A CALL FOR AN OPEN CONVENTION

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? IF NOT YOU - THE DELEGATES, WHO?

In the 1880 presidential election, a historic brokered convention took place. At the Republican convention, the delegates were deadlocked between two candidates, James A. Blaine and John Sherman. Heavy politicking and brokering ensued. Over thirty ballots were cast. On the 34^th ballot, a new contender emerged. James A. Garfield, who was NOT even a candidate, was nominated and prevailed in the general election to become our country’s 20^th president.

America’s presidential elections are rife with history of brokered conventions (which are a form of open conventions). In 1844, James A. Polk only hoped for a VP slot yet was handed the nomination on the ninth ballot and emerged as the 11^th US president. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was nominated on the third ballot and became our 16^th president. In 1876, the delegates picked Rutherford Hayes on the seventh ballot. He, too, was victorious and won to become our 19^th president.

Back to the anxious time of 2012, America is one election away from turning into a socialist nation. We need a strong-willed, independent-thinking challenger to the incompetent Chicago-politician sitting at the White House. Instead, we have a presumptive nominee with no core principles who does not feel the need to have to “light his hair on fire” to earn the support of the conservative base, and an alternative candidate, buoyed by his fiery delegate-supporters but managed to win only 3% of the Republican  primary votes. The gravity and depth of problems facing our country are begging for history to repeat itself - only our circumstances call for an open convention where the delegates, and not the political leaders, would be doing the negotiating. LET US BRING ON AN OPEN CONVENTION. This is not to disrespect the rules of the Party or to disrupt the order of the convention event. We need to nominate another candidate at the convention because we NO longer have a choice.

How formidable is our presumptive nominee when the delegates were forced to sign affidavits of support, under threat of perjury, to secure their votes? How credible is our presumptive nominee when the Republican Party itself had to break their own rules to carry their preferred candidate across the finish line? Why did the RNC allow Florida to be winner-take-all when the Sunshine state broke Rule No. 15(b)(2) and held its primary prior to April 1^st? Did RNC Chairman Priebus have to thumb his nose at the voters and endorse Gov. Romney prematurely when Rep. Paul was still very much in the race in clear violation of Rule No. 11? In Montana, Indiana and many other state conventions, why did the RNC prevent the delegates to vote for their chosen delegation but instead force on them slates of delegates hand-picked by the Romney campaign?

The RNC and the Romney campaign had no qualms in breaking the Republican Party’s own rules to ensure his victory at the primaries and the convention. We the People are only asking our delegates to use the rules in the book to give us a TRUE COMMONSENSE CONSERVATIVE choice in Tampa. Please, delegates, exercise your right to Rule No. 38. “No delegate or alternate delegate shall be bound by any attempt of any state or congressional district to impose the unit rule."  Vote your conscience, vote for our country, vote for our future. Give us the strongest Republican who can energize the base, who has a proven record of accomplishments, serving only the best interests of the people she served, with concrete and tangible benefits to her constituents - Governor Sarah Palin.

The Republican Party establishment is now only looking to advance their own interests. The media has surrendered their journalistic duty to report unbiased facts at the president’s and the Left’s feet. It is time to take our destiny in our hands and restore everything that is good about our country. WE ARE AMERICANS. We are the leader of the free world. It is time to defend our freedoms and founding principles and values that the permanent political class has callously kicked aside in favor of perpetual power and greed.

The first step towards taking our exceptional nation back begins, not on November 6, but right here at the convention in Tampa in August, and it starts with YOU – the delegates.  If not now, when? If not us, who?

(Note: This article is cross-posted at www.palinquakes.com and is part of the delegate packet that we are mailing out to the RNC national delegates who will be convening in Tampa, Florida in August 27 - 30, 2012. I also wrote the cover page of the same packet that was signed by the founder of the Sarah Palin's Earthquake Movement).