A Republican National Committee member, named David Bossie from Maryland floated briefly, and then sank, a resolution. It read, “RESOLVED that the Republican National Committee hereby declares President Trump as our presumptive 2024 nominee for the office of President of the United States and from this moment forward moves into full general election mode welcoming supporters of all candidates as valued members of Team Trump 2024.”
Given the obvious fact that Trump currently has only 32 delegates, and he needs 1,215 to nail the nomination, this was a dumb idea. It would be tantamount to a coronation of Trump by the few to the detriment of the many avid Trump voters waiting to vote him into and beyond the magic number of 1,215.
Ironically, even Donald Trump opposed the resolution, “While I greatly appreciate the Republican National Committee (RNC) wanting to make me their PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE, and while they have far more votes than necessary to do it, I feel, for the sake of PARTY UNITY, that they should NOT go forward with this plan, but that I should do it the “Old Fashioned” way, and finish the process off AT THE BALLOT BOX.” That’s all Trump wrote, but it was enough to deep six a dumb idea.
Oscar Brock, an RNC member from Tennessee, said he heard of the resolution Thursday afternoon and feels it “certainly violates the intent of” of RNC rules around the presidential primaries. The rules specifically say you’re not the guy until you you’ve gotten 50 percent plus one of the delegates required for the convention. I would think that we would be more open to to letting more people have a say in this process before declaring it over.”
Apparently, some members of the RNC, who thought doing it Trump’s way would take too long, must have been suffering from what I call Coronation Complex Disorder (CCD). In my view, that mindset is antithetical to the American way of elections, national, state and local.
Meanwhile, let the British and others have their time-honored traditions of pomp and circumstance. But here in “The land of the free and the home of the brave,” let us continue to nominate and elect those who serve us and work for us, the old-fashioned way.
Retired Army Colonel Thomas B. Vaughn may be reached at tbvbwmi@benlomand.net.