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Health & Fitness

Blog: It Ain't Over 'til It's Over

A Democrat's somewhat biased view on upcoming Republican convention

That’s, along with “I really didn’t say what I said,” are my favorite Yogisms.

And as I see it, that would apply to the forthcoming Republican convention in August, where there’s still an outside chance that Romney won’t necessarily be the shoo-in as the GOP’s standard-bearer, notwithstanding his currently being the all-but-certain nominee.

For as broken as the party has become between its ultra conservative and more moderate wings, a brokered convention could well emerge, albeit it would be the only time since the powerbrokers in either party tossed out the candidates and drafted someone new, a la Adlai Stevenson in 1952.

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And it was only in 1978 that a Republican convention took more than one roll call to pick the nominee, and that’s when the more conservative, charismatic Reagan nearly stole the nomination from President Ford, who eked out the victory 1,187 to 1,070. (As one might expect, the less disciplined, more independent-thinking Democrats hold the record of 103 roll calls.)   

Now, while it’s highly unlikely that will happen again in Tampa, there’s no way that the three diehards-Santorium, Gingrich and Paul-will wave the white flag and not employ every tactic (however fair or underhanded) to stop Romney from appearing triumphantly on the platform on the closing night, delivering, with only slight modifications, basically the same acceptance speech he’d planned on giving in his last run for the country’s top job. 

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However, if his nomination goes unchallenged (or is nominated by acclamation), that would leave the party in a state of disaray and ignite a firestorm among the Republican faithful that couldn’t be extinguished before the general election, or for longer.

For he’s as unpopular with them as an electric eel in a catfish pond, largely because of his flip-flopping on social issues and for his speeches ”that leave the impression of an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea.”

While I can’t recall who made that apt remark, I wish I had.

Now, I don’t know about you, but my being able to watch all the shenanigans at that extravaganza as they unfold-if not the behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing-would be well worth the price of a ticket, even if it was only available on pay tv satellite.

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