Contested convention means organizational chaos

[Mr. Morden]

The modern day national political convention tends to be a tightly scripted affair, and the script is always written by the campaign of the nominee-in-waiting.  The party leadership usually just rubber stamps whatever decisions that candidate’s campaign makes, including who speaks, and about what.  If there is no nominee-in-waiting, then the whole thing seems very likely to turn into a circus very quickly.  Ed Kilgore has a good summary of the issue here:

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/03/this-problem-might-cause-chaos-at-gop-convention.html#

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[emailking]

It certainly turned into a circus in that recent House of Cards episode.

Although not in the technical minutia this article is describing.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Good read. I expect the ratings to be unprecedented.

[SillyAmerican]

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Excellent article. This is going to be an amazing civics lesson, to be sure.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

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Open carry of firearms should help.

[Thomas D]

Who gives the keynote? Who decides that and when?

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

The convention is going to be a nightmare no matter who wins the nomination, half the delegates would be angry that Trump is nominated, the other half would be angry that a Non-Trump is nominated.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The 2012 DNC went a little off script when they ignored the vote of the delegates on whether Jerusalem should be considered the capital of Israel.

[Desroko]

The 2012 DNC went a little off script when they ignored the vote of the delegates on whether Jerusalem should be considered the capital of Israel.

It was like 1968, 1924, and 1860 all rolled into one.

[Kingpoleon]

This will be a fun vacation.

[Ebsy]

I would be prepared for a lot of voice votes where it is rather ambiguous as to whether the Ayes actually have it.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

The convention is going to be a nightmare no matter who wins the nomination, half the delegates would be angry that Trump is nominated, the other half would be angry that a Non-Trump is nominated.

In all honesty, I think the Bernie Sanders supporters staging an Occupy Independence Mall during the DNC is going to be more of a mess than the RNC.

The whole world is watching!
The whole world is watching!
The whole world is watching!
The whole world is watching!

[Mr. Morden]

*bump*

WaPo has a new story on the uncertainty on who is running the RNC if there’s no presumptive nominee:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/while-the-gop-worries-about-convention-chaos-trump-pushes-for-showbiz-feel/2016/04/17/482cc914-0322-11e6-9d36-33d198ea26c5_story.html

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[Ronnie]

The convention is going to be a nightmare no matter who wins the nomination, half the delegates would be angry that Trump is nominated, the other half would be angry that a Non-Trump is nominated.

Based on the state and congressional district-wide conventions that have happened so far, I would imagine that far fewer than half of the delegates are going to be Trump supporters.

[Likely Voter]

Although an open convention is the ultimate dream for political junkies like us, it will rob of us the spectacle that would be a totally Trump dominated convention. As noted by WaPo

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Imagine what Vince McMahon could do if put in charge of the convention!