Mitt approached Santorum, Newt about possible late entrants [BROKERED CONVENTION ON THEIR MIND]

Politico ^ | 3/17/12 | ALEXANDER BURNS

[God-fear-republican]

On Saturday, March 3, Romney stood with Santorum and Gingrich on the floor of a shuttered DHL warehouse in Wilmington, Ohio, ....The three candidates discussed the nominating process. Romney raised the possibility of an unvetted candidate getting into the race and spoke of the perils such a scenario presented for the party. Not surprisingly, the other two assented and each agreed that he would reserve his support for someone now in the race. R.C. Hammond, a spokesman for Gingrich, said the consensus that emerged from the conversation was that the Republican nominee was among “the four of us” and not an outsider. Eric Fehrnstrom, a senior Romney adviser, agreed with that characterization.

[tbw2]

Do convention rules for the Republican party allow someone who did not officially run for President to be considered at the convention?

[Obadiah]

Jeb

[Vaquero]

please...

Palin, West, Perry....even the formerly unvetted Cain are all better than we have in the current crop.

[Aevery_Freeman]

Rules, Schmules.

We're talking power here, there are no "rules" except power.

[glorgau]

Well said.

[Aevery_Freeman]

With Sheriff Joe as VP! (snicker)

[cripplecreek]

Yes but its pointless to think about since Mitt will be the nominee in a brokered convention. Its all about Mitt picking his running mate.

[God-fear-republican]

Definitely.

But I don’t know how one is nominated. I believe after first round of voting, if there is no nominee, all the delegates will vote again and again until someone get 51% delegates. After 1st round, I believe all delegates become unbound meaning they can vote for anybody. In one Democrat brokered convention ( I forgot the year), they voted 106 times in 16 days to finally get someone nominated with 51% delegates. Just like electing a pope.

[traditional1]

"spoke of the perils such a scenario presented for the party"

ROFL

Who gives a CRAP about a "Party" that cares not about what principled Conservatives are pissed about, being FORCED to choose between Establishment Elitists that are hand-picked mushy Liberals, calling themselves "Republicans" and TRYING TO CONVINCE voters that they are Conservative?

The Republican Party itself KNOWS they are in deep doo-doo with their RINO picks of Candidates at all levels, and the game of basically choosing between a Liberal "D" and a Liberal "R" has reached the breaking point. While Corporate intersts (and Union interests) are the only donations filling their coffers along with favored constituencies that are bought-off with Taxpayer money, they are afraid of the NUMBERS of flyover-country voters who actually THINK about who they vote for, and don't vote straight-Party tickets anymore.

[Leep]

Here is the GOP’s “conservative” choices:

C Christie
J Bush
M Bloomberg
D Trump

[manc]

Sarah and Col Allen West is the perfect ticket, they are qualified, have guts to take the left on, takes the left talking points out that we hate blacks or women, brings FL to our side which we need and we have a military guy but also right now we have an energy issue and who better than Sarah.

SARAH AND COL ALLEN WEST 2012

[Jedidah]

Delegates selected from the various states are bound to support the candidate to whom they are pledged through the first ballot. “Super” delegates, those who get a vote via power or party position, can vote their heart or pocketbook from the beginning.

A basket of pledged delegates gives a candidate some bargaining power, and those delegates do more than just vote for the nominee. There are planks and platforms and party rules to be determined, and the candidate with the most voting delegates naturally has control in those areas.

If no one wins nomination on the first ballot, anyone’s name can be put into nomination. That’s when the wheeling and dealing and smoky backrooms and arm twisting could get interesting.

As one who has watched this process in the old gavel-to-gavel days, it can be great fun for a spectator. However, this year politics isn’t fun, because we stand to lose not just an election but our way of life if the Republican Party doesn’t unite.

My opinion.

[Jedidah]

No. The smoke isn’t white. ;)

[Theodore R.]

Do convention rules for the Republican party allow someone who did not officially run for President to be considered at the convention?

Yes, but I think Harding was an actual candidate in 1920, as was Coolidge, but neither were among the stronger candidates. The leading candidates were General Leonard Wood, IL Governor Frank Lowden, and someone else.

[chimera]

I don't see how it can be otherwise. These four guys have been out there pounding the campaign ground for almost a year. To have someone who has sat back on the sidelines swoop in and take the nomination would be unbelievably cruel and unfair and I doubt well-received by the electorate. Now I know many on FR aren't thrilled with the field and I'll probably be flamed for saying this, but these are the guys who have put themselves and their families (unfortunately, but that is the world we live in, at least for 'Pubs) on the line in a very hostile political and media environment, have answered the call and stood up to give it their best shot. Anyone who hasn't can't really be in a position to make a case for themselves.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Jeb?

What’s your point?

[MomwithHope]

If Mitt is the nominee (shudder) he will almost have to pick Santorum or West in order to win. Just MHO. Palin would just be too much of a distraction for the press to chew on.

[deport]

After 1st round, I believe all delegates become unbound meaning they can vote for anybody.

---

Rules vary from state to state as to how and when their delegates are released.

Example of GA rules:

Georgia Code § 21-2-196: “... a delegate or ... shall file a qualification oath ... pledging support ... to the candidate ... for the office of President ... for whom they are selected to support. The oath shall state that the delegate ... affirms to support such candidate until the candidate is either nominated ... or receives less than 35 percent of the votes for nomination ..., or until the candidate releases the delegates.... No delegate shall be required to vote for such candidate after two convention nominating ballots...”

Georgia Code § 21-2-197: “Any delegate to a national convention whose presidential candidate withdraws ... shall be an unpledged delegate ...”

http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/GA-R#0306

[KC_Lion]

If its not Sarah than they are just wasting their time.

I hope Romney gets the Clue that the Republican voters don't want him, he keeps getting delegates trough Shenanigans and winning Liberal States, the States that will actually vote for the Republican in November DON'T WANT HIM!