So much for proper procedure

28 August 2008, 0221 EDT

Nancy Pelosi — “Permanent Chair of the Convention,” whatever that title means — called for a motion to suspend the rules so that the convention could approve Joe Biden as the party’s Vice-Presidential candidate by acclimation. The motion was moved and seconded, and then approved; I didn’t hear any opposition when she called for “no” votes. So the motion passed, and Pelosi then announced that Biden had been nominated by acclimation. Strictly speaking, that’s not true: all that was approved was the suspension of the rules. Procedurally speaking, there should then have been a motion to approve Biden by acclimation. There wasn’t.

Apparently, the logic of theatrics took precedence over the logic of Robert’s Rules.