Will This Year's Republican Convention Be Like 1880? Remember Who Won and How?

Christian Post ^ | 04/06/2016 | Michael Gryboski

[SeekAndFind]

In July of this year approximately 50,000 people will attend the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

Current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is presently leading his opponents in the race to get enough delegates to secure the party nomination.

However, many have expressed concern over the controversial Trump becoming the nominee and have looked for an anti-Trump to get the nomination in spite of lacking a larger share of votes and delegates.

As a result, there is a chance that this year's GOP Convention will resemble the party's 1880 convention, which had a brokered result.

In the race for the White House, the Republican Party found itself divided from within between two factions, the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds.

Stalwarts were the "crony capitalist" or "machine politics" wing of the party and were led by New York Senator Roscoe Conkling.

Half-Breeds wanted to reform the "spoils system" that kept the Stalwarts in power. They were led by Maine Senator James E. Blaine.

While the Stalwarts put forth former president and general Ulysses S. Grant as their candidate, the Half-Breeds chose Blaine.

Because of the divide, neither candidate entered the 1880 convention with a clear majority of delegates to secure the nomination. The contested convention became a brokered one as several ballots were cast without a clear victor.

"Although nearly two-thirds of the delegates had been pledged to either Grant or his Half-Breed opponent Blaine when the Republican National Convention convened, securing a majority of 370 proved impossible for either candidate," noted Ashley Portero of Demand Media.

The voting continued for three days with the delegates eventually backing someone who wasn't even a candidate.

"After more than 30 ballots resulted in a stalemate, James Garfield emerged as a compromise candidate. At the 36th ballot, when Grant still had the support [of] 309 delegates, the party's moderate and liberal factions joined forces behind Garfield, sweeping him to victory with the support of 399 delegates," Portero noted.

Garfield went on to win the presidential election in November, only to be assassinated the following year.

2016

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in De Pere, Wisconsin, United States, March 30, 2016.

Despite the controversial nature of his rhetoric and background, Trump has successfully led a crowded Republican field in the number of primaries won and delegates accrued.

Nevertheless, Republican opponents U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich continue to put up a sincere enough struggle that some believe Trump may fail to get the majority of delegates necessary to win on the first ballot (1,237).

Some have spoken openly of a "contested convention" in which a compromise figure may become the nominee.

In a brokered convention, the nominee selected to represent the party in the national election does not have to have been a candidate during the primary season.

Hence, former House Speaker John Boehner and the Koch brothers have suggested current House Speaker Paul Ryan become the nominee.

"Charles Koch is confident House Speaker Paul Ryan could emerge from the Republican National Convention as the party's nominee if Donald Trump comes up at least 100 delegates shy, he has told friends privately," reported The Huffington Post.

"People close to Ryan continue to insist publicly that he has no interest in the nomination. And one associate of the speaker said he "guarantees" there has been no conversation with Charles Koch about the possibility …."

In this respect, Ryan is similar to Garfield, who insisted he was not a candidate until the moment he became the nominee.

Skepticism

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks as rival candidate Ted Cruz (R) winces at the U.S. Republican presidential candidates debate in Detroit, Michigan, March 3, 2016.

At the start of April, Trump holds a strong lead in the GOP primary season, having gotten 737 of the necessary 1237 delegates to secure the nomination; his nearest opponent, Sen. Cruz, has 470.

While many have talked or advocated for a brokered convention come July, others, including Daniel Klinghard of Fortune, have stated that no such scenario will play out.

In a column published last month, Klinghard noted that a brokered Republican convention has not occurred since 1920, when Warren G. Harding got the nomination.

"The convention turned to Garfield because two major blocks were deadlocked, unable to beat one another and unwilling to compromise. It turned to Harding because there were no standout candidates who came to the convention with a clear following," wrote Klinghard.

"Rejecting a popular candidate today — particularly one who has as enthusiastic a following as Trump — means rejecting that candidate's supporters, who expect that the convention will represent their will."

[Don Corleone]

Kate Smith is on sabbatical.

[erkelly]

I have a hunch that Trump supporters won’t compromise with the compromise candidate. Trump supporters want the establishment GOP out of power, not Ryan or Rubio, or any other Romney/Bush clone. A so-called compromise candidate keeps the GOPe in power. The only way I can imagine the GOPe can keep the Trump vote, with their “compromise” candidate is if they offer Trump the VP slot, and it is hard to imagine Trump agreeing to it, although I suppose he might hold his nose and do it, rather than let Hillary win.

But fact is, with any candidate but Trump, it is not really a compromise because the establishment wins, and this movement that has coalesced around Trump is about ridding ourselves of the globalists, the crony capitalists, the lobbyists, the corrupt Democrat-lights.

[Repeal 16-17]

Much has changed since 1880. One is that the People will not tolerate the party insiders (Stalwarts in 1880, GOPe in 2016) thwarting the voters. If the GOPe thinks it can spring a James A. Garfield on us, it is nuts.

[x]

Politics were different back then. There weren't any primaries. Every candidate was chosen by the party machine -- whether it happened in each state or at the convention.

Garfield's rise was similar to Polk's in 1844. It couldn't happen today. Certainly not with Paul Ryan. A presidential candidate has to have some kind of personal appeal or pull. He or she can't simply be somebody pushed by the party machine into the race in the middle of it.

[SaveFerris]

I have a hard time remembering 1880.

Now, 1814 I remember quite well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSTKE85yXl4

[colorado tanker]

Within five years, Grant would be dead of throat cancer. Essentially penniless, Grant worked furiously at writing his memoirs, a masterpiece whose sales allowed his widow and family to live in comfort. He died days after finishing them.

[colorado tanker]

Blaine was the 1884 nominee, only to lose to Grover Cleveland.

[x]

Ironically, the "reformist" candidate Blaine lost to Cleveland in 1884 because of rumors of financial corruption.

Well, that and "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion." Blaine lost votes because of that unguarded anti-Catholic remark by a supporter.

The irony there -- which I just learned today in wikipedia -- is that Blaine's mother and half his family were Catholic.

[Kolokotronis]

Blaine, Blaine, James E. Blaine; the continental liar from the State of Maine!

[ought-six]

The actual battlefield was at Chalmette, just down river from New Orleans.

[SaveFerris]

Yeah, I’m sure you are correct.

I can see why he used NO, though. Helped make the song a hit.

[fieldmarshaldj]

1880’s Convention, if anything, resulted in a better choice for the GOP. Grant was a disaster as President, incompetent and with rampant corruption on his watch. Blaine was similarly regarded as corrupt, and he was the first Republican nominee (in 1884) to lose for President since John Fremont in 1856, which was the reason for his loss to Bourbon Conservative Democrat Cleveland.

Garfield was one of the more accomplished members of the House (and was Senator-elect). It’s unfortunately he didn’t get to complete two full terms as President, as he could’ve been one of our better Presidents.

[itsahoot]

There is a big difference in 1880 and now. I doubt more than a very few people were aware of what happened until much later, now the people are instantly aware.

[drop 50 and fire for effect]

The book Destiny of the Republic discusses this in detail. After reading it, you realize that Garfield’s assassination was a true tragedy for the nation. He was a man about which there was much to admire.

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Under Rule 40, it must be a current candidate. And I suppose this would include those who may have “suspended” their campaign but remain candidates. If they change Rule 40 before the convention, then watch out.

[colorado tanker]

Well, here's even more irony. He was the author of the Blaine Amendment, which was designed to block tax dollars from funding Catholic schools. It failed in Congress but many states adopted it.

It didn't bother so-called liberals here in Colorado to use a constitutional provision born in religious bigotry to block one school district's voucher plan because, horror of horrors, some parents might use their voucher in a parochial school.

[drop 50 and fire for effect]

The only way this scenario could conceivably work would be to find a candidate that was simultaneously acceptable to all factions. Garfield, improbably fit the bill, respected and acceptable to all. A compromise in the best sense of the word.

Ryan is tied to the Establishment, and is Romney’s former running mate. He is closer to Blaine than Garfield. (Full disclosure, I went to college with Ryan, didn’t know him, but our Venn diagrams overlapped considerably)

As a thought exercise, can anyone think of a different Republican that Trump, Cruz, and establishment types could all actually rally around? I can’t.

[ought-six]

Only the locals call it the Chalmette Battlefield.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: As a thought exercise, can anyone think of a different Republican that Trump, Cruz, and establishment types could all actually rally around?

Jeff Sessions? Respected and always referred to by both Trump and Cruz. And he’s still younger than Bernie Sanders.