They just don't make it easy to be a Republican

The day began around 8:45;
I, on my way to crash the Central Committee Meeting.
I wasn't on their guest list.

Up until this morning, Central Committee Meetings were closed to stakeholders.

It was probably during a closed meeting of the Central Committee, that the following party rule was endorsed and adopted, link.

NMGOP Party Rule; 1-2-1. PARTY MEMBERSHIP/PARTICIPATION

A. Party Membership: Any qualified voter In New Mexico whose properly registered Political Party affiliation is "Republican" shall be considered a member of the Republican Party of New Mexico and of the Republican Party of the County in which the voter is so registered and is eligible to participate in Republican Party affairs in accordance with these Rules.

B. Participation: It is the intent and purpose of these rules to encourage and allow the broadest possible participation of all Republican voters in Republican Party activities at all levels and to assure that the Republican Party is open and accessible.

I took a copy of it to show to anyone who asked to see my "invitation".

A lot of people wanted to see it, and nobody liked it.
I just kept working my way up the chain of command.

I hold no grudge against anyone who obstructed my entry into that closed meeting. Each of them was just doing what they were told to. Most of them had no idea what to do with me and were more than happy to pass me along to someone else.

I ended up in Ryan Cangiolosi's lap.

I explained what was going on, and showed him the rule.

He agreed without hesitation, to enforce the rule on my behalf.

I couldn't help but think what would have happened if Allen Weh was still the party chair. I probably would have left with my invitation rolled into a tight cylinder and stuffed where the sun don't shine. I'm a big guy, but he's a combat hardened Marine with a baseball bat.

It was made clear that I was allowed in according to my standing as a member of the Republican Party and not as a member of the press. I pointed out to them that the press has a right to be there as well, they just choose not to press it.

Later in the morning, Cangiolosi asked if the frankly boring meeting met my expectations. I told him I hadn't really seen it all because I had to be elsewhere to register for the convention. It didn't appear to me that they did anything at all worth hiding. Which begs the question; then why hide it?

The whole thing was being videotaped from the back of the room, so if they had wanted to webcast it, they could have. As far as I know, they did not.

At the end of the day, amendments to the party platform were brought to the table.

If the process would have allowed it, I would have argued for a transparent accountability plank.

The process of course, doesn't allow spontaneous participation. The process is designed to allow its control by the party heavy hitters.

Consider how much trouble Rep Janice Arnold-Jones had getting amendments on the table when Colonel Weh was the Party Chairman, link.

I digress.

There was an amendment offered that would change their Equal Rights plank:

We support vigorous enforcement of the letter and spirit of Civil Rights laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, gender, handicap, religion and national origin.

It would have added "sexual orientation".

There was a motion immediately made and seconded, to table the amendment.

The motion to table the amendment passed nearly unanimously.

I, the gentleman seated next to me, and maybe a hand full of others were the only ones who yelled no!

The Republicans will shun gays for at least another election.

Which brings us back to the participation rule

B. Participation: It is the intent and purpose of these rules to encourage and allow the broadest possible participation of all Republican voters in Republican Party activities at all levels and to assure that the Republican Party is open and accessible.

unless you choose to be born gay.