Posted on 04/15/2016 6:22:51 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Why are the Trumpists so angry at Cruz? In fact, doesn’t it seem like they are always angry at something or someone? It’s true. It’s either “lyin’ Ted,” the Washington insiders, the press, which is bit surprising considering how much free air time he is given, or whatever. It almost appears Svengali Trump has figured out that he must continually invent new villains to keep his followers amped up. This reminds me a bit of the leaders of the hard left, who must keep some form of “The Man” in perpetuity, holding down the oppressed democrat faithful, who are then told they must “struggle” against.
After Ted’s sweep of Colorado, Trump and his drones began screeching that Cruz has cheated and stole the state’s delegates. Now he is not just lyin’ Ted, but also cheatin’ Ted. As if Cruz and his people snuck in under cover of darkness, swung a gold pocket watch in front of the delegates and told them, “when I snap my fingers you will all commit to me.”
The Trump campaign, such that it is, may not like how Colorado set things up – heck I think it is stupid too, but it’s not the state – it’s the Republican State Committee who set it up and they are perfectly within their rights to do so.
Yet the Colorado rules were set up and publicly available in August, 2015 – 7 months ago – before the Trump campaign took off. In other words, Colorado could not have set up their delegate system as some sort of anti-Trump offensive.
Both the Trump and Cruz campaigns have had 7 months to understand the rules and plan accordingly. The Cruz people, with their demonstrably superior ground game, were obviously prepared – showing forethought, planning and execution, which sure seem like good traits for a president. But it was like The Donald and his rag-tag bunch were blindsided. This should be a lesson to us all. Is this the man we want running the country – one who appears, at least in this arena, to not possess these same traits.
Trump brags about how he’s been intelligent enough to use the country’s bankruptcy laws to his advantage. He also boasts about how he takes advantage of the political system of donations to various candidates in order to purchase influence. He says it’s all perfectly legal, which it is. He understands these systems others have devised and is able to work within them to get things done. Is this not what he claims to have been doing for years? Yet he and his people appear utterly lost regarding the eccentricities of individual State rules.
To me, this is a potentially ominous red flag regarding how Trump may govern. The Constitution is clear as a bell regarding the power of the federal government. Its power is limited to that which is expressed in the document. All other authority is extended to the States and the people. If Trump has ever read the Constitution or the Declaration, which I doubt, he would surely know this. Like elections, 50 States could mean 50 different sets of rules, for virtually everything.
This concept may not sit well with president Trump and his Cabinet full of Lewandowskis. President Trump may not like all that inconsistent individuality. As CEO of Trump Inc., he has probably gotten used to being the end-all decision maker – a top-down authoritarian, if you will. In business, this can work fine, but it is anathema to our nationalist/federalist system of governance, where the president is supposed follow the rules, not make them. It would be a rather radical departure from what he has known and how he has run his company.
This is but one reason a president Trump may be at least as dangerous as a president Clinton.
And we are going to see it again I believe in Wyoming this weekend.
Wyoming is another place, like Colorado, where Trump’s ground game and understanding of the rules in those states, was far behind Cruz.
However...they are relatively small numbers.
The key will be on the 19th in NY and then on the 26th in five other states in the NE, including PA.
If Trump can take all of NY, and then the following week the vast majority of:
Connecticut
Delaware
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
...particularly PA, then he has a very, very good shot of closing this out before the convention...which is what he needs to do.
I expect Cruz, outside of NY on the 19th, is going to continue to accumulate a strong number of delegates...but if Trump can take all of NY (and it looks like he will) then Cruz will no longer have a path to the nomination on the first ballot.
At that point, IMHO, since the GOPe will only try and use Cruz to deny Trump and then discard him (Cruz) in the process, I hope Cruz throws in with Trump.
I say this as a Cruz supporter.
Right now, we need a united party and we need to absolutely ensure that the GOPe does not have a leg to stand on.
That will lead to victory in November.
Cruz can help make that happen by announcing May 1st that he is throwing in with Trump.
>> Having someone so clueless in the WH would be different how? <<
The classic “two wrongs make a right” belief rears it charming head once more, eh?
I’ve been seeing it around here almost daily since last summer, when Mr. Trump made his initial foray into the GOP race. In fact, you can hardly find a Trump-related thread where the old saw doesn’t eventually show up.
I would have thought that Mr. Trump’s supporters would eventually get tired of making such lousy excuses for their man. But apparently not.
Y'know sumpin'?
Presidents don't whine.
Jeff, It will be that or nobody.
If Hillary wins, we all lose.
Amen to that.
If this becomes fact, then thanks to Katy, Michelle Field’s _itch and all the “Establishment” pundits, #NeverTrump, #AnybodyButTrump and the UniParty Establishment, the convention goes contested. Trump will lose as will Cruz (and you are rabid delusional if you think NOT). Instead “The Establishment” will win and everything will remain the same. Congrats, 2ndDV, enjoy not winning.
>> President Trump would have to deal with the GOP <<
Nope, I think he’ll just have Roger Stone and Roger’s Storm Trumpers visit the GOP leaders at their hotel rooms during the convention and later at their homes. Then all those establishment types will come around — or else.
>> Lincoln is still taxing you for the civil war <<
Lincoln was a RINO and a shill for the GOPe.
“Trumpists” Why always with the perjoratives.
He even had a Democrat as his running mate the second time.
>> Some of his followers know he is lying and gladly repeat his lies <<
Don’t know about that, but I saw the other day where one follower was proclaiming that Mr. Trump’s deliberate deceptions in the Colorado matter are proof positive of what a shrewd and wily leader he is. In other words, lying is really terrific and fantastic when Mr. Trump does it.
>> Like no populist has never used this strategy before <<
Yep, come to think of it, I guess it’s always the essence of populist demagoguery throughout history to tell the masses over and over that they are victims — victims of Wall Street, victims of white racists, victims of the international bankers, victims of the gold standard, victims of the railroads, victims of the Jews, victims of the establishment, victims of immigrant and/or black laborers, you name it. If the populist can’t persuade his audience that they are victims of one sort or another, he looses his basic rationale. He has nothing.
I have been here since 2004 and discovered the site because of the "Buckhead/Rather victory", so you do have a point. And we still do have some very good researches here, along with many people with very good insight. I love the website. I am not sure that some of the threads this season have as much effect on public opinion as some might like to think.
Well Cruz’ seeming incomprehension of how to gain the most voters seems to be a big red flag to me.
This delegate nonsense is nonsense, and should not be happening. These elections should be honest and straightforward, Trump’s delegates should represent Trump, Cruz delegates for Cruz, etc. None of this maneuvering and cheating, and disenfranchising of the people who voted. It needs to stop now!
Then it needs reforming. Now, thanks to Donald Trump, we get to see just how rotten, corrupt and, undemocratic (and yes undemocratic is the appropriate word here) this process is.
Hopefully, we will stop listening to these corrupt pundits and we, the people will demand the reformation of this process so that it is simple, straightforward, honest, easy to understand, and will carry out the will of the party membership at the grass roots.
There may be a point where some deal making needs to be made to get to a nomination, but that needs to be done at the convention by the men and women who the strength of the people behind them, who have been given their portions of delegates by the people. What is happening now is evil and is wrong.
I have tried my best to relate my state’s process, and to learn about other states to try to explain how no votes were stolen, nobody cheated. Everybody that wanted to make a little bit more of a commitment could participate and vote.
And it is not just incomprehension of state nominating procedures (they aren’t all primaries), it is incomprehension of our Constitution.
So instead of banging my head against the wall trying to point out this thing or that, I have realized that no matter how much I correct the record it won’t matter. (I’m well past trying to change anybody’s mind).
So in spite of just being a Cruz delegate at my State convention, I will reach out to the Cruz campaign volunteers and see how I can help Cruz in our upcoming Primary. It will be time better spent than constantly trying to get the message across on here.
And again - probably not changing minds, but just getting other Cruz supporters to get out there and vote. The emails and call I got was one motivator for me to go to my neighborhood caucus and participate. And it was almost all Cruz supporters at my district caucus. Those little things make a difference.
“Not all of us are effeminate.
Many of us are voting for some kick ass.”
I suspect what many of you are going to do is put Hillary in power. I think she will kick Trump’s ass, and then will work on destroying America.
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