Ron Paul's Ninja Delegates

[Lief 🗽]

When exactly are the conventions to decide the national delegates? Because if they're in April or May, that's awesome. But if they're in June or something, then there'll probably be a nominee already and it won't matter.

[Lief 🗽]

Anyone remember what the Paulites did in Nevada in 2008?

Prepare to witness that in every single caucus state.

[Lief 🗽]

If Paul should manage to pull this off, though, it is only in 7 states: IA/CO/MN/ME/WA/MO/NE.  Of course, that is a maximum of 237 delegates at stake, plus whatever pittance he wins in other states.  Of course, that's over 10% of the delegates, which isn't an insignificant amount.

How are delegates chosen in the other caucus states, like Alaska or North Dakota? Is it similar to how NV does it, proportionally based on the straw vote?

[Lief 🗽]

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Excellent.

[Lief 🗽]

It's looking very possible that Ron Paul seriously overperformed with delegates in Nevada as well; the eventual RNC delegates selected are bound by the strawpoll result, of course, but that doesn't mean there won't be lots of fun at the state convention again!

Some examples:

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Yeah, when I was tabulating NV results from twitter last Saturday, Paul overperforming his straw poll results in delegates was a pretty constant theme. Of course, Paul supporters believing this meant something wrt to national delegates was also a constant theme.

[Lief 🗽]

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hahah delightful.

[Lief 🗽]

So if Gingrich drops out before the convention, Ron Paul potentially gets some Georgia delegates?

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Are these all just reports from Paul-ites themselves though?  Do we have any independent confirmation on this stuff?

We do have independent confirmation that roughly a majority of Clark County NV delegates supported Paul and that they took over the executive committee. All the other stuff seems to be reports from the Paulites.

[Lief 🗽]

Could someone clarify this for me? So is Paul trying to use these delegates to get more delegates than he was allocated from the votes he got?

The ultimate best-case scenario goal is for delegates supporting Ron Paul to make up a majority at the state and CD conventions and pass resolutions that assign all the RNC delegates to Ron Paul. In many of these caucus state there are no rules that the straw poll caucus vote has to be taken into account when assigning the final RNC delegates, which makes the Paulite gambit possible.

[Lief 🗽]

Yeah, that's what they're trying to do, so that if the convention goes to a second ballot they can switch all at once to Paul.

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Heard it through the grapeline that the Paulites will try to take the delegates in Florida - because they moved their primary that apparently means the Florida delegates are unbound.

oh god yes.

[Lief 🗽]

Heard it through the grapeline that the Paulites will try to take the delegates in Florida - because they moved their primary that apparently means the Florida delegates are unbound.

Oh, wow, that's beautiful.

Also, on the subject of bound/unbound delegates: apparently, the GOP rules still allow delegates to abstain rather than vote for the candidate they're legally pledged to, so the Paulistas that are bound for Romney/Gingrich/Santorum on the first ballot are planning to force the convention open by voting "present".

This is undoubtedly the greatest thing I've ever heard.