It occurs to me, as the presidential race heats up, that I have not yet heard a question that seems to come up as the season for party conventions approaches: What are the chances we will see a brokered convention?
For those of you who are too young to know — or too involved with your TikToks to care — a “brokered convention” occurs when a party’s nominee is not selected by a majority of delegates in the first round of voting at the party’s nominating convention.
Also known as “multiple ballot” or “multiballot” conventions, the possibility of a gathering that’s something other than an infomercial for the candidate and the party is a topic that tends to come up in the chatter of reporters, politicos and other political junkies when they run out of other things to talk about.
OK, back to your TikToks, if that’s what your head is into. Nobody has been talking about that possibility much because this campaign season seems so unsurprising.
But while Donald Trump appears about as securely on track to his party’s nomination as his dominating poll numbers could put him, I’ve heard persistent tremors of anxiety rumbling on the Democratic side.
Typically, the lament goes like this: “Joe’s been getting so much done; why isn’t he getting more credit?”
Biden shouldn’t be lagging behind, they fret.
Remember when he was a hero to Democrats with his come-from-behind march to the nomination four years ago and onward to the White House? Fine. But politics is a game of, “What have you done for me lately?”
Not that Biden has not had breakthroughs to brag about even if hardly anyone seems to notice. By the metrics of employment, consumer spending and wages, the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic came quickly. But Americans have not felt it enough yet.
Meanwhile, my Democratic friends, as well as Never-Trump Republicans, have begun to murmur about what to do with dear old Joe.
Yes, “old.” There’s that treacherous O word again. At 77, Trump is no spring chicken himself — and I’m only a year behind him, in case you’re wondering. But Biden’s 81 is hard to ignore in the hotly competitive, highly cosmetic world of politics.
Lowered voices on the Democratic side already are sounding like family members debating what to do with Grandpa as he nears nursing-home age.
In something of a replay of the 2020 race, younger contenders already seem to be positioning themselves with varying degrees of effort.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom scored some valuable publicity with his televised face-off in late November with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently exited the Republican campaign and endorsed Trump.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, back in my neck of woods, is getting set to show his prime-time readiness as Chicago prepares to host this summer’s Democratic convention.
Among other rising hopefuls, I also like Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, currently that state’s last Democrat in holding statewide office who isn’t a judge. Of course, he has to win a difficult Senate reelection campaign first.
But it’s really up to Biden to show that he can earn another term or prepare the way like John the Baptist for another to come after him.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Democrats have a deep appreciation for Biden. He was there at the right time four years ago and ran an effective race.
After months of speculation about how Trump would do despite his baggage of multiple indictments, he has shown an enviable ability to beat back his rivals without even bothering to show up at debates.
Same with President Joe Biden who has begun to get out to make campaign appearances. I have little doubt that he can run another effective campaign — and even win!
But the whispers and anxiousness within the Democratic Party haven’t died down as poll after poll shows Biden with the kinds of numbers that typically are perilous for presidents seeking reelection. Who knows what happens between now and August, when delegates meet in Chicago?
Still, as Ted Kennedy’s challenge of Jimmy Carter showed in 1980, intraparty challenges don’t augur well for general elections. Will there be smoke-filled rooms, or the modern-day equivalent, in Chicago this summer? Probably not.
The chattering classes are likely to have to find something else to talk about — in smoke-free rooms.
cpage@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @cptime
Clarence Page: Could Dems hold a ‘brokered convention?’ It would keep the crowd alert
5
0
02.02.2024
It occurs to me, as the presidential race heats up, that I have not yet heard a question that seems to come up as the season for party conventions approaches: What are the chances we will see a brokered convention?
For those of you who are too young to know — or too involved with your TikToks to care — a “brokered convention” occurs when a party’s nominee is not selected by a majority of delegates in the first round of voting at the party’s nominating convention.
Also known as “multiple ballot” or “multiballot” conventions, the possibility of a gathering that’s something other than an infomercial for the candidate and the party is a topic that tends to come up in the chatter of reporters, politicos and other political junkies when they run out of other things to talk about.
OK, back to your TikToks, if that’s what your head is into. Nobody has been talking about that possibility much because this campaign season seems so unsurprising.
But while Donald Trump appears about as securely on track to his party’s nomination as his dominating poll numbers could put him, I’ve heard........
© Chicago Tribune
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Andrew Mitrovica
Mort Laitner
Rami G Khouri
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
