It would appear that it's all over but the shouting--for and against the Establishment-anointed John McCain. Perhaps first and foremost, he now has all of Romney's delegates, right? And therefore, he's a shoo-in for the Republican presidential nomination?Actually, no.
Ron Paul still has more than just a small chance. So I'm not taking down my Ron Paul yard signs just yet.
My wife asked if it was time to take our Ron Paul yard sign down yet. I told her that I would prefer not to, and here's why.
I am (almost) a perpetual optimist. For example, if the BYU Cougar football team is trailing the University of Utah, as long as there is time left on the clock, I am optimistic that we can come out on top against the Utes. As a matter of fact, it's happened just that way in 2007, when Harvey Unga made an 11-yard touchdown run to overcome a 10-9 deficit, and in 2006, when John Beck
There are still a bunch more uncommitted Republican delegates than the establishment news media want you to know about.
threw a touchdown to tight end Johnny Harline with no time left on the clock.You see, it's never over until it's really over.
I share the same optimism for Ron Paul. Until the Republican national convention is complete, I still have optimism that Ron Paul can be our next president.
Why is that? Because there are still a bunch more uncommitted Republican delegates than the establishment news media want you to know about.
For example, how about all those Mitt Romney delegates, now that Romney has suspended his campaign? He gave them to John McCain, right? In some cases, that may be legal, but in other cases, it is clearly not. Let's look at Utah Republican rules. Utah is a winner-take-all state. Since Romney got the most Republican votes in Utah, all the delegates are (sort-of) committed to Mitt Romney.
36 National Convention delegates are to be allocated to the presidential contender receiving the greatest number of votes in the primary statewide. [Utah Republican Party Bylaws 7.0.B]But here's where it gets tricky and interesting. Since he's not a candidate anymore, what happens? Well, he can't just give them to McCain, because that's not who Utahns voted for. Here are the rules:
On the first ballot, the national delegation are bound to vote for the candidate who has received the most votes in the Republican Presidential Primary. The delegation is not bound on subsequent ballots. [Utah Republican Party Bylaws 7.0.B]Delegates from other states are not committed either. For example, all of Wyoming's delegates are "soft-pledged", meaning that
there is no formal system of allocating Wyoming's National Convention delegates to presidential contenders.
there is no formal system of allocating Wyoming's National Convention delegates to presidential contenders.Currently of the thirty Republican delegates in Michigan twenty are uncommitted, and the other ten are "soft-pledged"
The stories of several other states are very similar.
. . .
The Republican presidential race is not nearly as "over" as we've been led to believe. Can any, many, or all of the Republican delegates be convinced to vote for Ron Paul? Maybe not. However, he is clearly the most insightful and well-qualified candidate remaining in the race, so maybe at least some of the delegates can be convinced.
At any rate, you can see why I'm not taking my signs down yet. And if you've taken yours down, I encourage you to put them back up!
Ron Paul may be the next President of the United States yet!
It's over Frank, Paul is done because and the Party you love is in the hands off McCain, whose promise is to push through a third Bush term.
ReplyDeleteAnd I suspect you thought Utah was going to beat BYU as well!
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteI need to ask for clarification's sake. Your reason that Ron Paul is done is "because"? I'm sorry, but unless you're my father or mother, that reason doesn't work for me.
Now there is optimism. However, it does remind me of a scene from a Monty Python movie, "it's just a flesh wound" says the black knight.
ReplyDeleteObi wan,
ReplyDeleteExcellent metaphor, and I'll accept it. I'm laughing hard. My optimism doesn't preclude me from agreeing that your touche' was probably much more than a verbal flesh wound to my main thesis.
;-)
You are likely 99.9999999 percent correct. But I'm still holding out hope!
While this will serious lower any intellectual integrity held in these comments...
ReplyDeleteJim Carey in Dumb and Dumber finds out he has a one in a million chance of asking out a really hot girl. His response... "So you're saying there's a chance!!"
I'm hopeful Pauls chances are better than Jim Careys.
Hey Urban, That is the same line I was going to quote. That and unless God guides Ron Paul the right way like Harvey Unga...:)
ReplyDeleteSo am I Dumb, then, or Dumber?
ReplyDelete;-)
I wonder when the economy tanks if people will have wished they listened to Ron Paul a little more closely.
Dumb or Dumber... Based on the fact that I would love to see Ron Paul in office as well, and would therefore self-incriminate should I label you as either. I shall choose neither. (I've also been awake for almost 30 hours, should that statement need any excuses!)
ReplyDelete