We turn now to a major eruption of fury at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday,
as the formal nomination process got underway.
Part of Maine's delegation stormed off the floor in protest
against a decision to strip away half of the state's Ron Paul delegates.
*Supportive members of other delegations rose to their feet and hollered their objections,*
*angered by new rules that they say will make it harder for grass-roots candidates to stand a chance in future elections.*
*His ardent followers used seldom-invoked state party rules*
*to garner twenty of Maine's twenty-four spots.*
- The RNC responded by replacing ten of them, enough to prevent Ron Paul from being nominated, from the floor.
- The question on the motion offered by the delegate from Kentucky,
all those in favour will signify by saying "Aye".
*[crowd: "Aye", cheers]*
Those opposed, "No"
*[crowd: "No", booing]*
*- The decision caused immediate uproar, but RNC Chair Reince Priebus was in no mood to take a rollcall.*
- Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.
We have to proceed with the order of business...
*[crowd chants: "Seat them now!"]*
- Mr. Chairman, point of order! Point of order!
- It's unfair to us, we sat here and objected, he said, "Are there any objections?"
We objected, and, you know, it's like, why even ask the question at that point?
*[crowd chants: "Point of order!"]*
- Maine got screwed of half their delegates, more than half actually.
That's why their Governor's not here today, because he said he wouldn't come down unless their delegates got seated.
Half of them got taken away, and they were put in, replaced, by people that the Republican Party, the RNC, picked.
*[crowd chants: "Point of order!"]*
*- Several members of the Maine delegation walked off the floor in protest*
*after the convention decided to replace ten of its twenty-four delegates.*
- This is fraud!
- This convention is a farce!
- They snuck in there trying to say we support our soldiers,
They appointed seven of them on our delegations.
Two recently served in Afghanistan and Iraq! How dare they? Shame on them! Shame on them!
- The people in Maine should be respected, those voters that put us here, they should be respected!
This is a sham!
I love every one of you guys and I love all those people back home!
*- Others on the floor were equally outraged.*
*Kevin Erickson is a delegate from Minnesota.*
- What this means is that the states will no longer retain the right under the new rules
to elect their delegates and have them stand.
A presumptive nominee will be able to unseat an entire state's delegates if they don't like who's on the slate.
Giving a Presidential candidate veto power over a state's delegation
means that future conventions will not have a dissenting voice.
We won't be able to bring motions and amendments to our platform,
we won't be able to speak for people who believe differently.
You're taking a broad tent at a grassroots party and you're turning it into a dictatorship
that'll be run by a few people with a lot of money,
and average ordinary people like myself will be out of luck and out of a voice.
- The question is on the adoption of the resolution, all those in favour signify by saying "Aye".
*[crowd: "Aye"]*
All those opposed, "No".
*[crowd, loudly: "No"]*
In the opinion of the chair, the Ayes have it, the resolution is adopted.
*[crowd boos]*
- All those in favour say "Aye".
*[crowd: "Aye"]*
All those opposed, "No".
*[crowd: "No"]*
The Ayes have it...
*[crowd shouts and boos loudly]*
- The question is on the motion that the Honourable Paul Ryan be nominated by acclamation.
All those in favour signify by saying "Aye", those opposed say "No"...
*[crowd shouts "Aye" and "No"]*
In the opinion of the chair the Ayes have it.
- I'm gonna have to explain the cheers we've been hearing, I had to turn around to see what was going on,
it was Congressman Ron Paul entering the forum, he still has very much a role within this Republican Party.
*- [reporter:] Yes, he is, I just saw him come through here, and as he went by me*
*there were a lot of young voters, they're the ones who really loved him, stopping him, taking pictures of him to tweet out,*
*and he came in with his same smile that he's had, and he's become something of a cult hero in the party...*
*[crowd chants: "Let him speak!"]*
*[crowd cheers and applauds]*
- Madam Secretary, I am honoured to lead the Republican Party in the Ocean State. It's the little state...
- You can't have that sir.
- [crowd member:] It's my property, I'm sorry, that's my... I'm sorry, what's your name?
- [cameraman:] You, er, took the sign?
*- [speaker:] Four votes for Ron Paul, and the overwhelming majority, fifteen votes,*
*to the next President of the United States, Mitt Romney!*
- Rhode Island, fifteen, Romney.
*[crowd shouts: "Four Ron Paul!"]*
- On behalf of the Georgia Republican voters... proudly give seventy-two of our delegate votes
to the next President of the United States, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
*[crowd cheers]*
Three votes for Ron...
*[microphone cuts out]*
*[anchors:] - I, I... -That's it?*
*- Well done. Whoever controlled the microphone did a great job. [laughs]*
- And I am proud to say that we are going to support the President, the next President of the United States,
by casting sixty-seven votes for Mitt Romney, and five votes for Paul Ryan.
- Pennsylvania, sixty-seven, Romney.
*[crowd: Five Ron Paul!]*
- Iowa casts twenty-two votes for Ron Paul...
*[crowd cheers, chants "Ron Paul!"]*
... and six votes for Mitt Romney.
*[crowd cheers]*
- Iowa, six, Romney.
- Minnesota, where we are very proud of our state Republican Party,
which runs a fair convention with integrity.
*[crowd cheers]*
casts thirty-three votes for Ron Paul...
*[crowd cheers]*
... one vote for Senator Rick Santorum, and six votes for Governor Romney.
- Minnesota, six, Romney.
- We proudly cast seventeen votes for Congressman Ron Paul...
*[crowd cheers]*
... five abstentions, and five for Romney.
- Nevada, five, Romney.
[slowed] Nevada, five, Romney.
- I gotta tell you, I like your dad, you love your dad, but I like him a lot,
and I was pretty shocked to hear that they wouldn't even read from the podium
how many votes Congressman Paul got.
- Well one of the interesting things was the crowd was reciting how many he got,
so when they wouldn't announce it from the podium, you would hear an echo from the crowd
of the Ron Paul supporters who were announcing his totals.
- Why didn't they do that? This seems so petty and so ridiculous,
I mean, your father worked hard in the Republican Party,
*he went through all the rules, I believe he didn't do anything illegal in getting those votes, he went through the process...*
This is the last time he's running for President of the United States, I just think it's inappropriate
to end his political career, if you will, on a note like this before his own party.
*[Music: Hans Zimmer, "Time"]*
*[letter text:] Dear Friend,*
*I can't tell you how touched I've been by my supporters' generosity from day one of my Presidential campaign.*
*Your support has made an incredible impact what will continue on well into the future.*
*In fact, as I look back at the past year, I'm literally amazed at how far we've come.*
*Today, we can catch a glimpse of our future - and it's a bright one.*
*Due to our Liberty Movement's youth, energy, and growing numbers, establishment Republicans are recognizing*
*their days of controlling the national GOP are coming to an end.*
*Even now, they are being forced to recognize that out issues - like finally auditing the Federal Reserve - are not going away.*
*My hope is, with your continued support, it will not end until free markets, sound money, Constitutional Principles,*
*respect for individual liberty, and a common-sense foreign policy are all restored in America.*
*For your generosity and all that you'll continue to do in the name of liberty, thank you.*
*For liberty,*
*Ron Paul*