Okay, so the Missouri Republican Party decided for reasons of its own to hold a “beauty contest” primary on Feb. 7. Turnout was drastically lower than in previous years, and Rick Santorum won overwhelmingly—part of a 3 state, 0 delegate “sweep” that gave his candidacy added momentum. Fine. It’s their party. They can create special events like primaries that don’t choose candidates or elect delegates if they want.
Then the Missouri Republican Party decided to hold county caucuses this past Saturday. These caucuses were to elect delegates to county conventions (scheduled for April 21), that would in turn elect delegates to a June 2 state convention, that will elect delegates to the party’s Aug. 27 – 30 National Convention in Tampa. Again, fine. A bit archaic (with a schedule more typical of pre-internal combustion engine days), but again, it’s their party. If that’s what works for them, nobody else really has reason to complain. Even if the two largest counties—St. Louis and Jackson—aren’t holding their caucuses until March 24 (to avoid conflicts with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in St. Louis and Kansas City).
Then this happens:
Crowds and chaos rattled Missouri’s GOP caucuses on Saturday, threatening to put further scrutiny on a process that was already a national anomaly.
In St. Charles County, which was to have been the biggest single prize of the day, the caucus was shut down before delegates were chosen after a boisterous crowd objected to how the meeting was being run, including an attempted ban on videotaping. Two supporters of presidential hopeful Ron Paul were arrested.
Democrats have spent a good part of the past decade working themselves into a lather over the GOP’s platoons of canny, tough, savvy, hard-nosed political operatives and the well-oiled party machinery they’ve built up and maintained. All those little Karl Rove disciples who, like Karl, were formed in the Parris Island of Republican party politics: the College Republicans and the Young Americans for Freedom.
And now they can’t even run a simple county caucus? What is going on? Can’t anybody here play this game?
Crossposted at: http://masscommons.wordpress.com/