This past Monday, a bevy of influential Republicans met to discuss their national convention. Led by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, the main topic of the dinner conversation was the imminent likelihood of a brokered convention in Cleveland.
A quick recap of what a brokered convention is:
- This type of convention occurs when, going into the convention and before the first vote for the official candidate, “no single candidate has secured a pre-existing majority of delegates.“
- After the first vote takes place, if no candidate still has a majority of the votes, it is officially termed a brokered convention.
- Since a brokered convention means regular delegates may vote for whomever they like (regardless of whether they were originally pledged to a certain candidate coming into the convention, per their state’s primary rules), it basically turns into a free-for-all.
- Additional voting rounds occur until one candidate has a majority of votes.
This gathering of Republicans discussed the potential ways to handle this, with one report saying, “a number of Republicans suggested the establishment lay the groundwork for a floor fight that would lead the party’s mainstream wing to unite behind an alternative [to Trump].”
There has already been speculation that Trump might run as an Independent, but we hadn’t heard much recently from other candidates as to their views. However, Dr. Ben Carson decided that he wasn’t getting enough media attention lately, and wanted to lay down his own gauntlet.
The Carson campaign decided to blast the mainstream Republicans and leaders of the GOP by suggesting these leaders would “destroy the party” if they continued to hold meetings like the one on Monday night.
Carson then goes on to threaten to leave the GOP by dramatically stating, “[E]very voter who is standing for change must know they are being betrayed. I won’t stand for it.”
Since there is no confirmation on whether anything was decided at the meeting, Carson said that he would only leave the GOP if mainstream Republicans decide to unite behind an alternative to Trump.
Not content to merely threaten to leave, Carson decided to offer a foreboding warning that there may be no more Republican National Conventions if mainstream Republicans attempt to enact their plan.
Making a tenuous connection that such an alternative-to-Trump plan by the mainstream Republicans would be theft, Carson said he wouldn’t sit by and let it happen.
No matter what, considering with what class and decorum these GOP candidates have run their campaigns so far (note: sarcasm), it should make for an extremely interesting convention next summer!
Featured image via WikiCommons. This image is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.
