Saturday, May 10th, 2008...7:43 am
Looking for Missives from the Howdah
I keep hearing from folks what a screwed up process we have on the Democratic side to decide our nominee. Those Republicans don’t have these superdelegates, and their primaries are mostly winner take all. Heck, even some high ranking people in Hillary Clinton’s campaign point to the Republican rules being so much better because, well, they think they would have done better with those.
Leave aside the fact that the Republicans do have superdelegates, they just don’t call them that (maybe they aren’t so super?), are these primaries really winner take all?
I was hoping to talk to my Republican mole to find out what exactly will happen today when Arizona Republicans select their convention delegates and what these rules are. From what I’ve been able to glean from some Republican blogs, it doesn’t seem that actual allegiance to primary winner John McCain is a qualification, even though he’s the prohibitive nominee. For example, one guy that signed a McCain censure motion is running for delegate. According to Sonoran Alliance, there will be three slates of delegates running, but a Ron Paul faction may make a move to get delegates seated. Paul, by the way, managed to get a bit more than 4% of the vote and would not have even qualified for delegates under the Democratic Party system, much less “winner take all.”
In 1996, we had our first Republican primary which was won by Steve Forbes. Despite being “winner take all,” the delegation that was seated was dominated by supporters of Bob Dole. In 2000, McCain won, but the delegation was headed up by Jane Dee Hull, who famously was a George W. Bush supporter. I’d like to hear from a few of the Republican activists that read me so they can tell me how this process actually works, but it doesn’t seem like the final results have much to do with the winner of the primary.
8 Comments
May 10th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Both parties should have proportional allocation of delegates based on vote totals in congressional districts AND do away with any “super” role for party functionaries and elected officials. Adopting these two steps would help to ensure that the rank and file truly choose nominees. As a Democrat, I am unable to explain to those who ask why we have the elitist superdelegate role. I know the history behind its creation, but am completely unable to justify it, nor do I seek to try.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Ted, Rex:
Republican parties in each state have the freedom to allocate delegates as they wish. So Arizona is “winner take all” (anyone running for delegate must pledge to vote for McCain on the 1st ballot). California allocates its Republican delegates by Congressional District (though, unlike the Democrats, it’s winner-take-all in each CD). And so on. . . .
By the way, I’m currently on my second-ever visit to Tucson. It’s a nice town you have here!
May 10th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Jane Dee Hull was not the chairperson of the Arizona delegation to the 2000 Republican National Convention. Cindy McCain chaired tghe delegation.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Ted,
The process work this way. Those with the most power win. With McCain as the nominee his people in Arizona had a lot power and support. He won. That simple.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
You have to pledge your vote to the person that won AZ on the first ballot. Seems like a winner take all to me.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
R3,
Jane Dee Hull was not the chair of the Arizona Delegation- Cindy McCain was. When going through roll-call, it was Cindy McCain who cast all of Arizona’s delegates for the nominee.
I have it on tape (VHS- wow) if you’d like to see it.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Okay, messed that one up. But hey, if it was winner take all, why was Hull even in the delegation?
May 12th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
If the winner of the primary drops out but does not endorse another candidate all delegates stay put, but if they endorse another candidate their delegates are not bound.
But since McCain was the winner of Arizona, and it is winner take all, all of the delegates are his regardless.