http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/republican-leaders-consider-rewriting-convention-rules-221972The Republican National Committee is expected to debate a proposal next week that would dramatically shift the balance of power at this summer’s convention — and impose a new rulebook for selecting the party's nominee.
The proposal, which will top the agenda during a meeting of the Rules panel at the RNC’s annual spring meeting in Hollywood Beach, Fla., would fundamentally alter how the convention is conducted, further empowering the delegates to determine the course of the proceedings.
It amounts to not just a changing of the rules but of the rulebook itself, with far-reaching implications, potentially impacting whether party insiders will be able to draft a so-called “white knight” — someone currently not running who would play the role of savior at a deadlocked convention.
The proposal is the brainchild of Solomon Yue, an RNC officer and Rules Committee member from Oregon. It would replace the system used at Republican national conventions for decades, which mimic those used by the U.S. House of Representatives, with Robert’s Rules of Order, a design that’s often used to oversee civic and organizational meetings.
Some see the idea as a recipe for utter chaos, and one that could open the door to mischief-making. With thousands of delegates on hand, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where objections pile up, jamming up floor proceedings and turning the convention into a train wreck — all before the eyes of a national audience.
RNC officials say Yue's plan is almost certain to be tabled until closer to the convention. But it will spark a months-long debate just as the scrutiny into the party’s internal workings is intensifying.
In recent days, Donald Trump has launched an intense PR campaign accusing the RNC of stacking the deck against him in a series of delegate contests that he’s decried as “rigged." RNC Chairman Reince Priebus has aggressively pushed back in tweets and nationally televised interviews.
It’s uncertain who might benefit most from implementing Robert’s Rules of Order, and there’s disagreement over whether it would make it easier or harder for party leaders to draft a new “white knight” nominee.
Republicans
Randy Evans, an influential Rules Committee member from Georgia who is neutral on the measure, said he’s been in touch with 2016 campaign emissaries and none had yet formed a position on the complex proposal. Spokespersons for the Trump, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich campaigns declined to say whether they supported the idea.
In an interview, Yue said his proposal would give greater control to delegates, adding transparency to what would be the first open convention in a generation. Under the current system, he argued, too much power is in the hands of a presiding officer – a role that is expected to be filled by House Speaker Paul Ryan – who leads the proceedings and could be susceptible to influence by party insiders.
While arcane, the change would have a profound effect on the convention. Under Robert’s Rules of Order, any of the 2,472 delegates would have the opportunity to raise objections, or points of order, and interrupt the proceedings.
“This is a super-charged political year and there is the potential for a contested convention,” said Yue. “We should operate in total political transparency.”
Some RNC leaders worry it would be a messy affair.
“There are disadvantages because many of the rules of the House are designed to have a smooth operation of a large delegation casting votes,” said Evans.
"There’s the potential for greater disruption,” said Peter Feaman, a Rules Committee member from Florida, who is also still undecided.
The proposal could have other implications. One RNC member who serves on the Rules Committee said it would make it harder for a white knight candidate to emerge. Under Robert’s Rules of Order, this official said, the nomination process would be closed early in the convention and couldn’t be opened at a later time – a stipulation that doesn’t exist in House rules.
Under the new proposal, if a deadlocked convention were to occur, it would require a simple majority of delegates to decide to reopen the nominating process and consider other possible candidates. In a convention that will be dominated by delegates who support Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, it would be a steep hill to climb.
Yue argued that it would be the fairest way to reopen the process – leaving no doubt that it’s the choice of delegates and not the people overseeing the convention.
“If we reopen the nomination process, we have to do it in a transparent manner,” he said.
Yue said he’s neutral in the primary and was not acting on the accord of any particular campaign – nor had he spoken with them.
The idea is the first of what convention watchers believe will be a series of proposed changes to the rules that govern the convention. With Republicans preparing for their first contested convention since 1976, there is widespread speculation that the party may alter its complex system of rules and procedures – particularly one that says a candidate must win a majority of delegates in at least eight states to win nomination. If that rule were changed, it could open the door for a candidate not currently in the race.
Yue will need to run a gauntlet to get his proposal passed. He said he would introduce it at next week’s meeting of the standing Rules Committee, and, if successful, then win approval from the 168 members who comprise the RNC. He will also need final sign off from a separate committee that will establish the rules of the convention this summer.
Several RNC officials said they were skeptical that Yue’s plan would get anywhere, with one contending that it would simply get tabled until the convention’s rules committee gathers a week before the Cleveland convention. If Trump becomes the presumptive nominee by then, the debate over the rulebook would largely be rendered moot.
Some are reluctant to support it – or any drastic sudden change to the party’s rules for that matter – out of concern for the perception that it would provide an advantage to some potential nominees over others.
“If people are really serious about rule changes they could have made them in the last three-and-a-half years,” said Ron Kaufman, an RNC member from Massachusetts who also sits on the Rules panel. “If people try to start change rules now, it’s going to be interpreted as anti-this person or anti-that person. I’m not sure that’s such a good thing.”
Tabling the proposal, Yue warned, would reignite fears that the party isn’t doing taking the steps it needs to prove that it’s being open and fair.
“It would be viewed as not being transparent,” he said.
