GOP: Simply following rules

Governor Otter would like us to all believe the “discord” seen at last month’s Republican convention is merely a “family dispute” and can be settled, once all of the parties involved get together to “work things out.”

If the good governor had stuck around for the entire convention then he would have a much better understanding of the “dispute” and, hopefully, would disabuse himself of his thinking about a “family dispute.” The fight wasn’t between the middle-of-the-road Republicans and those on the conservative side, it was about following the rules as established by the governor’s own party, the Republicans.

One county’s Republican Central Committee failed to submit their delegate names within the required time limit, as prescribed by the Republican state rules, thus forfeiting their right to seat their delegates. The other parties in the dispute did not follow the state rules for electing their respective delegates, choosing instead to use a slate of names and not nominate/elect each delegate separately. This was a practice they had used over the last 15 years, by their own admission. They had been told to cease and desist, said they would, got a scolding and continued to elect their delegates illegally.

This year, the conservatives said “Enough!” and refused to seat those counties’ delegates who had been caught with their hands in the figurative cookie jar. Had they followed the rules as outlined by the Republican Party then there would have been no “dispute” as to seating their delegates. Pure and simple. We are a nation of laws and depend on our laws to maintain order, even at state conventions.

DON BRADWAY

Committeeman, 14th Precinct