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Will the Republican National Convention be blown away?

I was having lunch and writing outside The Bad Waitress, a cafe at 26th & Nicollet in Minneapolis, when the wind blew the umbrella down on my head. There's still a strong wind blowing outside here in the Twin Cities, but it's nothing compared to what's about to hit the...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 31, 2008 4:57 PM

Rules committee: A summary

Friday's Republican National Convention rules committee meeting heralded major changes in the way Republicans will select a presidential nominee in years to come, although exactly what those changes may be are yet to be determined. The primary process was one of several thorny issues debated in a six-hour meeting by...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 31, 2008 2:49 PM

Rules committee: A Republican commission on the primary/caucus process

UPDATING this post continually. A proposal has been brought to amend Rule 10. It would set up a commission that would report back to the RNC at some later date, and then the RNC would have to approve any changes proposed by a 2/3rds vote. Morton Blackwell is speaking in...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 29, 2008 1:20 PM

Rules committee: Palin applause, long-distance caucusing

Everything stopped here at the Rules Committee meeting as we watched Fox News coverage of John McCain's introduction of his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Much enthusiasm here. Following Palin's speech, we recessed for lunch, allegedly until 12:20, but it's 12:47 and only now are most of the committee...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 29, 2008 1:04 PM

Rules committee: Primary calendar changes

Oklahoma GOP chairman Gary Jones along with Mr. Ryder of Tennessee (didn't catch his first name) succeeded, by a vote of 67-31, in passing an amendment to a change to the primary calendar proposed by the Republican National Committee. The RNC proposal would have allowed only New Hampshire and South...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 29, 2008 10:33 AM

Rules committee: Palin buzz

We've had the call to order by Chairman Alec Poitevint, the invocation and pledge of allegiance here at the Republican National Convention Rules Committee meeting. Gary Jones and Mary Rumph are here representing Oklahoma. (I was pleased to see that conservative activist icon Morton Blackwell is here again, representing Virginia.)...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 29, 2008 8:19 AM