Confusion Wins In Missouri's 'Chaotic' Caucus Process

KCUR - NPR ^ | March 17, 2012 | Frank Morris

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Cassville, Mo., is a little town on the edge of the Ozark Mountains. During the Civil War, the Confederate state legislature convened here. Tuesday, the Republican presidential caucus was the big draw. Most of the rest of the state will hold its caucuses Saturday morning.

Confusion On Caucus Night

The first caucus was a messy process. More than 250 people showed up, most planning to vote directly for the candidates. But that was not to be.

David Cole, the chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, told caucusgoers that they would be voting on delegates to attend district and state conventions. Those meetings are weeks from now, where Missouri's actual voting delegates will be decided. The delegates picked in this caucus won't be bound to any particular candidate, and they have to be elected in slates.

The county GOP happened to have a slate prepared, as did the Tea Party. But most folks were blindsided by the rules. Cole apologized to the angry crowd that they weren't aware of the process.

The confusion is understandable. The rules for these caucuses are different from county to county. Here in Barry County, only party activists had seen them beforehand. Frank Hubert, a robust 80-year-old in a blue blazer and tie, was one of many to stand up and vent.

"What we have had happen tonight is totally unacceptable, and it is a de facto railroad job," he said.

'Bizarre' Process Sparks Frustration

As tempers flared, it was clear the room was sharply divided between Tea Party supporters and traditional Republicans. Some likened it the caucus to the US Congress. Ralph Kelley, a retired engineer, backing Newt Gingrich, stepped out for a smoke.

"I think that we should vote the Tea Party out of the Republican Party," he says.

Tea Party folks weren't happy either.

"I think it's a joke. I think every bit of this is a joke," says Teresa Petty, a Ron Paul supporter.

The frustration is well understood 60 miles away, in the sunny offices of the political science department at Missouri State University.

"The process is chaotic. I think one word we could use is 'bizarre,'" professor George Connor says.

On top of that, he says, Missouri Republicans have already voted in a presidential primary this year, back in early February.

"We had a primary, which became a beauty contest. A million-dollar primary that didn't count for anything," he says.

Missouri Republicans decided to hand out delegates via a caucus system this year, but deadlocked with Democrats over striking the primary from the calendar. Rick Santorum won the nonbinding primary vote, but no delegates were chosen. The caucuses will do that, eventually.

'Anybody But Obama'

Back in Cassville, the Barry County Republican Party's slate won this caucus. That means the delegates from this steadfastly conservative county will probably back Mitt Romney in district and state conventions over the next couple of months. It will be at least that long before anything like a winner emerges.

Meanwhile, Frank Hubert has turned toward November.

"I'm the A.B.O., Anybody But Obama," he says.

Despite the byzantine nominating process, opposition to President Obama still unites the Republicans of Barry County.

[GeronL]

bump

[PoplarBluffian]

In Butler Ounty we only had about a 8 or 10 for Newt, Paul’s slate got 81 votes & the other slate got 108 & appeared to be fairly well divided between the other 2.. Our delegates, party faithfuls, are not bound to vote for anyone. What a sham! I so want a primary next time!

[jjotto]

Apologies. I was targeting the author of the story, not necessarily you. Most delegate counts touted are indeed just fantasies that ignore the details of the rules by which delegates are actually selected.

And yes, there are plenty of FReepers who want ‘outsiders’ excluded from the process, but then feel cheated by the insiders’ choices. How can it possibly be both ways?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I just saw on KY3 that the Springfield caucus went overwhelmingly for Ron Paul. This, after Santorum took the state in the vote a month ago.

Missouri's election rule are bizarre.

[widdle_wabbit]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6sKbpR24ASM#

http://www.dailypaul.com/221322/urgent-can-any-parlimentarian-help-with-this-real-time-caucus-issue-like-nv-in-2008

http://www.dailypaul.com/221346/this-is-brent-stafford-from-missouri

http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-st-louis/st-charles-caucus-ends-near-riot-with-no-delegates-aw

[hinckley buzzard]

If you cut to the chase and read between the lines, the message is that the GOP is totally defunct as a political party, not only at the beltway level, but the state and county levels as well. Completely corrupted. The end result will be a total fiasco at the National in Tampa in the Fall. The thieves will have fallen to fighting among themselves over the rapidly diminishing spoils of their crime.

It will make entertaining television, and whoever comes out alive will be able to pick up enough pieces to run a decent campaign. But don't expect any integrity from this party, ever again. You can stick a fork in the GOP--it' s done.

[magritte]

I didn’t hear or see anyone for Newt, which was a surprise.

---

Newt blew off the earlier vote, so it’s really no surprise.

[PoplarBluffian]

Paul came in second in Cape County & had we voted for candidates instead of slates he might have given Santorum a run for his money here. His organization really got out the vote. Most people I know decided not to go after they found out how we were doing it. The state should have had the same rules every where instead of giving the counties an option. Bizarre, indeed.......

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Thank you deport. I was off line most of yesterday.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

...the gop is not on their game.

Bump!

[woodpile]

The fix was certainly in on the caucus. Even the Republican party establishment was not consistent in its enforcement of caucus rules. I could find no published basic guideline of rules from the party. We were lied to and denied advanced copies of local caucus rules. Our rules committee never met during the Caucus. A valid motion to have rules committee members elected from the floor in addition to appointments was suppressed and invalidated by a phone call from a unnamed GOP representative to the caucus Parliamentarian. We were only allowed to amend the local rules no additions from the floor. The caucus process backfired on the Establishment, in an effort to steer the delegate selection process toward Mitt, they have alienated the Tea Party. The party needs to understand that if they don't treat the Tea Party fairly they can kiss their chances for future victories GOODBYE. They have definitely jeopardized their long term viability and they will soon become a footnote in the political environment as inconsequential as the Libertarian Party. So the delegate selection process and binding of delegates is no more valid or reliable in the caucus than it is in the primary, its always slanted to the establishment.