For seventy + years the Soviet Union, the Russian Communist Empire, dominated its citizens with absolute totalitarian rule. The Government owned and controlled everything. Nevertheless, throughout that time, they held "free elections." How did they do that? The key was controlling who was allowed on the ballot: the nominations. The Communist Party dictated who could run for each office. Mission accomplished.
On May, 22, 2008 The Executive Board of the Washington State Republican Party issued a "resolution" to "clarify" rules of the 2008 Washington State Republican Convention (May 29-31, 2008). Luke Esser sent it everywhere and, at that late hour, four days before the filing deadline, re-designed the filing form, rejected previously submitted filings, and began implimenting the Executive Board's provisions in the preparation of Convention Ballots. It stipulated that while all 37 of Washington's elected delegates to the National Convention would be "elected" at the Convention, 19 of them would be in elections where the nominations would be made by persons not elected by anyone, and freedom of speech would be expunged for ALL Convention elections.
No floor nominations would be open for these positions. That was against the rules.
No speeches would be allowed by any of the candidates, themselves, for ANY delegate position. That was against the rules.
No comments on or debate about who was running for ANY delegate position was allowed. That was against the rules.
No questions could be asked of, or about the candidates for ANY delegate position. That, too, was against the rules.
If you did not vote for a candidate on the ballot, your ballot didn't get counted. That was against the rules.
If 157 people attended a caucus where there was only one nominee allowed and only one person voted for that one nominee, he was considered elected, not just by a majority, but unanimously.
No actual majority could do anything about it.
Welcome to Esser Democracy.
The process did not "clarify,' but blatantly violated the Washington State Committee's legitimate rules for the State Convention, and violated several National Rules for the conduct of any State Convention.
Although literally hundreds of candidates committed to McCain filed to be on the controlled ballot, they were not allowed to run.
Instead, State Convention Delegates got to choose their representatives from ballots like this one in the 5th Congressional District (scan of actual ballot):
(click to enlarge in another window)
Posted by DougParris at June 02, 2008 10:58 AM | Email This
No, he sat in his vendor booth that predominantly displayed a gestational fetus while the caucus elections were going on.
Posted by: Alicia on June 2, 2008 10:33 PMDoug knows all this because he worked full-time as one of several top-level strategists for the Washington Ron Paul caucus/convention campaign, constantly receiving documentation and briefings from convention committee members and delegates in 39 counties. Doug knows all this because he has actually read and studied the National Rules, the State Rules, the State ByLaws, many county convention rules and has repeatedly been a County rules committee Chair and committee member and was first elected to the State Rules Committee twenty years ago. Doug knows all this because he has worked full time on the caucus/convention procedure for months, consulting with the national campaign and Ron Paul attorneys.
Doug sat at both the Life of the Party and Ron Paul booths during the breakout into district caucuses for two reasons:
1. He was connected, as a parliamentary advisor, by headphone radio, to Ron Paul district leaders in all nine congressional districts and had to be able to talk without interrupting any proceedings in any of them, and:
2. He was, as a Ron Paul supporter, subject to the whims of an out-of-control security staff who had shut down access throughout the Convention, like a Communist Country, for the exclusive benefit of the McCain leadership team members who were, as was pointed out by a legally recognized convention speaker during the convention, given un-restricted access everywhere including to the State Party attorney and State Chair, literally ON the main podium DURING the conduct of the main convention.
(I am speaking to Doug)
At the 32nd convention, your juvenile attempt at parliamentary procedure was "interesting". When you did not get your way, you physically obstructed the woman leader of the 32nd convention from conducting the meeting. It was not until it appeared that the sergeant at arms were going to remove you from the podium did you back off. I call that bad behavior. What do you call it?
You were "a parliamentary advisor" in Spokane? That explains a lot.
What does your reference to Germans and Jews mean?
Wrong out, Doug. I am from the 36th. I have a family member in the 32nd that sometimes needs transportation to republican meetings. From time to time, I unfortunately get to see your bad behavior up close.
You would be best advised to relax, think it through before you start engaging in defamation at this level. If you can’t sell your ideas on their own merits, why bother writing this stuff in the first place? Instead of blaming others for Ron Paul’s campaign failures here in the Republican Party, you might consider a look in the mirror.
Fact is if I were you, I would suggest you check with your attorney in the future before you engage in this extremist behavior. You might find yourself on the expensive end of a defamation lawsuit.
The ‘public figure’ protections under the First Amendment have LIMITS to these types of off the wall and irresponsible charges and characterizations.
Those that live in glass houses would be well advised to not throw stones.
Posted by: Andrew Brown on June 3, 2008 08:51 AMThe party elites think they just need some fine tweaking while most of think they should start from scratch.
Posted by: swatter on June 3, 2008 10:17 AMDuring the 32nd district caucus, the "woman leader" of the 32nd district caucus, Lisa Thwing, attempted, illegally, to cut off my speech, roughly nine minutes before its legal limit. When I pointed out the rules, Ruth Gibbs, who had been brought to our District as "parliamentarian" to help the McCain team cheat, asserted that Lisa had the authority to make up rules as she went along. When I continued to speak, utilizing my rights according to the rules ignoring their violation of them, several people became physically threatening, not only in violation of the rules, but in violation of Washington State Law protecting its citizens from violence and intimidation.
I have challenged Lisa to justify her actions.
She cannot.
Posted by: Doug Parris on June 3, 2008 12:15 PMWhat 'name calling' ?
What inflammatory rhetoric?
What defamation?
What extremist behavior?
What irresponsible charges and characterizations?
What facts am I playing fast and loose with?
Tell us what you're talking about.
All of the above characterizations of me, absent specificity, are themselves ad hominem.
You are making irresponsible charges about me.
Thoughts?
Posted by: Lysander on June 3, 2008 08:40 PM