Question about a Brokered Convention

02.10.08 | Perdogg

[ScratInTheHat]

This “silly notion” is saner and more likely to work than the McCain alternative. McCain is a sure path to the destruction of the Republican Party and the conservative movement. The other, crazy as it may sound to people who just want to hang onto power for another four years, offers the hope that we can stand for something again. No matter what Republicans do, McCain is going to lose. We can either lose with him, which is the equivalent of losing for nothing, or we can stand on principles, and maybe get a few back.

One thing people are not considering is that as long as there is some doubt as to the nominee the MSM will not turn the big guns on McCain. They really want him as the nominee because he is such a rich target. If he was a sure thing now that would mean 9 months of displaying his dirty laundry.

I'm not saying it will be enough to cut the barriage a little shorter in duration but we all know that the more you have time to throw crap the more of it will stick

Man if anyone has crap that can get thrown at them it is McCain

[jamese777]

“Most are legally bound for one or two ballots. Never heard of anybody going to jail for ‘breaking faith’.”

---

However the candidates select delegates from each state who are the most loyal to that particular candidate. Most of the voting delegates at the Republican convention will be the most loyal of McCain’s supporters. That way it is even less likely that they will desert him.

[niteowl77]

From what I gather, a lot of current active duty military think John McCain is the soldiers' candidate until they find out about his stabbing the POW/MIA families, and his terrorists' rights support. Yeah, John McCain once seemed like a conservative (although he talks and votes less like one as he has aged), but John has always been about John, and God help you if you get in his way. Civilian or otherwise.

Mr. niteowl77

[MIchaelTArchangel]

If McCain does not win enough delegates to win on the first ballot, he is extremely likely to win on the second or third ballot as most delegates are bound to support the candidate to whom they are pledged for one or two rounds of voting.

If, in the very unlikely event that McCain does win by the third ballot, there might be an opportunity for those candidates who have enough delegates to make a deal with McCain. The two most likely candidates are Huckabee and Romney. The other candidates are not likely to have enough delegates to put McCain over the top if he does not win by the third ballot.

First, Huckabee hates Romney because he is a Mormon so Huckabee and Romney will not deal to stop McCain. That leaves it to Hucakabee or Romney to deal with McCain.

Huckabee wants to be president but will settle for the vice presidency believing that is the his path to the presidency.

Romney does not want to be vice president, though he did (and maybe does) want to be president.

My first prediction is McCain will deal with Romney because doing so will allow McCain to pick his own running mate in exchnage for many of Romney's people being named to key cabinet positions--State, Defense and Commerce.

My second predictin is that McCain will pick none of the other presidential wannabes as his vice presidential running mate because there is much more talent outside that pool than inside it.

[Perdogg]

Thank you. That was brilliant.

[grndragon]

"If their is a truly deadlocked convention (several ballots with he the leaders getting FEWER votes after the later ballots) then anyone could be nominated who was Constitutionally eligible, whether or not they had dropped out or endorsed another candidate. A number of GOP leaders, more than 10 less than 30 would go into a room and stay there until most of them agreed on a candidate. They would come out and word would be passed around. If the candidate's name was not already before the convention the rules would be suspended and the name nominated and seconded. Likely he would be nominated by acclamation."

It is my understanding the rules can only be suspended by a majority vote of the delegates

[GAB-1955]

McCain is flawed, but he’s much better than either Hillary or Obama. I won’t hold my nose while I vote for him, but I will hope he keeps an open ear to the more conservative branch of the Republicans.

Remember, both major political parties are coalitions of smaller parties that would be independent parties in a parliamentary system. McCain is simply the leader of the moderate branch of the Republicans. If the conservatives had picked one candidate earlier, either Romney or Huckabee, who had the requisite political skills (which Hunter does not), then McCain would not be the nominee.

Better McCain than Hillary.

[rogue yam]

Carter is the reason we now have “super delegates”

The 'Rats have superdelegates. We have McCain delegates. Superdelegates are looking better and better.

[xjcsa]

...perhaps by Democrats. I think a lot of conservatives like him.

Not me. I don't support ecotards.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Thank you for the undeserved compliment. I would say, “It’s logical, Jim, not brilliant.”

[Cindy]

I could vote for:

John Bolton
Peter Pace
Duncan Hunter
Joe Apaio

OR

the great unknown who has
the character traits of the men
listed above.

My husband suggested:

Michael Steele
Rick Santorum
or my husband (who rules our household and that’s a handful).

[Perdogg]

Do you really know what Michael Steele’s policies would be?

[Cindy]

I don’t — my husband said that and HE thinks Steele would be a good choice.

[Cindy]

You might try Google.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

We might also wonder what the Democrat ticket will be.

If Hillary wins the nomination (in a smokefilled room in Denver), I predict Obama will reject any offer to be Hillary's running mate. He does not like her, does not like her politics of destruction, does not like her politics of self-enrichment, does not like her politics of "its my turn".

Conversely, if Obama wins the Democrats' nomination (which is beginning to look more and more likely after the four blowouts and Hillary canning her campaign manager), I predict Obama will find a Washington outsider or a person who has worked inside the Beltway but has since spent at least a decade outside Washington. My prediction would be Mayor Bill White of Houston.

[Perdogg]

No one has answered my question.

[xsmommy]

Don Quixote wasn't big on answers either, he was too busy tilting at windmills...

i thought MichaelTArchangel's scenario sounded ROOTED IN REALITY though.