---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <s3raphita@...> wrote :
Re "Did she say how she thought they would do this? . . . Would cause a gigantic ruckus." (snip) I think Bonnie is right about the principle though. (I've heard it mentioned before.) The delegates who eventually choose the one presidential *candidate* for their party are not actually legally bound to respect the wishes of the voters in their particular state. And Trump could scare GOP shitless. They aren't legally bound, but it really wouldn't be possible to get all Trump's delegates (assuming, as you said, that he has an overwhelming win in the primaries and caucuses) to switch to someone else. That tactic would have a chance only in a close contest going in. Primaries and caucuses are "just advisory" only in the most technical sense, not in any practical sense unless, as I say, the contest is neck-and-neck to start with. Just wondering if that situation has ever happened before. There was a lot of complaining from elements of the Clinton campaign about manipulation of delegates to give Obama the win at the 2008 Democractic convention, but it wasn't anywhere near clear-cut enough to get anywhere. See here for a good account from 2008 of the preliminaries and the complications involved: Who won Super Tuesday? http://www.salon.com/2008/02/07/delegates_2/ http://www.salon.com/2008/02/07/delegates_2/ Who won Super Tuesday? http://www.salon.com/2008/02/07/delegates_2/ Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are both claiming victory. But given the way delegates are awarded, the only clear victors are the spin doctors. View on www.salon.com http://www.salon.com/2008/02/07/delegates_2/ Preview by Yahoo There was some fear of a brokered convention because the delegate count was so close, but Clinton, not wanting a major crisis, released her delegates to vote for Obama and moved that he be nominated by acclamation halfway through the delegate vote. Bonnie sounded confident it would happen this time; I'm thinking, like you, it could precipitate a crisis of epic proportions. Yeah, she really doesn't know what she's talking about. I suppose it's conceivable if Trump and Cruz, say, are very close going into the convention, but not otherwise and not likely even then. If the worst happens and neither of two candidates gets a majority after a bunch of ballots, then you might have a compromise candidate. But that's even less likely. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <authfriend@...> wrote : ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <s3raphita@...> wrote : What's the point? I was listening to Yank playwright Bonnie Greer today and she mentioned something that really shook me: Trump has no chance of becoming President (no - that bit didn't shake me!) because even if he wins every caucus/primary he contests the Republican bigwigs will block his candidature. That last bit was the shocker. Did she say how she thought they would do this? There's no official mechanism for it that I know of. They could try to subvert the Republican nominating convention to give someone else the nomination, but it would be highly iffy and would cause a gigantic ruckus. So these primaries are in the end just advisory! The Democrat and GOP establishments will just pat you on the head and tell you they will "listen" to your concerns. Um, no. Not sure what Greer was on about, but it sounds to me like conspiracy theorizing, not reality. (BTW, the adjective is "Democratic," not "Democrat.") Has it ever actually happened in US history that the popular choice for Presidential contender - Red or Blue -has been overturned at the final hurdle? It's freezing out there. Stay indoors. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <rick@...> wrote : Law in Iowa requires employers to give people time off if they don't have at least 3 hours to caucus during caucus hours. Pass it on! A lot of people I'm hearing from don't know this and think they can't vote Bernie Monday because they have to work! But they can. We need to get the word out! Empower the people!! Iowa Code ยง 49.109 http://www.findlaw.com/voting-rights-law.html http://www.findlaw.com/voting-rights-law.html Please tell your friends.
