How Gore Could Take the Nomination

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 5:19pm

Bill Curry in today's HuffPost. It's all about what happens if Obama diminishes Hillary's lead to under 50% of the delegates:

snippet:
===

There is still a faint possibility, a chance not only for Gore but for an Edwards, Dodd or Richardson. It's the chance that the insanely frontloaded nominating process backfires on party insiders, distributing delegates to enough different candidates to keep anyone from getting a majority.

Democrats have jiggered the rules to favor front runners ever since McGovern. Believing that a short primary calendar, like a short meeting, favors whoever's in charge, they front load the process. States lusting for attention pushed it up even further. Voila: a calendar that may just engender our first real convention in half a century. Here's why:

The first New Hampshire primary took place on March 11, 1952. By February 9th, 2008, the Virgin Islands, District of Columbia and 31 states will select 2,776 delegates, about two thirds of the total. By March 11, 2008, 87% of delegates will already be chosen.

Never before has there been a prospect of so many delegates up for grabs with so many candidates still in the race. One of two things will happen. If Clinton sweeps, prepare for the longest intermission in the history of show business, from early February till August 25th in Denver. But if Obama, Edwards and a second tier candidate outperform expectations, she might not make 50%. Then the fun begins.

Both parties have embarrassed themselves by allowing primaries to begin so early that campaigns bleed into the holiday season of the preceding year. (Jingle Bell Rock the vote.) The debates are a stinging disappointment. Delegates would ask much tougher questions than those posed by the celebrity press, and demand real answers to boot.

A political party ought to have time for second thoughts. It ought to make its selection at a point closer in time to when voters make theirs. Ironically, a convention might prove more open than primaries, at least to ideas. For the first time in memory, the platform might matter, forcing Democrats to sort out whatever it is they really believe.
An Open Convention For Gore

Posted: 10/18/07 at 5:57pm

And- for the non-political-junkies out there- the fun part is: If No candidate piles up a majority on the first ballot, then every single delegate is free to vote for any one they want: We could certainly get Gore as a candidate, or Clinton could make a deal with Obama to make him her running mate and sew up the nomination that way-- or-- the fun part-- they could go outside the field of candidates: Janet Reno. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Sista Souljah. Walter Mondale. Any American-born non-felon 35 years of age could be nominated. Wouldn't that be a blast?
Updated On: 10/18/07 at 05:57 PM