Brokered conventions seem to be wildly misunderstood. It’s not going to be a free-for-all where some dark horse suddenly emerges as the victor. That’s not how it works.
What will happen is that Monopoly style trading will begin for RELEASED delegates. Huckabee and McCain won’t release theirs, so it will just be a matter of who picks up more of the released delagates, McCain or Huckabee. A brokered convention is going give it one or the other.
It’s not going to be a brokered convention on the GOP side. Maybe on the Dem side.
There’s one person I would vote for at this point - only one perosn I can think of - Santorum - former Senator from PA. He has all the conservative principles. When we go with what we believe in we will ultimately prevail.
McCain had wandered so far off the Republican/Conservative reservation that at one point I thought he was going to mount an independent campaign. I guess he didn’t have to; Democrats and independents gaming the nomination process did it for him.
The nominating process MUST CHANGE if Conservatives want to continue to have a voice in this party. Republicans ONLY must nominate a Republican candidate.
That being said, I think he can go a long way toward healing the wounds HE has opened by nominating the correct veep. A true Conservative would be the heir apparent for the party, and would make me feel a lot better about holding my nose and voting against Hillabama.
Who do you like in this role? Has Haley Barbour been mentioned, and do you think he’d be a good fit?
A brokered convention is possible, though highly unlikely. Romney suspended his campaign, thus holding on to his delegates temporarily.
A brokered convention can lead to a completely different candidate than those who ran. It all depends on the smoke filled room negotiations. Romney (and Edwards at the other convention) can still have weight in the decision. If another candidate were available and agreed, he/she could be “brokered into” the nomination.
At this point we agree, there is no viable candidate to meet this challenge and the RinoNC ain’t gonna let it happen.
We have only politicians running for offices and in control of the RinoNC. What we need are citizen/statesmen to run for elected offices.
And finally, someone mentioned that the DNC superdelegate rules were set up for Carter. Actually they were set up because of McGovern in 1972.
The only influence I have left as a conservative is to hope for a brokered convention. In order to help this along, I must publicly state I will vote D for Prez come Nov. Of course in reality I won’t, but that threat is my last option as I see it.
This is such a mess I have a hrad time forming coherent thoughts:)
I’m lucky in one sense- my primary is over (Florida) and I voted for Fred.
I guess you have to decide if you want to cast a strategic vote (write-in or Huckster, Paul etc). Unless something dramatic happens- it’s likely we’re stuck with McCain as the GOP nominee. Voting for someone else- you are sending McCain a message, to me it’s an important message- but not one I’m sure he’ll heed.
Voting (or not) for McCain in November is a different matter than voting for him in our primary. This is the last chance to remind him...we EXIST. His hostility toward the base of his party is apparent- and IF I end up voting for him in November- it will be for only one reason- our military. I’m grateful I don’t have to make that decision today.
Well, the chances of finding a good alternative to McCain at a brokered convention are very slim. And yet, there’s an old story:
A man was about to be put to death by the emperor. He says “Wait. If you give me one year, I can teach your horse to talk.” The emperor thinks about it and decides, why not, what’s one year? The man’s friend says, “What, are you crazy?” The man replies, “A year’s a long time—a lot can happen. The emperor might change his mind, the emperor might die, I might die, or maybe the horse will learn to talk.”
In other words, even a slim chance is better than no chance at all. MAYBE we can come up with at least a better alternative, if not a true conservative alternative. Or maybe we can at least force the S.O.B. to appoint a decent V.P., and not the Huckster.
Let's say an asteroid strikes the convention. Or Aliens kidnap McCain.
About as likely.
I hate to be a broken record here, but people need to stop living their political lives in an abject fantasyland. You'll never accomplish anything.
>>Let’s say we get a brokered convention. Other than John McCain, who would we put on the ticket?<<
While that is a valid discussion to have - its not something I would put a lot of effort into making come about. Brokered conventions had a very short window, about 40 years and were eliminated by the modern primary system.
Rule No. 40
b) Each candidate for nomination for President of the United States and Vice President of the United States shall demonstrate the support of a majority of the delegates from each of five (5) or more states, severally, prior to the presentation of the name of that candidate for nomination.
I think that means only McCain, Romney and Huckabee will even be eligible.
My question to FReepers: What would you do it you were an average red-blooded American male who for reasons unbeknownst to me, still voted Democrat (you know there are some out there--union workers for one), and your choice was between two socialists? Would you vote for the Republican candidate? In the first place, how could any self-respecting man vote for Hillary? In the second place, how could that same person vote for an empty suited moron like Obama? Normal Americans who believe in the war against terrorism and who happen to vote Democrat are in a real bind. They'd almost have to go with McCain.
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.
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).