Eighteen-year-old Evan Kenney of Massachusetts got a great start in politics earlier this year when he ran for a spot as an alternate Republican delegate to the GOP presidential convention. He was elected to the spot, beating out the former GOP nominee for governor in the state, Charlie Baker, in a huge upset.
But because Kenney had proclaimed support for candidate Ron Paul in the past, the state GOP tried to force him to sign an affidavit pledging his loyalty to Mitt Romney. Kenney said that he had no problem supporting Romney, since the state's Republican voters chose him as their candidate, but he balked at signing the pledge as written. In response, the Massachusetts Republican Party effectively denied Kenney a spot as an alternate delegate, along with fifteen other Ron Paul delegates and alternates, several of whom had also beaten prominent Romney-backing GOP bigwigs.
On The Rachel Maddow Show Monday, Kenney slammed the state party for effectively undermining its own democratic process to deny him a delegate spot. "These are only a few corrupt power brokers who want to keep the power to themselves," said Kenney to Maddow. "The real Republican Party is us."
"You are having to fight tooth and nail to be recognized by main-line Republicans in terms of what you just said," Maddow replied. "But they ought to be happy to have you."
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Evan - As a fellow member of the Mass-17, my compliments to the chef! On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate your interview and 11!
Liberty, Prosperity & Peace
Bravo Evan Kenney! As a fellow member of the Mass-17, I just want to offer my compliments to the chef! On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate your interview an 11!
Liberty, Prosperity & Peace
Oh well, the GOP are bullies when it comes to forcing a candidate who simply can't win, down everyone's throat.
Why is anyone's guess.
There has NEVER been a poll all year that shows Ron paPul beating Obama outside th margin of error. Not one.
So...exactly WHO can't win again?
Ive found plenty that show him beating romney by landslides, and plenty with him destroying obama. And even official ones like rasmussen show RP beating Obama on some occasions and thats without ANY media help so far AND with the GOP ramming romney down everyones throat. Romney is unelectable ,emotionless, and a crook I could go on for days
Vball must of never looked at the polls. EVER. They stopped doing those polls because Ron Paul would always win.
Why is it that it seems like, so often, Party Conventions bring out the worst, in each respective party. Not all are that bad, but, many sure seem exceptionally orchestrated.
Writing in Ron Paul....
Thanks Rachel for this great piece.
Rachel rocks. It takes a liberal to tell the truth about the Ron Paul campaign. It takes Republican knuckleheads like Hannity, Limbaugh and O'Reilly to spread lies about Ron Paul and misinform the public. I'm done with the GOP, will never ever vote Republican again. Thanks Rachel. Your objectivity is admirable.
Great job, Evan!! Having seen the inside of the Mass GOP when I ran for state rep 2 years ago (with very little help from the Mass GOP--and $0), I can very much appreciate your wonderful summation:
"This is the Republican leadership in the Mass GOP. They don't represent Richard Tisei, they don't represent Charlie Baker, cause these people reached out to me and said, Thank you! Bring the youth movement to the Republican party! These are only a few corrupt power brokers in the leadership, who want to keep the party to themselves. They don't care that it's 11% voter registration, and shrinking in Massachusetts in the Republican party, they just want to keep the power to themselves."
We must unite to replace Obama's govt-growing policies with Romney's govt-growing policies.
Thanks Rachel! My wife and I are both Ron Paul supporters that lean libertarian Tea Party. My parents and hers both lean TeaVangelical. I was just arguing with my dad over the holidays about how he needs to start reading articles he disagrees with or "they" are able to hoodwink him too easily. I mentioned the Rachel Maddow show as one of the few Blue shows, hell TV news shows period, that I liked and I think my dad almost had a stroke. I may not always agree with her, but at least she is smart and honest enough that I have a harder time doing it.
I just wish she would get at least one smart libertarian like the Judge on her panel discussions to balance out the moron GOP people she throws up for beatings. She, and her panel, are smart enough to handle an intelligent Devil's Advocate, and might even come up with some answers that can move off the show.
Thanks Rachel for being the only TV politico that has been fair to Ron Paul.
But please, walk across the hall and tell that Ed guy to shut up.
Ron Paul is just a spoiler. Romney has won the nomination fair and square. He gathered the required number of delegates. He won over all the other contenders...including Ron Paul.
In fact, Ron Paul was never even close to competing against Romney. His ideas about Israel, defense, and drugs are directly opposite of what true Republicans believe in.
Yet he's still trying to disrupt the convention and embarrass Romney.
He and his followers are just sore losers and DON'T DESERVE even a mention at the convention
I guess you do not know about the law suit that is representing the delegates and voters in the primary then that states that voters were locked out of caucuses, votes not counted, and delegates for Ron Paul being assaulted and threatened.