Ron Paul supporters have their day in court, er, armory
Here’s the scene: About 45 Ron Paul supporters, most of them from Republican hotbeds Greene County or St. Charles, are gathering in the gymnasium of the Jefferson City armory awaiting their fate as challenged delegates to the Republican state convention.
There’s an 80-year-old man who made the jaunt on a Monday at 10 a.m. There is Curtis Abbott, one of the Greene County ringleaders. There’s a group holding a prayer circle as the first delegate is led upstairs.
And over on the floor playing with his 3-and-a-half-year-old son Andy is Brent Stafford of St. Charles. Stafford was chairman of the St. Charles County Conference, which elected 137 delegates to the state convention, nearly all of them supporters of the failed presidential candidate, Paul.
Stafford and others believe the state party is ignoring it’s “open door” platform by challenging delegates without a reason. All of the challenged delegates in the Armory received a letter from Richard C. Peerson, the chairman of the Republican convention credentials committee. The letter did not state any reasons for the challenge.
“At least they’re giving us the illusion of due process,” Stafford said. He was referring to the 2nd Congressional District convention in which all the St. Charles delegates were unceremoniously tossed out.
The first to be called before the credentials committee today was Barry Pulley of St. Peters. Pully tried to bring Peggy Young with him. Young is an expert in parliamentary procedure who agreed to represent the challenged delegates in their secret meetings, but she was not allowed to join Pulley.
“Effectively, they were saying I was there because the entire group (of Paul delegates) was challenged,” Pulley said. He stated his case and the meeting ended. He said he still plans to attend the state convention.
Republican Party Executive Director Jared Craighead could not be reached for comment. He was in the closed-door meetings upstairs at the Armory, according to one of the Republican Party officials running the meeting.


Let’s see now, Ron Paul got about 5% of the vote in the Presidential “primary” in the State of Missouri. Now those who LOST want to be represented equally with those who received 6 times as many votes. We hear of threats of disruption at the convention, we read of complaints that the loosing teams are not treated fairly that they are not getting an equal voice with those who “won”, we read the whining by Ruth that she received a letter about her election to represent a township (she does not live in) going to the convention, whine, whine, whine!
We’ve read in the paper about delegates to the 2nd Congressional District complaining that they were not allowed to partake in their caucus, them the same people turn out to be listed as delegates to the Constitution Party Convention in KC. True and Faithful Republicans? More like 5th columnists!
The Voters of Missouri spoke, Ron Paul Lost, the Republican Party of Missouri is not responsible for the the results of the election.
Ron Paul people, join up with the GOP, many of us believe in much of what Ron Paul has stated.
We support much of what he has voted for and against in Congress. Work and change what is wrong in the state and National GOP system. But the disruption of the conventions will look like Chicago in ‘68 and will gain your group nothing!