Tag: RNC

Commentary Magazine Podcast #24

Yuge in Cleveland

July 20, 2016

Hosted by Abe Greenwald, Noah Rothman

While John Podhoretz is in Cleveland, Abe Greenwald and Noah Rothman cover the goings-on at the Republican National Convention in his absence. The GOP has formally nominated Donald Trump which, with rare exceptions, was not a smooth process. The result has been unnecessary bad blood and a joyless convention. Also, Melania’s strong speech marred by plagiarism accusations, and the how the Trump campaign turned a one-day story into a week-long scandal. Overall, everything is just fine in Cleveland.

RNC Day One Wrap Up

July 18, 2016

This is a preview from Tuesday morning’s The Daily Shot newsletter. Subscribe here free of charge.

There were fireworks yesterday afternoon on the floor of the Republican National Convention. At one point, the body was set to vote on the rules for the convention. A group of delegates, headed by Sen. Mike Lee and Ken Cuccinelli, were seeking to unbind the delegates from voting for Donald Trump on the first ballot. According to the current rules, they needed a majority from seven state delegations to request a roll call vote on the matter. They had nine.

But Arkansas Congressman Steve Womack, who was presiding, only took a voice vote. When the Never Trumpers started shouting for a roll call, Womack fled the stage. He came back several minutes later and said that three states had withdrawn their petitions (it’s unknown which three) and so they only needed a voice vote. Lee was not pleased, saying, “There is no precedent for this in the rules of the Republican National Convention. We are now in uncharted territory. Somebody owes us an explanation. I have never seen the chair abandoned like that. They vacated the stage entirely.”

Never Trump Forces Halted on Convention Floor

Jon Gabriel, Ed.

July 18, 2016

Many were predicting a floor battle Monday at the the Republican National Convention and they certainly got one.

A group of delegates, led by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Ken Cuccinelli of Virginia, sought to unbind delegates from voting for the presumptive Republican nominee. A majority of delegates from nine states had agreed to their plan for a roll call vote on the official party rules, and they only needed seven states to make the plan stick. Another key part to their effort was to encourage states to hold closed primaries, allowing only Republicans to vote.

Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas was presiding at the time and insisted on a voice vote only. Many Never Trump supporters in the crowd shouted “roll call vote” and “point of order,” while pro-Trump delegates chanted his name to shout them down.

The Hemingways #23

An Update on the November Elections – Mark and Mollie Hemingway, 7/6/16

July 6, 2016

Hosted by Mark Hemingway, Mollie Hemingway

Farewell, GOP

Jon Gabriel, Ed.

May 9, 2016

I joined the GOP when I turned 18, just weeks after Ronald Reagan’s re-election. Since I was unable to vote in that race, I accompanied one of my conservative friends to the polling place as a kind of silent vote. I had become a big Reagan fan in high school and began learning more about conservatism through Goldwater, various books on the Cold War, and National Review. (That made me quite the hit with the ladies, as you might imagine.)

These early studies of policy, patriotism, and civic virtue led me to enlist in the US Navy and, once I got to college, challenge my ex-hippie professors. For years I voted along party lines, donated to Republican candidates, and volunteered for their campaigns. I was proud to belong to the party of Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolidge, and, of course, Ronaldus Magnus. Even when Bush Sr. raised taxes, some GOP congressman floated bizarre conspiracy theories about Clinton, and Tom DeLay’s House spent us into oblivion, I still identified with the party’s higher ideals. Limited government. Peace through strength. Personal freedom.

Nominees like Bob Dole, John McCain, and Mitt Romney were all way down on my list of preferred primary candidates. (Both Bushes were as well, come to think of it.) But considering the odious Democrats running against them, I voted for the half-a-loaf GOP standard bearer.

Trump/Cruz 2016! (Part II)

April 13, 2016

My Harvard Lunch Club Political Podcast partner Todd Feinburg and I continue to discuss a potential Trump/Cruz 2016 ticket (which I introduced in a post last week), in this week’s HLC podcast, appropriately titled: “Trump/Cruz Ticket.”

I have to thank my Ricochetti friends for the tsunami of comments on last week’s post. I also want to give a hat tip to Rob Long for mentioning the post on last week’s Ricochet podcast. (Really sorry there, Erick Erickson, for the sudden attack of nausea the thought appears to have prompted).

Here is some bare bones analysis (more on the podcast):

Member Post

March 7, 2016

As most of us have probably read, Rule 40 requires that a candidate has to have won at least 8 states before their name can be put up for consideration. I believe I heard that the rules committee will meet the week before the convention. What kind of powers does this committee have? Can they […]

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So What Will We Call the New Party?

February 24, 2016

Those of us on the right often refer to Republicans as the stupid party. Our politicians have a peculiar predilection toward self-inflicted wounds, and an almost miraculous ability to misread the priorities of the base. Our technology lags behind that of the Democrats in terms of locating and mobilizing voters. In so many ways, the epitaph of stupid is a fitting one for our political class. Their stupidity would seem to only be surpassed by that of us, the Republican voters.

As I write this, the leader of the Republican primary is proposing a government program to help make college more affordable, after already proposing to have the government pay for everyone’s healthcare. He espouses protectionist rhetoric at every turn, while criticizing the Iraq War which he had supported at the time. In other words, Donald Trump is a Democrat. He was always a Democrat, and he remains one today. Republican primary voters are well on their way to choosing a Democrat to lead their party.

That Trump has made it so far while being so profoundly unstable and incoherent on all questions of policy does not speak well of the Republican voter. What should have been a rather enjoyable cycle of mocking the Democrats for nearly nominating a 74-year-old socialist after a century of proof that socialism doesn’t work, has instead become a horror show of our side flirting with a fascist.

Time for the RNC to Cut Trump Loose

Jon Gabriel, Ed.

February 22, 2016

Trump There was a time when the Republican National Committee was terrified that Donald Trump would launch a third-party run. Now their biggest fear should be Trump as the face of the Republican party.

Once a candidate is the presidential nominee, it is the party’s job to defend every statement he makes. When Romney criticized the 47 percent, or McCain suspended his campaign after the economic crisis, or George W. Bush was blindsided by reports of a 1976 drunk driving arrest, the RNC had to support their candidates and aggressively attempt to spin the bad news in their favor.

Every candidate makes missteps here and there, but Trump has based his campaign on indefensible statements. Criticizing POWs because “I like people who weren’t captured.” Claiming a debate moderator had “blood coming out of her wherever.” Saying that in New Jersey, “thousands of people were cheering” the fall of the World Trade Center. Bragging that he “could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot people and I wouldn’t lose voters.”

Elephants Prepping for Circus in Cleveland

February 17, 2016

This is a preview from this morning’s The Daily Shot newsletter. Subscribe here free of charge.

For political junkies, it’s kind of the ultimate fantasy. Every four years it gets mentioned, but only in passing and it never actually happens. We’re talking, of course, about a brokered convention — when no single candidate has secured their party’s nomination on or before the first ballot. It’s the stuff of legends. Guys in fedoras and suspenders making secret deals in smoke-filled rooms. There have been a few close calls, but a real brokered convention hasn’t happened in 64 years.

Trump Threatens to Go Third Party. Again.

Jon Gabriel, Ed.

February 15, 2016

Today Donald Trump again hinted at a possible third-party run after complaining that the Republican National Committee is being mean to him.

Jon Gabriel on Superdelegates

Ricochet Editors' Desk

February 12, 2016

Ricochet Editor-in-Chief Jon Gabriel talks with OANN host Liz Wheeler about undemocratic Democrats and the tough primary math for Bernie Sanders. They also cover superdelegates, the electoral college, and differences between the party conventions. Jon will appear every Thursday on “Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler“.

What’s a Party for?

January 26, 2016

shutterstock_284062760 — Andrew Cline / Shutterstock.com

What is a political party? By the intensity of internecine conflict among Republicans, you might conclude that it’s a church. Senator Ted Cruz is among the leading voices of a faction that wants to treat the Republican Party as a confession – singing to the choir, denouncing heretics, and damning sinners to hell.

Member Post

Dick from Brooklyn

November 5, 2015

After a week of conservatives issuing well-deserved congratulations to Cruz and Christie for counter-punching the CNBC debate moderators and hurling equally deserved recriminations at RNC chair Reince Priebus for creating the problem in the first place, the paleo-media and their champion President Obama have re-directed the narrative away from the shameful and biased behavior of the CNBC hosts […]

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CNN Improves Debate Rules; Fiorina the Big Winner

Jon Gabriel, Ed.

September 1, 2015

Carly Fiorina — Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

When facing a 17-person GOP field, cable networks had a debate dilemma: limit the number of participants or install bleachers. They chose the former, but their process is deeply flawed. Serious candidates like Perry and Jindal are shouting to an empty auditorium while vanity projects like Huckabee use the debate to hawk his book. (Buy Giblets, Gullets & Grifters, available now at your local Bass Pro Shop!)

Let Chaos Reign!

July 23, 2015

Why have “controlled” debates at all? Curt Anderson, in today’s WSJ, suggests that we just let the candidates debate each other whenever and wherever they like.

The Republican Party should be looking forward instead of backward—and seeking every opportunity to feature its roster of excellent candidates, rather than trying to find ways to constrict the field. The voters will do that, as is their prerogative. The simple truth is that competitive primaries usually make a party stronger, not weaker.

He continues:

Member Post

May 14, 2015

Do not, under any circumstances, grant an interview to George Stephanopoulos. Do not participate in any debate for which Stephanopoulos is “moderating.” However, if you do, then for God’s sake, the first words out of your mouth ought to be: Hello, George. I would like to remind your viewers that you are and have been […]

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A Better Debate Template: July Madness

May 13, 2015

This is my first post, so be nice. On the other hand, the screen name is no joke; I’ve been around since the first podcast, months before the site was even launched. I had planned to wait until I retire in a few months before joining, and frankly I was hoping that Rob would get to the point of kneeling, sobbing, and just pleading for people to join. But now I have stuff on my mind …

As I assume everyone knows, the RNC is planning a greatly reduced debate schedule for the 2016 election cycle. The party believes (and without question, many agree) that the large number of debates hurt them in 2012. The committee apparently thought it unwise to give the candidates that many opportunities to say something stupid and waste a lot of valuable campaign time.

On the other hand, many of us (including me) loved having a debate every few days. For political junkies, it was like football season, and there was always another game coming up. For us oddballs, the idea that the schedule will be limited to just three or four debates is a huge disappointment.

Dallas vs. Cleveland

June 25, 2014

The RNC just announced that the choice for the location of the 2016 convention has narrowed to two cities: Dallas and Cleveland.

My choice, as I’ve mentioned before, was Detroit, which represents, tragically, the failure of modern progressive activism. What better place to announce that there’s a better, smarter, more compassionate, more effective, and more liberating way to run things? How cool would it have been to have events in broken down factories and ruined neighborhoods, all brought to you by the Democratic party? This, the RNC could have thundered, is what we’re going to change.

But, okay, they didn’t see it my way. So now it’s Dallas or Cleveland.

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