Maybe I'm crazy...

[bain_sidhe]

But I'm beginning to think a brokered convention is our best hope to unify the party behind a nominee. Think about it: everybody gets a "place" at the table, the nominee has a perfect excuse to "cherry pick" the best ideas from ALL the candidates, and the supporters feel they've truly had a voice in the process - unlike the "argument" I'm beginning to see from a number of Kerry supporters on this board... posts which amount to, "we don't want your opinion, just your vote." I'm thinking that might not be the most effective argument to bring in disappointed supporters of other candidates - and might, in fact, end up with Kerry getting neither their opinions OR their votes (if, in fact, Kerry IS the nominee, that is).

Not to mention, we get to keep all our six guys beating up on Bush from now till August. :evilgrin:

[creativelcro]

1. Can you explain in a few lines what a brokered convention is?

Who decides when to have it ???

[bain_sidhe]

2. Short answer...

If nobody gets enough delegates to get the nomination on the first ballot, delegates are free to support another candidate on the second ballot. There will then be horse-trading among the candidates along the lines of "if you'll do ______, I'll tell my delegates to vote for you on the next ballot."

[Dookus]

3. seems to me like

barring some folk here on DU, the party *IS* unifying behind a nominee. His name is John Kerry.

[creativelcro]

4. The party is split.

[BruinAlum]

13. The Party is not split

It just looks that way at DU

[NashVegas]

16. Ummm

The party is split between 1 guy 48% are voting for because they think he's electable, and 4 other guys getting 52% of the votes because they are looking at issues. That looks like a split to me.

[bain_sidhe]

18. I don't think it's quite fair

to say that all Kerry's support is "because they think he's electable." I'd guess that at least half of Kerry's support is issues-based - environment, BCCI & Iran-Contra, etc. The other half, yes, would probably go to whoever looked "most electable" at the moment - after all, most of it *came* from other candidates who previously looked "more electable." But the supporters standing by the candidates who aren't the front runner are therefore NOT going to support Kerry *just* because he seems electable, or they would be already. This is why I'm saying a brokered convention, where their ideas/issues are brought into the nominee's "platform," could make the difference in November.

[Stuckinthebush]

14. The party is fine

DU is split. We are nowhere near a good gauge of the Democratic Party.

The Dems will be united this year - excluding the 50 or so DUers who insist that it is their candidate or third party.

[bain_sidhe]

5. Not really...

Yes, he's taken first place in most of the primaries, but his percentage is still significantly below 50%. While it's tempting to call that "unifying," it indicates a significant disagreement about the best candidate. The problem is, when someone is riding that much higher than the rest of the pack, there's a tendancy for the "winner" to say "I don't need them." I'm seeing it from Kerry folks now, there was some of that (although not as overt) from Dean people when Dean was riding high. But the fact is, we're gonna need *everybody* - but "everybody" isn't going to transfer over when they keep hearing "I don't need you." How many can we lose and still win the general election?

[creativelcro]

6. The point is that what is happening right now is jumping on the bandwagon

Kerry does not have a unifying theme, that is pretty obvious. If something happens, these people would jump onto the next bus in a minute...

[cindyw]

12. "still significantly below 50%"? Kerry has gotten roughly half in most

states.

Arizona - 43 % 7 points shy of 50%
Delaware - 50%
Missouri - 51%
New Mexico - 42%
North Dakota - 50%
Michigan - 52%
Washington - 49%
Maine - 45%

Of the 12 primaries we have had so far, he has gotten 50% or more in 4 of them and close to half in 4 more. It may not be 50% of the electorate over all, but it is certainly not fair to say that he is "still significantly below 50%".

[mikehiggins]

7. Cherry pick campaign ideas?

Isn't that Kerry's campaign in total.

The other day Clark said the IWR investigation shouldn't last more than 90 days. Tonight Kerry says it should be wrapped up in three months.

On the campaign trail that is like a slogan for the other candidates. They can tell how effective their plans and positions are by guaging how long they take to wind up in Kerry's speeches.

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. Yet voters seem to like those ideas better when they are coming from Kerry

[bain_sidhe]

10. Not necessarily...

Might just be the first time they've heard them. ;-)

[library_max]

9. That'd be great.

In a world where civility reigns and nobody would stoop to smearing his opponent for political gain and everyone would remember that Bush is the enemy, that'd be swell. In the real world, it'd be a disaster.

Look at GD2004 now. Why is there so much sneering and smearing? Because supporters hope to win converts away from the opposing candidates. Why is there so much rage and hatred? Because people see that their candidate may not win and are not yet ready to face that prospect with equanimity. What's the only possible remedy for these problems? To get to the point where we know who the nominee is going to be and make up our minds to unite behind that person.

I'm not in a hurry. The primary process is just that, a process. We don't have a nominee yet. Calls to unite behind this or that candidate (as opposed to general calls to unite behind ABB) are premature and uncalled-for, as are speculations about who will be the next candidate to drop out.

But the last thing we need is for the mudslinging and acrimony to last all the way until the convention, where only one candidate can win and the supporters of the others will all have their disappointment and bile fresh for the fall election. DU is like the real world at least in that respect - supporters of the losing candidates are going to need time and perspective to get over their sour grapes, whoever the nominee turns out to be.

[mitchum]

11. No maybe about it

[democracy eh]

15. AND it would lock up the Media attention until the convention

control the message

think about it if Kerry wins it all Super tuesday. there is a huge gap

without a horse race, the Dem message is not going to be lead story

think about that gap and 5 months of the media and the Repugs picking the message. Kerry can't fill months of news cycles by himself

[KoKo]

17. Bain.....sadly I think those days are over, but if any Convention ever

cried out to be "brokered" this one does. There are so many issues that just can't be glossed over and our Party needs a big "fee-for-all" convention with knocking heads and hammering out a platform.

It would be good for us to get it all out. Otherwise it will fester like a sore that won't heal.

I would hope the "Party Powers that Be" would see this and start talking about this. We need to clean house and figure out where we are going.

I for one...want to talk about our Senate and House Leadership.....They won't listen to me....but if my candidates can hang in then I have a voice through them. It's to early to do this "Media Front Runner thingy" based on such small populated states votes.

McAuliff shouldn't have done this given what happened to Gore. Those wounds are not healed with many of us.

BTW, haven't seen you for awhile here on DU. :hi: nice to see "old timers."

[ngGale]

19. I'm all for a brokered convention...

the party is split. 50% for Kerry, the other 50 split between the rest. The media is pushing Kerry all the time and it does give people ideas. I resent TMc pushing us into a decision when we have so many good candidates. And I do love beating up on Bush until August, he will crack for sure.