Turn-aways in a Santorum-friendly county in Washington?

Politico ^

[Windy City Conservative]

About 1,500 people were turned away from pooled Benton County caucuses in Kennewick by event organizers after rooms at the Three Rivers Convention Center reached capacity this morning.

Some potential caucus voters said they arrived at 9 a.m. to find the large hallways at the convention center packed to the rafters and were told no more people could enter the caucus rooms.

Ray Swenson, a Richland lawyer, criticized local GOP officials for poor organization and said the results today should be invalidated.

"I think it's illegal," Swenson shouted to a gathered crowd, many of whom were filming him with cell phone cameras. "The Republican party leadership is taking away our freedom."

Swenson told the Herald he may file a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the caucus results.

"I think it's unconstitutional," he said. "Our right to vote is the most fundamental right in the Constitution. ... This is exactly equal to walking into a polling place and being told, 'We've run out of ballots. We didn't expect this many people. Go home.'"

[Windy City Conservative]

The integrity of the GOP Primary hasn't been too good. So, if their aren't enough tables at the caucus place, you don't get to vote?

[RoosterRedux]

I suspect the New Mormon Panthers. Glassy eyed dudes with night sticks in suits and ties...and there were bicycles leaning against the wall behind them.

[throwback]

Weird. That isn’t exactly an urban center. Sounds like Romney’s sweeping it, so who cares anyway. We’re getting our establishment candidate as designed.

[dforest]

I was saying a few days ago that they are not going to accept Romney losing. It was promised to him and they will do whatever it takes to make sure he wins.

All the ire we all lob at each other won’t change a damn thing.

[SkyDancer]

Take your problems to Queen Gregoire. Now if it was a Democrat primary it’d be by mail-in ballot.

[Irenic]

One thing is for certain, after this primary the GOP are going to look like the dirty rotten scoundrels they are.

Can’t stand Santorum but NOBODY should be turned away. Though when it gets to New Mexico, Buddy the dog should probably be turned away.

[Diogenesis]

SSDD

FLASHBACK:

The McCain/Palin ticket was up ++4 to 10 pts
in some polls, days prior to Election 2008.
So rather than helping the GOP, Romney and
TeamROMNEY and the RNME (Republican National Media Establishment)
decided …to attack Gov. Palin to throw Election2008.

Romney, and the Van der Sloot RNME RINOs for Obama in 2008

Late in October, The American Spectator's The Prowler revealed:
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers…
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide…
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
"Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."

---

The Palmetto Scoop reported: "One of the first stories to hit the national airwaves was
the claim of a major internal strife between close McCain aides and the folks handling his running mate Sarah Palin."
"I’m told by very good sources that this was indeed the case and that a rift had developed, but it was between Palin’s people and the staffers brought on from the failed presidential campaign of former Gov. Mitt Romney, not McCain aides."
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney’s former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
… aides loyal to Romney inside the McCain campaign, said The Scoop, reportedly saw
that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.

---

"These staffers are now out trying to finish her off ….hoping it would ingratiate themselves with Mitt Romney."

---

"Who's the Palin Leaker from the McCain Campaign?
National Review Online The publication of a Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin
appears to have opened old wounds in the McCain campaign.
... the source of the “Diva” leak was Nicolle Wallace’s husband."

---

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"

---

[maine yankee]

I suspect the New Mormon Panthers. Glassy eyed dudes with night sticks in suits and ties...and there were bicycles leaning against the wall behind them.

---

And they refer to each other as brotha’

[RoosterRedux]

And the spouses who bring sack lunches for the brotha’s refer to themselves as “sister wives.”

[Kenny]

All the ire we all lob at each other won’t change a damn thing.

Let's lob some of that ire in their direction instead.

[NavyCanDo]

I don't know what happend in Kennewick, but here in South King County we filled the High School lunch room to its max I'm sure before the 10:00 AM doors closed deadline. Fire code laws do apply so if the room is at max it is at max. To allow more people in the Party and the school could face a huge fines. Sorry but that is the way it is. There was no sign of foul play on anyones part. If anyone showed up early it was Paul people. The place was plastered with Paul yard signs. And at my Table which sat 2 precincts with 11 people. The vote tally was: Romney 7 Santorum 1 Paul 1 ( a young kid) Undecided 2 Newt 0 I knew most of these people right from my own neighborhood. They were not bussed in, or paid, or any other shenanagans going on. Just Republicans voting . You may not like the results, but its the way it is. No excuses.

[throwback]

Yep, the herd is going for the safe bet, and we'll lose again. Mitt said he wouldn't light his hair on fire. This is McCain all over again. Between two candidates that both support government health care, most will pick the incumbent. The economy will probably hold till 2013 because Obama pushed most of the bad stuff past the election, presto no argument for an economic fixit man.

[Diogenesis]

Romney has cheated in every state.

Iowa. Florida. Maine. Michigan.

And he has a history of nefarious egregious conduct.

If Team Romney DOES NOT cheat in Washington, then
it will be news, indeed.

[J. Worthington]

Same story here in Pierce County in terms of attendance. Expected 300-400 and wound up well over 1000 in my district caucus. Overflowed from asssmbly hall into the gym. Seemed about 60/40 Romney over Santorum. Surprisingly few Paul supporters. Think Santorum may have a good showing.

[Maynerd]

Your pathetic bigotry reflects poorly on yourself as well as the free republic.

[RoosterRedux]

Oh! You are a cult member?

I pray for your return to the truth...and for release from the cult.

God bless...no, not the god of Joseph Smith...the real God!

Is someone who believes in the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob a bigot?

Or is that a Mormon defense against the truth.

God loves you...but it is not the God of Joseph Smith.

Come home...come home before it is too late!

Come out of that demonic cult! May the real God be with you!

[RoosterRedux]

Wow...the LDS has planted FR posters since 1999! Impressive!

But Romney will never be President. Not now...not never.

Turn around and examine your faith and you will find the reason.

Mormonism is a lie...it cannot succeed. It will not survive.

Maybe you should become a Muslim. Islam is like the LDS...but it (Islam) has been more successful, yet has had a more clearly demonic history.

This is a war between good and evil. You have chosen the wrong side!

[itsahoot]

To allow more people in the Party and the school could face a huge fines.

Why yes, yes they could, how about moving outside or somewhere else? Maybe because you wouldn’t be able to control the outcome that way?

Cr@p is cr@p, no matter how much mayonnaise you put on the bread.

[Maynerd]

No. I’m not LDS. And none of my family or relatives or LDS. And I am not a fan of the religion.

However, your hatred and contempt for others who differ from you is frankly embarrassing. You might want to reread the constitution. You are giving the free republic and conservatives a bad name. The left loves bigots like you. You fulfill all of their neanderthal conservative stereotypes. You are the NYT’s and MSNBC’s program directors dream.

The internet allows cowards like you to spill your bile anonymously. I would bet a large sum of money you speak differently in public.

[Robwin]

I was at that Benton County caucus this morning and can testify it was a bit of a mess. But there are a couple of of factors to be considered.

The organizers had expected 2,000 attendees. They got somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,500-5,000. By state law registration had to be cut off at 10 am some 1,500+ people were turned away (and were none too happy considering how long the lines were). I hate to say it but if you snoozed, you losed (is that a word?). My wife and I got there at about 8:45 and joined our caucus group at 9:45 (that gives you some idea of how long the lines were).

The really good news for we Conservatives was the enthusiasm of the attendees, not only for their particular candidate, but also for getting The (Incompetent) One out of office. Regrettably WA is a blue state (blame the idiots who infest Seattle and environs) while Benton County is well known as Republican country. Nonetheless from what I saw today among caucus goers we have a real chance here this time around. I hope so.

Just for follow up I will provide the Benton County primary vote totals just as soon as theyn are announced.