The Clown Car Rolls On...and it's Heading for Your State Next
Some people are shocked by Santorum's success in yesterday's caucuses and primaries. Not me. None of those caucuses and primaries are binding, and Santorum won no national convention delegates in any of them. I'm in Minnesota, so I'll stick to that state for the following:
Last evening, I attended and chaired my own precinct's DFL caucus. On the way there and back, I drove by the site for the equivalent caucus gathering for the Republicans. These caucuses are held for all of the precincts in a state senate district, so there are multiple caucuses held in one location, generally a school, since the classrooms make good spots for the small turnouts for each precinct.
The GOP caucus location actually had fewer cars in its parking lot than at the equivalent DFL caucus gathering I attended. Same coverage in terms of precincts. Now, the DFL precinct caucuses had a low turnout, since the Presidential Preference ballot is the main attraction. This year, there's only one name on that ballot. Other business like electing delegates to the senate district convention and election of precinct officers also take place, but turnouts are low.
The GOP had an even lower turnout at their caucus location than the DFL. What does that mean? Nothing. The caucuses mean nothing either, in terms of assigning delegates to the party's state convention, where the actual delegates to the GOP national convention are chosen. That all happens later in the process, at the smaller district conventions.
Who turned out for the GOP caucuses? Only people who wanted to make a statement. That's who turned out. The anti-Romney crowd and the Paulites and Santorum-lovers. That's who turned out. Their vote means nothing. At the state convention, most of the delegates will be hard-core GOP functionaries. Even at the DFL state convention, few delegates are rank-and-file Democrats. The experienced long-time DFL leaders are the ones who get elected at the congressional district conventions. I know, because I've been slowly working my way up the ladder in the DFL organization and still won't get elected as a state delegate, although I'll make it to all the lower conventions. The GOP organization works the same way.
So, come the state convention, the GOP will be dominated by the nomenclatura of the MN GOP, as usual. Romney will emerge victorious as the winner of delegates to the national convention, since the delegates elected to be national delegates for MN will be tried-and-true mainstream Republicans. And there it is.
Not a single caucus or election held yesterday selects any delegates. The turnout of Paulites and Santorum-lovers to the GOP caucuses made the outcome pretty inevitable. As other primaries and caucuses that actually select delegates come up, Santorum and Paul will slip back once again. By the time the national convention occurs, the delegates to that convention will be the same GOP functionaries who are almost always the delegates.
Still, the media's focus on these meaningless caucuses and primaries held yesterday has one salutory effect: They fueled up the GOP clown car for its continued journey down the bumpy, pothole-ridden road of futility. The clowns will continue to tumble out of the clown car in state after state, ready to attack each other with rubber chickens and pugil sticks. Long may the Clown Parade continue! Watch for the Clown car in your own state!
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