Nick Reynolds

Then John Holtz, who is covering everything from his experiences in the Boy Scouts to being president of his college fraternity and later, in the Air Force and in law school. Also notes he did a speech on Ronald Reagan to his high school class in the eighth grade.

(He's a former judge as well.)

Also said that he called the cops on protestors in Laramie Thursday, leading to arrests. "I'm not afraid to stick my neck out," he said. Also said he got a bible prophecy when he was in high school, but did not elaborate on what he meant due to time.

We're onto the big event: bylaw changes. Include an NDA for committee members, rules to force county parties to pay dues, etc. All of these are on the consent agenda, and can only be pulled if there are at least 10 votes. Does not look like the votes are there to defeat these.

Another one in there is a pledge by candidates to support 80 percent of the party platform and -- if you don't -- the party will recruit candidates that will and withdraw financial support from your campaign.

There's a group of Frontier Republicans -- the more moderate wing of the party -- attempting to pull a number of bylaw changes from the agenda. Several are speaking out, saying that these are "subversive acts" to slow the agenda and further a "special interest group's" interests

Added that anyone attempting to slow this down should be "tossed out." Peter Nicolaysen, a Natrona County delegate, objected to this characterization, but was ruled out of order by Clem.

Right now, we're debating a rule change that would prevent any meeting of a state or county Republican committee from meeting anywhere that restricts a member's Second Amendment rights. That passes a voice vote.

Now someone moving to adopt all items that had previously been removed from the consent agenda. Normally, that would not be allowed, but if they have a two-thirds majority, they apparently can.

With the number of absences -- plus the results of the votes today -- I believe the wing of the party that has challenged the state central committee over the past year do not have the votes to challenge this. But we'll see... some of these rules, again, will hurt local control.

Shane True, from Natrona County, is now trying to adjourn the meeting prior to a vote on the rest of the bylaw changes. However, they have not yet completed most of their business, including pick a presidential elector. That fails resoundingly.

And an effort to adopt all of the bylaw changes that were pulled off of the consent agenda for debate appears to have failed a voice vote, but was later ruled to have passed after a standing vote.

Incredible moment in state political history. Without debate and more than 100 delegates missing, they passed a rule to centralize power at the state level, subject top officials to NDAs, and pull support from anyone who disagrees with 80 percent of the party platform.

There appears to be some confusion here... they still have to vote on the other bylaw changes, but everything pulled off of the consent list has been. The 80 percent thing, for example, is now up for an amendment.

One man noted that we've just passed something regarding party officers that essentially kills the party's pledge to be a grassroots organization, argues that it is now top-down, and antithetical to Republican values.

Delegates from Campbell, most of Natrona, Laramie, Albany, and Teton Counties are now walking out of the convention. "We didn't even debate," Natrona GOP Chair Joe McGinley says. "We were going to lose anyway, but at least debate."

Said there were numerous violations of party bylaws and state statute, and that a lawsuit might be coming. (Caitlin Long, of Laramie County, hinted at this.) Apparently there was almost a physical altercation as well, which was reported to the Sergeant at Arms.

"It's clear they just don't care," McGinley said. "They just got what they wanted."