What ever happened to the favorite sons

[davhill]

Long ago political conventions use to be exciting. At the begining of the convention, no one knew who was going to be the nominee. All the states had had their primaries or caucuses but none of the candidates had a majority. This was because a number of deligates were committed a "favorite son" candidate. This enabled the states to negotiate with the leading candidates. Now the brokered convention is considered obsolete and undemocratic. Instead we have a frenzy of fund raising a full year before the convention and the candidate who accumulates the largest war chest is anointed by the convention. I don't think this is any more democratic and I do not think it has given us more qualified nominees. Maybe it is time to go back to the old way.

[CMT]

1. once the rules were changed in the 70's

the old smoke filled room was replaced by a more "open" system to make sure that the will of the people in the primaries was foremost in selecting the nominee and that the "bosses" wouldn't be the ones who controlled the conventions and determined the nominee.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. ahhhh, for the good old days....

of cigar smoke and pols who knew how to pick a horse.

That is, of course, how we got Franklin Pierce and Calvin Coolidge.

But, yeah, I can't help wondering if Lincoln or either Roosevelt could have made it through a year of campaigning.