Republican nightmare scenario that will make you smile.

[Renew Deal]

If McCain wins NH, you will have 3 different candidates winning 3 different states. (IA-Huckster, WY-Romney, NH-McCain) If this trend continues, no one will have enough delegates to win the convention straight up. Ron Paul is accumulating delegates as well. If it goes to the convention, Paul is going to want to speak. Can you imagine how that's going to play out? I can. :evilgrin:

The chances of this happening are as slim as ever, but considering how open the race is, anything is possible.

[Skidmore]

1. Oh, please, please, please...let it happen.

Lordy, that would be the best show ever. All dressed up and no place to go--empty suits and minds. That would be so much fun to watch.

[TomInTib]

3. If it happens...

can I come over to your house and watch it with you?

I'll buy.

[Skidmore]

6. Sure. I'll provide snacks.

[RoadRage]

2. Do they play Rock-Paper-Scissors??

If no one has enough wins to get the nomination. I think that would be the best scenario.. and frankly Thompson looks like he'd be the best R-P-S player of the bunch. I think he has a lot of time to practice.....

[Renew Deal]

9. Then they could nominate any of the candidates or someone completely different.

[tridim]

4. They can have a final showdown in the Larry Craig memorial airport restroom

It's just a few miles down the road.

Seriously though, if this happens we'll probably see actual brawls on the convention floor. That'd be great news for our side.

[existentialist]

5. Yes, but

The momentum appears to be with McCain, and this early momentum is far more important than delegate count.

McCain could easily make some mistakes that could make it all happen. With Republican voters his immigration position will be awkward for him, and could make it happen--so could his support for Bush and the Iraq war, but maybe not.

What is clear is that most of the positions the McCain and all of the Republican candidates are taking now to appeal to Republicans, will not sell so well with voters generally.

Also the Republicans, in their present infighting, are driving more people from the Republican party, and from Republican voting habits and patterns.

[Skidmore]

7. Dems need to ask McWar which century he's willing to bring the troops home in.

[LonePirate]

8. McCain also had a lot of momentum coming out of NH in 2000

Then SC changed the landscape permanently eight years ago. I don't see this year being any different for him. Huckabee is going to be formidable in SC. McCain will need a good showing (no worse than 2nd which is no guarantee) in SC to keep any momentum he has. He also needs to hope Guiliani and Thompson both drop out and he claims a large portion of their supporters.

[existentialist]

10. That's true, but in 2000 the Republican establishment

dirty tricks machine came out against McCain in force in South Carolina in 2000. I don't see them doing that this year.

(Although, with Ed Rollins working for Huckabee, one can certainly expect some unfair attacks and push polls.)

You are also right about the significance of Thompson and Guiliani staying in the race. From our standpoint we should hope that they do. The more Republican infighting remains on display, the worse Republicans as a group look. One could argue that they look bad because they are showing their true selves, which I believe to be largely true. But the MSM has allowed them to present only their best and most superficial faces to the public for (decades). Republican infighting tends to pull away the facade.

We can hope that their egos, as well as their own and their supporter's divisions on the issues will keep the infighting going all the way to Minneapolis.