"GOP mulls convention challenge to Trump" LATEST: unbinding voted down in cmte

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

They would do better to get behind Gary Johnson's candidacy, target the states which he could win, and try to deny both Hillary and Trump a majority.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Republicans are delusional if they think that TRUMP will let a chance for a 4-day celebration of himself being snatched away by some party insiders.

[Wells]

Not going to happen.

[Fuzzy Bear]

There are a number of states where the GOP could name its electors for candidates other than Trump and whomever he picks as his running mate.  If Hillary didn't make it to 270, the election would go to the House of Representatives, where the other Republican could win.  That's if the rebellion is successful enough.  It would be a world-class betrayal.  Big!  YUUUUUUUGE!

[PaperKooper]

I'd love a Walker convention coup.  It's not going to happen, but it would be great. 

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

I'd love a Walker convention coup.  It's not going to happen, but it would be great. 

I hate Scott Walker with every fiber of my being.  He has poisoned the Badger State for me, forever.

[MK]

I think it could still be done.   

[Green Line]

I'd love a Walker convention coup.  It's not going to happen, but it would be great. 

I hate Scott Walker with every fiber of my being.  He has poisoned the Badger State for me, forever.

Wow.  Get a life!

[StateBoiler]

Reince Priebus has been talking to state GOP leaders about it.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/17/politics/reince-priebus-donald-trump-republican-convention/index.html

[Mr. Morden]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/anti-trump-gop-delegates-224495

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The WaPo notes that the convention rules committee meets July 14-15, so those are the key dates to make something happen:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dozens-of-gop-delegates-launch-new-push-to-halt-donald-trump/2016/06/17/e8dcf74e-3491-11e6-8758-d58e76e11b12_story.html

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[Indy Texas]

Trump has said he wants to wait until the convention to "surprise" everyone with his VP pick, but it may be wise for him to roll the running mate out within a couple of weeks to send the message to the delegates that, "sorry folks, the Trump Train has already left the station and the Trump Train don't got no brakes."

[TomC]

Trump has said he wants to wait until the convention to "surprise" everyone with his VP pick, but it may be wise for him to roll the running mate out within a couple of weeks to send the message to the delegates that, "sorry folks, the Trump Train has already left the station and the Trump Train don't got no brakes."

It wouldn't hurt if it were Cruz.

[Doimper]

Trump has said he wants to wait until the convention to "surprise" everyone with his VP pick, but it may be wise for him to roll the running mate out within a couple of weeks to send the message to the delegates that, "sorry folks, the Trump Train has already left the station and the Trump Train don't got no brakes."

It wouldn't hurt if it were Cruz.

That bridge has already been burned.

[Fuzzy Bear]

I'd love a Walker convention coup.  It's not going to happen, but it would be great. 

I hate Scott Walker with every fiber of my being.  He has poisoned the Badger State for me, forever.

Me, too.

[Beet]

A part of me has always been convinced that the GOP would not allow Trump to win and we'd see a contested convention, but I temporarily wavered on that conviction last month. What I don't understand though is why they couldn't just unify behind someone like Rubio early in the primaries. Or heck, at the very least, encourage Cruz to keep running his quixotic campaign. My guess is they knew Cruz would lose and it would just show that "their horse" couldn't win. But now they really have to change rules midstream and make their primary voters look like idiots.

[wolfsblood07]

A part of me has always been convinced that the GOP would not allow Trump to win and we'd see a contested convention, but I temporarily wavered on that conviction last month. What I don't understand though is why they couldn't just unify behind someone like Rubio early in the primaries. Or heck, at the very least, encourage Cruz to keep running his quixotic campaign. My guess is they knew Cruz would lose and it would just show that "their horse" couldn't win. But now they really have to change rules midstream and make their primary voters look like idiots.

I thought Trump had no chance up until Iowa and New Hampshire.  I watched with amazement as the GOP establishment watched Trump destroy every other candidate.  To this day I can't figure out how this happened.

[Blair]

This would only work if the entire Cruz campaign, and it's money was running the operation. Sure you can find 200-300 die hard delegates but everyone seems to forget they're are going to be actual trump delegates who support him as well.

Also how will they run the PR? The convention is the showing off of your candidate; to borrow a phrase of Lyton Crosby it's like killing your pig on market day and then dragging out a new one

[Badger]

They would do better to get behind Gary Johnson's candidacy, target the states which he could win, and try to deny both Hillary and Trump a majority.

That would be zero states, though.

[Since I'm the mad scientist proclaimed by myself]

Trump has said he wants to wait until the convention to "surprise" everyone with his VP pick, but it may be wise for him to roll the running mate out within a couple of weeks to send the message to the delegates that, "sorry folks, the Trump Train has already left the station and the Trump Train don't got no brakes."

I think it's more that >1237 delegates are now Trump true believers after his month of uncontested wins in delegate-rich states than it is about any fear of being seen as subverting the democratic process.  So it might make it out of Rules but I would be shocked if the anti-Trump position got a majority on the floor unless he literally called for Kristallnacht against Mexican-Americans or something similar.

Honestly, I'm not sure that trump won't.

[The Other Castro]

I don't think anything Trump says or does throughout the rest of the campaign could harm the GOP more than if the nomination was stolen from him and handed to someone else. Trump will most likely do great damage to the GOP and lead to major losses this year, but denying the will of the primary voters violates the fabric of the party itself and would cause irreparable harm for years to come.

[Mr. Morden]

I think it's more that >1237 delegates are now Trump true believers after his month of uncontested wins in delegate-rich states...

Huh?  On what basis do you say that?  Sure, Trump has well over 1237 pledged delegates, but there aren't that many states in which a candidate picks his own delegates.  Many of Trump's delegates are either anti-Trump or ambivalent about him, yet are currently pledged to support him on the first ballot.  (With many of them having been recruited by the Cruz campaign during the shadow war over delegates.)  There's nothing to stop them from turning on him on any procedural votes, if they were really determined to do so.

[Landslide Lyndon]

I think it's more that >1237 delegates are now Trump true believers after his month of uncontested wins in delegate-rich states...

Huh?  On what basis do you say that?  Sure, Trump has well over 1237 pledged delegates, but there aren't that many states in which a candidate picks his own delegates.  Many of Trump's delegates are either anti-Trump or ambivalent about him, yet are currently pledged to support him on the first ballot.  (With many of them having been recruited by the Cruz campaign during the shadow war over delegates.)  There's nothing to stop them from turning on him on any procedural votes, if they were really determined to do so.

I remember that California is actually one of the few states where the candidate can pick his own delegates. If so then those 170+ loyalists should give Trump a serious advantage.

[Mr. Morden]

I think it's more that >1237 delegates are now Trump true believers after his month of uncontested wins in delegate-rich states...

Huh?  On what basis do you say that?  Sure, Trump has well over 1237 pledged delegates, but there aren't that many states in which a candidate picks his own delegates.  Many of Trump's delegates are either anti-Trump or ambivalent about him, yet are currently pledged to support him on the first ballot.  (With many of them having been recruited by the Cruz campaign during the shadow war over delegates.)  There's nothing to stop them from turning on him on any procedural votes, if they were really determined to do so.

I remember that California is actually one of the few states where the candidate can pick his own delegates. If so then those 170+ loyalists should give Trump a serious advantage.

IIRC, the Trump campaign was too disorganized to even find a full delegate slate in every district in California.  I'm not sure how those slots ended up getting filled.  They probably leaned on the local GOP to come up with someone for them, or something like that.  Point is, even where they were picking the delegates themselves, their poor organization may have meant that some of these folks weren't vetted to insure loyalty.  But I don't know the details.

Anyway, even with CA, I don't think a majority of the delegates at the convention are really Trump loyalists.  Though I'd like to see Erc go through the delegations one by one to work out the math.

[Wisconsin+17]

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Trump burned his bridges. There are legitimate criticisms of Cruz, but the bullsh**t Trumpists flung at Cruz poisoned this relationship from the start.

[Mr. Morden]

Trump accuses Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz of plotting to steal the nomination from him:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/06/18/trump-accuses-jeb-bush-of-plotting-against-him-and-appears-to-slam-cruz/