If you wanted a preview of what a Romney administration’s relationship with the conservative base would look like, you got one yesterday in Tampa.
Last week, the Convention Committee on Rules approved a change to the Republican Party rules for selecting delegates to the national convention. Under the rules that existed this year, many of the actual delegates to the national convention were chosen by local and state parties, often at state nominating conventions. The new rule would have given the presidential campaigns veto power over which delegates were chosen.
“The bottom line is that the change adopted today essentially allows the Presidential campaigns to pick their own delegates, which makes it a complete insider’s ballgame and allows a bunch of Washington D.C. consultants to decide who does and doesn’t get to be a delegate,” South Carolina delegate Drew McKissick told BuzzFeed.
Conservative activists including, McKissick, Ron Paul, Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin, Jim Bopp, Matt Kibbe, Morton Blackwell, Phyllis Schlafly, and even Sarah Palin all weighed in against the new rule change.
Late last night, the Romney campaign relented. Under a new compromise rule delegates will still be selected at the local level without interference from the candidates. But, there is also now a new national rule binding all delegates to vote for the candidate they were sent to the convention to represent, at least on the first ballot. According to The New York Times, if they try to vote for someone else, their vote will be recorded for the candidate to whom they were bound.
Some conservatives are still upset about a separate rule change that empowers the RNC Chairman to alter RNC rules between conventions by a 75 percent vote of the RNC, but it is unclear if the same coalition that fought the delegate rule can be sustained to fight this second rule change.
The lesson for conservatives going forward is, if they remain united, Romney can be brought to heel.
Republican Convention
Byron York: GOP feels confident about Romney’s Medicare gamble
Michael Barone: The last-ever four-day convention?
Paul Bedard: Speaker Boehner – Slash convention, party platform
Tim Carney: Reminder, Taxpayers are funding these conventions
David Freddoso: Charlie Crist – The man who doesn’t believe in anything
Phil Klein: RNC swag bag has Romney book with unaltered health care section
In Other News
USA Today, Gas prices likely to rise after Isaac: Tropical Storm Isaac, which could prompt the closure of up to a dozen Gulf Coast refineries as high winds and rain continue to pummel the region, could push up prices at the pump 10 cents a gallon or higher over the next few weeks, depending on the severity of the storm.
The Wall Street Journal, New York Probes Energy-Drink Makers: New York’s attorney general is investigating whether the multibillion-dollar energy-drink industry is deceiving consumers with misstatements about the ingredients and health value of its products.
The New York Times, Military Spending on Biofuels Draws Fire: When the Navy put a Pacific fleet through maneuvers it used biofuels that about $27 a gallon for the fuel used in the demonstration, compared with about $3.50 a gallon for conventional military fuel.
The Washington Post, France urges action in Syria: Scattershot diplomatic efforts aimed at curbing the worsening violence in Syria grew more complicated Monday, with France urging world recognition of a shadow Syrian government that the United States considers premature.
Righty Playbook
At The Corner, Veronique de Rugy sites more evidence that spending cuts are the best way to shrink our debt.
The Wall Street Journal calls Obamacare “Cheesecake Factory Medicine.”
Lefty Playbook
Think Progress is attacking Republican House candidate Tom Smith, R-Pa., for telling a reporter that having a baby out of wedlock is “similar” to rape.
The Huffington Post‘s Paul Slansky attacks Paul Ryan for calling rape a “method of conception.”
Mother Jones‘ Kevin Drum wonders why infrastructure is so much more expensive in the U.S. compared to the rest of the world.
