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Lawn signs supporting GOP presidential candidates Ron Paul and Mitt Romney line the parking lot at Centennial High School in the far northwest Las Vegas Valley on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012.
By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Published Wednesday, May 9, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Updated Thursday, May 10, 2012 | 9:05 a.m.
Sun Archives
Confused by this weekend’s Republican convention?
No one blames you.
Yes, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Nevada caucuses in February, capturing 50 percent of the vote.
Why then, did this weekend’s headlines read that Texas Rep. Ron Paul won almost all of Nevada’s national delegates?
For that, we have the country’s cumbersome and arcane system for nominating presidential candidates to blame. You see, a simple vote doesn’t determine the winner when you’re talking presidential politics.
Here is a six-part primer to help you make sense of strange results and what it all means once Republicans arrive in Tampa, Fla., for their national convention.
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Mitt Romney won the caucuses, but Ron Paul won the state convention. How’d that happen?
The caucuses — which Romney won handily — are simply the first step in selecting delegates to the national convention, which in modern times has become a highly choreographed coronation of the party’s presidential nominee.
At the caucuses, delegates to the county convention are elected. At the county convention, state delegates are elected. And at the state convention, national delegates are elected.
Generally, it doesn’t matter who actually goes as a delegate because the nominee is already decided.
In this case, Paul’s supporters have decided to see the process through, flooding the conventions at the county and state levels with enough supporters to elect Paul loyalists to the national convention.
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But aren’t they subverting the will of the voters?
Romney’s campaign might argue that. (Note a campaign spokesperson’s focus on the caucus tally when asked to comment this week on the convention results.)
Indeed, Romney won 16,486 votes in the caucus to Paul’s 6,175.
But Paul’s supporters reject the notion entirely that they’re subverting anything, noting they are simply seeing the entire process through. The caucuses and primaries are almost never the last word on who becomes the nominee.
Generally, when one candidate opens up an insurmountable lead, the other candidates will drop out and all of the delegates will back the nominee apparent. Paul is intent on testing the question of: Well, what happens if you don’t drop out?
His effort isn’t entirely unprecedented.
In 2008, the Democratic primary dragged on until summer, with neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton locking up enough delegate wins to determine a clear front-runner.
In that case, both campaigns were forced to ensure their supporters turned out in force to the county and state conventions in Nevada to ensure their opponent didn’t gain an upper hand in the delegate count.
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Why does it matter if Paul loyalists go to Tampa? They have to vote for Romney anyway, right?
In Nevada’s case, the answer is yes.
Paul will send 22 loyalists to Tampa. Romney will send six.
But to win its coveted early caucus state status, Nevada had to promise to make the results of the caucus binding. Under those rules, 20 of the national delegates must vote for Romney on the first round of balloting and eight must vote for Paul.
But if for some reason Romney doesn’t get 1,144 delegate votes at the national convention — or 50 percent — another round of balloting is held and all of the delegates are free to vote for whomever they please.
And wait, there’s more!
If Paul delegates succeed in capturing a majority of delegates from just five states — which they are well on their way to accomplishing — they can nominate Paul from the convention floor.
Of course, they’d still need 1,144 votes to crown him the nominee.
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Wait a minute; what about Rule 38?
And here enters the endless arguments over how to interpret the Republican Party’s arcane nominating rules.
Rule 38 is a favorite of Paul supporters because it seems to imply that the state is not allowed to bind delegates at all.
Referred to as the Unit Rule, the measure says “no delegate or alternate delegate shall be bound” by any state’s attempt to impose the “unit rule.”
According to Josh Putnam, a scholar on the presidential nominating process at Davidson College in North Carolina, the rule is a throwback from the days when party bosses would strong-arm a state delegation into backing a single candidate.
Most party officials and observers say it doesn’t apply to states that have binding caucuses.
The problem for the RNC, as Putnam notes, is that the rule is still on the books and opens up an interpretation argument for Paul’s backers.
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OK, but the RNC rules clearly say a delegate can abstain from the vote. Wouldn’t that set Paul loyalists free from voting for Romney?
Well, probably not.
In practice, when a majority of delegates decide they are going to abstain from the nominating vote, that state’s delegation is skipped over in the roll call.
Putnam said the rules aren’t clear what happens after all of the states vote and the skipped states get a second shot at it. If they abstain again, it could create an endless “feedback loop where the convention gets stuck.”
But Nevada Republican Secretary Jim DeGraffenreid notes that the roll call vote doesn’t allow individual delegates to shout out their vote.
Instead, the delegation chair submits the state’s total. In Nevada’s case, the chair would shout out 20 votes for Romney and eight votes for Paul.
Any delegate looking to circumvent that bind would likely be replaced by an alternate delegate, DeGraffenreid said. And all of the alternates elected at the state convention are Romney supporters.
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So, if Paul’s supporters can’t nominate him, what’s the point of all this work?
First, it’s not totally impossible — highly unlikely, but not out of the realm of possibility — for Paul to put together a patchwork collection of 1,144 national delegates. They could potentially win over delegates from Newt Gingrich’s and Rick Santorum’s failed presidential bids or continue on their caucus-state strategy of controlling state conventions.
But, in the end, not all of them are convinced that the only victory is the nomination. They want to infuse the Republican Party with Paul’s brand of libertarian, non-interventionist and small-government politics. With enough supporters at the national convention, they’ll receive national news coverage, could influence the platform and even make life difficult enough for Romney that he’s forced to reach some kind of deal with Paul.
“Romney would have to give something,” Paul’s Nevada chairman, Carl Bunce, said. “Who knows what that could be? It depends on how many delegates we get and how much leverage we have.”
Putnam said the RNC and Romney will be highly motivated to avoid any disruption to their choreographed convention.
“This potentially could be very messy for them,” Putnam said. “It would behoove them to come up with whatever they can to avoid that.”
CORRECTION: This story has been edited to better reflect Paul's foreign policy views. While he is a proponent of ending all foreign wars and foreign aid, he's a proponent of open trade with other countries. | (May 10, 2012)
Ron Paul supporters crack me up, but the Democrats enjoy watching them mess up the GOP program so...
Ron & his Pauloonies...
"We got GUMPTION!"
(Not much else, but I'll give em' gumption).
gumption/gmpSHn/
Shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness.
(Dictionary.com)
Eddie "The Eagle" Hamilton...
My friend, you will find solace in your brethren the TeaNuts, sir!
I am STOKED for the Republican Convention...
Dang, we are talkin' about an assemblage of folk right out of...of...Appalachia!
A brokered Clown Convention;
CHOCK FULL O' NUTS.
Ron Paul DESERVES a seat at THAT table!
Michelle Bachman for President...
Of SWITZERLAND!!!
Woo hoo!
A sweltering summer of sizzling, tea-swizzling hoop-de-dooin', coming right up!
Ron Paul is not isolationist! He is a NON-INTERVENTIONIST. Referring to Paul as isolationist is like referring to your neighbor as isolationist because he doesn't break into your house and destroy your things. Perhaps the author should invest in a dictionary. Sweden is non-interventionist. North Korea is isolationist. See the difference, Ms. Damon?
The caucus system is not "cumbersome or arcane." The rules are published, readily available, and have been used for generations by both parties. The problem is that in a State where Romney supposedly "dominated, " his support was too tepid to represent him at the convention. Paul's delegate wins in Nevada, Maine, Iowa, Minnesota, Loiusiana, Washington, etc. underscores how weak Romney is as a candidate. In Massachussets where he was Governor, Paul delegates filled 16 delegate slots because of Romney's mediocre support. Think about it; When was the last time you saw a Romney bumper sticker? If Romney is unable to gather delegates in States where he "won," how will he possibly beat Obama?
"But aren't they subverting the will of the voters?"
What's wrong with that? In Maryland, the slaves were freed with ballots, but in Virginia, the slaves were freed with bullets, will of the voters be damned.
Look, even if the ignorant masses try to elect Romney, we Ron Paul supporters will block him, because we will be the ones in the Electoral College, and we will vote for Ron Paul, even is States that vote for Romney in November.
I explain the plan and its justification in a video at
But aren't they subverting the will of the voters?
Ron Paul is still getting less votes than Santorum and he dropped out the race and endorsed Romney.
So it is not exactly a movement that is on fire.
Obama only beat 58% to 43% Keith Judd who is a prisoner in the state of Texas (LOL....I am not making that up!)
http://apps.sos.wv.gov/elections/results...
Ron Paul....shootin' blanks!
"...the country's cumbersome and arcane system for nominating presidential candidates to blame. You see, a simple vote doesn't determine the winner when you're talking presidential politics."
That's because this is a Republic, not a Democracy learn the difference. Romney supporters could have shown up to the delegate selection but they didn't. It's not the systems fault they are too lazy to make sure Mitt "the political wind sock" Romney wins.
Ron Paul is my new favorite nut on the right. He's the anti-Etch a Sketch, the opposite of an unprincipled flip-flopper.
While I don't agree with Paul on just about anything, he has a backbone and stands by his long held convictions. Contrast that with Romney, who has put on his 'severe conservative' mask to convince primary teabag voters he's one of them.
Want to know why the circus is still in town and being ran by the Paul folks? Go look at "EDDIE "In Liberty" HAMILTON's" web site. That will show you how low this country has become. It is great for early morning laughs. They have the power to keep the circus going but they won't ever get elected into office. There are enough of us left with common sense to not let that happen.
That's it. Keep distorting the truth and underestimating the appeal of the constitutional message being sent by Ron Paul. At your own peril.
Ron Paul makes exceptions for the Constitution too.
Is Ron Paul for doing away with Social Security and Medicare?
Thanks for the primer, really. However, there is simply the fact that if you had been without an agenda yourself this outcome would not have come as a surprise. In fact, similarly the Occupiers have mucked up the Clark County Democratic Party by supposedly writing programs that forestall foreclosures, even though most of those they'll save will vote Republican!! In short, together both supposed change agencies are wreaking havoc instead of making progress, and all the while they're firmly convinced they know everything, about everything!! Go ahead and ask either of these groups' members a question. I did during a brief rally for ERA passage recently, and the Occupier who believed everything was bumped up a notch simply by his presence told me that this was critical to Nevada's woes!! But, still, back to you, you lvrj puppet, why haven't you simply seen this coming? In a state no bigger than a tea cup you're admitting you have no information about anything except, maybe police shooting habits after 20 years?
Again, thanks for the primer...
1. Loyalty to the constitution and bill of rights
2. Opposition to the wars that are bankrupting our country
3. Common sense and wisdom regarding sound economic policy
4. Stands by his values and position.
I call that pretty formidable ammo which Obomney cannot match.
Isolationist? Really? Let's take a quick look -
Ron Paul wants to implement diplomatic and trade relations with Cuba - a nation the US isolated ourselves from 40 years ago in a very different time. Is this the move of an isolationist?
Ron Paul's foreign policy is one of non-intervention. The philosophy of non-intervention can best be summed up by a quote from Thomas Jefferson, "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none." Need proof that non-interventionism works? Look no further than Vietnam - our interventionist, empire-building foreign policy closed us off from that nation for decades. Now we have friendly relations with them as a result of TRADE and COMMERCE.
Ron Paul gets discounted by the major news outlets - hope he manages to raise some good hell like stopping the automatic nomination of Mitt Romney the etch a sketch guy
no one is confused except you.. the sheeple.
the idiots who get their news from FAUX.. etc.
you dont just miraculously win delegates.. we the people. are SPEAKING
RON PAUL 2012
RESTORE THE REPUBLIC
news flash. Ron Paul, good guy, won't beat Romney, but may as well keep going at this point why not? Another news flash, Romney will beat Obama come November. The Dems are falling apart and groping around for amunition to stop the GOP.
Can't wait for the debates and see our President squirm when asked about his record. No more finger pointing. Just answer why in 3.5 years have you not righted the ship.
Rob Tyree You are EXACTLY correct Isolationist is not the ciorrect way to describe Dr Paul. The media is always trying to discount him. Right or left if "we the people" have an opinion that doesn't agree with those in power they label us kooks. Common sense has to prevail for this country to remain as it was intended to be!!!
Mortgage bankers for Romney.