Consistent, I don’t remember if I posted on this website or another one a few months ago, an actual experience at our Republican State Convention of keeping certain state delegates from being selected as national convention delegates and why we did that and why other state chairman likely did the same thing at their state convention that year. First, here is Republican Party 101, a course in how the party works:
Most people don’t know the organization of the Republican Party. “Normal” people are busy working and running their lives and knowing details of a political party is not necessary to buy bread and milk and get the kids to school, and get to their work on time, so they don’t know the guts of how the Republican Party works. They vote in the general election every two years, and every four years that includes voting for president. They may or may not vote in the primary. Normally, there is a presidential candidate who rises to the top and he has enough delegates by the time of the national convention to be chosen their candidate. However, this time, there may be no candidate who has the required number of 1,237.
What does the number 1,237 represent? It is not chosen out of the air. There will be a total of 2,472 delegates at the national convention. A candidate must win a simple majority of the 2,472 (50% plus one) delegates and that number is 1,237.
Organization: There is a state chairman in every state, and one woman and one man from each state party and US possessions, is on the national committee along with the state chairman – the RNC, and they run the national part of the party along with the national chairman, Reince Priebus and the vice-chairman. These people total 168 Republican delegates. They vote on the first ballot for their state’s/possession chosen candidate and are free delegates after the first ballot, to vote for whomever they wish.
Communication: This is key to keep the party on the same page. The state chairmen communicate between them and get communication from being on the national committee and Priebus communicates with them directly also. They discuss their state conventions and how they might handle any dissention that might arise and that includes delegate selection for the national convention.
Now, here is an example of “handling” delegate selection at the state convention the year Romney was the candidate:
Ron Paul did not suspend his candidacy for president so he was a concern to keep him from disrupting the national convention (he was still a viable candidate). He had his people go to the primary convention which is held on primary day after the polls close. They got themselves selected as candidates to their county convention and from there to be candidates at the state convention. His idea was for them to be selected at the state convention as delegates to the national convention.
Here is what we did at the Texas state convention to keep his state delegates from going to the national convention:
I was selected to find the Paul delegates at our state convention so we would not vote for them to be delegates to the national convention. The Texas state convention was always in June and it is hot in Texas then. Us old timers who had been to convention many times, wore comfortable clothes and shoes for all the walking and hot weather. I spotted the Paul delegates easily – they were all young men wearing full suits and carrying briefcases. They stuck together looking very business like, serious expressions on their faces. Guess what, none of them were selected as delegates to the national convention.
Now, extrapolate that selection maneuver to this year. There has to be communication that has been going on for months between state chairmen and the national committee of which they are a part, regarding selection of delegates.
My main point is, none of what is happening is happenstance, there is organization and rules and communication between all state Republican Parties and the National Party (RNC).