As you may recall from my blogging recently
here and
here, the Ron Paul campaign and its delegates are involved in
various fights and disputes over whether certain state delegations
to the Republican National Convention in Tampa at the end of the
month will contain Ron Paul supporters.

The latest news in that fight is bad for the Paulites, as the
RNC’s Committee on Contests rejects the Paul people’s contention
that the delegation that state GOP in Louisiana sent was
illegitimate, and that another slate of Paulites should be
recognized. More, as
reported in the Times-Picayune yesterday, on
counteraccusations between Paul folk at the party
establishment:

“The LAGOP executive committee again submitted false information
in an attempt to mislead their fellow Republicans,” said Charlie
Davis, who led the Paul campaign in Louisiana. “I’m not really
surprised by the preliminary ruling and I’m looking forward to
finally presenting our case in Tampa. The wheels of justice move
slow and I remain hopeful that when all the facts are presented the
truth will win out.”

But, Louisiana GOP Chairman Roger
Villere said he thought the issue was pretty much settled.
“This was their best shot,” he said.

“This decision simply confirms what we’ve been saying from the
beginning – that we followed the rules,” stated LAGOP Executive
Director Jason Dore.

The Paul people’s challenge said that the Party issued an
illegitimate “supplemental rule” at the Louisiana state convention
that allowed them to send on a non-Paul delegation; the RNC decided
that rule change was legit. My blogging on the
Louisiana convention chaos as it occurred in early June.

The other big delegate fight ongoing is in Maine, where a
Paul-controlled delegation is being challenged by prominent
state-level Republicans Janet Staples and Peter Cianchette. A
“compromise” was offered last week that would require, as
reported in
New American:

First, they would have to sign a statement promising to cast
their vote for Mitt Romney if Ron Paul’s name was not on the ballot
at the convention.

Second, Brent Tweed (a Paul supporter) would have to step aside
and Webster or state Governor Paul LePage would act as spokesman
for the Maine delegation and announce its vote for president at the
convention. Additionally, the newly appointed spokesman would do
all the talking for the delegation, especially to the media.

Third, the delegation would be forbidden from saying anything
negative about Mitt Romney or positive about Barack Obama.

Fourth, in return for the foregoing commitments, the Maine
delegation would be granted full access at the convention,
including to all committee assignments.

Fifth, the challenge to the delegates’ election at the state
convention would be dropped.

These demands were unacceptable and the entire delegation
(including the 20 alternates) refused to accede to the GOP
Establishment’s demands.

Thus, the challenge from two state Republican officials against
the Paul delegation continues. They are claiming, much as Paul’s
people claimed in Louisiana, that proper rules and procedures were
not followed at the state convention that gave 21 of 24 seats to
Paul supporters. The entire Maine delegation risks not being seated
if the challenge succeeds.

The New York Sun editorializes that Romney’s
forces should graciously allow
Paul delegates to be Paul delegates if they want, riffing off
the Maine conflict. The Washington Post last week noted
how dangerous it would be for the Republican establishment to

give Ron its speaking imprimatur in Tampa.

But the real important victories for Paul people within the
Republican Party won’t be necessarily apparent at the Romney/Ryan
coronation, but are still happening at the local level, such as

this insurgence of 13 Paulites to the Boone County, Missouri,
GOP Central Committee. Also encouraging are the continued primary
victories of Paulite Republicans, such as
Kerry Bentivolio in Michigan’s 11th district.

*In other Ron Paul news and chatter:

Ken Walsh at U.S. News and World Reports sees the
Louisiana defeat as a
sign of waning hopes for the Paul revolution to impact the GOP
in 2012. Juan Williams at the Hill recognizes the GOP
shutting him of the RNC in Tampa, but says that Paul’s impact on
issues like curbing the Federal Reserve and cutting military
spending means we “live
in the age of Ron Paul.”

Philip Giraldi at American Conservative defends the
relevance
of Paul’s non-interventionism, while Paul writes an op-ed
condemning what he sees as a
move to war with Syria.

Forbes writer John Tamny talks up the value of Ron
Paul’s
notion of competing currencies.

My book,
Ron Paul’s Revolution: The Man and the Movement He
Inspired.