If it came to the convention...

[Senator Snowstalker]

Couldn't be Jindal or Christie since they've endorsed in the race, especially Christie.

Jindal endorsed Perry, which no longer matters.

[Stranger in a strange land]

the nominee from a brokered convention would almost have to be Romney or Santorum, with the other getting the VP slot, and a Romney/Santorum ticket being more likely.

[Whacker77]

the nominee from a brokered convention would almost have to be Romney or Santorum, with the other getting the VP slot, and a Romney/Santorum ticket being more likely.

Well, I just threw up in my mouth at that thought.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Jeb would not be acceptable.

Paul Ryan or Marco Rubio would.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Jeb would not be acceptable.

Paul Ryan or Marco Rubio would.

the nominee is going to have to be someone who was actually on the ballot. Choosing a compromise candidate who nobody voted for in a smoke-filled room simply wouldn't work in this day and age.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Jeb would not be acceptable.

Paul Ryan or Marco Rubio would.

the nominee is going to have to be someone who was actually on the ballot. Choosing a compromise candidate who nobody voted for in a smoke-filled room simply wouldn't work in this day and age.

I have to think there would be a lot of polling of the GOP base leading into a hung convention, for it is clear a lot of GOP base doesnt like the current GOP field.  Certainly if you polled the GOP base, Rubio would win in a landslide in any head-to-head matchup against any of the current GOP field.

[True Federalist]

Worst comes to worst, the GOP could always go with the strategy the Whigs tried in 1836.

[There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease]

Most likely none of these.  What would actually happen is that Romney and Santorum (assuming they have the most delegates) would each try to make a deal with one of the people on this list to be VP, in order to try to win over Gingrich delegates.  Enough Gingrich delegates would break away in one direction or the other to give either Romney or Santorum the nomination.

This, which is why all the brokered convention scenarios giving the nomination to someone who didn't bother to run are pretty ridiculous.

[pbrower2a]

Jeb Bush. Republicans have no problems with the Bush 43 legacy. Democrats will not be asked.

[There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease]

Really even though I find Romney, Santorum and Gingrich three of the most repulsive people in American politics even I would actually feel pretty bad for them if the GOP basically said "F**k you, none of your campaigns or votes mattered one bit. We're just going to nominate whoever we want." As pointed out elsewhere, many independent voters might not even be aware of how that's legal. It looks REALLY bad. Like twice as bad as if Hillary somehow got her superdelegate coup in 2008.

[Whacker77]

Jeb would not be acceptable.

Paul Ryan or Marco Rubio would.

the nominee is going to have to be someone who was actually on the ballot. Choosing a compromise candidate who nobody voted for in a smoke-filled room simply wouldn't work in this day and age.

I don't believe that for a second.  If the clown show rolls into Tampa with no one at the magic number and they're all trailing Obama badly, the convention will NOT nominate a sure loser.

I'm operating under this assumption.  If the nominee isn't Romney, it will be someone who is not in the race right now.

[Whacker77]

Really even though I find Romney, Santorum and Gingrich three of the most repulsive people in American politics even I would actually feel pretty bad for them if the GOP basically said "F**k you, none of your campaigns or votes mattered one bit. We're just going to nominate whoever we want." As pointed out elsewhere, many independent voters might not even be aware of how that's legal. It looks REALLY bad. Like twice as bad as if Hillary somehow got her superdelegate coup in 2008.

Why feel badly for a group of men who couldn't generate enough enthusiam to win over just half of the primary electorate?  If none of these clowns can consistently break 40% in any contest, why does one deserve to be the nominee?

[There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease]

They still deserve it more than someone who received 0% of the vote in all contests and didn't even bother with running a campaign.

[There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease]

If all these heroic savior candidates are so strong, why didn't they actually get in the race before the actual campaign? Wait are you saying that your Glorious, Unbeatable Messiahs probably wouldn't be able to defeat this pretty weak field? Hmmmm....

[Whacker77]

Why are you so concerned what the Republicans do at their convention?  Of course Democrats want one  of the current men in the race to be nominated because they know none can win a general election.

The most recent Fox poll shows 49% of Republicans still want a new choice to run.  That's astounding this late in the process and it shows how desperate the situation is.  If the mythical white knight were to announce in June and campaign all the way to the convention in hopes of winning on the second ballot, I doubt most would have a problem.

The fact a big name would step in a moment of need for the party likely would endear him to the party.

[There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease]

I suppose it's not really my business how the GOP chooses its candidate, just as Russia's "electoral type events" aren't really my business either. But if you can get me to feel an ounce of sympathy for three of the most loathsome people in American politics, you've crossed a line for sure. By the way might want to look at how McGovern's Eagleton swap ended up.

Once again the question remains unanswered why this hypothetical glorious Messiah didn't run in the actual campaign. I mean if they're so amazing they'd have no trouble defeating this very weak field, right?

Oh and you can believe Jeb is superior and more competent than his brother all you want, but the only things your average voter knows about him is: 1-His name is Bush and 2-He was Governor of Florida during the 2000 election fiasco (and in this scenario: 3-He took the nomination during very unusual and undemocratic circumstances). And he only has six weeks to tell anyone otherwise during the biggest media circus ever. Yeah that's a real winner.

[TJ in Wisco]

If it came to the convention the Republican nominee would be guaranteed to be slaughtered regardless of who it is. The convention is too late to start a presidential campaign, when President Obama will be campaigning the entire summer while we fight amongst ourselves. In the modern day the convention cannot ever be anything other than a coronation because it happens too late. If we wanted a brokered convention it would need to take place in June, immediately after the last primary. Even if we did that, we would then lose the convention bounce going into the fall. No, the GOP needs to pick a candidate who's running or mount a write-in campaign.