About seating delegates: does anyone remember the fuss over the Mississippi

[hedgehog]

delegation back around 1968 or 1972? I was just a kid, but I remember that there were two delegations and I remember the other delegates chanting " Julian Bond! Julian Bond!"

[Devlzown]

1. It happened in 1968 in Chicago.

The regular segregationist delegation was unseated and replaced with a more inclusive one. This page tells a little about it -- just scroll down http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/conventions/democratic/features/convention.history/index.html

[hedgehog]

2. Wow - look what happened four years later:

"1972 (Miami Beach)
The National Women's Political Caucus challenges the South Carolina delegation on the grounds that women were underrepresented. The challenge, designed to increase the number of women in the delegation, is defeated by a 1,555.75 to 1,429.05 vote.

The McGovern campaign regains control of the entire California delegation by a 1,618.28 to 1,238.22 floor vote that overturns an earlier decision by the credentials committee to strip McGovern of 151 of the state's 271 delegates. The committee's decision had been issued in response to a challenge to California's winner-take-all primary law. McGovern's victory on the California credentials challenge helps ensure his nomination.

A report recommending the seating of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's delegates is defeated, 1,486.04 to 1,371.56. Daley and 58 other Illinois delegates had been unseated prior to the convention by a 71-61 credentials committee vote. "



I don't remember all that, but I do know there wasn't any love lost between McGovern supporters and party regulars.

[Devlzown]

3. I've only read about this stuff -- I wasn't born

until 1969 -- but it's a trip reading about some of the old knock-down-drag-outs. I think we might be headed for one this year. It's been a long time since anything interesting happened at either party's convention.

[hedgehog]

5. It's what I grew up with . We got our firstTV in 1960 so Mom could

watch the Kennedy-Nixon debates. Of course, 1964, 1968 and 1972 were wild times. The later conventions have been a lot more tame. I'm generally a pretty avid watcher, but I missed Obama's key note speech.

[joshcryer]

4. Could come to that. Very interesting precedent. I think Obama supporters should heed this.

Anything goes at the DNC. People need to understand this simple concept that seems to be over peoples freaking heads.

[hedgehog]

6. At least it won't be as bad as 1860! nt

[no name no slogan]

7. '72 was a fucking zoo. Not as bad as '68, but still pretty messy

If you haven't read it, read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. It's possibly the best book ever written about a political campaign

[no name no slogan]

8. Cali was supposed to be "winner take all" in 1972

And McGovern edged out Humphrey in the primary. Hubert's people filed a challenge for part of the Cali delegation, although they had agreed to the "winner-take-all" rules before the primary.

If McGovern would not have regained the CA delegates, he probably wouldn't have won the nomination on the first ballot, and would've had to make a deal with either HHH or Muskie.

[hedgehog]

9. Goes to show that people have tried to change the rules halfway though the game before this.

It'd be a riot (in more ways than one) if Hillary tried to re-institute winner-take-all!

[no name no slogan]

10. I have a feeling she'll try to get FL and MI seated

AND get the majority of the delegates, too. If things don't get sorted in the next couple weeks, we could end up with floor fight of '72 proportions.

Thompson did a good job of covering the CA and SC floor fight in '72 in Fear and Loathing.... He detailed the maneuvering, chicanery and tension of the whole thing, and how even the news media screwed up regarding who won the fight. Very interesting reading.