Is America really about to endure a contested Republican convention to appease anti-Trump politicians? It might happen, according to reports. In fact, enough members of the Republican Party are so dissatisfied with the idea of a President Trump that they are working on a plan to stop the presumptive Republican nominee from becoming the confirmed Republican nominee. As CNN reports, the plan is to stage an “all-out delegate revolt” at the Republican National Convention in July.
A contested Republican convention would be the proverbial “icing on the cake” of a contentious, arduous, and particularly hateful Republican primary season. Some are calling the idea of a contested Republican convention “far-fetched” and unlikely to succeed, regardless of their lack of love for Donald Trump, his behaviors, and his pseudo-politics.
Donald Trump was failing in Atlantic City long before Atlantic City itself was failing https://t.co/QggyR34MIw pic.twitter.com/Xx3BI47GhE
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 12, 2016
The calls for a contested Republican convention come when the GOP is dealing with some pretty serious setbacks related directly to presumptive nominee Trump and his nasty habit of offending and alienating rivals and allies alike. Currently, the political party is dealing with the fallout of some of the presumptive nominee’s controversial comments about a Hispanic judge.
Donald Trump recently said that a judge affiliated with the Trump University case couldn’t give him a fair trial because of the judge’s Mexican heritage. He went on to double down that he likely couldn’t get a fair trial from any Mexican or Muslim judge because of his political statements regarding both groups.
Later, Trump would say that his comments had been “misconstrued,” but not before calling Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas,” a dig at that politician’s Native American ancestry.
Ironically, the judge in the Trump University case is not Mexican at all, but rather was born in the heartland of the United States.
Calls for a contested Republican convention as the Republican party watches its collective prior attempts to defeat Donald Trump’s unlikely presidential campaign crumble. Bill Kristol, a commentator and editor for the Weekly Standard, has put out repeated calls for a viable third party presidential candidate to represent conservative Republicans dissatisfied and disenchanted by Donald Trump, but so far to no avail.
Despite being unable to find an acceptable third party conservative to run for POTUS, Kristol (who Donald Trump has repeatedly and publicly bashed and mocked as being “irrelevant”) seems keen on the idea of a contested Republican convention.
I’ve been focused on independent candidacy, & still am. But struck by sudden level of interest in possible delegate revolt at convention.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 10, 2016
When discussing the potential for a contested Republican convention, Kristol referenced an article written by David French (who Kristol wanted to see run as an Independent to squash Trump’s political aspirations) in which French, a conservative attorney, pointed out that a contested Republican convention is a real possibility. According to French’s article in the National Review , not a single delegate at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland will actually be “bound” to Trump and can, at their discretion, go their own way in the wake of Donald Trump’s recent unpresidential behavior.
Apparently, Kristol and French aren’t the only ones with some serious reservations about a POTUS Donald Trump. A Colorado Republican delegate, bound to Ted Cruz and who is to be serving on the GOP Rules Committee, reportedly said that she intends to introduce a new clause at the convention that would allow delegates to “vote their conscience.”
“All I’m doing is adapting to the circumstances. I certainly believe Trump’s demagogic racist comments are hurting him.”
According to the previous rules of the Republican National Convention, rules that will apply in 2016 until delegates pass a new set, even if a delegate votes for a candidate other than the one they are bound to, the convention secretary will still record their “bound vote.”
This changes if the 112 Republican delegates on the Rules Committee pass a different set of rules which were then brought to the Republican National Convention floor. The new rules would go into effect following a vote in which they were approved by a majority of the delegates.
Jim Bopp, an Indiana delegate, doesn’t expect to see the rules changing.
“[Some people want to] keep the option open to manipulate the rules in some way to deny Trump the nomination. I would put money on no rules changes that would affect the outcome of the nominating process.”
Despite the efforts being employed to encourage a contested Republican convention, not everyone in the Republican party wants to stop Trump. Reportedly, there is a counter-movement among delegates to set new rules that would prevent any new rule changes from going into effect until the close of the Republican National Convention.
God, I hate Donald Trump. He’s absolutely ghastly.
— Dave Jones (@WelshGasDoc) June 12, 2016
Unfortunately for Donald Trump and the rest of the Republican party, the divide in the GOP seems to be growing as the Democratic party unites behind its presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton. Even Clinton’s rival Bernie Sanders has promised to work with her to deny Donald Trump his White House dreams.
While Clinton and Sanders seem to have extended an olive branch, establishment Republicans are trying for a contested Republican convention. Breitbart even reports that the RNC has launched a website explaining what a contested Republican convention would entail.
For his part, Donald Trump has promised that a contested Republican convention would result in riots ensuing at the hands of his supporters.
What do you think? Is it time for Republican politicians to rally around Donald Trump? Or is a contested Republican convention the last chance for the Republican party to protect itself from being destroyed by Trump?
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