Posted on 12/09/2011 9:42:00 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
That’s been a running gag on Allahpundit’s Twitter feed throughout the GOP presidential debate season. But RedState’s Erick Erickson seemed to be serious about it yesterday:
[T]wo stories — the failure of the political press to get the stories right and the failure of the political consultant class to get the candidates right — are not written about enough. And both impact the horserace for 2012. And the muddied stories of both these problems may interweave directly to a brokered convention. I think it is time to move beyond wishful thinking and take seriously the idea of having a brokered convention with someone other than the current crop of candidates becoming the nominee. And that, for the first time, adds a new candidate to this week’s horserace, *** None of the Above.
I think the Weekly Standard’s Jay Cost would be onboard with it, too: ” Our nomination process is a joke. The more I’ve studied the history of nominations, the more convinced I am of its gross inferiority to the past way of doing business. I could go on and on…” Looking at the polls, Nate Silver observes: “Republicans are dangerously close to having none of their candidates be acceptable to both rank-and-file voters and the party establishment. It’s not quite clear what happens when this is the case; there is no particularly good precedent for it…”
Count me as skeptical, especially given the current populist bent of the grassroots GOP. However, since caucuses and primaries came to supplant smoke-filled backrooms of party insiders, the GOP has still continued to nominate establishment candidates. Reagan was arguably an exception, but after Ford declined to enter the race, Reagan was the consensus candidate in public opinion polling and “next in line” after nearly beating Ford for the nomination in 1976. The only question is how much worse the establishment candidates would be if not checked by grassroots sentiment.
I think it’s still too early to say anything about that.
Once Iowa is done, then we’ll have a firmer foundation to say how anything should happen.
I propose we replace the candidates this time around, with a vote on whether to have a brokered convention.
:D
The result would be a history-making landslide, and a GOP resurgence.
(hint: Wasilla)
I have a feeling in my bones that this will be the most bizarre election in US history.
It will bring us to the most dangerous period of time in US history. That time is the window between the day Zero loses the election and the day the president elect takes the oath.
I see riots, economic chaos and war leading up to the election.
Prayer is called for my FRiends....
My idea and my candidate.
2012 feels a lot like 1932.
A brokered convention won’t lead to any sort of ‘outsider’ or Conservative resurgence.
Those who do the brokering are the power players in the business side of the GOP. In other words, the GOP chair and State chairs as well as seasoned legislators. In other words, the establishment.
Thus, they will choose the most middle of the road, establishment candidate.
If you want a brokered convention to result in a Conservative outsider, the focus needs to be on getting people in those places of party authority.
At least the convention would be worth watching. TV would love it.
The only way to get to a brokered convention is for three or more candidates to each win the support of a substantial number of committed delegates.
So far the number of candidates who I expect to win a substantial number of delegates stands at two.
If 0bama loses, the period between Nov. 6 and Jan 20 will be very dangerous.
Basically it means that no candidate has enough committed delegates to constitute a majority of the total delegate count.
Excellent summary.
Go Perry.
Basically, the primary vote is split to the point that no one candidate gets enough votes to receive the nomination. At this point, the party and the delegates get together and work out agreements and re-vote until a single candidate receives enough delegates to get the nomination.
Could “Operation Chaos” v2.0, be another way of describing “Draft Palin”?
Just asking.
If the convention has no clear winner - why not Palin?
You take a convention and drop it on the floor. Twice. First time it's broke. Second it's brokered.
Do they put white smoke out the chimney when they are done?
No. They just blow smoke up yer @$$!
yup he’s going to try and burn the place to the ground when he loses
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