Oklahoma Republicans Seek Unity At GOP National Convention

A delegation of 30 Iowans plus alternates is gathering with hordes of other Republicans from around the nation this week to conduct their party’s national convention – a history-making confab on the shores of Lake Erie that is expected to officially declare NY billionaire Donald Trump as the 2016 GOP presidential candidate under the watchful eye of the world’s media, passionate demonstrators and air-tight security.

Within a year’s time, the billionaire real estate mogul has defied expectations in Nevada and throughout the U.S.as a tide of anti-establishment sentiment worked in his favor.

“I can’t see anybody who has the party’s best interest in mind trying to throw a wrench into the convention like that”, he said. He touted his business background.

As the GOP gathers in Cleveland, Currents commentators Alan Novak and T.J. Rooney discuss what Donald Trump needs from the convention and what the convention needs from him.

Other Democrats – including U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and ex-Gov. John McCain’s past as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. But others, including Nevada’s leadership, have pushed for unity in the weeks leading up to the event. Mark Kirk and Gov. Bruce Rauner on down the line keeping their distance and skipping the Republican National Convention.

At the press conference, Trump crowed about the convention Rules Committee on Thursday squelching a “conscience clause” that would unbind delegates from their pledges to support him.

The action is in the Rules Committee, which has 112 delegates.

Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald has worked beyond the Silver State’s border to advocate for Trump and persuade Republicans to unite behind the candidate.

After taking a few wrong turns in the streets of downtown Cleveland, I found my into the arena, where they were still putting the finishing touches on things for the GOP. We have been highly critical of his campaign, not based on any actual policy discussions, but because of the unpresidential behavior Trump has displayed with juvenile name-calling and racially-charged rhetoric. “We were all on the same page”, she said.

The next day, those same delegates vote again – this time it’s to decide the nominee, and it gets a lot more TV time than the day before. The committee voted down a proposal that would have allowed delegates to “cast a vote of conscience”. Just 27 of the delegates listed Trump as their preference.

Members of Maine’s delegation tried to contest the decision on the floor of the convention hall, only to have their microphone turned off.

Oklahoma Republicans backed Texas Sen. “Fourteen million people supporting Donald Trump – that’s a movement”.

Are Minnesota’s delegates really bound? Marco Rubio in the Mach 1 primary, by the end of the coming week party faithful hope the divisions are behind them so they can concentrate on retaking the White House. They then must persuade enough delegates to actually do so.

Some high-profile Nevada Republicans won’t be at the convention.

The convention ends Thursday night with the acceptance speech from NY billionaire Donald Trump, the party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

Contrary, perhaps, to popular perception, people from all walks of life attend national conventions.

State Sen. Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, also will be at the RNC as an analyst for Fox News. Rand Paul of Kentucky at an event in Carson City.

For liability reasons, the sheriff said he has denied requests by his deputies to work extra-duty security for private companies in Cleveland during the GOP convention.

“I feel like I was voted on as a Cruz delegate but Cruz hasn’t stuck it out”, Espling said.

Anti-war activist Tom Burke, a spokesman for the 40-group anti-Trump coalition that is convening on Cleveland, said he expects the events to be peaceful.

At this point, Trump looks as if he is in this race and is winning in some key battleground states.

Hack called the Arizona law requiring delegates to back the candidate who won the most primary votes illegal, and she said Graham could not require delegates to pledge to back the victor.

Amy Tarkanian, a Nevada delegate, had supported Fiorina initially and later moved on to Kasich. After the OH governor dropped out, Tarkanian chose to support whoever became the eventual GOP nominee.

But Orr represents a minority voice in the state’s delegation in ruling out support for Trump. He lost to Heck.

Rose said that “when you walk around Decatur, Ill., and hit the coffee shops in Sullivan and Shelbyville and Paris and talk to people and ask them, ‘Are we heading the right way or the wrong way?’ ” most will reply, “The wrong way”.

Suarez noted that Trump said he would stop talking about Curiel – and he did. “They understand exactly what I’m saying and they intend to correct it”.

The problem the Republicans have today is there is no Eisenhower waiting to step in, and you can’t beat someone with no one. “It will be the most people that have ever watched him on television”.