Selecting a President: Nominating Conventions

Presidential Selection Stage 1: Caucuses & Primaries The Battle for the Party Faithful Stage 2: Nominating Conventions “Glorified Infomercials?” Stage 3: General Election The Fight for the Center Stage 4: Electoral College Power to the People?

Presidential Nominating Conventions: The Nuts & Bolts Barack and Michelle Obama at the 2004 Democratic National Convention

Nominating Conventions An assembly held by political parties every four years Usually held in late summer before the general election in November The Democratic and Republican parties hold nominating conventions as do third parties [ex: Green Party, Libertarian Party] George W. and Laura Bush at the 2000 Republican Convention

Purposes of Nominating Conventions 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan Delegates at the convention adopt a party platform. Delegates to the convention elect that party’s nominees for President and Vice-president.

What’s a Party Platform? Party Platform - a statement of principles and objectives a political party and a candidate supports in order to win the general election. Plank - Individual topics in a party’s platform (ex: abortion, war in Iraq) Cartoon satirizing the 1896 Democratic Party Platform

2004 Platform Themes Democratic Party: “Strong at Home, Respected in the World” Republican Party: “A Safer World and a More Hopeful America” How are these themes similar? Different?

Who are Delegates? Delegate - A voting representative to the party nominating convention

Winner-take-all System Delegate Selection Proportional System Primary system used by the Democratic Party Candidates are allocated the same percentage of a state’s delegates as they received in popular votes Pro’s & con’s of the proportional system? Winner-take-all System System used in most Republican primaries The winner of the popular vote in that state receives all that state’s delegates Pro’s & con’s of the winner-take-all system?

Democratic Party Rules: Two Types of Delegates Pledged Delegates v. Superdelegates

Pledged delegates count during the 2008 Democratic primaries Each state allotted certain number of delegates who vote at the party’s convention Pledged delegates are chosen at state & local level Pledged delegates are required to cast a vote at the convention based on the results of the primary or caucus in their state Pledged delegates count during the 2008 Democratic primaries

Superdelegates Members of the Democratic Party establishment who serve as unpledged delegates at the party convention Include members of Congress, governors, and members of the D.N.C. They are free to vote for any candidate at the convention

Democrats avoided a brokered convention in 2008 A situation in which no one candidate in a political party has received enough delegates in the primaries and caucuses to obtain a majority After the first ballot at the party’s convention, nominee decided through horse-trading and further ballots Thomas Dewey (R) in 1948 and Adlai Stevenson (D) in 1952 last two candidates selected through brokered conventions; neither won the general election Democrats avoided a brokered convention in 2008 Brainstorm potential positive and negative consequences of a brokered convention.

Convention Speeches: The Keynote Address Senator Barrack Obama gives the 2004 DNC Keynote Address Democrat Zell Miller delivers the 2004 RNC Keynote Address The speech given at the convention that embodies that party’s core message Why do you think Democrats choose Barrack Obama and Republicans Zell Miller to deliver the 2004 Keynote Addresses?

Convention Speeches: The Acceptance Address 1960 presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon deliver their Acceptance Addresses at their party’s national convention The speech given at the final day of the convention in which the winning candidate formally accepts the party’s nomination for president The Acceptance Address is always televised by the major networks

1992 Democratic National Convention in New York City Critics say that party nominating conventions have become no more than infomercials. What do you think?

1920 Republican Convention Today candidates secure their party’s nomination during the primaries But in 1920 there was no clear nominee going into the Republican Convention http://www.rightyblogs.com

Schwarzenegger Rocks Republican Convention By Patrick Chappatte, The International Herald Tribune  09/21/2004 http://www.politicalcartoons.com/

2008 -- The Final Three By Paresh Nath, National Herald, New Delhi, India 3/17/08 http://cagle.msnbc.com

Superdelegates By John Trever, The Albuquerque Journal 03/30/2008 http://www.politicalcartoons.com/