Photo/David Dalton
 

As Gov. Rick Snyder picks out his tux for this weekend’s ritzy White
Correspondent’s Dinner and launches his out-of-state promotional tour, the
question on the lips of every Michigan political pundit and analyst is:
What’s
he up to? Could he really be making a run for president?

The conclusion of many is that Snyder is not presidential
material – at least on the campaign trail – and there must be some ulterior
motive. Perhaps he’s angling for a spot as the Republican running mate of the
party’s eventual presidential nominee. Maybe he seeks a Cabinet post if we have
a GOP president elected in 2016.

Or, just maybe One Tough Nerd has devised a plan based on
the Republican National Committee’s obscure Rule No. 40. (More on that later.)

Susan Demas, an MLive columnist, thrashed the idea of
Snyder emerging as a credible contender for the White House.  Here’s a bit of what she wrote on the subject
this week:

“Let’s be honest. Rick Snyder looks
uncomfortable campaigning in his home state and
even against just one opponent, which is why he cleverly launched his
one-man town hall circuit in 2014.

“… I can’t think of a serious presidential rollout
that inspired laughter the way Snyder’s did (besides birther king Donald
Trump). The intro of this story from WDIV —
Detroit’s highest-rated TV newscast — was telling:

“I
have talked to political operatives across the state tonight and the universal
response to this ‘Snyder for president?’ query is, ‘Oh, come on.'”

“By the way, hometown reporters and pundits are the
exact people who tend to overhype a candidate’s presidential chances — it’s a
fun story and everyone wants to play ‘expert’ on national TV. But
that’s not happening here.”

Meanwhile, Dennis Lennox, a GOP political consultant
and a columnist for The (Mount Pleasant) Morning Sun, has a far more intriguing
theory about Snyder’s political calculus.

The governor is appearing at Saturday’s White House
dinner as the guest of billionaire former New York City mayor Michael
Bloomberg. Every presidential candidate these days needs a billionaire to fund
his campaign, Lennox noted in this week’s column.

Next, with 19 Republican candidates already in the
running, Snyder could possibly use Rule 40 in the RNC handbook to become the
kingmaker at the 2016 GOP National Convention, according to Lennox.

Rule
40 states that any candidate for president “shall demonstrate the support of a
majority of the delegates from each of eight or more states” before their name
is presented for nomination at the national convention.

If
Snyder becomes the 20th candidate and the most wide-open nomination
battle in decades unfolds, the type of convention floor fight that hasn’t been
seen in six decades could reemerge in 2016.

U.S.
News and World Report explains it this way:

“The theory: If no one candidate has secured eight states, it invites a free-for-all
without a reason to get out. Conversely, if multiple candidates garner eight
victories and accrue hundreds of delegates, each could claim a right to soldier
on.  For instance, it isn’t inconceivable to think that Gov. Chris
Christie, R-N.J., could dominate the Northeast, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
performing well in the South and Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wisc,, racking up
victories in the Midwest.”

And
Rick Snyder controlling the delegates in Michigan plus a few other states. At
that point he could tip the scales by urging his delegates to vote for his
chosen one on the convention floor. That’s a scenario which could transform Snyder on the national stage into One Smart Nerd.

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