Politico has a fascinating story about the last time the Republicans had an open convention, complete with the triumph of the establishment Gerald Ford against the upstart Ronald Reagan.
Republican Party tearing at the seams amid an open convention. Candidates desperately wrangling and wooing delegates. Backroom battles over changes to the rules and the platform. John Kasich on the floor, haggling individual delegates for last minute votes. Many of the contested convention scenarios Republican candidates are bracing for ahead of Cleveland this summer already happened — even down to the Kasich cameo — over four muggy days in August 40 years ago at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri
What’s really interesting about the story is that it is told almost entirely from new quotes from people who were actually there, including the power brokers on both sides.
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That Politico quote sounds like an average Tuesday in the House of Representatives.
Might the venue for the 2016 GOP convention possibly all along have been a nod to the person the GOP Establishment thinks should ultimately be their candidate in November? With the rest of the circus being just that… basically a year-long publicity stunt for the benefit of dittoheads everywhere in order to rile them up and keep them interested?
How long an attention span must people have, anyway?
Canada has the right idea about campaign duration.
Just six weeks. What a blessing!