Ron Paul Fall-Out

With all the attention concentrating on whether the Clintonites would get on board the Obama Express (if the response at the Texas Democratic Party Convention is anything to go by, the answer is yes), it may have been forgotten that the Republican nomination is not actually settled. U.S. Congressman Ron Paul is still in the race, and his supporters have not all happily jumped on the S.S. McCain yet.

The Texas GOP has just won a legal battle with Paulites over how they operate. Last week, visiting Judge Tom Sullivan ordered that, to comply with Texas election law, the GOP had to selected its permanent convention chair before doing any business, and he granted the Paulites a temporary restraining order. The Paulites said not doing so meant debate from the grass roots was suppressed because valuable convention time was swallowed up in this process. But this morning Judge Roberta Lloyd threw the TRO out, saying that her court had no jurisdiction.

Spokesman Hans Klingler called this the "litigious cajoling of a disgruntled few." But this was no minor party members: the TRO was sought by big-time Paul boosters Wharton County GOP chair Debra Medina and former Harris County Republican Party chair Gary Polland. What made this schism even deeper is that Polland had been talked about as a potential replacement for the retiring Sen. Kyle Janek. "It's a pretty sad day when we have to go to court to resolve our GOP differences," Polland said.