He might not be the Republican nominee, but Ron Paul certainly has loyal delegates. And they're here to make their voices heard—literally. The boisterous delegates caused somewhat of an altercation on the convention floor this Tuesday evening, a night that should belong to Mitt Romney.
Whenever a state that had Paul delegates announced its vote, the counter on stage tallied only the delegates for Romney, a standard practice under the convention rules. Hundreds of Paul delegates struck back by shouting the number of Paul votes in unison from the floor and the rafters, a practice that irked Romney supporters.
One Texas delegate, a Ron Paul supporter, repeatedly screamed whenever Paul's name was mentioned. A group of his fellow Texans turned around and scowled at him.
"Sorry," the Paul supporter said, shrugging and not really sorry.
"Don't do it if you're sorry!" an angry Romney delegate snapped.
A moment, later, the Paul delegate did it again, shouting even louder. Another Romney delegate next to him, a Texan who towered about two feet above him, shot him a glare. "You mad about something, man?"
The Paul delegate pushed his cowboy hat back and shrunk lower. He didn't shout again.
Meanwhile, Romney delegates rallied to beat the Paul delegates at their own game. Whenever a state without any Paul delegates announced their numbers, groups of Romney supporters shouted, "And zero for Ron Paul!"
When Romney finally clinched the delegate vote count, the reaction from the crowd was mild, at best, perhaps exasperated by the shouting match. The delegates on the floor cheered and waved "MITT" signs, but the celebration quickly subsided.
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