[Peace-discuss] Fwd: IL GOP bosses push Presidential Delegate power grab

["E. Wayne Johnson ???"]

I know that many of you dont give a big ripe red one about how the 
Republican Party operates
or dysfunctionalizes into a thin dull brownish entropic goo.

But considering that the Only Presidential Candidate likely to bring a 
swift end to the War is running as a Republican, it may be of some 
interest to see how the deck is being stacked to deny it.

Democracy, yer donkey.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	IL GOP bosses push Presidential Delegate power grab
Date: 	Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:24:30 -0500
From: 	Doug Ibendahl <dibendahl at ilryp.org>
To: 	Doug Ibendahl <dibendahl at ilryp.org>



Thought you might find this of interest.
From: www.RepublicanNewsWatch.com <http://www.republicannewswatch.com/>
*IL GOP bosses push Presidential Delegate power grab*
By Doug Ibendahl
August 29, 2011
**
The consolidation of power continues within the Illinois GOP. At the 
Illinois Republican Party's quarterly meeting on August 18th in 
Springfield, the 19 members of the State Central Committee were asked 
to  sign-off on a big change to the way Presidential delegates and 
alternates will be chosen next year.
If the plan is adopted, Republican Primary voters would not elect 
delegates representing the various candidates for President, as has been 
done in the past in Illinois. Instead, the State Central Committee would 
pick the majority of delegates and alternatives after the Primary. (A 
few at-large delegates would also still be selected at the State GOP 
Convention in June next year. That has typically been a very pre-rigged 
affair.)
As 99.99% of Republican voters have absolutely no say in choosing the 
members of the State Central Committee who would be doing the choosing 
of delegates, our State GOP's plan should be a serious concern to every 
Republican, and especially to the campaigns of the various Presidential 
candidates.
As is the case with nearly all material business our State Party 
conducts these days, the new proposal was presented in secret while the 
State Central Committee met in closed executive session last week. The 
only reason I know the details is because a friend who was at the 
meeting was given a copy of the proposal which I've since reviewed.
Part of the proposal dealing with allocating delegates proportionally is 
necessitated by a Republican National Committee (RNC) rule change. I 
have no problem with that change for Illinois. I have no particular 
attachment to the "winner take all" system our state has used in the past.
But what our State GOP is attempting to do is piggyback a power grab 
along with the reasonable change. Although allowing the State Central 
Committee to pick the delegates appears to be legal  it most certainly 
is not a change that's necessitated by any rule or law. State GOP 
officials are simply trying to select the alternative that would give 
the undemocratically selected State Central Committee the maximum amount 
of power possible.
As is too often the case, we have too many GOP officials in Illinois 
more concerned with what they can do as opposed to what they should do. 
They think of themselves first  and what's best for Republicans and our 
Party a very distant second, if at all.
No vote was taken on the plan at the August 18th meeting but it's likely 
to be voted upon by the State Central Committee via phone conference 
later this week.
As word has trickled out about the proposal I've received several phone 
calls over the past few days from a variety of Republicans, including a 
couple of GOP County Chairmen, rightfully concerned about what the State 
Central Committee appears poised to do.
Republican delegates and alternates will travel to Tampa, Florida next 
summer for the Republican National Convention, August 27 -30, 2012.
It's at the National Convention where the Republican nominee for 
President is officially chosen. That's when the delegates from across 
the country come together and vote. The nomination doesn't happen until 
then.
It's likely the probable Republican nominee will be pretty much known by 
the time Illinois' March Primary comes around. A number of key states 
have their primaries before us.
On the other hand, the field is more fluid at this stage relative to 
past Republican races for President. Anything can happen in politics, 
and maybe there will be a horse race for the nomination all the way to 
Tampa next August. One just never knows.
But regardless of who is still in the hunt next year, the Illinois GOP's 
old guard has figured out a way to be the ones at the dance in Tampa no 
matter who those pesky Republican voters pick in March.
Once again it's "heads" the bosses win, and "tails" Republican voters in 
Illinois lose.
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