What happens if at the RNC

[Statilius the Epicurean]

The Cruz supporters bound to Trump on the first ballot vote for Cruz anyway and throw him the nomination?

[dax00]

Not possible as long as Rule 16 stands. Even if they tried to vote Cruz somehow on the first ballot, their votes would go to Trump by default.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

Not possible as long as Rule 16 stands. Even if they tried to vote Cruz somehow on the first ballot, their votes would go to Trump by default.

Ah, makes sense.

However the conference could change the rules to unbind delegates, yes? 

[Slander and/or Libel]

What about rules 37b and 38, which Curly Haugland is going around claiming free all delegates on all ballots to vote their conscience?

[Penelope]

The Cruz supporters bound to Trump on the first ballot vote for Cruz anyway and throw him the nomination?

Complete pandemonium. Hillary has a good shot at breaking 400 electoral votes, maybe even closer to 450-500.

[Erc]

What about rules 37b and 38, which Curly Haugland is going around claiming free all delegates on all ballots to vote their conscience?

Rule 38 is completely irrelevant; no one is imposing the "unit rule" as it is classically understood.  Rule 37(b) ("The result shall then be recorded in accordance with the vote of the several delegates in such delegation.") and Rule 16(a)(2) ("The Secretary of the Convention shall faithfully announce and record each delegate’s vote in accordance with the delegate’s obligation under these rules, state law or state party rule.") could be construed as being in conflict, but in my view it's a very weak case.

A lot of leeway is given to Paul Ryan here; he could decide to follow 37(b) rather than 16(a) for any states in which "exception is taken by any delegate."  However, then the burden of stealing the nomination from Trump is entirely placed on Paul Ryan's head; I don't think he would be willing to do so.

More plausibly, 37(b) could be used as cover for a rules change/clarification which Cruz could float as a trial balloon (à la the Mississippi vote in 1976) to see whether there's support for such shenanigans.

[Slander and/or Libel]

What about rules 37b and 38, which Curly Haugland is going around claiming free all delegates on all ballots to vote their conscience?

Rule 38 is completely irrelevant; no one is imposing the "unit rule" as it is classically understood.  Rule 37(b) ("The result shall then be recorded in accordance with the vote of the several delegates in such delegation.") and Rule 16(a)(2) ("The Secretary of the Convention shall faithfully announce and record each delegate’s vote in accordance with the delegate’s obligation under these rules, state law or state party rule.") could be construed as being in conflict, but in my view it's a very weak case.

A lot of leeway is given to Paul Ryan here; he could decide to follow 37(b) rather than 16(a) for any states in which "exception is taken by any delegate."  However, then the burden of stealing the nomination from Trump is entirely placed on Paul Ryan's head; I don't think he would be willing to do so.

More plausibly, 37(b) could be used as cover for a rules change/clarification which Cruz could float as a trial balloon (à la the Mississippi vote in 1976) to see whether there's support for such shenanigans.

Yeah, my reading of it was that they could keep two separate records of votes; one under 16(a), recording the obligated votes of all bound delegates, and one under 37(b), recording the "conscience" votes of all delegates breaking from how they are bound. But only the 16(a) record would be the official tally.

[PresidentTRUMP]

The end of the Republican party and a landslide for Hillary like we haven't seen in a long long time in the general if this were to happen.

[Stranger in a strange land]

The StormTrumpers will riot and burn Cleveland to the ground if their man is deprived of the nomination in such an under-handed and undemocratic fashion.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

The StormTrumpers will riot and burn Cleveland to the ground if their man is deprived of the nomination in such an under-handed and undemocratic fashion.

They're going to do that if their object of worship is deprived of then nomination in any fashion.