# GOP decides to Ignore Primaries and Pick its Nominee **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 16, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179 "2016-03-16T17:45:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/61 "2016-03-18T13:37:45Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I don’t think we’re that delusional. The real problem isn’t Trump losing. Another Republican can do that just fine, although of course we hope for victory. The problem comes if Trump actually wins. That changes the GOP forever and gives conservatives no home. And that’s a pretty large group to not have a home. That’ll cause a serious realignment. Has the Republican leadership thought about the possible consequences if it gets its way? Suppose they succeed in bypassing Trump and appointing Ryan or somebody like him as the nominee - and then lose the election to Clinton? Trump and all his supporters won’t just be mad about losing the nomination - they’ll be claiming the leadership cost them the general election. True or false, it’ll be easy for Trump to claim he would have beaten Clinton if the out-of-touch leaders hadn’t betrayed the base. After that, Trump won’t just be an annoyance - he’ll be part of a movement to overthrow those leaders. So those leaders would be better off standing back and letting Trump have his chance. Then when he loses they can step in and say “See? This is what we were saying. We let an outsider have a chance and he lost. Now it’s time to let the grownups run things again.” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/62 "2016-03-18T13:47:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Suppose they succeed in bypassing Trump and appointing Ryan or somebody like him as the nominee - and then lose the election to Clinton? Trump and all his supporters won’t just be mad about losing the nomination - they’ll be claiming the leadership cost them the general election. True or false, it’ll be easy for Trump to claim he would have beaten Clinton if the out-of-touch leaders hadn’t betrayed the base. _[Dolchstoßlegende!](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stab-in-the-back_myth)_ ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/63 "2016-03-18T14:16:35Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Which specific laws would be broken? IOW, the burden of proof is on the accuser, not the accused. What charges could be brought against the GOP? Who said anything about laws being broken? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/64 "2016-03-18T14:29:08Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > The rules, as they stand right now, do not allow additional candidates to be put into nomination after the first ballot. I have no doubt that will be changed, but it is not an option now. Here is the actual [rule](https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-static-ngop-pbl/docs/Rules_of_the_Republican+Party_FINAL_S14090314.pdf): > > First note that rule 40(a) says that if there is only one candidate with the required majority in 8 states, the roll need not be called and the candidate will be elected by acclamation. > > Note also rule 40(e). it says that if no candidate receives a majority, the chairman will call the roll again. It does not say that additional candidates will be nominated. > > If you want to say that rule 40(e) is not well thought out, I would agree with you. It can still be changed and the convention can vote to suspend the rules if it likes. > > But as it stands right now, if Trump is the only one to get the 8-state majority, he is the only one the convention can elect, barring a change to or suspension of the rules. > > By the way, Trump does have the 8-state majority right now. The Northern Mariana Islands put him over the top. Really? I have been watching the primaries/caucuses pretty closely and I have yet to see ANY state where Drumpf has received 50% or more (isn’t this the definition of majority) of the votes. Also, is there any SINGLE web site that shows the percentage of votes that each candidate received in the primaries/caucuses that have already voted? I’ve googled using terms like “every primary,” “each state”, etc., and so far, google seems to want me to read about the Nevada caucus or the North Carolina primary. Despite using the term “percentage of votes”, I get loads of sites that want to tell me how many delegates each candidate has amassed. I would like to skip looking up percentages for each of the contests already completed, if at all possible. Oops! Just reread Rule 40b. I first thought it said majority of votes, so please disregard my first statment. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/65 "2016-03-18T14:33:42Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > If Kasich wins fewer than 8 primaries (seems like a good bet, at least for now), chances are you’d have both Trump _and_ Cruz being against a change to the rule. Good luck changing the rules over their combined opposition. > > At any rate, the problem with a brokered convention is that there’s no brokers anymore. On a second ballot, you’d have a couple thousand free agents, and total chaos. And unlike back in the pre-TV days, the shitshow would be on national TV, and display to the nation what’s been obvious for awhile to those of us who’ve been paying attention: the GOP is incapable of governing itself, let alone the country. Even low-information voters would get the message. > > The GOP insiders know this, and that is why they’ll fall in line behind Trump if he’s far and away in the lead come June 8, even if he’s short of 1237, and make sure he wins on the first ballot. And think about what’s going to happen in Cleveland outside the convention center. BLM protesters and Trump supporters and NRA advocates and the Leftist who show up at all of these things does not sound like a party I want to be at. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/66 "2016-03-18T14:36:03Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Who said anything about laws being broken? 😕 I don’t want to speak for John but you are the one who brought up litigation. So I’ll repeat John’s final question - what charges would be brought against the GOP? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/67 "2016-03-18T14:45:06Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > I don’t want to speak for John but you are the one who brought up litigation. So I’ll repeat John’s final question - what charges would be brought against the GOP? I’m not speaking for CarnalK either, but I would assume this litigation would be in the civil courts, probably alleging a breach of contract (he entered their contest under THIS set of rules, and now they’re changing the rules out from under him and causing him financial loss). It might not be a winning argument, but I can see it tying up the party for a very long time. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/68 "2016-03-18T14:50:25Z")
“Litigation” most often, though not always, is used to refer to civil disputes and that’s what I meant. If the rules committee added Rule 40f “No one named Donald Trump shall be placed on the ballot” I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump sued. IANAL so I wondered why that would be laughable. And I wasn’t the one who brought it up. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/69 "2016-03-18T15:39:52Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I don’t think we’re that delusional. The real problem isn’t Trump losing. Another Republican can do that just fine, although of course we hope for victory. The problem comes if Trump actually wins. That changes the GOP forever and gives conservatives no home. And that’s a pretty large group to not have a home. That’ll cause a serious realignment. Let’s leave aside that there is likely very little chance that (Trump winning) and play out some possible outcomes. Which is the least bad for conservatives, however you want to define them (movement, fiscal, whatever)? Playing out from a presumption that Trump has a solid plurality the least poor outcome is he runs and loses. Him winning is, as you point out, is conservatives of various sorts without a home. Him not getting the nomination and its going to someone with many fewer delegates fractures the party and leads to … what? Those voters staying in but disrupting and taking over leadership more in the future? Forming another party? Staying home out of disgust for the next few cycles? None good from the conservative GOP POV. And the GOP still is unlikely to gain the White House. Him winning the nom and losing the general, badly, with many but not all individual downticket candidates distancing themselves as best they can, no major funders helping him, and various powers that be not explicitly working against him but not helping him either. Result no White House this time and some limited downticket negative impacts, but some chance of emerging with a chance to repair the relationship with the current Trumpeters. Yeah there will be some backstabber accusations but less than if he was not given the chance at all. None are good but one is less bad (again, from the conservative GOP POV). ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/70 "2016-03-18T16:02:55Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > All the GOP has to say is, "Look: Democrats fall in love. Republicans fall in line. Did you really believe that the nation’s job creators would leave the choice of the next GOP nominee to you? Give me a break. … And yet one could argue the GOP did a hell of a lot more to leave their nomination up to the voters than the Democrats did. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/71 "2016-03-18T16:35:11Z")
> [@OffByOne](#): > > Oops! Just reread Rule 40b. I first thought it said majority of votes, so please disregard my first statment. Yes it’s 8 states with a majority of delegates. The rule combined with waiting later to have large WTA events suggests that the idea is that by the time you get to this point in the campaign the field will have been culled and the leader should lock it by preventing weaker candidates from making a succesful late run with a string of big wins or small WTA wins. The idea was to prevent someone pulling an Obama v. Hillary where the presumed frontrunner can’t put it away and gets ground down. Of course they got the wrong frontrunner… ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/72 "2016-03-18T17:16:29Z")
If the GOP ignores the voters and simply chooses who ever the hell they want. Trump will be the first 3rd party candidate to win. Guaranteed. The outrage over such a callous act by the GOP will drive people to vote just to correct an injustice. Trump could win by a landslide. The GOP better not ignore the voters and make a mockery of the primaries. It could be the end of their party. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/73 "2016-03-18T18:19:12Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > If the GOP ignores the voters and simply chooses who ever the hell they want. Trump will be the first 3rd party candidate to win. Guaranteed. > > The outrage over such a callous act by the GOP will drive people to vote just to correct an injustice. Trump could win by a landslide. Right. Democrats and independents will flock to Trump because the Republicans were mean to him. Don’t bet on it. Anyhow it will be hard for him to get on ballots in a lot of states. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/74 "2016-03-18T18:19:43Z")
aceplace, I can’t see Trump winning in that case, but he could play the role of Teddy Roosevelt in 1912, where he actually outpolled the Republican candidate (and current President) William H. Taft, which led to the election of Woodrow Wilson. Although comparing Trump to T.R. causes my brain to asplode… And Rufus, I was nodding in agreement to this: > [@RTFirefly](#): > > At any rate, the problem with a brokered convention is that there’s no brokers anymore. On a second ballot, you’d have a couple thousand free agents, and total chaos. And unlike back in the pre-TV days, the shitshow would be on national TV, and display to the nation what’s been obvious for awhile to those of us who’ve been paying attention: the GOP is incapable of governing itself, let alone the country. Even low-information voters would get the message. I think the TV coverage would be devastating. Be honest, folks; you might have watched bits and pieces of the DNC and RNC in the past, kind of a background noise and to listen to a speech or two and the candidates’ acceptance speech, but it wasn’t must-see TV (like the NCAA Basketball Tournament…). But this one, especially if Trump doesn’t get a majority and it goes more than one vote (unheard of in the modern, 24-Hour News deluge Era), may become riveting…and not, I suspect, in a good way for the Republican Party. We shall see…and watch. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/75 "2016-03-18T18:37:37Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > “Litigation” most often, though not always, is used to refer to civil disputes and that’s what I meant. If the rules committee added Rule 40f “No one named Donald Trump shall be placed on the ballot” I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump sued. IANAL so I wondered why that would be laughable. And I wasn’t the one who brought it up. Doesn’t matter. Just the news coverage will be deadly to the Republicans and remind voters of the whole primary and convention mess. I’m sure Trump wouldn’t care if he won or lost. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/76 "2016-03-18T18:39:19Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > And think about what’s going to happen in Cleveland outside the convention center. BLM protesters and Trump supporters and NRA advocates and the Leftist who show up at all of these things does not sound like a party I want to be at. All we’d need would be the Chicago police. 😃 Bet there won’t be any rock songs bemoaning this one, though. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/77 "2016-03-18T19:19:56Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > “Litigation” most often, though not always, is used to refer to civil disputes and that’s what I meant. If the rules committee added Rule 40f “No one named Donald Trump shall be placed on the ballot” I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump sued. IANAL so I wondered why that would be laughable. And I wasn’t the one who brought it up. I was the one who brought up litigation and I meant it as a civil case. One can sue a private organization for not following its own rules and that’s what potentially could happen here. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/78 "2016-03-18T20:28:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth Rule 40: > > (a) In making the nominations for President of the United States and Vice President of the United States and voting > thereon, the roll of the states shall be called separately in each case; provided, however, that if there is only one candidate for > nomination for Vice President of the United States who has demonstrated the support required by paragraph (b) of this rule, a > motion to nominate for such office by acclamation shall be in order and no calling of the roll with respect to such office shall be > required. Am I mistaken, or does the vote by acclamation apply only to the Vice Presidential candidate, not to the President? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/79 "2016-03-18T20:28:51Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Yes it’s 8 states with a majority of delegates. How many states does Cruz have a majority of the delegates in? I’m seeing Texas, Kansas, Idaho, and Maine. Has he gotten a majority of the delegates anywhere else yet? He’s certainly got time to get to 8, but it’s not a done deal yet. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179/80 "2016-03-18T21:05:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So those leaders would be better off standing back and letting Trump have his chance. Then when he loses they can step in and say “See? This is what we were saying. We let an outsider have a chance and he lost. Now it’s time to let the grownups run things again.” Their worry is if they do this, it will result in a bunch of Republicans who can’t stand to vote for Trump or Clinton just staying home, which means they don’t just lose the presidency, they lose a bunch of House and Senate seats, and Governorships, and so on, all down the line. It’s clear that there’s no obviously good move for the establishment GOP. There may not even be an obviously least-bad move. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-decides-to-ignore-primaries-and-pick-its-nominee/749179.md?page=5)