Update From Tampa
John Tate
I’ve been doing conventions long enough to realize that when you don’t have the numbers, things will not go your way.
Today, we didn’t have the numbers. That is not in question.
Four years ago, the Republican Party simply handled our R3VOLUTION by slamming the door in our faces with hardly any consequences.
Today, the GOP establishment can no longer afford to employ these tactics.
Instead, they’ve adopted new ones.
Properly elected Ron Paul delegates were stripped from us. And when a motion was made to amend the Credentials Committee Report, it was ignored.
Morton Blackwell, a longtime conservative activist and RNC Rules Committee expert, found himself indefinitely detained – along with the rest of the Virginia delegation.
The RNC’s bus driver responsible for transporting delegates somehow “got lost” for well over an hour until a critical Rules Committee meeting adjourned.
Blackwell and the Virginia delegation were heading up the efforts to defeat new RNC rules proposed by Washington, D.C.-based insider attorneys.
These rules are designed to turn the Republican Party into a top-down organization and strip power away from state parties and grassroots activists of every stripe.
All efforts to vote down these onerous rules were ignored despite a clear split in the voice vote.
Sadly, these rules will now govern the party.
While it is almost certain we did not have the votes on the floor to win either of these battles, a fair and open debate and recognition of our motions would have been a better way for these problems to have been handled.
It didn’t have to be this way. And quite frankly, it’s a shame.
It’s a shame for Ron Paul supporters. It’s a shame for conservative activists of all stripes, and it’s a shame for the Republican Party.
However, you and I have much to be proud of.
Many of the amendments our campaign fought for were included in the new GOP platform. Four years ago, many politicians in both parties scoffed at our efforts to audit the Federal Reserve.
Now it’s in the Republican Platform – along with internet freedom, war only under a Congressional declaration, support for a gold commission, and fighting back against domestic drones.
We also forced the establishment to cave in and seat more of our delegates than they wanted to.
Instead of being shut out of the convention, Ron Paul was able to walk the floor and talk to his delegates Tuesday afternoon.
Coalitions that have been built over the past several weeks on these battles will last long into the future.
Our liberty movement is growing. It’s growing fast.
And the underhanded actions we’ve seen over the past week are sure to drive more folks into our camp.
I’m proud of our liberty movement. I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished. I’m proud of you.
I strongly believe you and I are the future.
Winning won’t be easy. Our opponents are determined to maintain their iron grip on power.
But their days are numbered – if I can count on you to keep up the fight.
The Ron Paul R3VOLUTION is not coming to end.
Our R3VOLUTION will not end until limited government, free markets, sound money, and respect for individual liberty, constitutional principles, and a pro-America foreign policy are finally restored in America.
And you will play a vital role in making this a reality.
For Liberty,
John Tate
Campaign Manager
P.S. The establishment is going to use every trick in the book to hold onto their power.
But they know you and I are the future of the Republican Party. Their days in power are numbered - if I can count on you to stay involved.
Our R3VOLUTION did not end today. It’s only beginning.