Howard Fineman: Mitt Romney GOP Convention Rule Change Gives More Power To His Campaign

If Ben Ginsberg said the sky was blue, I would have to go check after he came down on the side of Joe Miller in AK who until this year was one of a group of candidates that were the worst I have seen being pushed by the Tea Party.  This year is worse with the likes of Akin and others running for Senate who are too hard right to be elected or at least I hope the people are smart enough not to send Akin and others like him to the Senate.  Gingberg went to Alaska to help Miller  out but even he couldn't pull out a win for Miller who was beat by the incumbent write-in candidate, Lisa Murkowski.  Joe Miller was a joke and so were the statements made by Gingsberg during that fight.

Gingsberg can play down the fight over the rules this week all he wants but it left a lot of bitter feelings and these Romney Republican establishment types are stupid if they don't think most Ron Paul people will never support Romney/Ryan and their hostile takeover of the GOP.  The first rule was even worse when they wanted to make it so the candidate could replace delegates in the states which they had to compromise but anyone with a brain can tell that the Romney establishment types want complete control of delegate selection.  Guess they really do want to be the minority party for years to come with this attitude basically telling the grassroots to sit down and shut up.  The fact they tried to get control of state delegations should bother every last Republican:

The move misjudged the mood and background of many of the people here. "It was tyranny at its best," said Bob Ide, a delegate from Idaho. "They should have run these guys off the stage." 

But many other delegates -- especially the large contingent from Texas -- were irate as well. I sat with the delegation Tuesday night and they were all glad to join with Paul on the matter.
The "compromise" got rid of the delegate-replacement language, but kept other features that will reduce the power of state and local party officials. That's the place where Paul -- and any other anti-establishment and Tea Party types -- can work their will. 

The delegate from Idaho says it all.  What are the likes of Romney and Gingsberg going to say when they wake up after the election and discover a much smaller Republican Party after all their shenanigans to consolidate power in DC for Republicans.  Why bother to have County and State Conventions when the national people want to pick the delegates?

Is the end of the Republican Party getting closer or will a Romney defeat of epic proportions save the Party?  Not sure a lot of Republicans want to be associated with the Romney Republican Party with all the lies being told about welfare and medicare that have been proven to be lies but Romney/Ryan cannot seem to stop themselves as they continue to lie.  Wonder if anyone has kept track of all the lies after two nights?

Mitt Romney GOP Convention Rule Change Gives More Power To His CampaignHoward Fineman
Posted: 08/29/2012 9:09 pm

TAMPA, Fla. -- Republicans here claim to want to disperse political power: return it to the states, the marketplace and the people. But Team Mitt tried to collect even more power in the hands of itself and the Republican Party -- which is what caused a rules fight that seemed very obscure, but that in fact provided a glimpse into the ideological and temperamental split in the GOP. 

On the floor of the hall Wednesday night, RNC lawyer Ben Ginsberg downplayed the rules confrontation, resolved on Tuesday, at least for the time being. 

"You know you're having a very good convention when a rules fight is all there is to argue about," Ginsberg said. 

As if to show a lack of hard feelings, Ginsberg was on the floor for a speech by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, whose father Ron Paul's cadre of delegates were at the center of the fight.
"I like Dr. Paul and have worked with him for years on the Hill," said Ginsberg. "We get along fine." 

Not really. Ginsberg, who has worked with and for every GOP president and campaign since Bush One -- and who is a central figure in the GOP's D.C.-based establishment -- tried to push through a rule giving party leaders the power to pick (or replace) delegates representing candidates, and even the party's nominee, before the convention. 

(snip)

"All we want is to make sure that the popular vote in a primary is what controls the outcome in delegates," Ginsberg told me. 

But the result will make state and local conventions irrelevant. And soon enough, the big convention will be irrelevant, too.  

Excerpt:  Read More at the Huffington Post
It'll all be big money.