Barrett Rainey's Second Thoughts

If there is a common trait among most state Republican primaries this year it’s this: the far-right operators of those disparate elections have made a major mess of things. Demonstrating- once again – on their climb to take over the party nominating apparatus during the last 25-30 years, they were so intent on winning they failed to learn how to work the machinery.

Taken to the next level, the same applies to those Tea Party types sent to Congress. They won. But most of ‘em are following the deep, Sarah Palin theory of political success: “I won – I’m here – I don’t need to know what I don’t know. Let’s do it.”

Romney won Iowa – the most publicized GOP primary so far – and largest administrative mess of the year. No, wait. Santorum won Iowa. Yes, that’s it. Santorum. No, wait! Paul may have won Iowa. They’re checking again. Then, to top it off, the guy who ran the most fouled up Iowa primaries ever resigned when it was over to become state party chairman.

At least nine states went pretty much the same troubled way. Winners crowned then uncrowned. Numbers sworn to on election night had major changes in the daylight. Winners became losers. Losers won. Weeks later.

But wait, Virginia! Even if the last GOP primary were already over, it ain’t over. What couldn’t be won at the polls or through balloting is now going to be challenged by trickery and deceit. And purity testing. Idaho is already Exhibit “A.

Romney won all 32 delegates in the primary. But there’s a state party convention in June. During primary voting, Paul people quietly picked up a good number of those “unimportant” precinct committee jobs while everyone was concentrating on the big picture. Now they’re going to be delegates to that state convention. Voting delegates. Not all national delegates Romney won will be the state gathering. But voting Paulies will.

One of them – Ryan Davidson- says “If two-thirds of those delegates are Paul people, we can vote to suspend the rules, disregard the primary results for Romney and give all the delegates to Paul.” Makes no difference what everybody agreed to before the primary. This is war. Take no prisoners. As Davidson adds, “I’ll do the scorched earth if I have to.”

While that battle plan may sound implausible, it’s being conducted in just about every state in which a Republican primary has been held and will be in each state until the voting is over. Regardless of who won. Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Georgia. Romney and Santorum may have won the election but those precinct victories down-ticket mean votes on the state convention floor. National, too.

If Paul can pull this off in just five states, he gets his name placed in nomination at the national convention. Then he can have significant input developing the national platform. And, unlike so many previous years when the party platform disappeared after the convention, the Paulies will squawk and scream each time the eventual nominee goes off-message before November. They’ll keep the feet in those expensive Massachusetts loafers firmly to the fire. Which means Romney had better tilt right.

What does that mean? Well, how about abolishing the federal reserve – going back to the gold standard – destroying the Department of Education, Health and Human Services – EPA – Homeland Security – taking away your vote for seats in the U.S. Senate? You think Romney wants to conduct a general election campaign on that? Well, my friends, if all of this works out the way the Paulies think, he’ll either support those things or he can go home and play with his garage elevator.

While the Republican National Committee is taking a dim view of all this Paul plotting, it could happen. If I were running that Tampa Bay gathering, I’d be looking for a parliamentarian the likes of George Patton!

Stay tuned.
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ONE MORE THING:

At last count, there are 18 Republican “birthers” running for Congress this year. Seven are incumbents. Another two call the President a Communist. One thinks there are 80 or so members of Congress carrying Communist Party membership cards. He’s a nut case incumbent, too.

Goofy – and somewhat dangerous – as they all are in my view, they don’t hold a candle to Roland Sledge who’s running for Texas Railroad Commissioner. His first TV campaign ad is getting lots of viewers.

The central figure is a man peeing on an electric fence. Got the picture?

The voice of Sledge is heard saying “Isn’t it about time we elected political leaders that have enough sense not to pee on an electric fence?”

For those of you who wonder why I have so much trouble with the current Republican Party, these are exhibits A thru S! “S” for Sledge.

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