Lessons From A GOP County Convention

My first Republican county convention experience, summed up in one word: eye-opening.  And yes, I know it’s two words joined with a hyphen, but that does count.  I wasn’t a delegate (that will have to wait until I turn 18), but went along to watch and learn about the process.  And boy did I get a first-hand lesson in good-ol-boy GOP politics.

I’ve known for a while now that the Republican Establishment will do anything to get their way.  But at the convention, I saw it first-hand for the first time.

If the county GOP leadership wanted to pass a motion that sparked any kind of controversy, who needs discussion?  It’s must easier, I suppose, to just ignore the man right in front of you requesting to speak (never mind you just let the lady directly next to him speak), take the vote, and then say you didn’t see him requesting to speak after it’s all done and over with and your motion has passed.  Oh, and it goes without saying, as soon as you figure out which side the conservatives and tea party Republicans are sitting on, you make sure never to look in the at direction during any time for discussion for the rest of the night.  And if all else fails, just yell into the microphone that you’re going ahead and voting on the silly motion.  Robert’s Rules were never actually meant to be followed, were they?

I’ve heard about these things before, but seeing them happen in front of my own eyes, with people I know and am acquainted with — people who been enthusiastically welcoming me just minutes earlier — silencing and ignoring conservatives, was rather shocking.

This is exactly the reason Freedom's Defenders is starting Principled.GOP — to give conservatives the knowledge, connections, and resources we need to fight back.

Yesterday’s experience was eye-opening and a stark reminder that there’s a lot of groundwork that needs to be laid to ensure that the Republican party is a conservative party.  Please join the cause — click here to learn more about how you can help build a principled, conservative Republican Party.

- Peter

Original post at www.peterformichigan.com/2014/08/15/lessons-from-a-gop-county-convention. Used with permission.