It's the rules: Utah to vote for Romney

[helderheid]

Republican National Convention

It's the rules: Utah to vote for Romney

By Thomas Burr
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 07/19/2008 08:17:39 AM MDT

WASHINGTON - The music will be rising into a crescendo, the hall glowing with red, blue and white stars, confetti at the waiting, when Utah delegates take the microphone in the nomination of John McCain for the president and cast their ballots for

Mitt Romney.

It's not that Utah Republicans love Romney so much they can't bring themselves to back McCain or that they won't let go of Romney's failed presidential bid. It's the rules.

As it stands, all 36 of the state's delegates are bound on the first ballot to vote for the winner of Utah's Republican primary: Romney, who nabbed a whopping 90 percent of the vote. A change to the bylaws was punted at the state's convention and state party officials say there's a concern now that changing the rules may cause the delegates not to be seated.

"Until the convention is over, there's still some possibilities, but as it sits today, we're still voting for Mitt Romney," says Utah Republican Party chief Stan Lockhart.

Other states may be in a similar position. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and head of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, won 11 states during the nominating process, while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee took eight.

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[SmileyRose]

1. I'm convinced Romney will be in the mix for real

I know it's tin foil hat time, but as Grandpa deteriorates I just think the R's might decide they want to try to win and will pull a switcheroo.

[helderheid]

2. I agree

[dems_rightnow]

4. Switch to who?

Who do you think gives them a chance to win?

[SmileyRose]

8. Well yeah, their chance is pretty dang slim BUT

remember, GWB was always a dud and they managed to get just enough sucker to actually vote for him to make a cheat to win just barely believable.

[RB TexLa]

3. And delegates will cast votes for Clinton and others at the Democratic convention

that happens in both every time.

[helderheid]

5. I thought Clinton released her delegates?

[RB TexLa]

6. There's no reason for her to do so, the superdelegates would put Obama over the magic number easy.

[gratuitous]

7. Maybe . . .

Utah is pretty late in the roll call, speaking alphabetically. It's quite possible that McThuselah will get enough delegate votes to secure the official nomination before Utah is called. What often happens is that after the celebration for the nominee, a delegate makes a motion to have the nominee accepted by acclamation, which is then thunderously applauded, the convention chair accepts the motion, and asks the delegate body if that's their desire. There's another thunderous ovation, and the chair rules that the nominee has been chosen by unanimous acclamation.

Or, it just takes two ballot roll calls to reach the same foregone conclusion.