My friend, Sid, loves my small bits of convention coverage, for some reason. And he asks, why my husband, the Alternate Delegate, couldn’t come up with an Alternate Nomination. I mean, you used to be able to do that, have a debate about which candidate was best, once all the delegates were there in the convention hall. That’s why they allot the week for the convention, and why they need to delay the vote with passes, as I’ve explained before.

But in America, where drama is queen and reality TV rules, why can’t we actually have a debate on the floor about who’s the best candidate? You’d get even more viewers out there in TV land.

Here’s why the delegates don’t do this: they can’t. (How’s that for a simple explanation?)

To fluff out that reason a bit: all delegates, when chosen by their state parties, have to agree to vote for the candidate indicated by the primary votes. Translated, that means that you got to dance with the one what brung you. (That’s Tennessee-speak. I went to Vanderbilt.)

Sid has probably wandered away from his computer by now, to see if there’s any coffee left in the coffee pot or something. I can’t blame him, actually. I hope he realizes he’s been answered, though…