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Subscribe to RSSThe South Carolina GOP is urging Republican National Committee members to move the party's 2012 convention outside of Florida, if the Florida GOP doesn't abide by the agreed-upon primary calendar.
That calendar calls for Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina to hold their presidential nominating contests in February 2012, and then for the other states to follow beginning in March.
"Simply put, if Florida does not respect the process by which our primary calendar was set, the RNC should not be bound to the process by which the convention site was selected," South Carolina GOP Chair Karen Floyd said in a letter to RNC members. "If Florida refuses to move its primary date into compliance with RNC rules, I am respectfully requesting that the Committee convene a special task force to select a new site for the 2012 convention outside the state of Florida."
In her letter, Floyd cites a quote from Florida's House speaker, Dean Cannon (R), who said he wasn't concerned that Florida would be penalized if it held its primary earlier than scheduled, because the RNC wouldn't ultimately penalize the state hosting the party's 2012 convention (which is being held in Tampa).
Floyd added, "It remains my sincere hope that none of this will be necessary -- that Florida will ultimately abide by the rules set forward by our Committee, that we will have an orderly and predictable nominating process, and that we will have a phenomenal convention in Tampa in 2012. If Florida’s legislature makes those things impossible, however, it is important to start the conversation now about the alternatives."
Iowa GOP Chair Matt Strawn has issued a statement backing Floyd's call. “If Florida refuses to move its primary date into compliance with RNC rules, that consequence should be the re-opening of the process to select the site of the 2012 RNC convention," Strawn said. "I join South Carolina Chairwoman Floyd today in beginning preparations to request that the Committee convene a special task force to select a new site for the 2012 convention outside the state of Florida.”
*** UPDATE *** The Republican National Committee sent this statement to First Read on the South Carolina GOP's (and well as Iowa GOP's) support for picking a new 2012 convention state -- if Florida doesn't abide by the 2012 primary calendar. "The convention will be in Tampa. At the same time, we will enforce the rules agreed to by all states with respect to the primary and caucus calendar," said RNC Chief of Staff Jeff Larson.
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Bev you sign that Move On Petition to can Immelt yet?
What are yo waitning for?
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Why on Earth would we want an electoral vote-rich battleground state like Florida having more of a say in selecting our 2012 nominee??? Let's stick with having Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina pick our nominee.
(Sarcasm Flag = OFF)
Seriously...we want to alienate Florida, a state that I'm pretty sure is a must-win for our nominee in 2012 if we are to have any realistic hopes of winning the Presidency.
@Frank: In order "to have any realistic hope of winning the Presidency" you have to have a nominee who is relatively sane and electable. With the likes of Palin, Gingrich, Bachman, Pawlenty, Trump, Barbour.... good luck with that.
The only hope the Republican party has is to launch the extremists and get back to your real roots. There never has been a "moral majority" in the GOP. The leaders of that movement were not moral and were not a majority. Repackaging the same old theme as the "tea party express" does not change the tune.
The reason President Reagan won was because he was a moderate. We can argue until the stars turn cold as to how President George W. Bush really got into office.
Last decent Republican was President Eisenhower, another relative moderate.
Funny, I think the Republicans of today would reject Reagan and Eisenhower both as being socialists.
Who cares about this nonsense today?
Come danger - FR gets it's marching orders well in advance.
They cannot do anything on the fly. Particularly regarding Libya. Somethings just can't be spun away, especially by these "journalists."
We both know the next articles will be about the budget, Bachmann or Palin. The fact the Rubio just came out hard makes their heads hurt, cause now Rubio and Hillary are in line.
I been waiting all Day for the Bachmann and or Palin Story, I bet they wont post them now Spanky. Now that you have Outted there Order..........
SPANKY boyo you must have missed the Fox non news channel last evening? The brains of your Republicant Conservathieves are in the lead not Marco, not any half way reasonable thinking person. The likes of Beck's fellow Mormon, The quitter from Alaska, The one who failed history and probably The Guy with the sheet over his head are your prospects and you are stuck with them.Ohh and the one who may decide to run to save us all the moron who doesn't think that both the Senate and the President need to approve a bill so that it becomes law and that only the House needs to pass it is required. That's the best yall got boyo....live with it.lmao
Well said Ray.
But Ray I don't watch Fox. In Fact I was watch Big Ed Schultz get bitched out for being a hypocrite about war by some libbie from the Nation.
Oh and Ray, did you pass English? Hard to tell, unless maybe you are 12.
SPanky Boyo so you are a bigot against foreigners as well? English is not my first tobue you imbecile it is one language among many I have a working knowledge of. So what do you speak besides stupid?
Wouldn't it be easier to end the pissing match by setting a national primary day and allow EVERY voter an equal opportunity to nominate a candidate? State by state when the later primaries have basically no effect because the candidates have long been decided is contrary to our electoral process.
Suzy: nice theory. Tell the current President the later primaries did not matter.
Indeed, the '08 Democratic primary season was a rare exception. But for as many votes there that still mattered I could show you an equal number of people who were furious that McCain had all but locked up the Republican nomination in the early primaries. The point is our current system effectively silences the voices of many voters. We can accomplish a national election day, there is no reason we shouldn't be able to do the same with the primary.