FIVE of the Duly Elected Maine Delegates are running for the Maine Legislature. The help of our community is really need to get these patriots elected.

(Three vets and a farmer who won't take subsidies. Seriously... we need to support them.)

Please contribute to their campaigns!

Mike Wallace for Maine State Senate - District 7
South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough
http://votemikewallace.com/donate
(Mike on the QE announcement yesterday: http://youtu.be/6grzOLjwYIM)

John Logan Jones for Maine State House - District 112
Falmouth
https://johnloganjones2012.nationbuilder.com/donate

Sam Canders for Maine State House - District 15
Bangor
http://samcanders.com/donate/

Aaron Libby for Maine State House - District 139
Waterboro, Lyman
http://www.libbyforliberty.com/donate/

Thomas Sarbanis for Maine State House - District 122
South Portland
https://www.facebook.com/Sarbanisforhouse

Please share this far and wide!

AS MAINE GOES, SO GOES THE NATION!!

Mike Wallace is currently running for State Senate in Maine for district 7. South Portland and Cape Elizabeth.

There Was Major Drama At The GOP Convention Friday, And It Ended With John Sununu Fleeing The Building

TAMPA, FLA. — The GOP convention doesn't officially start until Monday, but trouble is already brewing between presumptive nominee Mitt Romney and Republicans who are concerned by his campaign' making an aggressive power play to control the party. 

The drama Friday centered around a contentious meeting of the powerful Rules Committee, where Romney's campaign lieutenants, led by his legal counsel Ben Ginsberg, pushed through several changes that would give Romney broad authority over the Republican nominating process. 

According to one source who was at the meeting, the saga ended with former New Hampshire Governor John Sununu, the committee chair, hightailing it out of the building before committee members could submit dissenting minority opinions, or "minority reports."

In an interview with Business Insider Friday night, Maine's newly-elected state committeewoman Ashley Ryan, said that committee members opposed to Romney's plan drafted two minority reports immediately after the meeting, stating their position against the changes. Republican Party rules stipulate that people have one hour to submit a minority report after a meeting of the Rules Committee, and that it must have the support of at least 25 percent of the committee.

"The rules say that you have an hour after the meeting, but within 15 minutes, we couldn't find him anywhere," Ryan, a Ron Paul supporter and member of Maine's delegation, said. "Finally, we asked an RNC offical if they had seen former New Hampshire Governor John Sununu? He said, 'John Sununu! Everyone's looking for him! But he left the building.'" 

The details around Sununu's Friday dip are still foggy, and it's unclear if he ended up receiving the minority reports after all. Convention officials have not yet responded to our email asking for comment. 

Earlier on Friday, Ginsberg and other Romney loyalists tried to neuter the threat of a minority report by raising the threshold of support to 40 percent.

BuzzFeed's Zeke Miller reports that the attempt was forcefully shot down as overreach, even by committee members who voted for Ginsberg's other proposals, including one that would force states to select delegates based on the results of their primary or caucus, and one that would allow the Republican National Committee to change the rules established at the convention. 

"It's important to make the rules four years in advance, before we know who the favorites are," Ryan said. "If the national party can just change the rules, what's the point of having a Rules Committee at all? 

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/ron-paul-romney-sununu-republican-convention-delegates-fight-tampa-florida-2012-8#ixzz24ZaM0UUb 

PRESS NOTICE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Eric Brakey, Secretary for the Elected Maine Delegation

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone: 207-406-0897

National GOP Muzzles Maine’s Voice at RNC

Tampa, Florida, August 25, 2012 – The RNC Credentials Committee ruled yesterday to overturn the delegate election results of Maine’s Republican Convention. In their decision, 20 elected members of Maine’s delegation were replaced with individuals chosen by the Republican National Committee.

“We are very disappointed in the ruling,” asserted Brent Tweed, the elected Delegation Chair for Maine. “Essentially, they have replaced half of Maine’s duly elected delegates with those of their own choosing. Maine’s delegates should be elected by Mainers. Instead, they are being appointed by nine RNC members from states like California, Mississippi, Washington, Kentucky and Arkansas. For a party that claims to respect states rights and individual rights, the Republican Party should respect the right of Maine to select its own representatives.”

In response to the ruling, Governor Paul LePage---who had previously promised to boycott the Republican National Convention if the duly elected Maine Delegation was not seated---fulfilled his promise.  Within minutes of the decision yesterday, the Governor stated, "I have decided not to attend the 2012 Republican National Convention… I made it clear, when the challenge was issued, that I felt the Maine Delegates selected at the Maine Convention should be seated in Tampa. It is unfortunate that not all of these Delegates will be seated.”

“On behalf of all Maine’s duly elected delegates, I thank Paul LePage for his bold, principled stand in support of the democratic process,” added Chairman Tweed. “He has set an example for all public servants.”

Speaking on the delegation’s next move, Tweed stated, “We can carry our heads high. Despite pressures and intimidations to accept backroom deals, we always said no. We refused to forsake our elected duty without a fight.  We were elected to serve as Maine’s representatives in Tampa and we are determined to continue to that end.  We are not done fighting.”

            #####

The Maine Delegation would like to extend a formal Thank You to the Honorable Paul LePage, Governor of the great state of Maine, for his unwavering and outspoken support of seating the Maine Delegation as elected in Augusta by Maine Republicans.

By Kevin Miller This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Washington bureau chief

WASHINGTON – National Republican leaders have recommended that elected Maine delegates who support Ron Paul give up half of their seats at next week's GOP convention or risk losing all 20 because of major problems during the delegate-selection process, a Maine official said Wednesday.

But Paul's delegates insisted they were duly elected and said they were not interested in giving up any seats.

"We reject that," said Matt McDonald, a Paul delegate from Belfast, regarding the latest compromise floated by Republican National Committee officials. "No compromise, no deal."

The disagreement raises the stakes in a political stalemate that could end with Maine losing most of its convention delegates.

Charlie Webster, chairman of the Maine Republican Party, said he was told that the Republican National Committee had found enough evidence of procedural problems at Maine's convention in May to deny the 20 Paul delegates seats at the national convention, which starts Monday in Tampa.

As a compromise, national committee officials have suggested essentially splitting the delegation in half, allocating 10 seats to Paul and 10 to the presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney. Maine's four remaining at-large delegates are not affected.

Kirsten Kukowski, RNC spokeswoman, said a decision from the Committee on Contests was still pending. She did not say when a decision would be made.

Brent Tweed, chairman of the Maine delegation, said he and others believe that all 20 delegates were properly elected during the state convention. Well-organized Paul supporters essentially took over the convention from more "establishment" Republicans who supported Romney.

"We haven't agreed to any deal," Tweed said. "We think the Contest Committee has to rule in our favor and seat all 20 delegates."

Read More:

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Conflicting-information-on-fate-of-Maines-GOP-delegation.html

It is to my great disappointment that my governor, Paul LePage, whom I had considered to be the smartest man I know after spending time with him, has chosen to throw away the good people of Maine who voted him in with his vehement support of the Ron Paul delegation to the national convention in Tampa.

Those people do not represent the majority of the GOP voters in Maine, should not be going to Tampa and should not be seated. Thievery was what they achieved in Augusta, and that should not be rewarded.

Ron Paul's people are simply domestic terrorists and should be treated as such. Paul is the most racist politician we've ever seen and routinely dilutes history to suit his needs and pocketbook. Louis Farrakhan loves him and has endorsed him.

Read more:

http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/letters/two-views-on-pauls-presidential-bid_2012-08-18.html

Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster said Tuesday evening that negotiators with the National Republican Committee were nearing a deal that would seat Maine’s delegates for Ron Paul at the national convention next week in Florida.

But, Mark Willis of Dennysville, a newly elected member of Maine’s national convention delegation, Ron Paul supporter and incoming national GOP committeeman for Maine, said no deal had been struck and that any arrangement that threatened the seats of Paul supporters would not be accepted.

“The Maine delegation and the Paul campaign have not signed into or agreed to any deal for our delegation,” said Willis at about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday. “Our position at this point is no deal, we’re all going to Tampa and we’ll all be seated.”

 Webster said he had been on the phone with reporters and party representatives throughout the day Tuesday and that no one had given him specific details.

“All I have is rumor,” said Webster at about 6 p.m., just as negotiators were convening to discuss the Maine situation. “Maine is the only state that’s left where they haven’t made a decision. I have no sense why it’s taken so long.”

CNN reported Tuesday evening that a deal was near and corroborated Webster’s assertion that Maine was the last state under negotiation. The network reported that some Paul delegates would be seated, which would help Mitt Romney avoid embarrassment as he officially receives the GOP nomination. Agreements had been reached in Massachusetts and Louisiana, but negotiations were still under way in Maine, it said.

Paul, a Texas congressman and Republican Party candidate for president, gained the support of Maine delegates during a controversial state convention where his well-organized supporters seized control and elected their delegates to the national convention.

Read more:

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/08/21/politics/agreement-near-to-seat-some-ron-paul-delegates-at-gop-convention-maine-last-hold-out/?ref=regionstate

Author, Phi Beta Kappa and athlete Sara Matson Galope worked in Prison Ministry for a decade.