All Odds Aside, G.O.P. Girding for Floor Fight

New York Times ^

[Sub-Driver]

All Odds Aside, G.O.P. Girding for Floor Fight By JEFF ZELENY and JIM RUTENBERG

CHICAGO — For the first time in a generation, Republicans are preparing for the possibility that their presidential nomination could be decided at their national convention rather than on the campaign trail, a prospect that would upend one of the rituals of modern politics.

The race remains Mitt Romney’s to lose, and if he continues to accumulate delegates at a steady clip starting with contests in Puerto Rico on Sunday and Illinois on Tuesday, he can still amass the 1,144 necessary to secure the nomination before the last primary, in Utah on June 26.

But as he struggles to win the hearts of conservative voters and hold off a challenge from Rick Santorum, party leaders, activists and the campaigns are for the first time taking seriously the possibility that neither he nor anyone else will get to that total.

In that case, the nomination would be decided by the more than 2,200 delegates — from obscure local officials and activists to national figures — who will attend the party’s convention in Tampa, Fla., in late August.

They would embark on an unscripted, contentious and televised drama that has not played out in 36 years, a period in which both major party conventions have become slickly produced and highly choreographed pep rallies kicking off the general election campaign.

With that in mind, campaign and party lawyers are dusting off their party rule books, running through decades-old procedural arcana and studying the most recent convention-floor fight, between Ronald Reagan and President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. Republican officials also are bracing for the possibility of a prenomination clash between the party’s establishment and members of the Tea Party movement...

[Jacquerie]

Good. So far, the Rino has a plurality.

Conservatives have the majority.

[VictoryGal]

Fine. The GOP-E has been goading us into a full-on brawl for years, with their capitulation, two-faced talk, aiding and abetting the enemies of America from within. They have absolutely refused to see where the majority of their party, and the majority of this country, has their values. They thought they could dupe us. Well, it didn’t work.

THERE ARE MORE OF US THAN THERE ARE OF THEM. Bring. It. ON!!!!

[traditional1]

Romney-the-RINO WILL the Nominee, by hook or by crook, as the Establishment Elite will not be outspent OR out-voted.

We are very likely to have 4 more years on the Usurper and destruction of the remnants of a once-great Country (now under control of the Unions, aka, the People's Worker's Party) and a Socialist-non-Native-Born Messiah-in-Chief.

[traditional1]

WILL should be WILL BE

[biggredd1]

gird your loins.

[org.whodat]

If it goes to the convention willard will win, period, the man with the most votes wins. That is what we all believe, algore does not.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Worst that can happen is that they shove a RINO down our throats. Again.

Or maybe the Tea Party ain't as dead as state-controlled media claims.

Maybe the Tea Party only shows up when it counts, because they actually work for a living and pay their bills and don't have the time to "occupy" anything.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

If it goes to the convention willard will win, period, the man with the most votes wins.

At least we'd have gone down swinging.

But I suspect that there are a lot of stealth Tea Partiers among the delegates.

[SoFloFreeper]

Sigh. We fight each other, while ignoring the real enemy—Obama.

[kalee]

Make sure you have a voice in who represents your state at the national convention. Go to precinct, county, district and state conventions. Vote for conservative delegates ppor maybe offer yourself as a delegate. National Convention will be expensive. It’s estimated 4,000$ per person to attend, that estimate by our county chairman here in NC. If you can’t go at least have a say in selecting who will.

[org.whodat]

It has been my understand that delegates are your standard old party hacks that are looking for horse trading and favors. If that has changed I missed it. I have only know a couple personally, wrong I have known a couple of democrats and republicans, and they were that way on both sides. I know the LT governor of Tennessee also, he is probably a delegate.

[kalee]

Don’t sit at home, organize at the precinct, county, and district levels. Have a voice in determining who those delegates who go to National are.

[Christie at the beach]

Well, we know the primary and the fall election have been rigged for Romney as it's.. THIS GUY'S TURN. Between him and Obama, it will be hard to motivate the base. The Fox people and Rush types will scare us into voting but will they be able to scare enough? That is the question. Some people would rather see something real bad happen forcing the country to make changes..I don't think Obama is going to leave (period)due to his untrustworthy behavior and on-going unconstitutional actions) Anyone with common sense knows we have a problem, when a Sheriff in Arizona says that he has proof of forgery being committed involving Obama’s certificate; in which Obama listed on the government's official website. Can you say Bush (if this were him). I recall Chris Matthews saying there were so many cover ups in this current White House when he was going off on one of his tirades. Few nights later, of course Chris revised his assertions.

[babygene]

“Romney-the-RINO WILL the Nominee, by hook or by crook, as the Establishment Elite will not be outspent OR out-voted.”

Well, he won’t be my candidate if there is someone more conservative running as a third or fourth party candidate...

[smoothsailing]

"The idea that the Republicans have to be organized before Labor Day or they will be out of the race I think is a fundamental misunderstanding of television, the internet, you know YouTube, all the things we now communicate with. A very exciting Republican Party that actually talked about ideas and actually had a fight over the platform based on real ideas, I think might be a more interesting party than one which nominates somebody who's boring..."

Newt Gingrich - Source: Gingrich Advocated Brokered Convention in 2008 GOP Presidential Race

[katiedidit1]

HANG TOUGH NEWT!

[Mariner]

What beautiful, grand theater it would be.

[Christie at the beach]

I pray to the Lord above that there is a fight at the convention in Tampa. I will be there. I don’t think Newt should give up. This thing could turn. The more people realize that Romney is not even a republican; maybe they will not accept him. There needs to be a fight. The best man is Newt Gingrich to lead America back to a shining city on the hill.

[trappedincanuckistan]

There needs to be a fight. Are Republicans the party of less government/more freedom or the party of less government than them (Democrats). I’m tired of marching in the wrong direction more slowly than the other guys.