Posted on 04/01/2016 4:32:19 PM PDT by drewh
The Republican Party is bracing for a truly open convention where anyone can emerge as the presidential nominee.
In a Friday briefing with reporters, RNC officials emphasized that the 2016 nominee would be chosen at the convention by its 2,472 delegates, to which the primaries and caucuses were "preliminary" events.
"The convention, as we all know, is where the nomination gets decided," an RNC official said. "Obviously, in recent decades, the preliminary process, which is the primaries and caucuses, have produced a presumptive nominee prior to the convention, but that's just a function of the math of how candidates have done in the process. Convention delegates are the ones who decide our nominee."
The comments come at a time when Sen. Ted Cruz appears poised to win the state of Wisconsin, increasing the likelihood that front-runner Donald Trump will end the primary process short of the 1,237 delegate majority needed to win the nomination on the first convention ballot. This week, Trump came to Washington to meet with RNC chairman Reince Preibus to discuss the delegate process, and the RNC also launced a website aimed at addressing questions about the convention.
More from the Washington Examiner 'Wicked' writer wants to deny local show rights to North Carolina By Joshua Axelrod • 04/01/16 7:12 PM
The officials also noted that the rules governing the convention nomination process will likely change before the next nominee is chosen.
"Each convention is not just an event but an entity. It is a body of delegates that will elect, that will adopt its own rules, that will likely be different than the 2012 rules," an RNC official said. "These rules change every cycle, and so there's nothing unique about that. The delegates to this convention will decide what rules they want to govern themselves."
With the scramble for delegates and specualtion about a contested convention the most serious it has been in the modern era, focus has turned to a previously obscure rule adopted ahead of the 2012 convention requiring a candidate to win a majority of delegates in at least eight states to even be considered.
Were that rule to stay in place, it would almost certainly mean that Trump and Cruz would be the only two candidates eligible for nomination — at least during the first round of voting. But RNC officials are preparing the public for the possibility that this could easily change, as could the number of states in which a given candidate currently has a majority of the delegates.
The officials said speculation about which rules would change amounted to a "nifty academic game."
Also from the Washington Examiner Obama warns Turkish leader about press freedom By Nicole Duran • 04/01/16 7:07 PM
"We have no idea which candidates will have a majority of how many states because most of the delegates haven't been elected yet," an RNC official said. "And so just winning a majority of bound delegates in a state is not the equivalent of having a majority support of delegates in a state. So it's all conjecture. It's premature. We've still got about 20 states to go in this process so we don't know where that ends up."
The RNC officials said it's important to separate the "allocation" and "selection" processes of delegates. Despite approximately two-thirds of the delegates having been already allocated to candidates based on state rules, an RNC official noted that as far as the actual individuals who will actually be attending the convention in Cleveland, "barely 10 percent of the delegates to be selected have even been selected yet."
All of these uncertainies could pave the way for a candidate other than Trump or Cruz, perhaps one not even in the race, to emerge as the nominee.
This week, former President George W. Bush advisor Karl Rove espoused the idea that an outsider not actively seeking the nomination could emerge victorious at this summer's convention.
In considering such an action, Republican delegates will have to weigh their desire to pick a candidate other than Trump or Cruz against the risk of a massive populist backlash against the idea that party insiders would be choosing the nominee, disregarding the preferences of primary voters.
Also from the Washington Examiner California mayor bans Trump from campaigning in her city By Gabby Morrongiello • 04/01/16 7:00 PM
To prevent such a scenario, the active presidential campaigns are stepping up efforts to make sure that the actual individual delegates going to Cleveland will be loyal to them, because if no winner emerges from the first round of voting, most delegates become free to vote for whoever they want.
The RNC has been stepping up its public outreach to prepare voters for any possibility.
So the primary process is just a way to make people feel like they matter?
This jerk had better hope that I never catch him out on the street.
Let’s use the electoral college as a probable model on which the party convention was built.
If there was no majority electoral candidate for the presidency, the decision went to the House of Representatives, but not actually. It actually went to the state delegation from each state.
That delegation had one vote. In short, each state had an equal vote, and the votes of the delegates were used to determine the state vote.
Using that model, if there were some effort to be faithful to the US constitution, (1) each state delegation would vote among themselves and determine a winning candidate for their state. (2) each state would vote for their winning candidate to be the nominee.
Trump, who will have won far more states than anyone else by the end of this process, and especially with the northeast states approaching, would be the winner.
IF (hypothetical) there were any desire to mirror the Constitution.
It’s their party, they can do whatever they want.
Just hope they enjoy their drubbing in November, and further slide to irrelevance.
If the primaries and caucuses were "preliminary" events, and thus meaningless, why bother all of those millions of voters?
Just skip all of those events and save millions and millions of dollars and the time wasted by the people of this country! Does the establishment want their cattle or stooges to believe that their wishes mean anything?
I, for one, am deeply insulted that the establishment thinks so little of the people that they are supposed to represent.
The article is only stating the obvious. It’s only not been an issue because usually one candidate has acquired a large majority of delegates before the convention. But it’s the delegates that always pick the nominee. That’s nothing new.
Rush is simply incoherent.
Hillary’s first year in office is going to be some kind of wild ride. We are not going to recover from all of our terrible choices and the administrations that have plagued us this century. Down in flames like the Hindenburg.
If that’s the party position, the various states should sue the party to recoupe the expenses of primary elections. If the results selecting state representatives are ignored, there is really no reason for a state to participate, let alone finance the entire operation.
This story when considered along with all the brokered convention talk,plus Romney”s Feb.2nd registration with the FEC indicates what the power brokers have in mind.
Stopthesteal.com
American voters matter about as much as the votes of Soviet peasants in the 1950s.
The establishment looks upon us as dirt,animals to be exploited and used as they see fit.
But that’s nothing new really.....
Notice this was never the case for Bush, McCain or Romney?
What is Donald Trump and his voters treated differently?
The Bush family has called an all out war against Trump. Why are Ryan and RNC Chair not supporting and encouraging everyone to support the front runner like they did with Bush, McCain and Romney?
How despicable and un American of them. They truly are acting un American and are disgusting. Hope they get booed to their faces night after night during the Rep Convention. Hope everyone in the audience fakes they are a non-Trump supporter and then when the convention is held, Ryan and the behind the scenes Bush and Romney get booed night after night.
Romney probably thinks he should be the headline speaker. Trump supported Romney in 2012 and look at the snake the Romney has become.
This is Crapp!
The leading candidate has always had the RNC’s backing. If Jeb hadn’t been taken out by Trump in S Carolina, none of this would be happening. George H Bush and George W are taking this personally and are out to get Trump.
Period.
If George W supported Trump tomorrow, all this would end. It is the Bush clan along with Romney who are driving this and it is disgusting because they think they are better than everyone.
Preliminary. Right.
These 17 people gave up their time and their families lives.
They traveled the entire country like a non stop circus show.
Millions of private individual sent their money to help them.
Hundreds of millions of dollars from special interest was spent.
A young volunteer died in an accident in Iowa while campaigning.
All this time, they could have just rounded up a few 2474 people and decided among themselves who will run for president.
That’s amazing.
In the event of a tar shortage, a pitch hat will do..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.