Ron Paul Supporters Shutdown Nevada GOP Convention
Another do over Nevada convention–this time on the GOP side. Ron Paul supporters took over the Nevada GOP convention. Convention Chair Bob Beers was booed and escorted from the premises surrounded by armed security. From the AP:
Outmaneuvered by raucous Ron Paul supporters, Nevada Republican Party leaders abruptly shut down their state convention and now must resume the event to complete a list of 31 delegates to the GOP national convention.
Outnumbered supporters of expected Republican presidential nominee John McCain faced off Saturday against well-organized Paul supporters. A large share of the more than 1,300 state convention delegates enabled Paul supporters to get a rule change positioning them for more national convention delegate slots than expected.
“I’ve seen factions walk out. I’ve never seen a party walk out,” said Jeff Greenspan, regional coordinator for the Paul campaign.
Delegates cheered earlier in the day as former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney urged support for McCain. Later, though, Paul got even louder applause as he delivered his message of individual freedom and fiscal responsibility.
State Sen. Bob Beers, the convention chairman, was booed loudly as he called for a recess Saturday evening. He said that the party’s rental contract for a big meeting room at a Reno hotel-casino had expired and there was too much work left to complete.
State GOP Chairwoman Sue Lowden said the rules change wasn’t anticipated. She denied any anti-Paul bias, saying expected slates of national delegates were prepared through a fair and open process by the convention’s nominations committee and the party thought the convention would accept them.
Here is Annjeanette Damon’s story from the RGJ.
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Here are from some videos from the GOP mess in Reno
NV GOP Convention Videos
Your headline is wrong. Ron Paul supporters did not shut down the convention. It was shut down by the party leadership after they learned that they were losing the vote for national delegate in 3 congressional districts. There are 22 more national delegates to be selected and they party leaders were staring defeat in the face on those. That is why they closed the convention. They hope that they can figure out some way to save themselves when the convention reopens again. I was a delegate and I tell you that no Ron Paul supporters wanted the convention to end prematurely.
Yes, I agree that the headline is wrong, grossly wrong. Sue Lowden, most likely with the approval of other party leaders, decided to shut down the convention when it appeared that Ron Paul supporters were on the verge of electing most of the delegates to the national convention.