Posted on 04/02/2016 1:29:04 PM PDT by BlackFemaleArmyColonel
The Republican establishment breathed a huge sigh of relief last fall when GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump signed a loyalty pledge binding him to endorse the GOP nominee, whomever it is, and precluding a third-party run. At the time, a close associate said the candidate felt he’d been “treated fairly” by the party, which had been Trump’s stated criterion for deciding to sign the pledge.
A lot of things have changed since then — including both the relationship between Trump and the party and the candidate’s commitment to the pledge, apparently. As the New York Post reports, the GOP frontrunner is leaving the door open for a third-party bid, should he not walk away from the party convention as the nominee.
Donald Trump is refusing to rule out a third-party bid for The White House.
During a Fox News interview airing Sunday, Trump said he would prefer to run on the Republican line, but left himself the option for an independent bid should the party reject him at the July national convention in Cleveland.
“I want to run as a Republican. I will beat Hillary Clinton,” he told Fox’s Chris Wallace, in an excerpt released Friday.
When pressed on a potential third-party candidacy, Trump added: “I’m gonna have to see how I was treated [before making a decision]. It’s very simple.”
A third-party run by anyone has the potential to dramatically alter the general election outcome — and by someone with as much staunch support behind him as Donald Trump, it’s pretty much unchartered territory.
Rivals Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich both were also noncommittal recently about supporting the Republican nominee, regardless of who it ends up being, when asked by Anderson Cooper during a recent CNN town hall.
(Excerpt) Read more at allenbwest.com ...
Cruz folks can’t see beyond their own personal desire to see their guy “win”. They don’t even realize what a pawn Cruz is in this game. Not completely their fault as they are deceived every day by talk radio/Fox/pulpit, etc.
what hurdle? come om man.
I’m voting for him in NY, but let’s call it what it is, certain victory for what’s looking more and more like Bernie.
it is what it is. vote your conscience. but don’t deceive yourself about the outcome.
If Cruz has ~ 80+ % as many delegates as Trump, I would consider him.
If he is 500 behind, forget about it.
Write in or go third party with Trump. Many will do it. Millions in fact.
Sure. The rest of the politicians do it daily. What’s your problem? Just wake up, Rumpelstilskin?
How is that possibly good?
There is no way Trump as a third party candidate can beat Hillary...
I'm not sure he can beat her as the GOP nominee...
I was like, Man Up, Blondie, "don't pretend you're a manly man then start whining like a girly girl".
Then, in the time since then, we've gotten to see the kind of no-holds-barred, underhanded, darkly conspiratorial bullshit that our "party leaders" are willing to stoop to in order to tilt the table against him.
It's enough to make me say "screw this political stuff" and go live off the grid. Unlike ANY of these bastards, I'll keep my promise to vote for whoever the "republicans" nominate, but I'm not sure I'll be able to look at myself in the mirror afterwards.
“The GOP has already done more than enough to guarantee I will not be voting for anyone but Trump.”
Right. This is all GOPe’s fault. Romney in particular.
They should have circled the wagons around Trump, advised him and encouraged.
If all 17 candidates started trying to get 1237 delegates that they were lead to believe needed and only Trump and Cruz got that far. It is BS to say that ain’t so now.
Yeah sure. After he mutually agreed on a pledge, the GOP sends out Romney on a totally disgusting assassination attempt, tells Rubio to go kamikaze, forges an unholy alliance with Cruz, and uses every media source they control and influence to destroy Trump and negate the will of the voters.
If you think those were all random acts not initiated by the GOP, you’re a fool.
So sure Trump and all of us should just bend over and take it because “it’s a deal”
No way.
Don’t these sore-loser states understand that the constitutionally undefined presidential nomination conventions blatantly ignore the Constitution’s process for “nominating” a president?
”Article II, Section 1, Clause 2: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.…
12th Amendment: The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; ..."
“Then, in the time since then, we’ve gotten to see the kind of no-holds-barred, underhanded, darkly conspiratorial bullshit that our “party leaders” are willing to stoop to in order to tilt the table against him.”
Well put.
Simply by encouraging a contested convention, the GOPe are ensuring a loss in November.
Complete incompetence or evil...take your pick.
Most states no longer tally write in votes.
According to a link above that I just reposted only four states would allow Trump to register again as an independent.
Same here! If he gets the 1237 delegates and he’s not the nominee, I will never forgive the Republican Party.
They will lose the General in a landslide if they do this.
I hope he has at least 1400 delegates going into the Convention.
I’ll simply write him in.
If the FRESH FACE is the very well-adujusted, handomse GAY man Paul Ryan, I will do so with very greedy RELISH.
I think it’s evil, not incompetence. They do not care if Hillary wins, in fact I’m thinking that was their plan all along. The Bushes and Clinton’s are tight.
3rd party and I’m in!
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