08/27/2012, the North Carolina delegation to the RNC had a breakfast meeting in which the RNC-proposed amendment to rule 15 (changed to rule 16) was brought up by NC State Republican Committeewoman Ada Fisher. At the time, Fisher voiced that she was opposed to the RNC rule change, which would give presidential candidates veto-authority over RNC delegates elected by the people of individual states. Thom Tillis, speaker of the NC house of reps., also spoke against the rule changes. Here is a link to one of the videos from the breakfast meeting, after around the 2:20 mark is where Ada specifically denounces the rule changes and the entire room of the NC delegation is in support of her stance on it, applauding: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/24999593 there are other videos from the same meeting stored on the channel.

Fisher announced that she wanted to conduct another meeting in which the issue could be further discussed. The meeting was scheduled for 3:45 pm same day. At the breakfast meeting, it appeared that NC elected position-holders and the NC delegation were in support of the Minority Report, a proposed measure to counter the rule changes, and opposed to the RNC rule changes. By 3:45, the tone had drastically changed among the elected position-holders.

We showed up to the 3:45 meeting to find that Fisher had not even bothered to come to her own meeting. Thom Tillis was present, but remained quiet and certainly didn’t voice an opinion on the rule changes one way or another. NC Chairman Robin Hayes immediately opened the meeting by telling the delegation that he was OPPOSED to the Minority Report, and wanted all of the delegation to support the rule changes, telling them that their “leaders” wanted the rule changes, and that they needed to “support their leaders.”

I began filming because I was startled by this drastic change in tone. When the video starts, Hayes is discussing the fact that Morton Blackwell, member of the VA delegation, author of the minority report, and senior member of the RNC rules committee, was present to give a presentation in support of the Minority Report. Robin Hayes stated that HE did NOT invite Blackwell to our meeting, that someone else had done that. Hayes asked two NC members of the RNC rules committee to come in and discuss the rule changes (both of whom had voted to PASS the RNC rule change). Hayes was irritated by Blackwell’s presence there, and later in the video he let it be known.

After Blackwell gave an explanation as to why the rule change was an expansive power-grab which intrudes upon states’ rights and impedes upon the ability to conduct fair elections, Chairman Hayes asks him to leave the room. After Blackwell leaves, Hayes begins to discredit Blackwell, saying that his presentation was simply an opinion, and discusses the fact that he is unhappy with someone inviting Blackwell without consulting with him first. Had it not been for Blackwell being there, there would have been no scheduled Minority Report proponent speakers present to give a counter argument to the speakers that Hayes asked to be present.

Over the course of the video, the fact that I have a camera in the room is brought up a few different times. Each time, the hostility over the camera is escalated. Chairman Hayes makes the insinuation that I could be an infiltrator who would doctor the video or take it out of context, and leak it to liberal media to make the RNC look bad. During these insinuations (as well as one threat to sick Chris Christie on me), most of the NC delegation is applauding and cheering him in his bullying. There was a lot of pressure on me to turn the camera off.

After Hayes began to assess the level of support and opposition for his position, he takes a poll of who in the room is a delegate, who is an alternate, and who is a guest. There was stronger support for the minority report among the alternates and guests than among the delegates. He later holds a vote on the position that NC delegation will stand in support of the rule changes, and says that only the delegates may participate in the vote. He then tells them that Mitt Romney wants them to support the rule changes, he asks them in a confusing manner how they vote on the matter, points them out individually and asks if they support their chairman, tells those who DO NOT support their chairman to raise their hands, a few very brave folks raise their hands, and he then says that all of the rest of our entire group of registered DELEGATES (MANY OF OUR DELEGATES TO THE CONVENTION WERE NOT EVEN PRESENT FOR THE MEETING) were in SUPPORT of the rule changes.

Around 56:00 in, “It is my intention as your elected chairman to vote this delegation with the leadership against the minority report. If there are a majority of you who are opposed to doing that, raise your hand. Mitt Romney does not want that to happen” Robin Hayes “You’re for Robin, or you’re against Robin. If you’re against Robin, raise your hand.”