Re: Ron Paul, Crackpot, Kicked to the Curb in W.Va. GOP Convention!

FNC has called the state for Huckleberry so I guess Mitt hit the same curb
as Paul.


"Patriot Games" <Patriot@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:47a8b9e8$0$6151$4c368faf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/02/05/paul-eliminated-wva-gop-convention-voting-ends-without-winner/

Paul Eliminated; First Round of W.Va. GOP Convention Voting Ends Without
Winner
Tuesday, February 5, 2008

West Virginia's Republican convention went into a second round of voting
Tuesday after Texas Rep. Ron Paul was knocked out in the first round.

Paul finished fourth among the 1,133 participating delegates, while Mitt
Romney took 41 percent and Mike Huckabee took 33 percent. All three
candidates made personal appeals for the 18 delegates the state will send
to
the national convention after the winner-takes-all voting.

John McCain, who started the day in New York City before heading to
California, reached the second round with 15 percent. Paul had 10 percent.

Romney, who is fighting to close McCain's lead in the polls in most Super
Tuesday states, merged a call for change with a pledge to stand for
conservative principles before the West Virginia convention.

"I'll make sure that the house that Reagan built is the house we live in.
I'll
make sure we reach across the aisle but we don't walk across the aisle.
I'll
make sure we live by the principles that have made this party great," he
said. He also made a pitch to supporters of Fred Thompson and Rudy
Giuliani,
who dropped out of the race, saying he admired their leadership.

Touting his turnaround on abortion, the former Massachusetts governor
promised to tackle Social Security, excessive federal spending and health
care access.

"Washington has not been able to deal with the problems we have," Romney
told the crowd, adding: "It's time have some people who are citizens go to
Washington and get the politicians out."

Romney also took aim at McCain, invoking the front-runner's support of a
recent immigration bill, of stem-cell funding and for energy legislation
that Romney said threatened West Virginia's coal industry.

Huckabee was candid about his lackluster showings since the Iowa caucus.

"I need you to vote for me today," he told the Mountain State audience. He
cast illegal immigration as one example of what ails Washington, while
also
declaring that "our tax system is beyond fixing."

"This ought not to be about who waves the checkbook at you," Huckabee
said.

Paul, a 10-term Texas congressman, offered himself to convention-goers as
"the taxpayer's best friend." He pledged to stick to a strict
constitutional
view of the president's fiscal, foreign policy and military powers.

To applause from supporters lining the convention hall, Paul also echoed
his
opposition to the Iraq war and declared that "going to war needlessly . is
not the solution." He said current policies threaten to ruin the U.S.
economy and currency.

West Virginia expects to post the first results among the 21 states with
GOP
primaries or caucuses on Tuesday. More than 1,000 delegates to the
Republican national convention are up for grabs nationwide, making this
the
biggest primary day in U.S. history.

Jim Mazzella attended the state convention from Tucker County, and planned
to support Huckabee. The former Arkansas governor has made inroads among
West Virginia's evangelical voters.

"We're very driven by the pro-life issue, and he's made that a very big
part
of his campaign," Mazzella said. "He seems to be clear about where he
stands
on the issues, and I like the way he presents himself."

Though state delegates are free to change allegiances, Romney entered the
convention with the largest bloc at 210. Huckabee followed with 138, while
Paul attracted 95.

But while McCain had 15 pledged to his cause, the Arizona senator expected
to pick up at least some of the 160 delegates gathered by Fred Thompson
and
Rudy Giuliani before each quit the race. Romney reached out to Thompson
and
Giuliani supporters with Tuesday's speech, praising each former
candidate's
contribution to the race.

National polls, meanwhile, showed McCain favored in most other Super
Tuesday
states. Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer addressed the convention in
McCain's stead and banked on Tuesday's potential momentum.

"West Virginia has a chance to tell the rest of the America what the new
direction for our party and our country will be," he told the crowd.
"(McCain's) just got the values that America and West Virginia count on."

But nearly half the delegates arrived Tuesday uncommitted to any
candidate.
Shirley Searls of Putnam County said she hasn't made up her mind, but was
leaning toward McCain.

"He's the lesser of all the evils," she said. "I just want the most
conservative candidate in there."

That didn't sit well with fellow Putnam County delegate Bob Pennington,
who
backed Romney.

"I'm going to have to work on her," he joked.

Yard signs and volunteers for the candidates greeted the state delegates
as
they entered the Charleston Civic Center, while other staffers hosted
hospitality rooms inside. Several state and local candidate also courted
party members.

The convention has had its critics. Some Republicans complained that the
process for selecting delegates to the convention excluded too many of the
party's nearly 345,000 registered voters.




.

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