2. Mail one 36-pack case of Bud Lite cans to each American household:

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Virtually the entire platform will have to be rewritten to lessen the imprint of the president, who has the highest disapproval rating of any White House occupant since Richard M. Nixon.

Ebell [Myron, of the Competitive Enterprise Institute] said McCain should be careful as he and his allies seek to change the platform to reflect his political sensibilities. "He attracts a lot of votes in the middle--independents and moderates," Ebell said. But, if he pushes on each one of these issues--campaign finance, immigration, or global warming energy issues--he's likely to keep a lot of people at home on Election Day."

Maverick GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul has booked an arena in Minneapolis for a "mini-convention" that could steal some of John McCain's thunder just days before he accepts the Republican nomination.

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As of now, your Wonkette still plans on attending the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities in early September, because why not. But now there may be something interesting to do! That's right: Ron Paul will hold a Rival Convention, same time, same cities, with every Paultard in the world.

A Paul campaign aide said the Texas congressman hopes to pack about 11,000 supporters into the Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota on Sept. 2, which coincides with the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in neighboring St. Paul.

MyRonPaulBlimp.com sells mini Ron Paul Blimps (not to be confused with Law & Order actor Fred Thompson's "Fred Zeppelins," or the "Huck-enberg"), and they ain't all that mini, measuring 15 to 26 feet in length, depending on how much coin you want to drop. A portion of the proceeds go to the Ron Paul campaign.

They're pricey, I'm not gonna lie, but they have some useful suggestions on how to defray the cost.

The plan is for massive numbers of Ron Paul blimp owners to descend on Minneapolis for the Republican National Convention, September 1-4, 2008. I want several thousand Ron Paul mini-blimps to ring the Xcel Energy Center, expanding out like a shock wave, with "Flight of the Valkyries" blaring from every Paulite's car stereo.

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"I love the smell of money bombs in the morning. Smells like...liberty." - Fictitious Ron Paul/Robert Duvall Hybrid

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Republicans and Democrats, in both Florida and Michigan, tried to play a game of political chicken with their respective party bosses.They both lost. The GOP's rules are a little less punitive in onlycutting the size of the state's delegations, whereas the Democrats flat out bar the states from seating their delegations. It's expected tha the DNC will relax its punishment and seat some delegates, from both states.

This is not a complicated issues... Read more

The two front-runners for the nomination didn't completely follow the plan. While neither campaigned or attended fund raisers, Sen. Hillary Clinton remained on the ballot in both states and Sen. Barack Obama was on the ballot in Florida. This means that the Democratic Party must find a way to deal with a situation where not only the states but also the top two candidates broke the rules. In another year, this may not have been such a problem... Read More

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Democratic National Committee rules require that the two states lose at least half of their convention delegates for holding elections too early, the party's legal experts wrote in a 38-page memo.

The analysis also said there is an option to restore 100 percent of the delegation--by a recommendation of the Credentials Committee that meets later this summer. However, that would mean a final decision would not be made until the first day of the convention in Denver, since Credentials Committee decisions have to be approved by the full convention as it convenes--risking a floor fight.

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The Democrats' situation contrasts markedly with that of the Republicans, whose committee is on budget in its $39 million fund-raising drive for the Republican National Convention, to be held in Minneapolis-St. Paul on Sept. 1-4. Teresa McFarland, a spokeswoman for the host committee, said it expected to meet its June 15 target of having 80 percent of the money raised by that date.

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Former Georgia Congressman (1995-2003), Bob Barr, has won the Libertarian Party nomination as candidate for president. The party convention, held this week in Denver, nominated Barr on the 6th ballot, defeating Mary Ruwart - a research scientist.

Barr, probably best known for his role in the Bill Clinton impeachment trial, left the Republican Party in 2006 and shortly thereafter set up an exploratory commission for the 2008 presidential campaign.

Barr, long a favorite of some conservatives, leads some to think he might pull some votes from John McCain in November. However, since leaving Congress in '03 his personal platform has a decidedly leftist feel. Historically opposed to Bush administration thought on Iraq, Iran and the Patriot Act, Barr has recently joined the ACLU. As a Republican, he too was seen as a maverick, while at the same time his past record of social conservatism seems at odds with traditional Libertarians.

Barr's nomination brings some much needed attention to this alternative party - perhaps in part why he got the nod over more traditional and long-standing Libertarian Party members. On again-off again Libertarian Ron Paul is perhaps the best known of past party members with former Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel as it's newest. Gravel fell out of contention after the 4th ballot.

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Virtually all the nation's political attention in recent weeks has focused on the compelling state-by-state presidential nomination struggle between two Democrats and the potential for party-splitting strife over there.

But in the meantime, quietly, largely under the radar of most people, the forces of Rep. Ron Paul have been organizing across the country to stage an embarrassing public revolt against Sen. John McCain when Republicans gather for their national convention in St. Paul at the beginning of September.

They hope to demonstrate their disagreements with McCain vocally at the convention through platform fights and an attempt to get Paul a prominent speaking slot. Paul, who's running unopposed in his home Texas district for an 11th House term, still has some $5 million in war funds and has instructed his followers that their struggle is not about a single election, but a longterm revolution for control of the Republican Party.

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Presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain's hand-picked choice for convention manager, Doug Goodyear, resigned after Newsweek ran a story about his lobbying work and involvement in 527 groups in 2004 that were fined for improprieties.

McCain has denounced 527 groups as recently as this past February.

Goodyear, CEO of the DCI group, a consulting firm that lobbies for ExxonMobil, General Motors and the military junta that runs that great democracy Burma, said in a brief statement, "Today I offered the convention my resignation so as not to become a distraction in this campaign. I continue to strongly support John McCain for president, and wish him the best of luck in this campaign".

Astonishingly, the McCain campaign's first choice, Paul Manafort, was nixed due to HIS lobbying efforts for foreign heads of state that included Ferdinand Marcos and personal relationship with Russia's Vladmir Putin. The campaign was concerned about the appearance of McCain being to closely tied to Washington lobbyists.

Does John McCain NOT have anyone close to him that ISN'T a lobbyist? Does his staff need introductory courses on how to vet people? I'm sure they'll run and take my advice, but they might just want to expand their circle of influence before he starts getting called on this stuff in earnest.

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Talk show host Rush Limbaugh is sparking controversy again after he made comments calling for riots in Denver during the Democratic National Convention this summer.

He said the riots would ensure a Democrat is not elected as president, and his listeners have a responsibility to make sure it happens.

"Riots in Denver, the Democrat Convention would see to it that we don't elect Democrats."

Several callers called in to the radio show to denounce Limbaugh's comments, when he later stated, "I am not inspiring or inciting riots, I am dreaming of riots in Denver."

"There won't be riots at our convention. We don't riot. We don't burn our cars. We don't burn down our houses. We don't kill our children. We don't do half the things the American left does."

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We are all committed to doing everything we can to ensure that a Florida delegation is seated in Denver. We all agree that whatever the solution, it must have the support of both campaigns. While there may be differences of opinion in how we get there, we are all committed to ensuring that Florida's delegation is seated in Denver. We're committed to working with both campaigns to reach a solution as soon as realistically possible. We are also laying the groundwork to ensure we win in Florida in November and spent time here today talking about how to do just that. We will continue to work towards a solution to ensure delegates are seated and logistics are in place for a Florida delegation in Denver.

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In a proposal being considered in the Minnesota House, the last call for alcohol would be pushed back two hours from the usual 2 a.m. for all establishments within a 10-mile radius of the convention site...

...The change, which would last roughly 11 days and require suspending a state law, would also allow liquor sales on Sundays.

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"I think there's still so much focus around who the candidate will be that it is hard for people" to focus on the convention, he said.

If the Democrats already had a nominee, "everybody would be focusing on 'How can we make it a great convention?' " he said.

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