Can you be outside looking in when you've spent your entire life on the inside looking out?

The Wyoming Democratic Party is holding its convention in Casper this weekend. For the first time since 2002, I'm not there. My interest in the state party and the Laramie County Democrats has waned since the 2008 elections. We were all tired. Elated by the national results but dismayed by the insistence of Wyoming voters to send Cheyenne Republican Cynthia Lummis to Congress instead of the more-qualified and dynamic Democrat, Gary Trauner. A party-line vote. Party-line votes in Wyoming always favor Republicans. In 2006, Trauner came within 1,000 votes of whipping Rep. Barbara Cubin. She was a sitting duck, disliked by Repub and Dems alike for her absence from House votes -- and nonsensical votes when she did show. But for a few diehard Repubs in northern Wyoming, the state would have a knowledgeable House member instead of a party hack.

Water under the bridge.

The Democrats have no candidate for governor this year. The very popular Dave Freudenthal is leaving. Four major Republican Party politicos are running for the nomination. There are some wild cards in the race, including Repub James Macneil, Dems Rex Wilde and Al Hamburg, and Libertarian Mike Wheeler. But the fact remains -- the 65,000 registered Democrats in the state have nobody to vote for.

According to the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, former Dem Party Chair John Millin of Cheyenne is switching parties in August to vote for Colin Simpson in the primaries. He urges other Dems to do the same. Other Dems around the state are opting for crossover votes to Rita Meyer or Matt Mead. Nobody in their right (left?) minds would vote for Ron Micheli, the most right-wing of all the candidates.

I heard Ron Micheli speak yesterday at the Tea Party-sponsored rally at the Wyoming State Capitol. He was preceded by other speakers spouting the same rah-rah buzzwords we've heard before. "Liberty." "Freedom." "Tenth Amendment." "Independence." "States' Rights." "Founding Fathers." "American Revolution."

All wonderful words and phrases until interjected into nonsensical sentences.

Here are some utterances from Mr. Micheli:

"We're outside the State Capitol looking in."

"It's time to take back the federal government."

"Greatest challenges to Wyoming are coming out of Washington, D.C."

"Federal instrusion the greatest threat..."

"We need a governor with the courage to stand up for the state and protect us from the bullies of the Obama Administration."

"We need a governor who understands the 10th amendment," he said, adding that Wyoming should join other states in the lawsuit against health care legislation. "We should not only join the fight but lead the fight."

"We must be engaged in this fight or this country is doomed."

Micheli also railed against the Obama Administration's "nationalizing of banks, auto industry and now health care" while "Communist China takes on $800 billion of our debt."

"Together, you and I can come in from the outside and make a difference."

One of Micheli's refrains is that everyone at the State Capitol on Friday was "ouside looking in." Very clever, really, in this year of hating insiders and loving outsiders. Micheli, of course, is a veteran insider, as are all of the four major Repub gubernatorial candidates.

Here's some bio info from Micheli's campaign web site:

Ron served for 16 years in the Wyoming House of Representatives. During this time, he held various leadership positions including Majority Floor Leader, Speaker Pro Tempore, and Majority Whip. Ron also was the Chairman of the House Revenue Committee for 6 years where he became known as a tax expert in the House. In addition, he has sponsored and carried many far-reaching and important legislative initiatives, including sweeping protections for victims of crimes, protections for children, and a constitutional amendment to protect taxpayers.

Ron has dedicated his life to service of Wyoming and grassroots political activity. Ron has served as a Republican Precinct Committeeman for over 20 years and has served on the Republican State Central Committee, including service on the State Central Committee Executive Committee as the Treasurer. Ron was the Chairman of the Wyoming State Republican Convention in 1994. He has also been the chairman of the Resolution Committee and the Platform Committee.

And there's more:

After his service in the legislature, Ron served in the cabinet of Governor Jim Geringer as the Director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture from 1995-2003. While leading this state agency, Ron also served in the Governor’s natural resource sub-cabinet where he became an expert on Wyoming’s natural resource issues including oil and gas development, use of public lands, and the impact of state and federal regulation on small and large business owners. Ron has also worked with many national and regional organizations that direct policy to protect and assist Wyoming businesses.

Mr. Micheli is a fourth-generation Wyoming rancher and went to UW and most of his kids and his brothers and sisters and cousins and cattle went to UW.

That's "Insider" with a capital "I."

But this year, the Tea Party crowd wants -- or at least pretends to want -- "Outsiders" with a capital "O."

"O" as in "Oh my God that's the funniest thing I've heard all year."