The Banana Republican Party of North Dakota in Action

[BigSkyBob]

http://freedomslighthouse.net/2012/04/09/mitt-romney-walks-away-with-majority-of-north-dakota-delegates-despite-finishing-third-on-super-tuesday-video-report-4512/

Caucus results: Santorum 40%, Paul 30% and Romney 26%.

Delegates: Romney 16  Santorum 7 Paul 2.

[politicus]

LOL

[Joe Republic]

Looks like Ron Paul's ninja strike team got lost in the barren wilderness.

[pillage the village, trash the scene]

DAFUQ?

[Landslide Lyndon]

Remember back in 2008 when John McCain and the other Republicans accused Obama of being chosen by pundits and party elders, not the voters?

Fun times.

[memphis]

Would a national primary on one day really be that difficult?

[IDS Legislator Alfred F. Jones]

I think we should restart the whole process so that it makes sense. All in favor say aye.

[Progressive Realist]

Yay Democracy!

[So the Heroes Fall]

Yeah I heard about this from my mom who doesn't normally pay this close enough attention to politics. It was big in the local news because a lot of people were very pissed off.

[Erc]

I've been talking about this in my own thread for a while now, guys...

In any event, what I've been hearing seems to indicate the elected delegates will choose to honor the results of the caucus.

I'd expect the process in ND to be slightly more transparent next time around; the wheels appear to be in motion on that front.

[So the Heroes Fall]

Perhaps they'll adopt the same system as Nevada?

[America First]

In any event, what I've been hearing seems to indicate the elected delegates will choose to honor the results of the caucus.

So Rombot 3000 will only get 7?  Hopefully that's the case.

[Jayhawker]

This is unfortunate, but thankfully the primary has already been decided.

[TheGlobalizer]

Remember back in 2008 when John McCain and the other Republicans accused Obama of being chosen by pundits and party elders, not the voters?

I actually don't.  I thought Hillary was the establishment pick and Obama was riding a youth wave.

Don't much know what to think about delegate math.  Whatever, I'm voting for Gary Johnson.

[Erc]

In any event, what I've been hearing seems to indicate the elected delegates will choose to honor the results of the caucus.

So Rombot 3000 will only get 7?  Hopefully that's the case.

Yes, but it's an academic question really.  There are three possible scenarios going into the convention:

1) Santorum/Gingrich have dropped out and have endorsed Romney.  Likely ND vote: 23 Romney - 2 Paul.

2) Santorum / Gingrich have not dropped out, despite it being obvious Romney will win on the first ballot.  The ND delegation decides to follow the will of the caucus to be polite.

3) Somehow, Santorum does well enough in the remaining contests that Romney's nomination on the first ballot is in doubt.  Romney's supporters in the ND delegation decide now is not the time to be polite, and vote for Romney anyway.


In any event, the indignation of Paul supporters re: North Dakota is hilarious.

[BigSkyBob]

I've been talking about this in my own thread for a while now, guys...

In any event, what I've been hearing seems to indicate the elected delegates will choose to honor the results of the caucus.

I'd expect the process in ND to be slightly more transparent next time around; the wheels appear to be in motion on that front.

1) "Honoring the result of the caucus" would involve Santorum choosing his delegates, Paul his, and Romney the same. The party bosses chose for everyone.

2) It is a distinction that doesn't make much of a difference. If ABR can win enough delegates to stop Romney by a handful of delegates, the Banana Republican Party of North Dakota has appointed enough closet Romney delegates to nominate him on the second ballot.

3) The problem with the caucus process was that it was corrupt.   The rule were stacked to support Romney. The rules, themselves, were completely transparent. They tell alcoholics that they won't change until and unless they acknowledge the fact that they are alcoholics. The Banana Republican Party is not going to change until and unless it acknowledges it is corruption.

[America First]

3) Somehow, Santorum does well enough in the remaining contests that Romney's nomination on the first ballot is in doubt.  Romney's supporters in the ND delegation decide now is not the time to be polite, and vote for Romney anyway.

If they say they are going to honor the caucus, then wouldn't they be obligated to put their votes toward Santorum/Paul?

In any event, the indignation of Paul supporters re: North Dakota is hilarious.

What exactly is funny about this grotesquely undemocratic process?  By the way, it's not just Paul supporters.  It's Santorum supporters too, obviously.

[America First]

Would a national primary on one day really be that difficult?

A national primary on one day would mean that the media could decide the winner.  It's much better for the people that lower budget candidates can focus on particular states, and then influence other states along the way.  Gingrich could have potentially won in a one day national primary just cause he was leading all the national polls and getting all the national media attention.

[BigSkyBob]

3) Somehow, Santorum does well enough in the remaining contests that Romney's nomination on the first ballot is in doubt.  Romney's supporters in the ND delegation decide now is not the time to be polite, and vote for Romney anyway.

If they say they are going to honor the caucus, then wouldn't they be obligated to put their votes toward Santorum/Paul?

In any event, the indignation of Paul supporters re: North Dakota is hilarious.

What exactly is funny about this grotesquely undemocratic process?  By the way, it's not just Paul supporters.  It's Santorum supporters too, obviously.

Well, Paul's campaign has been trying to win more delegates than "proportional" allocations would grant them. That said, in a truly democratic caucus process the likely outcome of North Dakota would have been Santorum and Paul combining to elect a slate of delegates free of Romney supporters.

[BigSkyBob]

In any event, what I've been hearing seems to indicate the elected delegates will choose to honor the results of the caucus.

So Rombot 3000 will only get 7?  Hopefully that's the case.

Yes, but it's an academic question really.  There are three possible scenarios going into the convention:

1) Santorum/Gingrich have dropped out and have endorsed Romney.  Likely ND vote: 23 Romney - 2 Paul.

2) Santorum / Gingrich have not dropped out, despite it being obvious Romney will win on the first ballot.  The ND delegation decides to follow the will of the caucus to be polite.

3) Somehow, Santorum does well enough in the remaining contests that Romney's nomination on the first ballot is in doubt.  Romney's supporters in the ND delegation decide now is not the time to be polite, and vote for Romney anyway.

So, what you are saying is that the proportional allocation being proposed isn't written on stone, but, rather, is written on an Etch-A-Sketch?

[Governor Scott]

No outrage from this all over of the media, of course.

[Erc]

3) Somehow, Santorum does well enough in the remaining contests that Romney's nomination on the first ballot is in doubt.  Romney's supporters in the ND delegation decide now is not the time to be polite, and vote for Romney anyway.

If they say they are going to honor the caucus, then wouldn't they be obligated to put their votes toward Santorum/Paul?

The delegation doesn't meet to discuss whether they voluntarily choose to apportion their votes proportionally to the caucus for a while; in fact, it can be as late as when they arrive in Tampa.

[BigSkyBob]

3) Somehow, Santorum does well enough in the remaining contests that Romney's nomination on the first ballot is in doubt.  Romney's supporters in the ND delegation decide now is not the time to be polite, and vote for Romney anyway.

If they say they are going to honor the caucus, then wouldn't they be obligated to put their votes toward Santorum/Paul?

The delegation doesn't meet to discuss whether they voluntarily choose to apportion their votes proportionally to the caucus for a while; in fact, it can be as late as when they arrive in Tampa.

So, there is no allocation of the delegates to honor the results of caucus in effect, now, and, it is a matter of speculation in the future?

So, I am to believe that the Banana Republic of North Dakota is going to change it ways after the check arrives in the mail?

[America First]

If I was in the delegation, I'd be going proportional cause if I angered the Paul army too much I'd fear for my life.

[Mr. Morden]

Would a national primary on one day really be that difficult?

It would be absolutely impossible for the national parties to establish a national primary day that the individual states will actually abide by.  If the DNC and/or RNC set a national primary day for, say, the first Tuesday of April, then several states would just schedule their primaries for a week earlier, in order to get a jump on the "national primary day".  The only way to force them to comply would be by federal legislation, assuming the federal government even has the authority to force the issue:

http://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=142626.0