"As Maine goes..."...The rest of the Union better do better

[SteveMartin]

These are estimates and initial observations ONLY, and we may have more accurate numbers to report later. However, we had about 190-200 delegates to the state convention out of a total of 750-800, so there was no way we could have accomplished what some states did that had a majority of delegates to their state conventions.

We were fairly disorganized and had no parliamentarian, so those were also limiting factors. However, we achieved the following minor successes:

1. 1 delegate to the national convention (of 21): Patrick Eisenhart of Kennebec County.
2. 3 members to the Republican state committee (about 50-55 members) including yours truly.
3. 2 changes to the state party platform, including one which would require Republican candidates to sign the "Taxpayer's Pledge" to never vote for an increase of taxes if elected, and another that would require Republican elected officials to work for a balanced budget and a law requiring a 2/3 majority in both houses to raise taxes.

Other than, we were pretty well contained and handcuffed by rules that did not even allow our candidates for national delegate or alternate to even speak.

I made a motion early on during the first morning that all Presidential candidates be given the opportunity to have a speech on their behalf, and was immediately shot down. Still, we were promised a 4-minute video during the convention after many folks (not all just RP people) complained to ME party leadership. What we got was about a one-minute DVD clip during lunch recess--when practically nobody was in the room at all.

A disappointing 3 days for sure--but we accomplished a few things, and we certainly spread the word and won some converts.

 

[Fields]

Missed you Steve.

 

[SteveMartin]

Thanks. I hadn't been posting in recent weeks because I had been too busy making calls and working the GOTV effort for this..

 

[Badger Paul]

Good work Steve! Thanks for getting what you could.

 

[MozoVote]

Of the remaining states, only Montana and Washington stand a serious chance of having Paul-majority delegations. I think the delegation ratio you saw here is how most states will be.

The real challenge of a Paul bloc is to learn how to use it's numbers as part of a "swing vote" on closely debated issues, and to have some people well-versed in Robert's Rules that can keep these chairmen on their toes. They are accustomed to a crowd of groupthink, that does not contest things.

 

[SteveMartin]

Loads of promises broken...

Some advice for other states:

1. JMO, but...DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU ARE TOLD by GOP hacks. Be prepared for and EXPECT the worst from them, and that is what you will get.

2. The only thing I will say is that the chairwoman of our convention was pretty fair, I thought, though I am no parliamentarian. The parliamentarian we might have had had his credentials challenged, made an ugly scene up by the podium, and was drug out by security.

3. Be sure you can trust any staff hired by Arlington in your state, and work closely with PROVEN grassroots leaders to insure they are intimately involved with every detail of GOTV efforts and convention strategy.

4. If you hold any sort of pre-convention planning meeting do not permit anyone to call a pre-convention planning meeting that is anywhere near any place frequented by GOP hacks, and have TIGHT security for all those that come in and declare they are RP supporters. In our state, we actually held our pre-convention planning meeting in the same building as where the convention began the next morning, the state Republican meeting was going on right above us upstairs in another room, and the Vice-Chair of the Maine GOP walked in right in the middle of our sensitive discussions and gave us a "welcome." Not good, IMHO...

 

[brandon]

Thanks for the hard work steve.


What exactly does a state committeeman do? I think they give out the party endorsements, but do they do anything else? Is it a paid position?

 

[SteveMartin]

State Committeeman is a member of the RNC and an automatic delegate to the national convention. I was told it is not even a paid position.

 

[leonster]

What lessons can we take away from NV and ME?

Two suggestions for a start:

1. Gauge support. If its majority RP (probably rare), and there's even a hint of things being "railroaded"... have someone (preferably someone who isnt known to be an RP supporter, wearing a suit, etc.--to get recognized to speak for the motion), move to elect a new chairman.

2. If minority support... don't form a bloc. Sit dispersed among the crowd, chat with people, let them know we're not hostile--just looking to represent traditional conservative values that have fallen by the wayside. Let them know you support RP, sure... but refer frequently to Reagan, Goldwater, etc. Focus on the size of government, etc., chat about amendments to the platform that will be offered up and why they make sense for Republicans. Basically--make friends, try to open people's minds as a friend rather than making a bloc to be feared. (You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar...)

 

[MozoVote]

Right now I think there is an assumption on the GOP leadership's part that the Paul movement is a "flash in the pan". Kind of like Perot's days. It's just a storm to weather, and all the Paul-minded delegates will become frustrated/bored and will go away.

That perception will change if we are still around next year for party elections. Attendance at the off-year elections is low, and people seeking party offices will be looking to get our votes. That starts an immediate segue into discussing Constitutional law, small government, personal liberty, etc...

I think the important lesson this year, is to show the party establishment that we do show up and do vote. Lay the seeds for the future.

 

[SteveMartin]

leonster,

I agree totally...UNLESS...you are 40% or more in your RP bloc, and have made pre-convention efforts to reach out to Romney and Huckabee people. Then, you can take a more "hard line" and "go-for-the-throat" approach...the same way they do.

MozoVote,

Right on!

 

[MS0453]

Good work Steve! Thanks for getting what you could.

Agreed. Congratulations on what was able to be accomplished.

 

[angelatc]

1. 1 delegate to the national convention (of 21): Patrick Eisenhart of Kennebec County.
2. 3 members to the Republican state committee (about 50-55 members) including yours truly.
3. 2 changes to the state party platform, including one which would require Republican candidates to sign the "Taxpayer's Pledge" to never vote for an increase of taxes if elected, and another that would require Republican elected officials to work for a balanced budget and a law requiring a 2/3 majority in both houses to raise taxes.

hed a few things, and we certainly spread the word and won some converts.

You did great! You've put the groundwork in place for the next set of elections.

 

[Badger Paul]

Make sure you keep up to date with party activities for 2009 because that's when the attendance will be really low and that's where we can make our advances, especially if there's no GOP President or Congressional leader to pay homage to.

Do rule out Minnesota just yet, they've got eight CD delegates and will reportedly will have a sizeable Ron Paul contingent at their convention May 29-31 in Rochester.

Make sure to spread around the advice so our delegates in Hawaii, Washington, Montanta and Minnesota knwo what to plan for.

 

[speciallyblend]

reading these events at the conventions,makes me hope the gop loses the general election.

 

[SteveMartin]

I know this as an open forum an all, but...just so you all know:
http://www.asmainegoes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55024&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=105

 

[josephadel_3]

Steve, why was your motion ruled "out of order"? What is out of order about granting us a speaker? This whole thing was very discouraging. I feel dirty.

 

[SteveMartin]

Jose,

I knew it was out of order before I made it, and that I needed to have been recognized a few seconds earlier as they were voting on adoption of the convention agenda. I could not get the chair's attention earlier-- though I tried. It was a shame there were not microphones available for people to be heard.

What we voted on just prior to my motion precluded any chance of my motion receiving any consideration from the chair. However, I decided to do it anyway--just to be heard. As a result we got a 30-second video clip of RP during the lunch recess with about 50 people in the room...lol...Oh well...I tried!

 

[MozoVote]

Reading through the "AsMaineGoes" forum confirmed something I had suspected... the platform amendments were too verbose or complex. All it took was a few words in an otherwise good amendment to make the mainstreamer's uncomfortable.

Lesson to other states: Keep the amendments short, and to the point. Better to throw many darts... some will hit. (An amendment with several paragraphs could be separated via parliamentary procedure, but probably won't be. The "question will be called", and the whole thing sunk.)

 

[SteveMartin]

Read pages 11 and forward of the AsMaineGoes.com link I gave.

We had a mole.