It’s Debbie Riddle’s world, for now. And in Riddle’s world wearing the “right” clothes is still no guarantee that my son will ever walk this world above suspicion. She and her ilk are doing their very best to keep it that way.

This drawn out Republican primary may be characterized as the season of the stolen kiss. The GOP has since the beginning of this election exhibited a reluctance to embrace Mitt Romney, but has nonetheless allowed him to steadily advance in the delegate race.

“Part of reason nativist groups exist and descend into violence like that of Shawna Ford is because they have a deep sense of entitlement to power that they feel has been violated,” he says.

“I am really kind of surprised at how persistent the ‘anti-Romney’ vote is,” says Stephen Nuño, a political scientist at Northern Arizona University. “A segment of Republicans don’t want to believe he will be the candidate,” he adds.