A Brokered Convention?

from Elephant Biz

Newt Gingrich thinks the crowded presidential field in both parties, combined with the rush of so many states to hold early primaries, could result in one or both parties facing a brokered convention - something that hasn't happened in decades.

He made it sound oh-so plausible in an interview with NBC News:

Here is a prediction: there are two possibilities after February 5th, and nobody understands this yet. Possibility One is that we have nominated somebody in both parties. Possibility Two is we have locked in four or five candidates in both parties, and we will have the first brokered convention since 1952. There is no reason to believe any one person is going to win a majority in twenty five states the same day, and it's more likely that their consultants are gonna say, 'Okay, Romney is going to go to Michigan and Utah and Massachusetts. And you know Giuliani is going to go to New York and California. And McCain is going to go to Florida. And Thompson, if he gets in, is going to do Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia.'
"You're suddenly going to have three, four, five, or six candidates with delegates. Now why would they drop out? There are no more primaries. They have no great reason to drop out. And you're just going to have a total mess. This thing is going to blow up. I think the odds are even money. It either will lead to a nominee in both parties, which is unlikely – ‘cause nobody is anywhere close to 50%. Or it will lead to the first brokered conventions since 1952."

Sounds like fun.