Carson: Brokered convention would 'destroy' GOP

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/262916-carson-brokered-convention-would-destroy-gop

December 11, 2015, 10:25 am
Carson: Brokered convention would 'destroy' GOP

By Bradford Richardson

Ben Carson is threatening to leave the GOP following a report that senior Republican officials met to discuss the party’s strategy in the event of a brokered convention.

“If the leaders of the Republican Party want to destroy the party, they should continue to hold meetings like the one described in the Washington Post this morning,” Carson said in a statement released by his campaign.

“If this was the beginning of a plan to subvert the will of the voters and replace it with the will of the political elite, I assure you Donald Trump will not be the only one leaving the party,” he continued.

Five unnamed sources told the Post that Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) attended a dinner on Monday with around 20 senior party officials to discuss the party’s convention strategy.

The sources said several longtime party members argued the establishment must lay the groundwork for a floor fight in the event that Donald Trump sweeps through the primaries.

But Priebus and McConnell reportedly remained silent throughout the deliberations, taking care not to signal support for an anti-Trump effort.

Carson said if the report is true, Republican voters are being “betrayed” by their party.

“I pray that the report in the Post this morning was incorrect,” he said in the statement. “If it is correct, every voter who is standing for change must know they are being betrayed. I won’t stand for it.”

“If the powerful try to manipulate it, the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next summer may be the last convention,” he continued. “I am prepared to lose fair and square, as I am sure is Donald. But I will not sit by and watch a theft.”

Chief GOP strategist Sean Spicer said he is "confident" that Carson will not leave the party.

"I feel very confident he will stay in the party, as will Donald Trump, as will everyone else," he said Friday on CNN. "We will have a great nominating process. Everybody will stay in, we will select the best nominee for this party, and we will take back the White House."

"It'll all work out, I promise," he added.

Trump has said he is preparing a strategy in the event of a brokered convention.

He has also resurfaced hints of a third-party run.

Spicer said Trump was not a significant topic of conversation at the dinner.

[mystery-ak]

“If this was the beginning of a plan to subvert the will of the voters and replace it with the will of the political elite, I assure you Donald Trump will not be the only one leaving the party,” he continued.

People will leave the GOP in droves and will be the end of the Repub Party

[jmyrlefuller]

People will leave the GOP in droves and will be the end of the Repub Party

I doubt it will happen.

[EdinVA]

Well, going over the rules for doling out delegates, if the state holds it primary before March 14, then the delegates are awarded on a proportional basis... but if the state holds it primary March 15 or later, it is a winner take all.

So all the GOP has to do is move a few primaries to March 15 and there is no floor fight...

[EdinVA]

I doubt it will happen.

There is so much money at stake, it would not surprise me in the least....
AFM....

[alicewonders]

I doubt it will happen.

I hope it doesn't, but you can't discount the possibility of the GOP snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. 

[Scottftlc]

I believe the party realizes this fully. Carson is correct and the party has to see that the majority of its voters are firmly in the outsider camp. They cannot discard those voters, they know this, and they cannot co-opt them again, they know that too.  What is far more likely to happen is that the party will make peace with the outsiders - break bread and come to an accommodation.  Parties that are successful catch the wave with the mood of the day. The outsiders are the mood of the day - the party will catch that rather than crash and burn.  They don't want to blow up, because none of them will survive the crash either.

[ABX]

People will leave the GOP in droves and will be the end of the Repub Party

I doubt it. People's attention spans are too short and they'll quickly move on to the next battle. First, they won't have a place to leave to. Those that are threatening to leave if does will have little place to go. He won't find a place on the Libertarian ticket which is really the only other party besides the Dems who have enough of a political machine to get ballot access. If he runs independent, many will not find him on any ballot in their states due to sore loser rules (you can't be on the ticket of another party if you lose the primary) or due to the time-frame around filing deadlines after the convention. He could be on the ballot in just enough states to swing some electors away from the Republicans (ala Perot) but not enough to even come close to success.

Most will move on from the convention and set focus on Hillary (assuming she is the Dem's nominee) and suddenly you'll see hard core groups for suddenly set him aside. Think about some of the most hard core anti-Romney groups in the last election, after he won the nomination, they became Romney central.

There will be a disruptive factor, but we've had brokered conventions before and we moved on.

[truth_seeker]

People will leave the GOP in droves and will be the end of the Repub Party

Do you really think so, in view of the near record number of Governors, state house majorities, Federal majorities in the House and Senate?

[truth_seeker]

Well, going over the rules for doling out delegates, if the state holds it primary before March 14, then the delegates are awarded on a proportional basis... but if the state holds it primary March 15 or later, it is a winner take all.

So all the GOP has to do is move a few primaries to March 15 and there is no floor fight...

But that would be the states individually, and what is or is not in it, for them?

I believe contrary to today's vibe, there will be life after Donald Trump.

[truth_seeker]

I believe the party realizes this fully. Carson is correct and the party has to see that the majority of its voters are firmly in the outsider camp. They cannot discard those voters, they know this, and they cannot co-opt them again, they know that too.  What is far more likely to happen is that the party will make peace with the outsiders - break bread and come to an accommodation.  Parties that are successful catch the wave with the mood of the day. The outsiders are the mood of the day - the party will catch that rather than crash and burn.  They don't want to blow up, because none of them will survive the crash either.

OTOH there have been voices in the news the last couple of days, saying it is more noble to lose, than to win with Trump.

[Scottftlc]

The outsiders are polling between 60-70 percent support right now...the party will accommodate them. They aren't going to cut off their nose...

[MBB1984]

Do you really think so, in view of the near record number of Governors, state house majorities, Federal majorities in the House and Senate?

Most certainly.  Trump would immediately run as an independent and would create a third party.  The GOP would only represent the elite power brokers in the eyes of the vast majority.  Most everyone would view the action as patently unfair and worse, undemocratic.  Trump would finish second, but the hand picked GOP candidate would finish last.

The GOP would go the way of the Whigs.

[EdinVA]

But that would be the states individually, and what is or is not in it, for them?

I believe contrary to today's vibe, there will be life after Donald Trump.

The states are party loyalists and will do whatever the party tells them to.

[sinkspur]

Do you really think so, in view of the near record number of Governors, state house majorities, Federal majorities in the House and Senate?

Ben Carson, who hasn't been heard from in several weeks, interrupts his extended book tour to threaten to leave the GOP too.

[mystery-ak]

Do you really think so, in view of the near record number of Governors, state house majorities, Federal majorities in the House and Senate?

Possibly...when you deprive a person his choice for the presidency...this election season is unlike any other and anything seems possible.

[ABX]

Most certainly.  Trump would immediately run as an independent and would create a third party.  The GOP would only represent the elite power brokers in the eyes of the vast majority.  Most everyone would view the action as patently unfair and worse, undemocratic.  Trump would finish second, but the hand picked GOP candidate would finish last.

The GOP would go the way of the Whigs.

A political party is far more than a candidate and voters. The 'e' that people complain about are a necessary evil of politics. Every state would have an army of lawyers for the party to ensure ballot access and regulations are met. Within every state, precincts need to be set up to meet local filing requirements. It requires hundreds of precinct offices with their own budgets. You then have marketing, FEC filings, etc. Media buyers, etc. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Even an established party for forty years, the Libertarians, have trouble meeting all ballot access requirements. Perot was able to piggy back off established 'Independent' parties, many of which aren't active on the State level any more and don't have any of that infrastructure. Plus with changing rules like the sore loser laws, it would prevent ballot access in many of these states.

This isn't just something one can will into happening. It would essentially be creating a Fortune 10 company from scratch within a month of the primary.

[Sanguine]

People will leave the GOP in droves and will be the end of the Repub Party

I completely agree.  Whigs, anyone?

[ABX]

Appending the previous comment- Connecticut, Iowa, New York and Vermont are the only States that don't have either a sore-loser law or simultaneous registration deadlines. These would be the only States a candidate could get on the ballot as an independent or other party after losing the primary in a different party.

That's it.

[MBB1984]

Appending the previous comment- Connecticut, Iowa, New York and Vermont are the only States that don't have either a sore-loser law or simultaneous registration deadlines. These would be the only States a candidate could get on the ballot as an independent or other party after losing the primary in a different party.

That's it.

Trump would not have to be on the ballot.  He would do well as a write in candidate.  The outrage would translate into millions of write in votes. It would create pure bedlam with poll workers and voters further angering the masses at the GOP's duplicity.  After the election, Trump would most certainly create a party.

[aligncare]

Do you really think so, in view of the near record number of Governors, state house majorities, Federal majorities in the House and Senate?

GOP constituents are not having problems with state GOP's. Our beef is with the federal fat and happy "I got mine, let the peasants eat cake" establishment GOP.

Yep. I'd walk out on them in a minute.

[ABX]

Trump would not have to be on the ballot.  He would do well as a write in candidate.  The outrage would translate into millions of write in votes. It would create pure bedlam with poll workers and voters further angering the masses at the GOP's duplicity.  After the election, Trump would most certainly create a party.

Being a write in has the same impact. If he doesn't qualify due to the states laws, it isn't even counted. In most states, one has to register as a write in candidate and in many states they don't even have a write in option for the national presidential election.

[Longiron]

The outsiders are polling between 60-70 percent support right now...the party will accommodate them. They aren't going to cut off their nose...

They do not call it "The Party of STUPID" for nothing. Not only will they cut off their nose but the complete head so they do not miss the nose!

[Longiron]

I completely agree.  Whigs, anyone?

 TRUMP, CRUZ, Carson leave and start a new party and one of the 3 win the POTUS. Needs to happen the Party of Stupid needs a competitor or we will always have the Party of ONE!

[240B]

They do not call it "The Party of STUPID" for nothing. Not only will they cut off their nose but the complete head so they do not miss the nose!

That's because they work for the Democrats.

America has a very robust election institution. You can either vote for the Democrat, or, if you don't like that, you can always vote for the other Democrat.

The GOP as a real thing, was destroyed a long time ago.