Tea Party Seeks To Control Republican Convention
The Tea Party movement in Michigan is trying to line up as many Tea Party convention delegates as they can to impact and possibly even control the next state Republican party convention.
Gene Clem, president of the Southwest Michigan Tea Party Patriots, is trying to get so many precinct delegates into the state Republican party that, in effect, the Tea Party delegates could control what happens vis-a-vis the rules, and the convention.
"We want to change the party rules. We want to take over and change the party rules," Clem said.
Clem said one of the Tea Party aims is to take over the convention.
"We want to have an effect on the county convention and state conventions," he said.
He concedes, however, if he has more Tea Party delegates than everyone else, he could run the convention.
"In Kalamazoo County, the number of precint delegate candidates has doubled this year from last year," Clem said.
"And every time we go to a precinct delegate training class and ask people to raise their hands, the majority of them are Tea Party individuals," he said.
Clem said they don't want to become the Michigan Republican Party, they just want to revise it. And if they have the precinct delegates to do it, they could.
© MMX WWJ Radio, All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to his report.
