The chairman of the Republican National Committee’s powerful rules committee is blasting his own national chairman, Reince Priebus, for daring to suggest the upcoming convention stick with the rules it has already in place.
At issue is whether the upcoming GOP convention should ditch its decades old policy of being governed by the same rules used by the U.S. House of Representatives, or change to the parliamentary system of Robert’s Rules of Order, commonly used in civic and organizational meetings.
This down-in-the-weeds rules stuff is important because if Robert’s Rules of Order are adopted, it will almost certainly guarantee either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz will be the Republican nominee, whether either of them starts with a majority of delegates or not.
Priebus hates the idea and told CNN, “I don’t think that it’s a good idea for us before the convention to make serious rules changes or recommendations of changes right now. I think we’re in a politically charged environment. I think it’s too complicated. I think that the RNC Rules Committee, going forward, with making rules amendment suggestions is — it is not a good idea.”
That’s not how Bruce Ash, a national committeeman from Arizona, and the chair of the rules committee sees it. He calls the Priebus position a “serious breach of trust” despite the fact he’s the one attempting to make a change.
“It became apparent to me during the discussions with Reince and others at the RNC that there might be an underlying political result that adherence to the House Rules achieved, and that Roberts made more difficult. Reopening the nominations for President during the balloting to permit a more acceptable candidate to be nominated other than Donald Trump or Ted Cruz,” Ash emailed to other rules committee members.
If this idea, backed by Trump and Cruz supporters, is heard and adopted, delegates at the convention would determine how the convention is run, which weakens the power of the convention’s presiding officer, House Speaker Paul Ryan.
From all objective standards it’s a bad, bad idea. Unless, of course, you believe the future of the GOP must rest in the hands of two candidates widely deemed unelectable come November.
Ash, who once used the racially insensitive term “shucking and jiving” to describe President Obama, was not the first choice to head the powerful 112-member rules committee. He ran and lost for rules chairman in 2012, only to find himself in the position after the guy who beat him was arrested on criminal charges.
“I’m this schnook from Arizona who became the committeeman by accident and, frankly I think, became the standing committee on rules chairman by accident as well,” Ash told the Arizona Republic.
The RNC’s top attorney John Ryder says Ash and others who support the change are wrong. “Especially in the middle of the current primary contest, it is important that the RNC not take action that can be interpreted as attempting to favor one candidate or another,” said Ryder.
This is an important battle with an eye on the convention in July. If the rules committee manages to make this change it almost certainly eliminates a “white knight” candidate coming from the floor. Meaning the GOP delegates will be stuck with two deeply flawed front-runners who have been unable to achieve a majority on their own.