Shortened Primary Calendar Could Backfire on Republicans

[DonViejo]

First Read: “The shortened nominating calendar: After the party’s 2012 loss, the Republican National Committee decided to shorten its nominating calendar. The logic: The long-ish slog between Mitt Romney and underfunded Rick Santorum didn’t do the party any good, especially when facing an incumbent Democratic president. But the unintended consequence of a shortened nominating calendar is that about 70% of the delegates might not be decided until May. And with no incentives for candidates to drop out (because of well-financed Super PACs supporting them or with a convention in July), it’s possible that no one candidate has a majority of delegates by May or even later.”

“Does that mean a contested convention, with no candidate able to snag enough support to nail down the nomination? Maybe not, but it could mean behind-the-scenes agreements and forced alliances between campaigns as they limp to the finish line, or it could mean the ultimate winner has to pick a running mate who otherwise wouldn’t be their first choice.”

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http://p.feedblitz.com/r3.asp?l=104714926&f=17571&u=37190363&c=4938201

[yellowcanine]

1. A floor fight at the convention with multiple ballots would be a wonderful thing.

Invest in popcorn futures now.

[Gothmog]

2. The RNC amended the rules and shorten the debate schedule to favor an establishment candidate

These rule changes may backfire

Unlike the West Wing, a contested convention is normally not a good idea