Talk about brokered GOP 2012 convention made me recall California credentials battle at 1972 Dem.

[trackfan]

That was, I think, the last real vote at any convention. No convention, of either party, has gone beyond one ballot for the Presidential nomination since 1952. There was a chance it could have happened at the 1972 Democratic convention. McGovern came in with just about a majority of delegates, but the Credentials committee had ruled that he should not receive all 271 of California's delegates, but only 120. He had won the primary over Humphrey, and others, with a plurality of 44% of the vote. Under the rules in place he received 100% of the delegates. The anti-McGovern forces on the credentials committee ruled that the delegates would be apportioned according to the vote, reducing McGovern's total from 271 to 120, with 151 going to other candidates. A minority report was filed to challenge this ruling; it came to a roll call vote on the floor of the convention. I remember it very well. I made, and still have, an audio tape of it. The McGovern forces carried the day, and the 271 strong McGovern delegation from California was seated, making his first ballot victory academic. No convention vote since that one, with any real impact on outcome, has been in doubt; it's all theatre now.

[Old and In the Way]

1. Very interesting. I saw a movie on TCM awhile back with Henry Fonda and Cliff Robinson

that was about a brokered political convention. Fascinating stuff.

It is interesting to understand how primary elections have replaced the functionality of conventions. On the one hand you don't have smokey, back room politics making candidate selections. But the system also places less value on Party organization and makes the process more dependent on people without a strong interest in party politics, but lots of money to buy legislative votes.

I think there is a strong chance that Republicans could be facing a real brokered convention this cycle. If Romney and Gingrich split a plurality of votes, but no clear majority....Paul, Bachmann, even Santorum could become king makers with their delegates. Could make for real fireworks and a bought VP, purchased with delegates.

[trackfan]

2. It would be fascinating if it happened.

The conventions have become such staged, television-commercial spectacles, that it seems the party and the media wouldn't know what to do if one became an actual, free-for-all, newsmaking event.