George Pataki to Announce Presidential Bid Thursday

Ignoring the polls and pundits, former New York Gov. George Pataki plans to announce Thursday that he’s joining the crowded Republican field for president.

The three-term governor will unveil his candidacy in Exeter, N.H., – which claims the birthplace of the Republican Party – and join a group of contenders who are inching toward the 20 mark.

If no candidate receives a majority of the delegates then there will be a brokered convention where the delegates are given permission to vote for someone other than who they are supposed to vote for.

For example, I think there will be about 2500 delegates. Lets say Cruz gets 600, Paul gets 500, Bush gets 400, Rubio gets 300, Kasich gets 200, Fiorina gets 150, Carson gets 100, Graham gets 80, Huckabee gets 50, etc... There is no candidate who gets more than 50% on the first vote. In that case, another vote will be taken and electors are not held to voting for the candidate they are supposed to vote for.

In a brokered convention, Paul, Rubio, Kasich, Fiorina, Carson, Graham, Huckabee, Pataki, Jindal etc...can be "convinced" by the Republican establishment to release their delegates to vote for Bush. It may shake out differently where they all get behind a different candidate but in the end, the part leadership get a lot more control over the process.

I think they normally avoid situations like this because it introduces a bit of uncertainty which those in control would like to avoid. I think that this time though, the people are fed up. We want a real conservative and the establishment is afraid that we might actually be able to make that happen.

I would vote for Jeb if a couple of conditions were met:

1. He picked Cruz as his VP; and

2. He is diagnosed with a verified terminal condition and is given only a few weeks to live.

Otherwise, forget it.

I'd add:

3. If the terminal condition does not take him in a few weeks, he agrees to step down.

I honestly think the Republican'ts would rather see Hillary win than to give a conservative the nomination.

Think of the GOP fundraising possibilities for the 2018 midterms if Clinton wins.

Think of the standards the other Republican'ts would have to live up to if Cruz gets the nomination.

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