So the Republican party is in chaos. You know what would be a great solution? More chaos.
John Boehner (remember him?) snuck out of hiding this week to suggest a "none of the above" approach to selecting a GOP nominee, telling a reporter that the party should make Paul Ryan deal with the mess that nobody else knows how to fix.
Oh John, that's your solution to everything.
It would certainly be weird if Paul, who has said repeatedly that he's not going to run, suddenly popped up at the convention and was like, "Ugh, OKAY, fine, I'm running for president now, IF I HAFTA."
But it's not impossible. After all, he was pretty open about not wanting to become Speaker of the House, and yet Boehner still appointed him to the position like a dad forcing his son to do chores.
And the convention rules would probably (?) allow a rando to swoop in and take the nomination. The rules are insanely complicated, but can be changed at the last minute to make it easier or harder for particular person.
Doesn't that make you feel so secure about American democracy?
If Trump gets a majority of delegates, well, good luck, we're all fucked because there's no way to avoid making him the candidate. But! If he doesn't — which, given that he just lost Ohio, is a distinct possibility — then the convention descends into increasing states of chaos. There would be a series of ballots, and each time that a clear winner fails to emerge, more and more delegates would be free to vote for whomever they want.
Under those conditions, Cruz or Kasich have a much better chance of winning, since the party's much warmer to them than to Trump.
And of course, some who-the-fuck-are-you candidates could pop up as well, and as long as he or she is really good at behind-the-scenes politicking, the nominee could wind up being someone who hasn't even been a part of the conversation.
For now, some GOP strategists are pointing to that fact with optimism—the hope being that this will restore order and balance to a party thrown completely out of whack. An establishment figure will surely emerge at the convention, they hope, and this election cycle can return the GOP to familiar territory: pandering to snake-handlers while pushing policies that protect the wealthy.
But they might want to be careful what they wish for. Like a true Chaos Demon, Trump emerged from the unpredictable turmoil created by the GOP. Stirring up more chaos that the convention could mean that the delegates rally around a third party who's even crazier. Are you prepared for a nominee Rick Santorum? Or Sarah Palin? Or Ted Nugent? Or ALF?
