It’s a question of “proper delegates” . The Paulers were very open about their plans to disrupt the convention. There were posts all over the internet and even a couple of law suits over the delegates and their plans. (some states had already changed some their rules because of the Paulers, the problem isn’t new)
The talk on the internet was about finding enough delegates from a single state to cause a problem. They tried Colorado first, then WA state and Wisconsin, but finally had to settle for Maine, where the most wishy washy Republicans in the country reside (just look at Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins).
The plan was not to win anything, but to just cause trouble and hurt Mitt Romney. The rule change may have been draconian, but it is the fault of the Paulers. The behavior of the Paulers on the floor of the convention the first night was despicable, also. I saw one young girl, sitting conspicuously on the end of an aisle, trying to look bored, but almost breaking into a smile when the camera picked her up. They were walking around, getting up, going out in the aisles and back again during the speeches, trying to be a distracting as possible. I think that security should have told them to leave the floor if they got up out of their seats, until the speech was over, and not let anyone back on the floor while there was someone speaking.
Actually the Paulites were the more creative part of the stogy GOP gathering. Too bad the shallow thinkers in the dying GOP did not try to include these freedom advocates into the big GOP umbrella currently trying to capture 3rd world Hispanics, Blacks that vote D, McCain’s Freedom Fighting Al Quedians and assorted azzhat consultants like the Rovian Turdblossam that actually threaten murder of the occasional errant R candidates....that’s a fine crowd they got corralled into their bankrupt littl gathering.