Delegates to the Republican National Convention, donning card-sized badges of “Remember Maine 2012,” walked out yesterday, August 29th 2012, in protest of what many consider a great fraud perpetrated on the floor of the convention, while Speaker of the House John Boehner held the gavel.

The duly elected delegates from Maine were denied their rightful seats at the Convention. The credentials report was presented, and votes were cast. The nays were as loud, if not louder, than the yeas, yet the nays were not recognized by the chair.  Motions on the floor, objections, points of order were ignored by the chairman in a shameful act of disenfranchisement of the grassroots – all caught on live, worldwide television.

The “walk out” that took place yesterday after Rand Paul delivered his speech to the RNC was a reaction to the attacks by party bosses toward their own grassroots.  Not only were the Maine delegates denied their seats entirely, but portions of Louisiana, Oklahoma, Massachusetts and Oregon were denied as well.  The Rules Committee, itself plagued with irregularities and its own fraud, presented and passed new party rules that essentially make it virtually impossible to be a “grassroots delegate.”  The leadership of the party will now require that all future delegates be vetted, screened, and hand-chosen by the leadership (Rule 12), and can change any rule going forward whenever they feel like it (Rule 16).

The demonstration Ron Paul Liberty delegates, grassroots delegates, and even mainline establishment delegates who believe in preserving the integrity of the system was a natural consequence to the shameful actions of the RNC.  Call it “blowback” – and there is likely more to come, possibly in the form of a loss in November.

“As Maine goes, so goes the nation…”