Living and breathing in the Second City
Did winner-take-all primaries cost Romney (and conservatives) the nomination? A buddy of mine put together a pretty good chart demonstrating that they did. Download a PDF of it here.
If Republican delegates had been assigned proportionally, Romney would have actually led McCain by 8 delegates on Feb. 7–the day he suspended his campaign. Instead, McCain led Romney by 441 delegate, which made the former governor’s calculus pretty clear. The table below shows the delegates as they were after Super Tuesday, and as they would have been had the GOP gone to a proportional system.
One potential argument for winner-take-all is to avoid the brokered convention that Democrats now seem destined for. Indeed, if the GOP can win the presidency, it might be argued that the primary election system was a key reason why. But is it worth it? The appearance of consensus around McCain doesn’t change the fact that there are deep fissures within the GOP. In fact it makes them worse by disenfranchising the rank & file.
Many on the left think a brokered convention would be so bloody as to scar the party for decades. But isn’t their some nobility in it? Isn’t it a good thing that factions are forced to duke it for control of the party?
- Tags: Conventions, Delegates, Election 2008, Elections, Features, mccain, Politics, romney
5 Responses to “Who Really Won the Republican Primary?”
Leave a reply
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
-Carl Sandburg
Flickr PhotoStream
Bryan
February 14th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Yes, it’s worth it. I don’t think that the left will be scarred by it, I think we’ll be stronger for it. I am proud that my party is at least trying to nominate the person that is most favored by democrats. It is still possible that Sen. Clinton could win by taking Ohio, Texas, and Penn. without actually winning the most states or the popular vote, but it is unlikely. I fully believe that while the fight for the nomination may be intense, there will be a “nobody beats up my brother but me” mentality that comes from it, and whether the nonimee ends up being Clinton of Obama the American people will rally around the candidate who is willing to put Nation ahead of party.
Concerned American
February 14th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Read up on the issues, ignore the corporate media, and start looking at what Ron paul has to say. He would do more for the people of Chicago than any other candidate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C48FVkKOf4
Deputy Doofy
February 14th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Concerned citizens and voters calm your fears. The status quo will be firmly left in place. I am not thrilled by any candidate on either side of the aisle. Therefore, who wins the nomination is of little consequence to me.
This is coming from a man that bled politics for over a decade. And… the notion that conservatives keep saying if Ronald Reagan were alive today he’d do it right is laughable.
Only 2 decades later, are we now starting to realize Ronnie’s impact on America? Because we sure didn’t then! Many of his policies were not favored by Republicans or Democrats. It seems that now it is popular to quote Reagan and pretend to be a fan. I respect Reagan and think he was a fine President, however he ws far from perfect. Let’s take a look at who we have to decide will fill his former position as commander and chief:
On the Democrat side we have:
Hillary Clinton- Clinton…do I even have to explain her? If 8 years of that hillbilly family pretending to be the Kennedy’s wasn’t enough! He never received a majority of the vote and if it were not for Ross Perot both times we would of seen another 4 years of George H. W. Bush or Bob Dole. Someone needs to give them a reality check. Clearly “it takes a village” to point that out.
Obama! Who is this guy? Well we know he’s the most liberal Senator in Congress. We know he has barely sponsored any legislation and that while he was a State Senator in IL he didn’t do squat. We also know that he has Tony Rezko in his past and he liked to stuff things up his nose in college. Certain black leaders claim he’s not black enough and many white apologists are going to vote for him based on the fact that his partially black. When asked to name one thing he has done, no one can answer. Rhetoric and feel good messages will only get him so far. I am waiting for the general election or as Ricki Ricardo used to sa “Lucy you got some esplaining to do!”
THE GOP: Conservatives want Ron Paul. Ron Paul is a nut with nothing to offer but negatives. He has the worst foreign policy plan I have ever seen. For every great idea he has, 10 wacky ideas overshadow it. Ron is not a serious candidate! So, they say well Romney is a conservative lets pick him. Well I don’t trust him. He’s to polished and reminds me of a used car salesman. If you look at his record back in Mass, I think you can find chinks in his armor. I will hand it to him being a Republican in Mass is no easy task but don’t pass yourself off as the next Goldwater or Reagan. So…. who do we have left JOHN MCCAIN or Mike Huckabee? And the winner is JOHN MCCAIN.
Let’s face it Republicans want to win. The only way your going to beat Hillary or Hussein Obama is with McCain. He’ll be strong on defense, the border still won’t get resolved, and if we are lucky with his age he’ll only be there 4 years. That means fewer judges to nominate and time to rebuild the base of the party.
At the end of the day in November I predict McCain will beat Hillary or Obama. Obama will be attacked for his record or lack there of and Hillary well.. she’s as divisive as ever. Congress may not look any better for the GOP but they will still have the White House!
I encourage hearty responses, it keeps me honest.
Brun
February 14th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Why even have primaries? Why should 2 parties be intertwined in the DNA of our Constitutions and Governments?
We need more parties, they should have their own internal mechanisms for picking candidates, and the bar for PUBLIC ballot access should be the same for all.
The electoral college and the Senate were both devices to DESTROY proportional representation, and a good thing they are/were there.
We’ve been in this configuration so long that we’ve forgotten that parties are private and government are public.
Keep the hot side hot and the cold side cold.
Thank God the GOP doesn’t have Proportional Rep. They would be as whacked out at the Dems, with the Immigration heads and the Social Heads being the equivalent of the filthy identity politics played out with Hillary and Obama.
What is a black woman to do? proportionally bifurcate her womanhood from her blackness.
It is entertaining, but fundamentally destructive.
I Would Like Some Info On Revitol Reviews
February 25th, 2008 at 9:23 am
the Revitol Stretch Mark Prevention…
I Would Like Some Info On Revitol Reviews…