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Monday, February 13, 2012

2012 Tacoma Is Coming Out for Santorum

Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 5:57 PM

So I arrived in Tacoma a short while ago for the Rick Santorum rally taking place at the Washington State History Museum tonight at 7. A volunteer for the Republican Party with a rather painful-looking eye injury (presumably recovering from a serious black eye?) informed me that the rally wasn't going to be inside the museum, but outside in a large cement stadium in front of the museum's entrance. Here's what it looked like a little over a half hour ago:

It's chilly out, and it's starting to drizzle. But even as I was walking away from the beginnings of the rally, some older folks were just arriving. Here's what it looked like a few minutes ago:

Even as I type this, more folks are showing up all the time. It's a decidedly un-youthful rally, but these folks are here an hour and a half before. They are hardcore.

Some of them even brought their own Santorum signs, for crying out loud. A couple of cops are monitoring the situation, but they seem laid-back. Maybe a little too laid-back, considering Occupy Tacoma's headquarters are about 500 feet away from the museum.

At the moment, the only Occupy presence is one man with a TAX THE RICH sign on the sidewalk, but things could get rowdy. I'm in a coffee shop right now, where several Santorum supporters are marveling over a young man's MacBook Air. ("It's so thin!") As always in the tumultuous 2012 political scene, the one thing both parties can agree on is the genius of Steve Jobs.

I'll be posting more about the rally tonight on Slog.

Comments (14) RSS

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Er, "stadium"? Looks like a plaza to me.

You should go in the museum and marvel at the collection of hopeless fake rubbish and moth-eaten life-size dioramas. Special treat: find the big train set and lean over the glass. The security guard whose sole duty it is to protect the sanctity of that glass will yell at you over the PA.

Worst museum I have ever been in.

Now would also be a good time to accidentally drop a can of brown paint off the railing there.

Posted by Fnarf

on February 13, 2012 at 5:55 PM

Mr. Paul Wordman... It's not cement, it's concrete.

Posted by BLUE on February 13, 2012 at 6:01 PM

I'm only keeping my "aroma of Tacoma"/Santorum joke to myself here because it would date me, and certainly not because can't think of a good one.

Posted by Dougsf on February 13, 2012 at 6:07 PM

Great like it doesn't smell bad enough already

Posted by Democrat1234 on February 13, 2012 at 6:12 PM

I can only imagine your excitement Paul.

Posted by Gern Blanston on February 13, 2012 at 6:54 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKie-vgUG…

Posted by prompt on February 13, 2012 at 7:03 PM

It would be poetic justice if some of these old people standing in the cold got pneumonia and weren’t able to vote in the next election… Not that I am hoping for that, but god’s will and all… Also if frothy is wearing a cotton poly blend he should be called out for flaunting god’s law as it is spelled out in Leviticus.

Posted by Chef Thunder on February 13, 2012 at 7:24 PM

So THAT'S what that smell is!

Posted by Curtis Interruptus on February 13, 2012 at 7:42 PM

Given that old folks are much likelier to vote than the young, I'm not sure why you think the age of his fans is a bad sign for Santorum.

Posted by Joe Glibmoron on February 13, 2012 at 8:02 PM

@#9
The age might not be, but the number sure is. Paul doesn't provide a good shot of the bleachers but his pics sure don't look like a mob scene.

Posted by Warren Terra on February 13, 2012 at 8:33 PM

You have to be a particular sort of bent to get excited about Santorum. I guess that sort of thing happens sometimes in the course of advancing senility.

Posted by balderdash