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Brokered GOP Conventions Often Produce A Winning President
The Federalist ^ | MARCH 10, 2016 | Trey Mayfield

Posted on 03/25/2016 2:31:25 AM PDT by nathanbedford

But where there are three or more candidates with significant support among the delegates, and none with a majority, the question of who has the most delegates is subordinated to the question of who will best represent the party in November. Indeed, since its first convention in 1856, the Republican Party has had ten presidential elections in which no candidate coming into the convention had a majority of delegates. In seven of those conventions, the GOP did not nominate the person who came in with the most delegates.

(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism
KEYWORDS: brokeredconvention; cruz; gope; nathanbedford; trump
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1 posted on 03/25/2016 2:31:25 AM PDT by nathanbedford
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To: nathanbedford

Interesting article. By my quick accounting there have been near 40 presidential elections of which 10 were ‘brokered’, of which 5 or 6 (article makes distinctions about electoral vs. popular) resulted in a win for the party.

While interesting, 5 or 6 wins out of 40 elections isn’t ‘often’ winning in my book. It hardly seems like a justification that a brokered convention is good.


2 posted on 03/25/2016 2:44:38 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: nathanbedford

NOTHING in recent history suggests or justifies any wisdom in a brokered convention.

1952 is NOT recent history.


3 posted on 03/25/2016 2:46:30 AM PDT by onyx (You're here posting, so sign-up to DONATE MONTHLY!)
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To: Gaffer
I rather think that Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower are two very good arguments in favor of selecting a winning candidate when no one has a majority.
4 posted on 03/25/2016 2:52:39 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: nathanbedford
If there is a brokered convention, Trump will win.

The GOPe can't negotiate.

5 posted on 03/25/2016 2:52:47 AM PDT by Cowboy Bob (With Trump & Cruz, America can't lose!)
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To: onyx
You want recent history?

Dole

McCain

Romney

All had majority status going in. If majority candidates are disastrous why should a plurality candidate be favored against the rules?


6 posted on 03/25/2016 2:55:22 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: Cowboy Bob
But Ted Cruz can.


7 posted on 03/25/2016 2:56:23 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: nathanbedford

I don’t disagree, but we are not yet at a point where we are actually presented with a non-majority candidate at the convention.

To me, to begin rationalization now that somehow a brokered convention isn’t a bad thing, especially in an age when information flow, voter contact with candidates, and news dissemination is so vastly improved over the last 60-160 years seems premature. Premature at its best, plotting at its worst, actually.


8 posted on 03/25/2016 2:59:44 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Gaffer
Typically, Trump initiates an exchange (usually by way of slander) as in this case when he demanded that he be nominated even if only in possession of a plurality of delegates. To give him the field alone is to unilaterally disarm and loose before the argument is fairly joined.


9 posted on 03/25/2016 3:03:14 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: nathanbedford
If majority candidates are disastrous why should a plurality candidate be favored against the rules?

Because the rules change, often by those who do not represent the entirety of the party. This is exactly why "Republican" is such a bad word to a lot of voters who have historically stuck with them but are nearing a break with them.

10 posted on 03/25/2016 3:04:09 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: nathanbedford

The brokered-convention-as-a-frequent-and-good-thing has nothing to do with Trump’s perceived campaign style. To my knowledge he’ made no such official demand (say, as in a loyalty pledge) to the ‘convention’. Frankly, there’s a lot of bravado, bluster and BS going around from both sides.

If anti-Trump forces want to derail him before getting into a convention, then let them try it. But don’t try to convince us that it is a ‘good’ thing on the basis of old and even older elections.


11 posted on 03/25/2016 3:10:04 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Gaffer
Because the rules change, often by those who do not represent the entirety of the party.

Why then would you want to change the rules in favor of one who was opposed by two thirds of the party?


12 posted on 03/25/2016 3:11:04 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: Gaffer
I have been around here too long to believe that I can change the mind of any Trump supporter. The article is meant for those with an open mind.


13 posted on 03/25/2016 3:13:15 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: nathanbedford

As I said, I haven’t seen any formal demand from Trump to the ‘convention’ officials yet. If there are such demands, I’d like to know for my own edification.

Further, this 2/3 canard is wearing thin. By that same logic a Ted Cruz with 20% in the polls and experienced voting is opposed by 4/5ths of the party.


14 posted on 03/25/2016 3:13:38 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: nathanbedford

You weren’t trying to change minds. You were making a weak case that something other than abiding by free and open elections is a good thing, IMO.


15 posted on 03/25/2016 3:15:32 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Gaffer
I did not pretend to divide your motives and then label them base. But I make this offer: I will stipulate that you have an open mind if you will declare that you do in fact have an open mind on matters concerning Trump. I will accept your reply whatever you say, the prerogatives and the burden of honesty is entirely in your hands.


16 posted on 03/25/2016 3:20:39 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: Gaffer
Ted Cruz is a staunch constitutionalists who respects rules and certainly is not advocating changing the rules to advantage himself.

Donald Trump disdains the Constitution just as he disdains the party he is so successfully co-opting, and its rules.

Those of us who frequent this conservative forum should acknowledge our respect for our national Constitution not just because it is a hoary document written on parchment but because adherence to agreed-upon rules is essential to the rule of law, to a decent society, to respect for the process.

Those who seek to cast aside the rules of the game when it would selfishly advantage their own cause have only a dubious claim to being constitutionalists.


17 posted on 03/25/2016 3:30:39 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
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To: nathanbedford

I think the openness of my mind on the matter of Cruz and Trump is documented. As I said many times here before, I was a Cruz supporter until very late 2015 until I’d had enough of the Cruz-attack machine here. The truth is that I actually like Ted and will vote for him if he honestly wins the nomination. I’ll take either one.

There are quite of number of Cruz supporters who would not do the same in the reverse - they’ve said so. Regardless, I don’t endlessly search some of the most vile and conniving venues out there on the web each day to post some Trump-hit piece that offers some chance for the OP to append some “yes, Cruz isn’t like this.” [I am not implying that you do this, BTW, but there are plenty of others that do].

Most of my time and posts are relegated to confronting specious and biased posts by Cruz supporters that are clearly vehemently anti-Trump. Sometimes it is discussing articles that to me seem ulterior in motive - as in this article, almost a ‘gallows-like’ humor that a completely torn party is a good thing somehow. I gave you my reasoning why I thought the article is wrong. That’s all I’ll say about it.

I have been here a very long time also, and I know that if this convention gets engineered into a broken party-boss farce and someone other than a Trump or Cruz becomes the nominee, that nominee will LOSE, because millions will stay home election day.


18 posted on 03/25/2016 3:36:43 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: nathanbedford
What have you got against the USA and it's citizens?

You know Cruz is a anti-American globalist, that his wife helped write the plan to turn North America into one big union just like the EU. Why are you down with the destruction of the USA and the nullification of its' constitution?

19 posted on 03/25/2016 3:42:44 AM PDT by jpsb (Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied. Otto von Bismark)
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To: nathanbedford

50/50 with only one civil war between them.


20 posted on 03/25/2016 3:43:24 AM PDT by yuleeyahoo ( Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him. - Groucho Marx)
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