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To: Publius
A brokered convention is where no candidate gains a majority of delegates through the primary and caucus process. That means the party’s power brokers sit down in a smoke-filled room at the convention and decide the nominee. That nominee may well be someone fresh, who has not run via the primary and caucus process.

Two problems with that scenario:

1) The delegates are still the ones that have the final decision on who the nominee will be. They are only bound on their 1st vote, after that they can vote for whoever they want.

2) Ron Paul has been making plans for a brokered convention for 4 years. What he did was have his supporters sign up to be convention delegates for OTHER candidates (Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, etc...) They'll be bound to vote for their pledged candidate on the first ballot, but after that they'll be all Paul's.

Nobody knows exactly how many phantom Paul delegates there are, but what I'm hearing is it's a pretty big number. If Paul goes into the convention with 15% of the delegates plus 15% phantom delegates, that would give him around 30% on the second ballot (he might actually get more than Romney on the second ballot).

At that point, it only takes 20% of the other delegates to get ticked enough at the GOP establishment to say screw-it and make Paul the nominee just to give the finger to the GOP establishment.

That anyway, seems to be Paul's plan. A heck of a long shot, but you have to give him points for imagination.

112 posted on 01/24/2012 12:58:24 PM PST by Brookhaven (Mitt Romney has been consistent since he changed his mind.)
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To: Brookhaven

If that happens odinga wins.


116 posted on 01/24/2012 1:19:12 PM PST by Eaker (Remember, the enemy tends to wise up at the least convenient moments.)
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To: Brookhaven

Reminds me of how the communists have slithered their way into our media and government for the last 60+ years... and it worked in their favor too.. Look where we are now :/

So, yes, anything is possible; Scary thought.
We need to clean up this mess once and for all, and NEVER let it happen again.


132 posted on 01/24/2012 3:02:34 PM PST by Bikkuri
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