Convention Junkies

This is for you, convention junkies. As the prospect of a brokered convention looms nearer, I thought, since I'm one of the few of us that actually is old enough to remember experiencing one or more, I'd pass on a few remarks.

Looking at the Clinton/Obama race and projecting Clinton hanging in, you might ask yourself, why is she doing this, when she has apparently lost. Don't forget the old adage, age and experience will win out over youth and naivete every time. There are other less polite versions of that adage, but I'm sure you get the idea.

The Clintons, while certainly not as all powerful as when Bill was president, still have many people in the party that owe much of their success to this couple. Sure, there are probably an equal amount that aren't a part of this group. The party machinery will kick in at the convention. When the pros take over, rulings from the chair, credentials committee and others will weigh in heavily.

If the delegate count holds up at the present level for each candidate, Obama will have the lead going into the convention, but not enough to secure the nomination. This is where wile and deviousness come in handy. (refer to the above paraphrased adage) States vary as to when,after how many ballots, etc. that their delegates are free to change their votes, but lets just pick the third ballot as an average.

After delegates are free to choose or to change their vote, the floor fight begins. It's a fight that the party professionals are adept at. All bets are off and its a mini-campaign all over again. I feel certain that this is the strategy that the Clinton crew are fixin' to exploit. Hey, there's judgeships to promise, federal jobs, the list goes on and on. It's not exactly pretty, but it works. Do any of you remember Kefauver vs. Stevenson? Maybe not. That was in the fifties. Stay tuned.