Discussion of platform changes was blocked this past week at the platform committee meeting of the Republican National Convention (RNC). Campaign officials, elites in the party, and national party staff worked to block discussion of platform changes they wanted passed. This group wanted to water down pro-life, pro-family, and pro-Israel positions! Obviously, silencing any opposition allowed them to ram through their changes.
Arkansas State Senator Jim Dotson and a delegate from Louisiana, Tony Perkins, who is also president of the Family Research Council, attempted to speak and ask questions. They were shut down by the committee chairman and voted down by delegates described by David Barton as “campaign-picked delegates.”
The effort to ram through platform changes began well before Senator Dotson was denied the opportunity to ask questions at the RNC committee meeting. Normally, the proposed platform is distributed to delegates the day before discussion, but that didn’t happen. Withholding the information kept delegates from organizing opposition to the changes. Furthermore, delegates weren’t allowed to use their cell phones or computers in the meeting, which further limited delegates from communicating. Meanwhile, the elites and campaign officials were aided by the RNC staff who held up signs saying “YES” to tell delegates how to vote.
Their changes, weaking the positions, were rammed through in a matter of minutes.
The blocking of discussion in the national platform committee meeting was a shameful tactic.
BACK IN ARKANSAS
The effort to ram through changes at the RNC platform committee wasn’t a tactic only used at the national level. The same tactic was also attempted by elites in Arkansas at the State Republican Convention in June.
Elites in Arkansas used Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA) staff in their attempt to block state delegates from considering any rule change or resolution, other than the few approved by a committee handpicked by the State Party Chair, likely with the help of the elites.
To silence state delegates, the elites had to come up with rulings in conflict with an entire chapter of rules on conventions in Robert’s Rules of Order. They ignored rules specifically allowing convention delegates to modify its agenda by adding or subtracting items. They also ignored rules allowing other rules changes and resolutions to be considered, despite a committee not approving them first. Prior to the State Convention the plotters were confronted with the rules that actually apply to conventions and were also reminded the State Convention is the final authority in all party matters.
Elites who plotted to hijack the Arkansas State Convention were working on their plan long before the State Convention. For example, in some County Committees controlled by elite sympathizers there was an open effort to keep hard working, platform believing, people out of the membership for the County Committees. People who had been voted in as members of the committees and paid their dues were told they didn’t qualify for membership. The actual reason for rejection being these faithful Republicans dared to think of themselves as “Patriots.” Their rejection of faithful Republicans stands in dramatic contrast to how easily lifelong Democrats who switch parties to have a chance for reelection have been welcomed without question.
Additional tactics used by the elites in Arkansas was for some county chairs to self-appoint an additional not so insignificant number of delegates to the convention from their county committee (which was unknown to county committee members until a tip came in from a person in the know) as well as the strategy of withholding names of the elected delegates to the state convention. These strategies not only had the potential to disenfranchise elected delegates but also limited communication between state convention delegates prior to the state convention.
How did the plotters respond when they were confronted days before the State Convention? They didn’t respond. They stayed silent and ignored the information, moving ahead with their plan to hijack the State Convention. They were well on their way toward controlling every move of the State Convention until the delegates chose a chair for the convention who is not controlled by the elites.
Had the elites been able to elect their person for chair of the convention, be assured every ruling would have gone against delegates who wished to be heard. The delegates rejected the choice of the elites and instead elected a convention chair who followed the rules, which allowed elected delegates from across the state to have a say in their convention.
The Arkansas elites’ attempt to control the State Convention was a shameful tactic.
It gets worse. The Arkansas elites have switched to Plan B. They are ignoring the actions of the State Convention as if it never happened. The State Convention was held back on June 8th, and there hasn’t been any acknowledgement by RPA staff that a State Convention even occurred other than to certify to the Arkansas Secretary of State the names of the six elected Republican Presidential electors, which was one of the last votes taken during the Convention.
With elites having sway over RPA staff, it will take the Republican County Committees and Republican Congressional District Committees to stand firm to keep the elites from rejecting the convention and dividing the party.
