The Republican state committee has elected to hold a convention in order to select the candidate to vie for Warner’s seat. Many reasons are given from various and sundry sources about why conventions are superior and some are valid: ensure that only republicans are voting, or to have a more orderly proceeding. Heck, I could even live with an outright admission of building an advantage for those in the majority.
However, the one that always makes me laugh out loud is “it is a party-building exercise”. I’ve only met a handful of people who, having been a delegate to a convention, still say “I can’t wait until the next one!!”. The most common reaction I get from people is that they would rather saw their arm off with a butter knife than attend a convention. I would also point out that this is in Manassas where we have very well-run conventions. I can not imagine what people say who have been trapped in a convention that involved a floor fight or voting problems. Those things can go on all day.
This isn’t really an argument against conventions, just an observation.
