DOCSLIB.ORG

Have Nominating Conventions Lost Power?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Have Nominating Conventions Lost Power? University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2010 Have Nominating Conventions Lost Power? Tyler Branz University of Central Florida Part of the Political Science Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Branz, Tyler, "Have Nominating Conventions Lost Power?" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 4383. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/4383 HAVE NOMINATING CONVENTIONS LOST POWER? by TYLER ALEXANDER BRANZ B.A. University of Central Florida 2008 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Political Science in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2010 © Tyler Alexander Branz ii ABSTRACT Do conventions still have relevance in the modern political world? Some call them glorified television infomercials for presidential candidates while others refer to them as admired pillars of American political history. Whichever viewpoints one identifies with, presidential conventions are interesting to study historically, and can be studied analytically. The following case studies examine the institution of the nominating convention: what they do, how they form, what they have accomplished and how they affect the voters. This study finds that conventions are still meaningful in American politics, particularly for affecting party unity, candidate image and, to a lesser degree, party platform. iii I would like to dedicate this work to my family: my mother, my father, Nathan and Kelsey. Thank you for showing your eternal support through all my endeavors. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge Dr. Jonathan Knuckey, Dr. Terri Fine, Dr. Dwight Kiel and Dr. Aubrey Jewett, for their counsel. To Dr. Bruce Wilson, Jonathan Willis, Racine Altif, Jamie Moellentine, Tiahna Larson, Alexandria Lewis and Jason Gill, for their support. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... x LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................ xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE CONVENTION WORLD ......................................... 1 History of the Convention ........................................................................................................... 2 The Evolution of Conventions .................................................................................................... 4 Research Design .......................................................................................................................... 7 Hypothesis ................................................................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER 2: A REVIEW OF CONVENTION LITERATURE ................................................. 13 Cataloguing Conventions .......................................................................................................... 13 Critiques of Modern Conventions ............................................................................................. 15 Conventions and the Mass Media ............................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER 3: 1960: NEW FRONTIERS AND SURRENDERS AT FIFTH AVENUE ............. 25 The Eisenhower Administration................................................................................................ 26 Democratic National Convention .............................................................................................. 28 Republican National Convention .............................................................................................. 33 Applying the Byrne and Marx Study to 1960 ........................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 4: 1968: VIETNAMIZATION AND CHICAGO CHAOS ....................................... 42 1968 Republican National Convention ..................................................................................... 45 Nixon, Rockefeller and Reagan ........................................................................................................... 46 The Republican Vietnam Solution ....................................................................................................... 49 vi Type A vs. Type C: A Revisit ................................................................................................................. 50 1968 Democratic National Convention ..................................................................................... 52 Daley and Chicago ............................................................................................................................... 54 Vietnam ............................................................................................................................................... 55 Credentials challenges and the elimination of the unit rule............................................................... 56 Nomination ......................................................................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 5: RULE CHANGES 1972-2000............................................................................... 60 DNC Convention Rule Changes ............................................................................................... 60 RNC Convention Rule Changes ................................................................................................ 62 CHAPTER 6: 2000: THE PARTIES AND THEIR PARTIES .................................................... 64 Republican National Convention .............................................................................................. 67 Protests in Philadelphia ...................................................................................................................... 69 Republican Party Platform .................................................................................................................. 70 Democratic National Convention .............................................................................................. 72 Democratic Party Platform ................................................................................................................. 73 Financial Ethics .................................................................................................................................... 75 The New Great American Convention Study ........................................................................... 77 CHAPTER 7: 2008: IMAGE IS EVERYTHING ......................................................................... 79 Democratic National Convention .............................................................................................. 80 Primary Problems ................................................................................................................................ 81 Platform .............................................................................................................................................. 83 vii Republican National Convention .............................................................................................. 85 The Palin Predicament ........................................................................................................................ 86 Gustav and the Convention ................................................................................................................ 87 CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 90 The Convention Variables ......................................................................................................... 90 Evaluation of the Work ............................................................................................................. 94 Further Research ....................................................................................................................... 96 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 98 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 100 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Republican and Democrat Convention Delegates, 1952-1698 ..................................... 44 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Byrne and Marx (1976) Convention Catalogue .............................................................. 13 Table 2: Rating of Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates, by Region ............................. 36 Table 3: Representation of Minorities in the 1968 Republican Delegation .................................. 45 Table 4: Representation of Minorities in the 1968 Democratic Delegation ................................. 52 x LIST
Load more

Recommended publications
  • “The Return of the Brokered Convention? Democratic Party Rules and Presidential Nominations.”
    “The Return of the Brokered Convention? Democratic Party Rules and Presidential Nominations.” By Rick Farmer State of the Parties 2009 October 15-16 Akron OH Front loading, proportional representation and super delegates are changing the dynamic of the Democratic presidential nomination. Since 1976 capturing the early momentum was the key ingredient to winning. Barack Obama’s nomination in 2008 demonstrates how these three forces are converging to re-write the campaign playbook. Front loading created a 2008 Super Tuesday that approached national primary day status. Proportional delegate allocations kept the race close when another system might have put the delegate count out of reach; and with a different result. Super delegates made the final decision. The 2008 Democratic presidential contests produced, in effect, a brokered convention. Without reform, many more brokered conventions appear to be in their future. Below is a discussion of how the reforms of the 1970s and 80s combine to produce this perfect storm. Then, the 2008 campaign illustrates the effects. The major reform proposals are examined. Finally some conclusions are drawn. Reforms of the 1970s and 80s American political parties grant their nomination to a single candidate at a national convention. Both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party nominations can be won with a simple majority of the delegates. Delegates are pledged through a series of caucuses and primaries. Both parties are following similar calendars but Republican Party rules result in a different type of contest than Democratic Party rules. Parties have met in quadrennial national conventions for the purpose of selecting a presidential nominee since 1832.
    [Show full text]
  • Letter to the Democratic National Committee, the DNC Rules Committee, and All Delegates to the Democratic National Convention
    Letter to the Democratic National Committee, the DNC Rules Committee, and all delegates to the Democratic National Convention: The undersigned organizations hope that all Democrats agree that the will of the voters should be decisive in determining the Democratic nominees for the country’s highest offices. We therefore urge the Democratic Party – via action at this month’s Democratic National Convention – to eliminate the concept of so-called “superdelegates.” This change would not impact the ongoing nomination proceedings, but would take effect for all future national nominee selection processes and conventions. The superdelegate system is unrepresentative, contradicts the purported values of the party and its members, and reduces the party’s moral authority. • The system undermines representative democracy and means that the electorate is not necessarily decisive in determining who will be the Democratic nominees for president and vice president and dilutes the voters’ say over the party’s platform and the rules under which it operates. Astonishingly, these unelected delegates have essentially as much weight as do the pledged delegates from the District of Columbia, 4 territories, and 24 states combined. • The system undermines the Democratic Party's commitment to gender equity. While the party’s charter rightfully mandates that equal numbers of pledged delegates be male and female, a near super-majority of superdelegates are men. • The Democratic Party prides itself on its commitment to racial justice and the racial diversity of its ranks. Yet the superdegelates appears to skew the party away from appropriate representation of communities of color: Proportionately, approximately 20% fewer of this year’s superdelegates hail from communities of color than was true of the 2008 and 2012 pledged delegate cohorts, or of the voters who supported President Obama in those years’ general elections.
    [Show full text]
  • Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues
    Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues -name redacted- Analyst in Elections February 27, 2012 Congressional Research Service 7-.... www.crs.gov RL34222 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues Summary After a period of uncertainty over the presidential nominating calendar for 2012, the early states again settled on January dates for primaries and caucuses. Iowa held its caucuses on January 3 and New Hampshire held its primary on January 10. These two states, along with South Carolina and Nevada, are exempt from Republican national party rules that do not permit delegate selection contests prior to the first Tuesday in March, but specify that these contests may not be held before February 1. Officials in Florida announced that the state would hold a January 31, 2012, primary, in violation of party rules, which prompted South Carolina and Nevada to schedule unsanctioned events as well. South Carolina scheduled its primary on January 21; Nevada Republicans originally scheduled party caucuses for January 14, but changed the date to February 4. States that violate the rules risk losing half their delegates, as a number of states already have. Every four years, the presidential nominating process generates complaints and proposed modifications, often directed at the seemingly haphazard and fast-paced calendar of primaries and caucuses. The rapid pace of primaries and caucuses that characterized the 2000 and 2004 cycles continued in 2008, despite national party efforts to reverse front-loading. The Democratic Party approved changes to its calendar rules in July 2006, when the party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee extended an exemption to Nevada and South Carolina (Iowa and New Hampshire were previously exempted) from the designated period for holding delegate selection events; and the committee proposed sanctions for any violations.
    [Show full text]
  • CLOSER to NOMINATION ELECTIONS Marchhas Passedand Thereare Only Ahandful of Voting Days Left Untilbothpolitical Partiesholdtheir Conventions
    8A » Sunday, March 27,2016 » KITSAPSUN AJOURNAL MEDIAGROUP PROJECT CLOSER TO NOMINATION ELECTIONS Marchhas passedand thereare only ahandful of voting days left untilbothpolitical partiesholdtheir conventions. HillaryClinton 2016 andDonaldTrump areleading in thedelegatecounts, butthatstill does notmeantheyhaveaneasyroadtotheir respective party nominations. When delegate totals arethisclose,anythingcan happen at thenationalconventions this summer. Millions of people have votedinprimariesand at caucuses duringthe first fewmonthsthisyear. Theirvotes arenow in thehands of just afew thousand people. MEETTT THHEE DELEGATES The modern presidential nominationprocess —linking avotecastfor acandidate to the allocation of adelegateatthe convention level—was born outofalaw passed in 1910 in Oregon.In2016, 35 U.S. jurisdictionshaveorwillholdprimary elections, 13 have or will hold caucuses andeight have some combinationofthose. With rulesvarying from partytoparty andstate to state, theprocess of selectingapresidentialcandidate is alot more complicatedthanjustpicking someoneinthe ballot booth. DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS Thereare twotypes of Members ooff theeD Deemmooccraratic Republicanshs h avete twwoo typesos off andahd a hyybbrriidds system. SSttaatteess set delegatesonthe Democratic National CoCommmmiitttteeee,, Congress, convention delegates: bound thepe peerrcceenntatage ththrreesshhoolldd side: pledgeddelegates and statege goovevernorsas anndd delegatesand unbound aac caannddiiddaattee must rreeaacchh unpledged superdelegates. distinguished paparrttyyo
    [Show full text]
  • Political Marketing and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Primary Elections
    Department of Business Administration Title: Political Marketing and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Primary Elections Author: Veronica Johansson 15 credits Thesis Study programme in Master of Science in Marketing Management 1 Title Political Marketing and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Primary Elections Level Final Thesis for Master of Business Administration in Marketing Management Adress University of Gävle Department of Business Administration 801 76 Gävle Sweden Telephone (+46) 26 64 85 00 Telefax (+46) 26 64 85 89 Web site http://www.hig.se Author Veronica Johansson Supervisor Maria Fregidou-Malama, Ph.D. Date 2010 - January Abstract Aim: Over the years, marketing has become a more and more important tool in politics in general. In order to campaign successfully – and become the President-elect - in the U.S. Presidential Election, marketing is indispensable. This lead to enormous amounts of money spent on marketing. The aim of this research is to contribute to existing knowledge in the field of political marketing through the analysis of how marketing is done throughout a political campaign. The 2008 U.S. Presidential Primary Elections, together with a few key candidates have served as the empirical example of this investigation. Four research questions have been asked; what marketing strategies are of decisive outcome in the primary season of the 2008 political campaigning, how is political marketing differentiated depending on the candidate and the demographics of the voter, and finally where does the money come from to fund this gigantic political industry. Method: The exploratory method and case study as well as the qualitative research method have been used in this work.
    [Show full text]
  • RESOLVED, Political Parties Should Nominate Candidates for President in a National Primary Distribute
    8 RESOLVED, political parties should nominate candidates for president in a national primary distribute PRO: Caroline J. Tolbert or CON: David P. Redlawsk From the beginning, the Constitution offered a clear answer to the question of who should elect the president: the electoral college. Or did it? Virginia delegate George Mason was not alone in thinking that after George Washington had passed from the scene,post, the electoral college would seldom produce a winner. In such a far-flung and diverse country, Mason reasoned, the electoral vote would almost invariably be fractured, leaving no candidate with the required 50 percent plus one of electoral votes. Mason estimated that “nineteen times in twenty” the president would be chosen by the House of Representatives, which the Constitution charged with making the selection from among the top five (the Twelfth Amendment, enacted in 1804, changed it tocopy, the top three) electoral vote getters in the event that no candidate had the requisite electoral vote majority. In essence, Mason thought, the electoral college would narrow the field of candidates and the House would select the president. notMason was wrong: in the fifty-seven presidential elections since 1788, the electoral college has chosen the president fifty-five times. Not since 1824, in the contest between John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and William Crawford, has the House chosen the president. And contrary to Do Mason’s prediction, the nomination of candidates has been performed not by the electoral college but by political parties. Copyright © 2014 by CQ Press, a division of SAGE. No part of these pages may be quoted, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the publisher Political Parties Should Nominate Candidates for President in a National Primary 137 The framers of the Constitution dreaded the prospect of parties.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 12 PENNSYLVANIA Following Hillary Clinton's Big Victories in the Texas and Ohio Democratic Primaries, the 2008 Campaig
    CHAPTER 12 PENNSYLVANIA Following Hillary Clinton’s big victories in the Texas and Ohio Democratic primaries, the 2008 campaign for the Democratic nomination for president became two campaigns. The first campaign was to see who would win most of the ten remaining presidential primaries. The second campaign was over who could gain the most support from the super- delegates, a special set of delegates to the Democratic National Conven- tion who were appointed rather than being selected in the caucuses and primaries. SUPERDELEGATES When the Democratic Party changed its rules in the early 1970s, it endeavored to make the Democratic National Convention a more inclu- sive event. States were required to select more women, young people, and minorities as delegates to the convention. The new rules worked quite well, and the group image of the delegates that went out to the nation on television became noticeably more diverse. By the early 1980s, however, one group was conspicuously missing at the national convention. That was party elected officials, such as state governors, members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, etc. Although a number of women and minorities held major elected offices throughout the nation, it was still true that most elected officials were middle-aged white males. The party rules requiring more women, young people, and minorities at the national convention were, in effect, excluding significant numbers of the party’s major holders of elected office. That was mainly because so many of these elected officials were men, were well-along in their careers, and were not members of a minor- ity group.
    [Show full text]
  • {Download PDF} Who Will Be the Next President? a Guide to The
    WHO WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT? A GUIDE TO THE U. S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SYSTEM 2ND EDITION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Alexander S Belenky | 9783319446950 | | | | | Who Will Be the Next President? A Guide to the U. S. Presidential Election System 2nd edition PDF Book Howie Hawkins April 19, Retrieved July 27, It could even be worse than the Hayes-Tilden election of , which was settled two days before the inauguration. Unpledged delegates don't. Modern history portal Politics portal United States portal. Senator from Delaware — Born November 20, October 4, FOX Attorneys controversies short tenures Dismissals U. The much more likely scenario, however, is that partisan politics will drive decisions in each state—and quite possibly dueling decisions in some states. In most states, the governor and the state legislature conduct the redistricting although some states have redistricting commissions. Retrieved April 14, Retrieved October 22, Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld became Trump's first major challenger in the Republican primaries following an announcement on April 15, They'll get you the answer or let you know where to find it. Tilt D flip. Retrieved May 4, September 23, Accepted 3rd party nomination April 23, , votes. Retrieved November 14, Who Will Be the Next President? A Guide to the U. S. Presidential Election System 2nd edition Writer In 48 states and Washington, D. Retrieved July 27, The law continues the use of the congressional district method for the allocation of electors, as Maine and Nebraska have used in recent elections. W: April 5, votes 0. Retrieved December 6, This led to the concern that Biden may have contracted the virus from Trump; however, Biden tested negative.
    [Show full text]
  • Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues
    Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues Kevin J. Coleman Analyst in Elections January 27, 2012 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL34222 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Congressional Operations Briefing– Capitol Hill Workshop Congressional Operations Briefing and Seminar The definitive overview of how Congress works. This intensive course is offered as a 3-day public Briefing and as a tailored on-site 3, 4 or 5-day program. Public Briefings are offered throughout the year in Washington, DC. Space is limited. Dates, Agenda, Previous Faculty, and Secure Online Registration: TCNCHW.com On-site Congressional Briefings and Capitol Hill Workshops for agencies: CLCHW.com 202-678-1600 TheCapitol.Net All of our courses and workshops include extensive interaction with our faculty, making our courses and workshops both educational as well as mini- consulting sessions with substantive experts. Non-partisan training and publications that show how Washington works.™ Our Upcoming Schedule of Courses can be seen online on our web site or at TCNCourses.com. PO Box 25706, Alexandria, VA 22313-5706 202-678-1600 • www.thecapitol.net All of our courses and any combination of their topics can be customized for on-site training for TheCapitol.Net is on the your organization—we are on GSA Advantage, GSA Schedule, 874-4, Contract GS02F0192X. for custom on-site training. GSA Contract GS02F0192X thecapitol.net Courses approved for CEUs from George Mason University 202-678-1600 Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues Summary After a period of uncertainty over the presidential nominating calendar for 2012, the early states again settled on January dates for primaries and caucuses.
    [Show full text]
  • Selecting Representative and Qualified Candidates for President
    Selecting Representative and Qualifed Candidates for President: Proposals to Reform Presidential Primaries Democracy and the Consttuton Clinic Fordham University School of Law Daisy de Wolf, Ben Kremnitzer, Samara Perlman, & Gabriella Weick January 2021 Selecting Representative and Qualifed Candidates for President: Proposals to Reform Presidential Primaries Democracy and the Consttuton Clinic Fordham University School of Law Daisy de Wolf, Ben Kremnitzer, Samara Perlman, & Gabriella Weick January 2021 This report was researched and writen during the 2019-2020 academic year by students in Fordham Law School’s Democracy and the Consttuton Clinic, where students developed non-partsan recommendatons to strengthen the naton’s insttutons and its democracy. The clinic was supervised by Professor and Dean Emeritus John D. Feerick and Visitng Clinical Professor John Rogan. Acknowledgments: We are grateful to the individuals who generously took tme to share their general views and knowledge with us: Robert Bauer, Esq., Professor Monika McDermot, Thomas J. Schwarz, Esq., Representatve Thomas Suozzi, and Jesse Wegman, Esq. This report greatly benefted from Gail McDonald’s research guidance and Flora Donovan’s editng assistance. Judith Rew and Robert Yasharian designed the report. Table of Contents Executve Summary .....................................................................................................................................1 Introducton .....................................................................................................................................................4
    [Show full text]
  • Voter Turnout in Presidential Nominating Contests
    The Forum 2015; 13(4): 597–622 Michael P. McDonald* and Thessalia Merivaki* Voter Turnout in Presidential Nominating Contests DOI 10.1515/for-2015-0041 Abstract: Presidential elections are conducted in two stages. The November general election is proceeded by a series of contests where delegates are selected to national party conventions, which is where the parties select their candidates for the fall election. These nominating contests’ political environments vary: the rules regarding who can participate; the levels of electoral competition, which are related to when they are held; and that other offices present on the ballot, if any. We explore the effects of these conditions on voter participation in recent presidential contests and generally find turnout highest in competi- tive and inclusive contests where other offices are on the ballot. Examining the 2008 American National Election Panel Study, we find primary voters are more ideologically extreme than general election voters, but there is little difference between voters in closed and open primary states. We suggest primary type has little effect on the ideological composition of the electorate because modern nomination contests are low turnout elections that draw only the most politi- cally interested. Introduction The most important elected office in the US is the president. As an indicator of the value the American electorate places upon the presidency, more Americans vote in the November of a presidential election year than at any other time. Yet, the general election is just the end of a long arduous road in the selection of the president. The modern presidential election begins with a series of party nomina- tion contests sometimes starting in January and continuing through the summer, where the political parties’ candidates for the general election are chosen.
    [Show full text]
  • Figures of Dissent Cinema of Politics / Politics of Cinema Selected Correspondences and Conversations
    Figures of Dissent Cinema of Politics / Politics of Cinema Selected Correspondences and Conversations Stoffel Debuysere Proefschrift voorgelegd tot het behalen van de graad van Doctor in de kunsten: audiovisuele kunsten Figures of Dissent Cinema of Politics / Politics of Cinema Selected Correspondences and Conversations Stoffel Debuysere Thesis submitted to obtain the degree of Doctor of Arts: Audiovisual Arts Academic year 2017- 2018 Doctorandus: Stoffel Debuysere Promotors: Prof. Dr. Steven Jacobs, Ghent University, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy Dr. An van. Dienderen, University College Ghent School of Arts Editor: Rebecca Jane Arthur Layout: Gunther Fobe Cover design: Gitte Callaert Cover image: Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep (1977). Courtesy of Charles Burnett and Milestone Films. This manuscript partly came about in the framework of the research project Figures of Dissent (KASK / University College Ghent School of Arts, 2012-2016). Research financed by the Arts Research Fund of the University College Ghent. This publication would not have been the same without the support and generosity of Evan Calder Williams, Barry Esson, Mohanad Yaqubi, Ricardo Matos Cabo, Sarah Vanhee, Christina Stuhlberger, Rebecca Jane Arthur, Herman Asselberghs, Steven Jacobs, Pieter Van Bogaert, An van. Dienderen, Daniel Biltereyst, Katrien Vuylsteke Vanfleteren, Gunther Fobe, Aurelie Daems, Pieter-Paul Mortier, Marie Logie, Andrea Cinel, Celine Brouwez, Xavier Garcia-Bardon, Elias Grootaers, Gerard-Jan Claes, Sabzian, Britt Hatzius, Johan Debuysere, Christa
    [Show full text]