failed no-name Senator, Rick Santorum, was catapulted to victory with very little tangible support.

But now, how on earth could Newt Gingrich win the South Carolina primary when the day before the vote he had to cancel a major campaign stop because of lack of attendance?

The Associated Press reported:

Newt Gingrich has cancelled a campaign appearance in South Carolina because of poor attendance.

The Republican presidential candidate was scheduled to speak to the Southern Republican Leadership on Friday. But a campaign spokesman told reporters that he would no longer be appearing due to poor attendance.

There were just a few dozen people in the audience at the College of Charleston’s arena, where the event was taking place.

Click here for the full report.

Ron Paul Is Likely To Defeat Rick Santorum In South Carolina Primary

January 20, 2012

The State Column

By TSC

“Let’s hope he beats Mitt Romney too.” –KTRN

Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, is likely to defeat former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in the Palmetto State, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports poll of likely voters in the South Carolina Primary.

Mr. Paul pulled in 15 percent of the votes to best Mr. Santorum by four percentage points in the pre-South Carolina Primary poll. A Rasmussen Reports poll, released Tuesday, found Mr. Paul and Mr. Santorum tied with 16 percent of the votes each. In less than a week, Mr. Paul’s support has held steady in the Palmetto State and Mr. Santorum’s has dipped five percentage points.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is also a big winner in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll. Mr. Gingrich is now the front-runner in the Palmetto State after trailing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney by 14 percentage points earlier in the week. Mr. Gingrich garnered 33 percent of the votes in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll.

Governor Rick Perry (R-TX), who pulled in 2 percent of the votes in the South Carolina poll, exited the GOP race Thursday and endorsed Mr. Gingrich for the Republican presidential nomination. “I believe Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform this country,” Mr. Perry said in an 11am news conference.

Realizing that Mr. Perry’s endorsement is likely to level the playing field between Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Romney in the Palmetto State, Mr. Paul quickly went on the offensive against the Georgia Republican.

“Don’t be fooled by the words candidates use when they are running for office. Look hard at their records. My record is one of true limited government, anti-Washington, D.C. conservatism,” Mr. Paul said in an email to supporters Thursday.

“Newt Gingrich has a long record of liberal appeasement, flip-flopping on key issues, and lobbying for insider millions,” Mr. Paul added.

Click here for the full report.

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