Republicans. They're supposed to know the rules. And they're supposed to know the ultimate rule: The Constitution of the United States of America; the ultimate rule of law.
When is the last time somebody told you how great it would be to have a Trump/DeSantis ticket? 10 minutes ago? Yesterday? this writer gets that suggestion daily.
Finally, when Rasmussen did a Trump/DeSantis poll and crowed about what a successful ticket it would be, I said: "Enough!"
If Rasmussen doesn’t know the rules, what hope is there for the GOP rank-and-file?
Pay attention.
Article 2 of the Constitution is about the executive branch.
And right there, in Article 2 Section 1 are the following:
"The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves."
And what do those words mean in today’s English?
They mean that if an elector votes for a president and vice president from the same state, that electoral vote will not be counted.
Get it?
A Trump/DeSantis ticket forfeits Florida’s 29 electoral votes.
Trump knows this. DeSantis knows this. I know this. And now you know this. Case closed.
In 2000, George Bush secured the Republican nomination for president of the United States. There was one man Bush wanted on his ticket, Dick Cheney.
The problem?
Both Bush and Cheney lived in Texas; meaning that a Bush/Cheney ticket would forfeit Texas’ electoral votes.
The solution?
Dick Cheney "moved" back to Wyoming where he had been a congressman.
He got an address, a driver’s license and a nomination on the ultimately successful Bush/Cheney ticket. (Dick Cheney’s daughter, Liz, still lives in Wyoming).
Tell your friends.
And then there’s my other pet peeve; the one that starts with: "Ain’t nobody owes you nuthin.'" My Brooklynese has gotten ahead of me.
Republicans have a really bad habit of rewarding the politician who has waited the longest.
That’s a really bad idea.
Recently, an acquaintance was referring to a local race when he said, "I’m supporting him because we owe it to him."
That too is a really bad idea.
It might make you feel better.
But it makes the country and the party less successful.
A little recent history: In 1996 the Republicans nominated Bob Dole to lose to Bill Clinton’s second term. We loved Bob; wounded vet, U.S. Senate minority leader, good person.
But . . . at the end of the day he had no chance.
In 2008 it was Sen. John McCain; courageous soldier, "straight talker," and maverick.
Newbie Barack H. Obama ate him up. Our current Minority Leader is Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Really?
Do 37 GOP senators really think they had no better choice?
It made the day for Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
And then we reelected Ronna McDaniel. Please! Lee Zeldin said: "Look at me."
The RNC said, "Nah, we’re good."
From dog catcher to president, we too often go along to get along.
And only the Democrats are happy.
This is not a Trump/DeSantis pitch.
There are really good (and really bad) reasons for either of them.
Me? I come down on the side of electability. When I vote in the Florida presidential primary on March 19, 2024, I will ask myself this one question, "Who can win?!"
I never ask, "Who do we owe?"
Politics is not charity.
Loyalty in politics is a fake virtue.
All debts are owed by the politicians to the voters; not by the politicians to each other.
Sid Dinerstein is a former chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party. Read More — Here.
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