Alterman has come up with a Democratic convention conspiracy

[La_Serpiente]

You look at it yourself and be the judge:

Finally if you’ve got room, may I float a conspiracy theory? The backroom Dems don’t want Howard Dean, but they can’t alienate his supporters and they aren’t in love with any of the other candidates. So they are plotting to have an open convention. Have Gephardt do well in the Midwest, Kerry and Lieberman chip away in the Northeast, Edwards make a showing in the South. Clark and Sharpton pick up delegates across the spectrum. Some of these candidates would fall-off, but as long as they can engineer at least a three-way split (with maybe Sharpton hanging around forever — kind of a mirror-image Alan Keyes) you could have legitimate calls to dump them all in favor of a unity candidate. I don’t necessarily believe this is what is going on, but I’m not ready to chuck it either.

I thought it was interesting. I generally trust what he says.
Here is his blog Altercation:

Altercation Blog

[Eloriel]

1. Yup

This is precisely the scenario (with more detail, tho) that a friend of mine has been suggesting might happen for weeks now. I'll have to send her this thread.

And the "unity candidate" is likely to be Hillary herself. And THAT might just be enough to make me stay home on election day.

Eloriel

[mandyky]

2. Yep

And find a 3rd party I can live with by the next election.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

3. I really hope Hillary Clinton doesn't get involved

I don't see any good coming from that.

[caledesi]

15. It's not Hillary's time. She voted for the war as well which I am still

pissed about.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Thinman12]

5. This would so divide the party

that the election would simply be Bush's. People invest significant time and energy in the primaries and caucuses, that this would be a slap in the face of all the time and energy everyone spent running the "good race". But I would not put this past the Clinton crowd for one second.

[La_Serpiente]

6. I don't think Clinton would stand for it

The ones that are mad are the folks over at the DLC like Bayh, From, and the rest of the gang.

[caledesi]

14. If they do this to Dean, I am w/ you El.

[Justice]

7. Convention Won't Be Open

The candidate will be decided before the convention.

"Have Gephardt do well in the Midwest, Kerry and Lieberman chip away in the Northeast, Edwards make a showing in the South. Clark and Sharpton pick up delegates across the spectrum."

Experts widely say that Gephardt has to win in Iowa or he is done (can't just do well). Likewise, Kerry has to win NH, and Lieberman, well, he is not going to chip away on any turf. Everyone says NC is do or die for Edwards. These people will not stay in if they don't win in their "do or die" states. Sharpton has never been in it to win and won't be a factor (although the guy can debate...). I predict Clark will win SC and make a strong showing in NH, and may even be 3rd in Iowa.

Super Tuesday baby will tell it all.

[tritsofme]

10. ^^Clark wont be in Iowa, right?

[KC21304]

17. He is not campaigning there but he still can get votes.

[Bucky]

8. cute, but...

That's not a very good conspiracy. The winner will be decided by mid March at the latest. It always works this way, people always chatter about a brokered convention, and we always know who the nominee is gonna be by March.

I think a generation ago Hart hung on until April and gave Mondale some headaches. But there's not gonna be a brokered convention.

[Demoiselle]

9. "Plotting to have an open convention?"

That's a pretty good trick...for it to be a real conspiracy wouldn't the plotters have to get the primary voters in on it? And then carefully orchestrate the balance of votes over the course of the primary season? I really don't understand how anybody could "conspire" to pull it off without rigging the machinery. And somehow I can't see all the local poll watchers and election officials in various states coordinated in the same plot. I can remember open conventions. (I'm old.) They were kind of fun. I don't think it would be so terrible to make the final choice at the convention.

[Gman]

11. Alterman is showing his total ignorance of the process

of nominating a presidential candidate in the Democratic Party. If he actually believes this, he's also a nut. This is how shit gets started and how other ignorant people believe it because they're too lazy to learn how the process works and would rather rely on a nut like Alterman to tell them his fantasies.

What a total waste of bandwidth.

[KoKo]

12. This is an E-Mailer to Alterman NOT Alterman's view of what is going on!

Your post is misleading in that many will think Eric has this theory and not someone who e-mailed him.

Read it again, and you will see what I mean. Maybe you were too quick in your scan.

[KC21304]

16. You are right. It is not Altermann 's theory.

[Gman]

19. I read the article

before I posted and it's not at all clear. I saw your post and I see what you're saying now.

[ShaneGR]

13. Totally RIDICULOUS, BOGUS, AND PATHETIC prediction

Just in case you didn't know how I really think.

Trust me, the DNC wants a candidate on March 2nd. Super Tuesday. That way they can raise money for that candidate immidiately, instead of having a chaotic convention 4 months later... robbing the nominee of all that money and press they would have gotten.

[Tatiana]

18. Everyone see Post #12 for some very important information. N/T