Posted on Mar 2, 2016
SFC Justin Scott
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I am by no means a fan of Glenn Beck, but I found an interesting discussion by him (linked below) and it got me thinking. How would a Brokered Convention impact the 2016 Presidential election? The pendulum makes 2016 the Republican's to lose, but could they actually win in November with one?
http://www.glennbeck.com/2016/03/01/voters-betrayed-gop-establishment-pushes-for-brokered-convention/
Posted in these groups: 6262122778 997339a086 z PoliticsElection 2016 button Election 2016
Edited 10 y ago
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Responses: 12
SGM Mikel Dawson
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What do you mean brokered? If Trump pulls it off, then the RNC needs to belly up, pull in behind the winner and drive on.
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SGM Mikel Dawson
SGM Mikel Dawson
10 y
SFC Justin Scott - I guess they need to come up with some kind of sarcasm button!! If it does, I think the RNC will try to force a brokered deal. If Trump comes out a clear winner and yet the RNC tries it, I think it will put an end to the RNC as a valid party. I don't really think the people would stand for it if Trump is a clear winner.
If not a clear winner, but he's in the lead, I hope the people will over power the RNC and push for the right thing.
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CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025
CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025
10 y
SGM Mikel Dawson The 'establishment', aka RNC is dumber than the voters!
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PO3 Steven Sherrill
PO3 Steven Sherrill
10 y
SGM Mikel Dawson based on what Romney pulled yesterday, I don't see that happening. The RNC is trying to make sure that Trump is not their nominee. Here in FL the primary is coming up, and there is a "Non Candidate Endorsed" PAC that is advertising madly about not voting for Trump. It is obvious the RNC does not want, is afraid of, and trying to avoid being stuck with Trump.
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SGM Mikel Dawson
SGM Mikel Dawson
10 y
PO3 Steven Sherrill - Seeing how both parties don't want Trump, we must have the right guy!!
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Maj John Bell
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Edited 10 y ago
At some time in history, I believe a brokered convention was the norm, or at least not unusual. I do not think it would be good for either party now. Many of us have had a belly full of the "politically elite", and a brokered convention smacks of the politically elite disregarding our will. The great thing about our system is we get the government we elect. The bad thing about our system is we get the government we elect. Thank God the founding fathers develop a system that can tolerate a lot of abuse by knuckleheads.
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SFC Justin Scott
SFC Justin Scott
10 y
Well said!
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Capt Retired
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The GOP is once again doing all within its power to hand the WH to the other side.
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What do you think the outcome of a Brokered Convention would be for the Republican Party?
LTC Stephen F.
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A convention which would not have a predetermined candidate would be great. That would help the candidates form well thought out positions on the major issues well before the November election and hopefully draw the attention of independents and democrats to watch something that hasn't occurred since 1968 SFC Justin Scott. I think a contentious convention would make for a stronger candidate and hopefully reenergize the party and draw independents into the mix.
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SFC Justin Scott
SFC Justin Scott
10 y
An interesting perspective and not one I have seen yet (posted this same question on Facebook and LinkedIn). Honestly, I wish what you say would actually happen, but unfortunately I'm not as optimistic about it as you are. I fear that it would cost the Republicans the WH in November.
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LTC Stephen F.
LTC Stephen F.
10 y
SSG John Thornton - very few of them have stated what their plans are on the major issues we are facing. I asked Sen Ted Cruz on RallyPoint what he would do in his first 100 days. He laid out the specifics in his response on RallyPoint. It would help the voters if each candidate did something similar.
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MCPO Katrina Hutcherson
MCPO Katrina Hutcherson
10 y
There are no brokers to go in the smoke filled room anymore. The best we can hope for is that Kasick, Rubio and Cruz will stay in the race until the July convention and win enough candidates to keep Trump from winning the simple majority of 1,236 delegates to force a contested convention. After no one wins enough delegates on the first vote, delegates aren't bound to vote for the candidate who one them in the primary in further rounds of voting. Then wheeling and dealing begins and voting goes on till someone wins...
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BG David Fleming III
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Can you say, a third party!
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SFC Justin Scott
SFC Justin Scott
10 y
I wish a good third party candidate had a viable chance at winning an election, but unfortunately we don't have any strong candidate that would be capable of pulling off a win in November!
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PO3 Steven Sherrill
PO3 Steven Sherrill
10 y
BG David Fleming III SFC Justin Scott Gary Johnson received just under 1% of the popular vote last election cycle, and that was seen as a good thing by folks looking to raise awareness. He received 1% of the vote without the fund raising machines that are the DNC or RNC. He pulled 1% without any real national advertising. He pulled 1% without being invited to attend any of the debates. So what would a third party candidate be able to pull if the RNC and DNC were out of the picture? What would any one candidate be able to pull if they had to raise all of their funds on their own, and run one general election against liberals, moderates, and conservatives all at the same time? Truth being told I do not believe that any one candidate truly represents even 30% of the voting public. The high percentages are not based on who the public likes. They are based on lack of viable options, and disdain for the alternative choice. This country is never going to be fixed as long as roughly 98% of the people choose to vote for the turkey whether it be the right wing or the left wing, it is the same turkey.

http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php
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BG David Fleming III
BG David Fleming III
10 y
Trump is self funded now, what's the different what party he associate with? Remember the Wig party? No one does! A billion dollars and free advertisement from the media goes a long way!
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PO3 Steven Sherrill
PO3 Steven Sherrill
10 y
BG David Fleming III - too true. There is a reason that "there is no such thing as bad press" is a cliche.
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LCpl Mark Lefler
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Embarrasing as it is, I'm not sure what a brokered convention is.
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SFC Justin Scott
SFC Justin Scott
10 y
I'm glad your honest enough to admit that you don't know what it is. I'm 100% positive that you aren't the only one that didn't know, but you are the only one that had the gumption to admit it!

While I don't like wikipedia, this article does a good job of explaining it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokered_convention
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PO3 Steven Sherrill
PO3 Steven Sherrill
10 y
LCpl Mark Lefler with all respect, why is that embarrassing? I had to look it up as I hadn't heard the term until this year.

Question is how is that applicable when it appears that Donald Trump is going to get the votes needed to secure the nomination? The only way it seems like they could get away with it is if they moved the convention to before all primaries are run. Either way the RNC would look dirty.
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CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025
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Trump is capitalizing on the betrayal that Cruz didn't quite capture.
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PO3 Steven Sherrill
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SFC Justin Scott he does make some good points. I think the best thing about trump is that his candidacy can ruin the two party system that has failed so miserably. Again we are halfway to the North Korean voting model the way the DNC and RNC shove their candidates down the voting public's throat as the only choices (North Korea has an election with only one name on the ballot). I vote for a third party candidate, and I am told that I have wasted my vote. I think that any vote for a candidate that the individual casting the vote doesn't truly believe in is a wasted vote. I think that there are far too many wasted votes. That is not to say that there are not a large number of people who do truly believe that Hillary, Bernie, Donald, Ted, or Marco are the best choice. What I do say is that instead of casting ballots now to see who will be the anointed ones of the RNC and DNC (at the public's expense), that they should all be on the November ballot, and let's see who the people believe is the best choice overall. Of course there is no money to be made in having just one general election with all qualified candidates on the ballot so that will not happen.
Imagine a campaign where Hillary not only has to contrast her ideas to fellow democrats, but with all of the other candidates. It makes attack adds difficult because keeping straight who the attack add is in support of muddies the waters. At that point the campaign adds have to be about the substance of the candidate so that they send a clear message: This is candidate, this is what candidate believes, this is why candidate is good for America, go vote.
Now I am going to ride into the sunset on my unicorn because that is more feasible than any election reform.
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SFC Justin Scott
SFC Justin Scott
10 y
I like your comparison to North Korea. As sad as it is to say, there is a lot of merit to that comparison. Having said that, I'll be honest. For me, the last several Presidential elections (as a matter of fact all of them since I've been old enough to vote) have not been about who I was voting for but rather who I was voting against. I would love to have a candidate I could believe in, but that hasn't happened.
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PO3 Steven Sherrill
PO3 Steven Sherrill
10 y
SFC Justin Scott - I feel very similar to you in that regard. When I turned 18 I registered to vote, and I was so excited. I felt good. Look at me I am America! Let me go vote. Then the election rolled around. Wait, I have to choose between a shit sandwich with ketchup and a shit sandwich with gravy? This isn't what I signed up for. It took me a lot of years to stop thinking about voting against the worse choice and start thinking that regardless of outcome I am voting for the candidate I believe in the most. It has been liberating for me. Now I can say "Don't blame me for that asshat in the White House, I voted my conscience, and it wasn't him"
I will follow it up with this. If you do not vote, and do not participate in the process, don't bitch about it. You have your opportunity to exercise your voice, if you choose to be silent at the polls, shut up the rest of the time.
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SSG James Arlington
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Love to see a floor fight with horse-trading lije the old days. Lincoln made deals to get the votes, such as giving ambassador appointments and post master jobs to sons-in-laws. That's the way it worked, and still does in a Democracy.
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Cpl Tou Lee Yang
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/08/04/how-many-more-white-votes-did-mitt-romney-need-to-get-elected-in-2012-a-lot/

Trump don't have a chance unless a huge majority of the Latino voters miraculously support Trump and his wall and forgiving his statement about Mexicans being rapist and drug dealers.
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SFC Justin Scott
SFC Justin Scott
10 y
If you don't have anything relevant to the question asked, then please don't post. My question has ZERO to do with race and I would appreciate it if you didn't derail and intelligent discussion with this nonsense and tripe!
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Cpl Tou Lee Yang
Cpl Tou Lee Yang
10 y
If you don't like people making comments, then perhaps you should stop creating a post.
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