Thanks Shawn Steel and Morton Blackwell! The Locals Beat the Establishment Rules.

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First read (if you can -- if not just drop down) Rule 16 from the Republican national Committee:

David vs. Goliath by Osmar Schindler

 
Rule 16 from the 2012 Republican National Committee:

RULE NO. 16

Election, Selection, Allocation, or Binding of Delegates and Alternate Delegates

(a) Binding and Allocation.

  

(1) Any statewide presidential preference vote that permits a choice among candidates for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in a primary, caucuses, or a state convention must be used to allocate and bind the state’s delegation to the national convention in either a proportional or winner-take-all manner, except for delegates and alternate delegates who appear on a ballot in a statewide election and are elected directly by primary voters.

 

(2) For any manner of binding or allocating delegates under these

rules, if a delegate (i) casts a vote for a presidential candidate at the

national convention inconsistent with the delegate’s obligation under state law or state party rule, (ii) nominates or demonstrates support under Rule No. 40

for a presidential candidate other than the one to whom the delegate is bound or allocated under state law or state party rule, or (iii) fails in some other way to carry out the delegate’s affirmative duty under state law or state party rule to cast a vote at the national convention for a particular presidential candidate, the delegate shall be deemed to have concurrently resigned as a delegate and the delegate’s improper vote or nomination shall be null and void.

Thereafter the secretary of the convention shall record the delegate’s vote or

nomination in accordance with the delegate’s obligation under state law or state party rule. This sub section does not apply to delegates who are bound

to a candidate who has withdrawn his or her candidacy, suspended or terminated his or her campaign, or publicly released his or her delegates.

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Outside of the legalese, it meant that the winning Presidential nominee (and incumbent, if they win their first term) can pick and choose delegates rather then allow their own states to do so.

A big shout out to Shawn Steel and Morton Blackwell for fighting against these rules. 

The Romney (actually submitted by Ben Ginsberg as proxy) rules tried to take the power away from the State Parties and centralize it in DC.  

There are ways of improving the Republican party -- those will be addressed in a post sometime tomorrow. But State Parties must triumph over National (and sometimes POTUS Consultants).

To be continued....