May 13, 2012 04:46 PM UTC

Those Crazy Paulistas Just Won't Shut Up

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Arizona Republic reports from last night’s state GOP convention:

Supporters of Ron Paul booed the son of presidential hopeful Mitt Romney off the stage Saturday at the Arizona Republican Party convention as he sought to solidify support for his father’s nomination…

“We cannot afford four more years of President Obama,” said Josh Romney, the third of Mitt Romney’s five sons. “We need someone to step in there and turn things around.”

But Josh had to stop repeatedly as people booed and yelled for Paul, who has continued campaigning in the Republican primary. All other challengers, including Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, have dropped out of the race, and Romney has a commanding lead over Paul in the estimated delegate count.

…[A]s Josh wrapped up, with an admonition to choose the preferred slate of Mitt Romney delegates, the crowd exploded with competing boos and cheers, cutting him short.

Some attendees said they heard Paul supporters chanting outside that Mitt Romney is “the white Obama.” [Pols emphasis]

Classy, but do try to remember–that’s not actually meant to persuade you. This isn’t about you.

Much like in Colorado where diehard supporters of GOP presidential longshot Ron Paul revolted at district and state conventions, sending a majority of delegates to the national GOP convention as “unpledged,” and more recently sending majority Paul delegations from Nevada and Maine, it’s clear that these people have what they think is a plan–and aren’t giving up on that plan.

Is it a brokered convention they’re after, maybe to force Paul’s VP nomination? Is this the death rattle of a marginalized “Tea Party?” A sign of a fundamentally broken GOP party apparatus, increasingly run amok by a fringe their leadership was happy to court two years ago? Would Paul fanatics really just rather see the GOP lose if their man is not the nominee?

Whatever the reason is, Mitt Romney would really like for this to stop.