What if the front loading of the primaries split and no clear

[WCGreen]

winner is established going into the convention...

What if no one has won enough delegates to take the prize on the first try...

That may allow for an interesting situation where the primaries held last could have more say in the contest than those rushing to get a piece of the presidential candidates spending spending spree...

Because that is what this is really all about...

Big state chairs want the candidates to toss some of that big money the presidential want-a-bees are raising around their organizations. Give that cousin a high paying consultant job for a few weeks. Hire the kid to drive for the candidate, get a discount on campaign lit and yard signs for candidates down the ticket, a free sample ballot for the sample ballots...

It's what happens...

Walk around money they use to call it...

Anyway, if the election isn't decided by Ides of March, look for a fight on the convention floor...

Wouldn't that be swell...

A throw back to the good old days...

And if they couldn't come to any decisive conclusion by the time te third vote gets taken, all bets are off and the delegates are released and can vote for who they want...

And that, as impossible as it sounds right this moment, could be the time the party turns to Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore to be the standard bearer for the party...

Just something to think about...

[saltpoint]

1. It could happen. Edwards wins Iowa. Richardson wins Nevada.

Biden in big upset win in New Hampshire. HClinton wins in S.Carolina.

Gore and Clark decide not to get in the race.

Gary Hart does.
Robert F. Kennedy does.
Dodd and Kucinich move up in the polls.

We could roll into Denver and the Florida delegate seating crisis could be the least of our headlines.

[elizm]

9. Hillary will not win SC. nt

[saltpoint]

11. The current snapshot says she will. None of us knows what's down the road.

Your sentence might turn out to be correct.

It might not.

She enjoys considerable support there at the moment.

[elizm]

16. Not sure what 'snapshot' you are looking at...

But the current polls in SC show nothing compelling that Hillary will win SC. And on the ground here in SC I can tell you that the current 'snapshot' (from here on the ground, that is) is that Hillary does not have the support everyone thinks she does.

[saltpoint]

17. I'm not sure who "everyone" is. Rasmussen's Aug. 22nd snapshot

revealed this:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/south_carolina_clinton_38_obama_30

--Senator Clinton leading in South Carolina with 38% of the vote.

Rasmussen of late has been uncomfortably accurate.

[elizm]

20. It's one poll....and not that compelling. nt

[saltpoint]

21. I'm for another Democrat to win our nomination but I can read a

poll 'bout the same as anyone, and it's clear the woman has support in South Carolina.

[Hart2008]

19. Draft Hart! Draft Hart! Draft Hart! Draft Hart! Draft Hart! Draft Hart! N/T

[saltpoint]

22. Well don't beat around the bush. Tell us who you're supporting in 08!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Isn't that what they used to call a "brokered" convention?

And I like your scenario!

If Al gets the Nobel Peace Prize...

What a thrilling prospect!

He could walk in and take it all, couldn't he?

Nice...

Ah, let the speculating begin!

[PurityOfEssence]

3. It's the best thing that could happen

Admittedly, it leaves lots of room for hijinks in those smoky back rooms, but it would be nice to have a few people in play so the later primaries and caucuses mean something and we get to see who can go the distance. A long and spread out season is best for everyone, because it shows who can take it and dish it out, and it allows the salient issues to gel and get some traction.

All of the rancor and partisanship gets tiresome at times, and we lose sight of the responsibility we have to each other: to find a leader who best represents the most of us and has the best chances of whipping the trogs. The "we're gonna show 'em" attitude is tiresome, and much as it's a hardly-any-holds-barred free-for-all, it would be refreshing to see more than one or two rounds of this.

It also keeps the reactionaries from having so much time to focus on one person.

Ah, we can only dream; the reality is that it'll probably be obvious on February 5th, if not before.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[eridani]

4. I second that

From the standpoint of promoting progressive people-oriented policies, it would be fantastic.

[PatSeg]

8. I agree

The early primaries make me very uncomfortable and you've covered the reasons very well.

[jmp]

5. Great! All of you head to the back of the line ...

We Floridians will happily sacrifice and be first because someone has to be. :)

[AtomicKitten]

6. back to the future -- AL GORE 2008

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. K&R nt

[MonkeyFunk]

10. Every four years

it's speculated about. And it never happens. It won't happen this year, either.

[WCGreen]

13. I have been following democratic national politcs...

closely since 1972...

This year is the best chance since the reforms the McGovernites put for the 1972 election that we might have a brokered convention...

I know it's a long shot, but still...

It sure beats rehashing the same old stuff on DU over and over and over again...

If only for a moment...

[MaineDem]

12. I'm hoping that's what happens

And it very well could.

Make the convention really relevant again!

[rinsd]

14. A brokered convention equals a general election loss.

Having your nominee come out from a weakened position at his/her own convention with about 3 1/2 months to go to election day is not a good idea.

[Colobo]

18. Exactly. We need a clear winner and for everyone to rally behind him/her.

[WCGreen]

23. We can rally behind the winner of the convention vote...

Remember, the 1960 convention was brokered and that came out pretty well...

[ieoeja]

15. Then it could be decided by the unpledged delegates.

In 2004 797 of the 4,317 voting delegates were unpledged, i.e. they did not have to vote for the winner of their individual state primaries.

So if you had a 33%, 33%, 33% tie then that unpledged 18% could decide the nominee IF they all agreed. Of course, we are far more likely to see something like 40-45% for one nominee with enough unpledged delegates rallying around the "winner" to ensure we do not have a brokered convention.

Which would take all the fun out of it.