АНУ-ын Бүгд найрамдах нам ерөнхийлөгчийн сонгуулийн бус жилүүдэд урьд өмнө байгаагүй томоохон хэмжээний “дунд хугацааны чуулган”-ыг есдүгээр сарын 9-10-ны өдрүүдэд Техас мужийн Даллас хотод зохион байгуулахаар боллоо.
Тус арга хэмжээнд оролцогчид “хүндэт төлөөлөгч”-ийн статустай болохын тулд 20,000 ам.доллар хүртэлх хураамж төлөх шаардлагатай байгаа нь улс төрийн хүрээнийхний шүүмжлэлийг дагуулаад байна. Мужийн намын салбарууд өөр өөр үнийн санал бүхий багцуудыг санал болгож байгаа бөгөөд зарим тохиолдолд 250,000 ам.долларын үнэтэй VIP багцууд ч багтжээ. Ерөнхийдөө ийм төрлийн чуулганыг нэр дэвшигчдийг баталгаажуулах зорилгоор зохион байгуулдаг ч энэ удаагийн арга хэмжээ нь санхүүжилт босгох зорилгоор өргөн хүрээнд хийгдэж байна.
Ажиглагчид болон зарим улс төрчид энэхүү арга хэмжээг тодорхой дүрэм журамгүй, зөвхөн хөрөнгө босгох зорилготой “эмх замбараагүй” үйл явдал хэмээн тодорхойлж байна. Мөн энэ нь намын анхан шатны гишүүдийн санхүүгийн ачааллыг нэмэгдүүлж, ирц тааруу байх эрсдэлтэйг анхааруулж байгаа юм.
Техас мужид зохион байгуулагдах энэхүү чуулган нь тус мужийн сенатын сонгуулийн өрсөлдөөн болон АНУ даяарх сонгуулийн тойргийн зураглалыг өөрчлөхтэй холбоотой маргааныг дахин анхаарлын төвд оруулж байна. АНУ-ын Ерөнхийлөгчийн нэр хүнд буурч буй энэ үед арваннэгдүгээр сард болох сонгууль нь Бүгд найрамдах намын хувьд Конгрессын хоёр танхим дахь олонхын байр сууриа хадгалах эсэхээ шийдэх чухал сорилт болох юм.
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The Republican Party’s unprecedented “midterm convention” will see guests charged tens of thousands of dollars to attend, with state party websites offering “honorary delegate” status for $20,000.
While the two main political parties typically only hold large-scale conventions around presidential elections to certify their candidates and whip up voter enthusiasm, Donald Trump has pushed for one ahead of this year’s elections marking the midway point in his second term, hoping for a similar boost.
The event, which Trump has promised will deliver “great entertainment”, is expected to be held at the 20,000-seat American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on September 9 and 10 and headlined by the president and Vice President JD Vance, but attendees will have to pay a high price to join them.
The Michigan Republican Party is offering those interested in honorary delegate privileges an “exclusive convention experience” for $7,500 or $10,000 per couple, for which they will receive floor seats, a hotel room, an invite to a private breakfast and an unspecified “convention gift”.
The Texas GOP is pitching a similar promotion while the California chapter is charging $10,000 to be a “VIP delegate” on the convention floor but also offering premium packages costing as much as $250,000, according to Politico.
Other states like Alabama are charging less, with delegate tickets available from $1,300 to $1,500, although this excludes the cost of hotels and transportation.
Usually delegates to parties’ national conventions are elected to their position by state activists and pay their own expenses, rather than buying access to the event, at which they are expected to formally cast their state’s votes for a presidential nominee, ceremonially cementing their status.
But at September’s gathering – which Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters has dubbed “Trumpapalooza” – there is no candidate to certify, so what it actually means to be a delegate, as opposed to an audience member cheering on the speeches and contributing to the GOP’s fundraising push, is not entirely clear.
Joe Walsh, a former GOP congressman for Illinois, issued a scathing response to the convention on X, posting: “Same old story – Trump doesn’t give a f*** about his supporters or Republicans, he’ll pick their pockets every chance he’s got, all while he’s stuffing billions into his own pockets. Here we go again.”
Also expressing scorn was an unnamed Republican consultant, who told The Huffington Post: “It’s not a real convention. The RNC hasn’t written any rules for this. It’s just this grifter free-for-all.”
He lamented the cost involved hitting grassroots activists and predicted a disaster akin to Trump’s poorly-attended Great American State Fair on the National Mall in D.C.: “I think there’s a tremendous risk here that this could blow up. They might end up having to give tickets away.”
The choice of Texas as a venue will place its crucial Senate race between the scandal-marred Attorney General Ken Paxton and fresh-faced Democrat James Talarico center stage.
It will also retrain attention on the state that set the nationwide redistricting battle in motion last year, in which rival states sought to redraw their constituency maps in search of an advantage come Election Day.
As Trump’s approval rating continues to tank, despite his insisting otherwise, there is a great deal at stake in November’s midterms, with conservatives facing the very real prospect of a blue wave sweeping Democrats to power in the House of Representatives and possibly even the Senate.
Should that happen, it would mean Trump clinging on as a lame duck president for the second half of his final term, his legislative agenda stalled and his presidency under scrutiny from congressional investigators perhaps eyeing a historic third impeachment.
