This Fiasco Will Make 76 seem like a Garden Party
For those not around in 76, the Republican Convention was highly contentious largely because neither Pres Ford, nor Reagan had clinched enough delegates outright to win
There was the typical backbiting and whispering that you'd expect
Reagan's team tried to corner Ford (and alter convention rules) by insisting the convention delegates be able to vote freely on who they preferred, but before they did vote, both men had to declare their choice for VP - Reagan chose a moderate Republican Senator from Pennsylvania Richard Schweiker
It backfired and quite badly as Jesse Helms (yes him) began a movement to draft James Buckley (which failed)
That's pretty much well known.
What is sometimes forgotten are stories like these
While trying to get Republican delegates on board for Ford, some of the undecided (or backers of a different candidate from the primary than either Ford or Reagan) wanted favors; one delegate from NY wanted a federal judge position for his brother. Baker declined and the delegate went into a tirade over the phone
Someone yanked the phone away from the New York delegation and smashed it on the floor which prevented Nelson Rockefeller from being able to communicate with the campaign committee
The floor was crowded and tempers so hot that people didn't stray to far from their state convention area
There was a fist fight between a Ford delegate and a Reagan delegate in the hallway
One Ford delegate broke her leg falling on the stairs, but refused to go to the hospital until the vote was finished for fear the alternate might vote Reagan
