Jerry Brown

There is now word that Hillary Clinton’s supporters will formally place her name in nomination at the convention tomorrow night, a process that requires a nominating and a second speech, as well as the consent of the candidate herself.

This may be part of a deal with the Obama camp; negotiations about how exactly to handle Obama’s formal nomination are still apparently ongoing. But with this development, it’s worth remembering that the Clintons drew the line at allowing their opponents’ names to be placed in nomination back in 1992, when Bill Clinton was formally anointed as his party’s standard-bearer. Back then, the Clintons told their two main rivals, Paul Tsongas and Jerry Brown, that they would not be allowed to speak in primetime if they didn’t first publicly rule out allowing their names to be nominated. Tsongas complied and Brown didn’t, so there was a roll call anyway.

The prospect of Joe Biden joining Barack Obama’s ticket, which seems to have grown more real in recent days, raises an interesting possibility: another Biden presidential campaign.

Given how his campaign turned out this year, the idea of Biden ever seeking the White House again seems (and probably is) unlikely. But, at least in theory, a tour de force performance as the VP nominee – think Lloyd Bentsen in 1988 – could spark popular interest in a future Biden presidential campaign that was missing in this past one. If Obama were to lose, Biden (again, theoretically) might then have a shot at the 2012 nomination (much the way the ’92 nomination was essentially Bentsen’s for the taking after his ’88 performance).  read more »

With all of the talk about what roles Hillary and Bill Clinton will play at the upcoming Democratic convention – and whether Clinton will allow her name to be placed in nomination for a roll call vote – it's probably worth looking back to the 1992 convention, when the Clintons dealt with similar issues, but from a much different perspective.

Back then, they were the winners, with Bill emerging from the Democratic primaries with more than enough delegates to secure a first-ballot nomination. But as the July convention in New York approached, two of his primary-season opponents – Paul Tsongas and Jerry Brown – each stubbornly clung to their large delegate blocs (more than 500 each), attempting to use threats of rules fights and roll call votes as leverage.  read more »

Mitt Romney is in danger of losing his home state next Tuesday.

The former Massachusetts governor is on bad terms with numerous rank-and-file Republican voters in his own state, the result of the widely-held perception that Romney essentially abandoned them halfway through his governorship.

The Massachusetts Republican universe is small -- less than 15 percent of voters are party members -- and turnout in next Tuesday's primary could be comparatively microscopic, particularly if independents vote in the Democratic primary. Polls have shown Romney leading John McCain, who won the state overwhelmingly against George W. Bush in 2000, by about 15 points.

But those surveys were conducted before McCain's recent string of successes. Now, even Romney's top Bay State backers are admitting that defeat is at least possible. "Senator McCain will probably run well in the Northeast. Governor Romney will run well around the country," former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, a Romney supporter, told the Boston Herald today.

More after the jump.  read more »

If you like comeback stories, then you’ll love this one. It seems that 69-year-old Jerry Brown – the former two-term California Governor, two-term Oakland mayor, California state Democratic Party chairman, three-time failed presidential candidate, unsuccessful 1982 U.S. Senate candidate, and current state Attorney General – is eyeing another run for Governor in 2010.

This according to the Sacramento Bee, which interviewed Brown on Wednesday.

And, early as it is, he’s probably the front-runner to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will be term-limited out in ’10 (when he may challenge Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer): A March poll showed Brown, who was elected AG last fall, topping a crowded Democratic field with 31 percent – not entirely surprising, given his name recognition and the positive press he’s received over the last decade.

(an orgy of information on Governor Moonbeam after the jump)  read more »