Election News and Features
‘Brokered’ Democratic Convention Would Recall 1952
February 11, 2008 11:27 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The tight race for the Democratic nomination could echo the experience of both parties in 1952, the last time America saw brokered conventions.
30-Second Summary
Hillary Clinton’s lead on Barack Obama narrowed from 3.3 to 3.1 percent of the popular vote over the weekend primaries, according to Real Clear Politics.
In terms of delegates, the count that really matters, Obama is ahead, with 1,143 to Clinton’s 1,138. If neither candidate reaches the magic number of 2,025 out of 4,049 delegates, this year’s Democratic National Convention could mirror the contests of both parties in 1952, when nominees were chosen by party insiders.
The early 1950s were the end of the era of political bosses, who worked behind the scenes to broker national conventions. In today’s Democratic convention, superdelegates would take the place the bosses once occupied.
One of the reasons the reign of political insiders ended in 1952 was that year marked the first time national conventions were televised. This exposed the internal workings of party politics to an audience of 70 million Americans. It was not a pretty sight.
Presidential Candidate Sen. Robert Taft managed to expel 38 of his opponent’s delegates from the Republican Convention. The Harvard Crimson decried the move as “a solid knee to the groin of the Republican Party.”
In turn, Taft’s challenger Dwight D. Eisenhower questioned the voting credentials of three states’ delegates, replacing them with his supporters.
The Democratic convention saw Adlai Stevenson triumph after three rounds of voting, despite a backroom campaign to “Stop Stevenson."
Today, the Democratic Party will be hoping to avoid the public dismay that followed the spectacle of political infighting at the 1952 conventions.
In terms of delegates, the count that really matters, Obama is ahead, with 1,143 to Clinton’s 1,138. If neither candidate reaches the magic number of 2,025 out of 4,049 delegates, this year’s Democratic National Convention could mirror the contests of both parties in 1952, when nominees were chosen by party insiders.
The early 1950s were the end of the era of political bosses, who worked behind the scenes to broker national conventions. In today’s Democratic convention, superdelegates would take the place the bosses once occupied.
One of the reasons the reign of political insiders ended in 1952 was that year marked the first time national conventions were televised. This exposed the internal workings of party politics to an audience of 70 million Americans. It was not a pretty sight.
Presidential Candidate Sen. Robert Taft managed to expel 38 of his opponent’s delegates from the Republican Convention. The Harvard Crimson decried the move as “a solid knee to the groin of the Republican Party.”
In turn, Taft’s challenger Dwight D. Eisenhower questioned the voting credentials of three states’ delegates, replacing them with his supporters.
The Democratic convention saw Adlai Stevenson triumph after three rounds of voting, despite a backroom campaign to “Stop Stevenson."
Today, the Democratic Party will be hoping to avoid the public dismay that followed the spectacle of political infighting at the 1952 conventions.
Headline Link: ‘Candidates and superdelegates and brokered conventions … oh my’
Obama has a slight lead in terms of pledged delegates, while Clinton leads the race for superdelegates. If neither candidate garners support from at least 2,025 of the 4,049 delegates, superdelegates will have the final say in choosing the party’s candidate. However, whether they would go against the popular vote—and what effect that might have on the Democratic Party’s chances in the election—is a matter for debate.
Source: The Carpetbagger Report
Historical Context: The 1952 conventions
The 1952 Democratic and Republican National Conventions were the first to be televised, revealing the internal workings of party politics to some 70 million Americans. “The traditional wheeling and dealing of politics astounded television viewers watching the 1952 Republican Convention,” according to the Chicago Historical Society.
Source: Chicago Historical Society
Republican National Convention
Backers of Ohio Sen. Robert Taft delivered what The Harvard Crimson calls “a solid knee to the groin of the Republican Party … the bare-faced theft of 38 convention delegates is well calculated to deprive this campaign issue of much of its force.”
Source: The Harvard Crimson
Democratic National Convention
In the 1952 elections, Southern Democrats, or “Dixiecrats,” contemplated voting against the party nominee out of disdain for his civil rights platform. Southern states threatened to keep the would-be nominee’s name off of the ballot, allowing voters to choose party electors who would support Georgia Sen. Dick Russell, an advocate of what Dixiecrats termed “states’ rights.” This would have resulted in the House of Representatives deciding the election, with each state getting one vote.
Source: Time
Opinion & Analysis: Shades of 1952 at the 2008 convention
The 2008 Democratic primary may turn out to be a replay of the GOP and the Democratic National Conventions of 1952. Back then, political bosses managed the nominee selection process. RealClearPolitics writes that in 2008 “neither candidate nor party may be able to stop the political forces bearing down on them.”
Source: Real Clear Politics
A blog on the Web site of the Discovery Institute says that a 2008 version of a brokered convention would be “more tempestuous, if less smoky. There are far more primaries than in the old days, and therefore many more idealistic candidate-oriented delegates unwilling to compromise.”
Source: Discovery Institute
Related Topics: Superdelegates
Unpledged delegates, a.k.a. “superdelegates,” could sway the Democratic Party nomination. Superdelegates can cast their ballot at their own discretion, regardless of the popular vote. Political wisdom holds it that they usually vote for the establishment candidate.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: Vote and delegate counts
Real Clear Politics produces a vote count average based on the figures provided by a number of news sources and polling organizations.
Source: Real Clear Politics
RCP also provides a delegate count broken down by state and including Democratic superdelegates.
Source: Real Clear Politics
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