Ron Paul supporters control Republican county conventions

Allocation of all Missouri Republican delegates to the national convention was determined by John McCain's first place finish at the polls March 3rd in a tight Super Tuesday contest between McCain, Huckaby, and Romney where Ron Paul "also ran".

Under Missouri Republican Party rules a series of ministerial meetings are held at the county level to formally identify slates of specific names for those who will pay their own way, first to nine congressional district meetings around the state and then the state convention in Branson, to select the actual McCain committed delegates that will go on to Minnesota. The meetings also provide some trickle up input into the the State Committee's pre-written party platform planks.

Into this business like atmosphere that normally only attracts a handful of active party regulars, which in Jackson County at William Chrisman High School this past Saturday numbered less than a hundred, flowed about 135 Ron Paul supporters with an apparent misapprehension that who Missouri delegates must vote for in Minnesota is an open question. One or two appeared to be dressed as patriotic leprechauns.

Initially Ron Paul organizers worked with conciliatory long time Republican County Chairman and eminent Independence attorney Bunk Farrington to compose a unity slate list of delegates, dominated by Ron Paul supporters but including some party regulars, to next the stage state and congressional district meetings which actually select national delegates. Three less inflamatory Ron Paul resolutions were were culled from a nine page list, recommended to the floor and passed.

After three hours, Ron Paul crowd impatience got the better of a 20ish young man with a smattering of high school debate experience, who's name may actually have been "Point O'Information". He bounded to his feet demanding to debate the unity slate nomination with a cry of "Ron Paul doesn't compromise!" and placed an all Ron Paul supporter list into nomination.

Farrington looked to the Ron Paul organizers for assistance in calming down the crowd and backing the unity slate but discovered that getting Ron Paul supporters under one roof isn't the same as leading them in one direction. At that point Farrington set his gavel down, left the podium and the auditorium along with the diminishing group of seventy Republicans regulars.

It is to be presumed that the caucus secretary, a Ron Paul supporter, then reconvened the caucus and that the Ron Paul affiliated list of congressional district and state delegates was named.

Why Ron Paul supporters organized to hi-jack the privalege of spending money on gas, food and lodging to cast votes automatically pledged to John McCain remains a mystery. Those who walked out have chalked it up to an act of political vandalism in retribution for not having been taken seriously by more mainstream Republicans.

Yes it is true the good ol boy politics came to a screeching halt in several county's across Missouri this past Saturday. In Jackson county a attempt to make deals in the old back room political fashion was denied.
As the chairman offered a so called agreed on slate of delegates called the republican uniform slate giving 107 delegates to Ron Paul and the remaining 80 delegates to the standing Republicans. A motion to the floor came offering a second slate representing the true majority with no special interest deals attached. The second slate contained 179 Ron Paul delegates which more represented the majority in attendance.
At this time rather than trying to work with the majority the Chairman claimed real republicans don't make deals and then break them. Then displaying what I would call hurt feelings the Chairman called upon in his words for the real Republicans to rise and leave. Some 50 or so people left and abruptly ended their participation in the caucus. In leaving they took the doucments belonging to the caucus includung the first slate and the the list of voters names attenting.
After a few moments with a close look at Robert's rules a motion was made to elect a new chairman. The motion carried and the former secretary was unanimously elected chairman. Following the rules of order a secretary and parliamentarian were then appointed and the meeting went foreword by rule. The first slate as offered by the former Chair was offered and debated. the point of debate against the slate was that since the slate in question had be removed from the caucus and the building by the former chairman should be excluded. But motion was voted down the first slate was allowed.
After some more discussion both the first and second slate was put to a vote. The first slate was voted down and the second slate won by a slim margin of only 10 votes. Wow only 10 votes if the self proclaimed real republicans had not lost their heads they may have won if the 50 or so that walked out had stayed to vote. After completing all other business at hand a motion was made to adjourn. That motion carried ending the 6 hour meeting.

Most Ron Paul backers seemed to have no problem choosing a pure Ron Paul slate, that couldn't even quite be filled, in lieu of a slate that contained a nearly a 60% Ron Paul edge over the 40% of other folks in the auditorium who prior to March 3rd had backed not just McCain, but Huckaby, Romney, and even Giuliani who dropped out too late for some absentee voters.

Far from a blow against backroom politics this was a glorified protest sit in with Ron Paul signs and stickers instead of peace signs. Anyone suggesting long suffering Bunk Farrington's actions were sour grapes is in denial that the entire Saturday Ron Paul turnout was an expression of sour grapes at the expressed voter will on March 3rd.

I don't resent the challenge by KCRon to the bonafides of those of us on the losing end of the stick. Partisan politics is a competative sport and no one enjoys losing the intra-murals.

The kind of contest you ordinarily expect in the post-primary county caucus would be one between local factions or political clubs contesting for a bigger say in local control of the county party. There hasn't been such a factional contest in Jackson County since the 1980's and there was no apparent reason to bring out the party faithful in large numbers to fulfill a few non-controvercial administrative responsibilities. Why anticipate an ambush when nothing politically substantive is at stake?.

Most if not all of the attendees who left with Bunk Farrington were duly elected ward and township county committeemen and women charged with carrying out routine business of the local party. They supported various candidates for nomination before the March 3rd primary vote and, with the matter decided, dutifully showed up to clean up the necessary bureaucratic details of sending Missouri's McCain pledged delegates on to Minnesota and ready the party to face the Democratic nominee in November.

It is by no means clear the Ron Paul caucus attendees aren't also "real Republicans" but they showed no signs of rallying behind the clearly identified nominee and some at least still hold out strong hopes that Ron Paul will be a third party option on the November ballot running in clear opposition to the Republican nominee.

It's OK to make a little fun of the perceived uppityness of longtime volunteer party activists who have won a few and lost a few but hung in there. It will be interesting to see how many of the Ron Paul backers Saturday ever show up again to support the party and its candidates.

I feel a little sorry for the Jackson County Republicans here. Ron Paul supporters are among the strangest political creatures around. Kinda like the Lyndon LaRouche crowd.

On the other hand ... I do admire the nerve of a bunch of upstarts showing up in sufficient numbers and taking over the proceedings. Who cares if they're new to the party or haven't "earned" a place at the table? More people showing up at party meetings and at the polls is always a good thing.

If nothing else, the establishment Republicans should pick up a few tips from the Paul camp on fundraising. Paul was at the very least competitive in with the GOP frontrunners in campaign contributions.

People who say that Ron Paul supporters are not true Republicans have not studied their history very closely. Virtually all of Ron Paul's positions are the historical Republican positions on things like fiscal conservatism, smaller government, a humble foreign policy and they have always been strong supporters of our constitutional rights. The Neo-Cons are using 911 like a club to beat old school Republicans into submission that do not go for their plans of policeing the world, nation building, the suspension of our constitutional rights and spending money like a drunken sailor. If you cannot see that it is the Neo-Cons that have betrayed our party then you just need to do a little more homework. If some Ron Paul supporters come off as a little upset at the current state of affairs in the Republican party, please remember the fact that the leadership in our party has betrayed us as well as all Americans and cut us some slack if we seem to have a few of our feathers ruffled.

If not for the pointless inconvenience of the sucker punch, the spontaneous turnout of motivated neophyte Republicans might have been invigorating.

Lots of us old dogs were once insurgent young pups and still remember how it feels. Who knows, if a few of these folks stick around to support another candidate or two in another race they may one day get to see someone crash their party.

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