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Virginia C apitol C onnections, Fall 2016 5
with Delegate Danny Marshall, Delegate Kathy Byron, Kathy and
Jim McKelvey and my guest, Tim Reith.
Blackwell said that Donald Trump is our nominee and the
anti-Trump forces have been extinguished. Cuccinelli stated some
obscure rule changes that will only affect the 2020 RNC convention
and wanted with other delegates to force a roll call vote on the floor
of the convention to adopt rule changes.
Notable speakers today included Reince Priebus, Chair, RNC;
Rick Perry, Former Texas Governor; Mark Geist & John Tiegen,
Benghazi Annex Security Team; Jeff Sessions, U. S. Senator; Rudy
Giuliani, Former Mayor of NewYork City and Mrs. Melania Trump.
During the rules debate, Cuccinelli was on the floor with efforts
to have a roll call vote to change the rules while another Delegate
Beau Correll , an active member of Delegate Unbound, was on a live
TV interview saying the reason for the roll call vote was to unbind
the delegates. This was an attempt to undo what the RNC Rules
Committee voted on last Thursday, which was to bind the delegates
to vote on the first ballot for the winner of their state primaries.
As for the roll call vote on the Rules, Cuccinelli and his team
needed to get the majority from at least seven state delegations to
sign a petition forcing a roll call vote on the floor. They only got
the majority of delegates from five states (VA, CO, UT, WA and
WY) to sign that petition. The majority of delegates from fifty-five
delegations opposed their efforts. The rules were adopted on a voice
vote despite a lot of booing and shouts of “no” especially from our
Virginia delegation. Cuccinelli shouted “shame, shame!” and tossed
his delegate credentials on the convention floor.
Day Two – Make America Work Again
Today, we heard from Former Ambassador John Bolton at the
Virginia Delegation breakfast.
I was invited to a conference and luncheon sponsored by the
The American Conservative Union Foundation – “The Conservative
Pit Stop: Destination White House”. After a great conference with
excellent speakers and a scrumptious Italian luncheon, Governor
Mike Pence attended and gave us a sneak peek of his acceptance
speech which was well received by attendees. One of the guest
speakers included Kellyanne Conway who is now Donald Trump’s
Campaign Manager.
Took a side trip to visit
the Federal Reserve Bank
of Cleveland. There was an
interesting display of how
the “Wizard of Oz” was
essentially a political book
based on the 1890’s gold and
silver currency fight.
Walked to the “House of
Blues” where drinks and hors
d’oeuvres were provided
while listening to Ashley
and Shannon Campbell
performing songs for the
screening of Glen Campbell’s
“I’ll BeMe” Documentary for
the Alzheimer’s Readiness
Project.
Before tonight’s session,
a “Taste of Cleveland
Reception” to honor The
Energy of Americans was
sponsored by Dominion in
downtown Cleveland for the
Virginia, West Virginia and
North Carolina Delegations.
Virginia delegation’s home for Delegates, Alternate Delegates
and Guests for the week was The Holiday Inn at Strongsville, Ohio,
which is about 20 miles south of Cleveland. Most of us arrived on
early Sunday afternoon.
State Delegate Glenn Davis sponsored a meet and greet reception
at the hotel bar. I was interviewed by Patrick Wilson of The Virginia
Pilot and noted that I was attending my ninth GOP convention and
backed Trump from the start. “I’m here to unify the party and to make
sure Trump-Pence carries Virginia,” I said.
The Welcome Party – Rock the Night in CLE – “East, Drink
and Party Like a Rock Star” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was
fantastic. Security has been an issue that everyone was talking about.
While eating food from 50 ‘truck’ vendors ranging from apple wood-
smoked wood-fire pizza, sausage rolls, fish bites, and hummus with
chips, I also had the opportunity of meeting and talking to U.S. Secret
Service Director J. P. Clancy and enjoyed listening to a Three Dog
Night Concert.
The GOP Convention Program highlighted speakers, films and
live remotes that showcased Donald Trump’s leadership and his
vision for America.
Day One – Make America Safe Again
This morning at our delegation breakfast meeting, we heard
from Ken Cuccinelli, Chair of our Virginia Delegation, Corey
Stewart, State Trump Chairman and Morton Blackwell, our RNC
Committeeman. Congressman Rob Whitman and businessman Ed
Gillespie also attended. During the week, I shared a breakfast table
Rock
And Roll
In Cleveland –
At The 2016 Republican
National Convention
By Michael E. Belefski, At-Large Alternate Delegate
Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's
Campaign Manager
See Rock And Roll,
continued on page 7