TAMPA, Fla. - Representative Ron Paul was on the convention floor here Tuesday afternoon when chants broke out calling on organizers to “let him speak.â€
Mr. Paul, the Texas libertarian and leader of some of the most disgruntled delegates, walked onto the floor at 2 p.m., just
ahead of the color guard. A smattering of supporters applauded. A group in the rafters also shouted “Liberty†in addition to “Let him speak.†But the former rival to Mr. Romney did nothing to egg them on.
The demands by Mr. Paul's supporters came after he had decided not to speak at the Republican National Convention after the Romney campaign insisted on approving his remarks beforehand. They also required that he endorse Mr. Romney.
The chants also came as the Romney campaign was still trying to put down a grass-roots rebellion against its effort to change arcane party rules that, activists say, would protect “establish ment'' presidential candidates from insurgent challengers.
But some of the activists are still raising concerns about a deal struck to resolve the issue, saying that the compromise leaves room for Mr. Romney's team to try to change the rules again after the convention.
The action on the convention floor came after Tea Party activists and others called for action at the event. 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 R.N.C., should grass-roots organizations gain more influence than R.N.C. leadership is comfortable with. This must be stopped.â€
