The next president of the United States could well be a republican but it will not be any of the clowns we have been seeing at the republican debates. I believe that none of the current list of candidates will get a majority of the votes but rather it will be split. While Romney may have the most he will not have enough to secure the nomination. The voting process is very complicated. In addition to delegates that are elected via the primary or caucuses, there are delegates that are just important members of the party. I remember the days when political conventions did not have a clear winner going in. The was a lot of arm twisting and back room deals and then someone was nominated from the floor. I could see Christie or someone like that getting the nomination without ever having to have run for the primary. That person would be “drafted” and would say they had no choice. They would also not have the baggage of having run in the primary. I think that person would have an excellent chance of beating Obama unless Obama gets smart and has Hillary run as his VP. The republican convention will be held in Tampa Florida starting on August 27, 2012. The democratic convention is scheduled to be held during the week of September 3, 2012.