TAMPA, Fla. - With the convention set to come to order for its first real day of activity in just a couple of hours, the Romney campaign is still trying to put down a grass-roots rebellion against its effort to change arcane party rules that, activists say, would protect “establishment'' presidential candidates from insurgent challengers.
A compromise that had come together late Monday night â€" in which Mitt Romney's team seemed to back off many of its proposed changes - was still awaiting wider approval from activists.
But some of the activists involved are still raising concerns, saying that the compromise leaves room for Mr. Romney's team to try again after the convention.
“It's not se lling,'' said Drew McKissick, a South Carolina delegate and activist involved in the fight.
A blog post on the Web site of FreedomWorks, an organization closely aligned with the Tea Party, warns: “If this rule stands it will operate as a contingency plan for the RNC, should grassroots organizations gain more influence than RNC leadership is comfortable with. This must be stopped.â€
The post then urges readers to voice their opposition with their party representatives here at the convention. Barring a last-minute breakthrough, the activists could force a floor fight.
