If you want to turn the focus in more constructive positive directions then recognize that the real question/problem here is why the delegations in a good number of states had no choice, by law or rule, but to vote McCain or abstain. The problem is with winner take all binding primaries. The following states have such primaries:
Arizona - McCain won with 47%
California - McCain won with 42%
Connecticut - McCain won with 52%
Delaware - McCain won with 45%
DC - McCain won with 68%
Florida - McCain won with 36%
Georgia - Huckabee won with 34%
Maryland - McCain won with 55%
Michigan - Romney won with 39%
Mississippi - McCain won with 78%
Missouri - McCain won with 33%
New Jersey - McCain won with 55%
New York - McCain won with 52%
Ohio - McCain won with 60%
Oklahoma - McCain won with 37%
South Carolina - McCain won with 33%
Texas - McCain won with 52% (winner take all if over 50%, but its a combined process where cong. dist.'s choose del by their results also, and any dist. with winner <50% goes proportional instead of winner take all)
Utah - Romney 89%
Vermont - McCain 71%
Virginia - McCain 50%
Wisconsin - McCain 55%
Now that's a fairly lengthy list of states. It includes many large states; it goes to the heart of why the GOP is so top down- grass roots choices outside the box ends up with no representation by rule. Obviously job 1 in those states is to get those rules changed if you'd like at least proportional primary representation. Better still, the caucus system elects unbound delegates who can make up their own minds based upon what the picture looks like in September, as opposed to being bound in early February. In comparison, the Dem's have exactly zero winner-take-all primaries. All of the above states reported unanimous McCain totals with just one exception- despite being against the rules Utah allowed 2 Romney votes through.
Most of the noise in these threads has been about MA & NV. In MA they have a proportional primary where the delegates are bound on the first ballot to vote in according to the primary proportion formula. Now Romney won there, McCain 2nd. Most proportional states have a minimum threshold of something like 15% or the candidate is awarded no delegates. Paul took 2.6% of the votes in MA, and I presume by rule that's why the only choices open to delegates (other than abstain) was either Romney or McCain. No others garnered as much as 5% even. Clearly even with a proportional primary system there is no representation in many cases for candidates with low percentages in the primary. Now Nevada has a caucus system; you've all heard about the controversy that developed there at the state convention. But even setting that aside I can't think of one single reason why NV delegates could be denied by rule a vote for the candidate of their choice in St. Paul. That state should be open to all-out war with the party, and the NV party brass fully deserves to completely shot down for not following their own rules, at least as far as I can tell from a distance.
Here's where the 15 Paul votes actually came from:
Alaska 5
Oregon 4
Washington 4
West Virginia 2
Followed by a list of states where at least some if not all of the Paul delegates held firm and abstained; note that in some of these states such as my own there was absolutely no basis in the rules to deny these unbound delegates the vote of their choice and there will be hell to pay for that- as long as McCain doesn't win. If McCain wins then the brass'll be telling the majority that the end justified the means. McCain must not win or everything reverts back to square one in terms of getting rules changed and dumping the neocon RINO's presently running the show:
Idaho 6
Maine 1
Minnesota 6
Nebraska 2
North Carolina 4
Pennsylvania 1
And an honorable mention for the 2 delegates from Oklahoma who voted Paul but the chair incorrectly recorded it as unanimous for McCain.
Now that's a total of 37. Not 200+. Even if the Nevada convention had been allowed to run it's course and swept for Paul 31 more makes 68. Minnesota by rights should have had 9 but the three elected from the state convention waffled and voted McCain, no real surprise as they were too deeply rooted in with the party mainstream, not something we wanted but the party disqualified the majority of those who wanted their names in the running from even being on the delegate ballot, we knew that would happen and submitted some candidates we knew would get through their filters in hopes they might come through with a Paul vote. None did, including the woman who delivered the invocation at the rally. Our people had been working hard in her congressional campaign but will reconsider that from here forward.
sell outs, these people are suckers for even believing these lying gop people!!!
