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Donald Trump in Driver's Seat on Way to Presidential Nomination
weeklystandard.com ^ | February 10 | FRED BARNES

Posted on 02/10/2016 5:38:36 AM PST by Helicondelta

Donald Trump got everything he wanted in New Hampshire primary--and a whole lot more. He's not only a stronger frontrunner in the Republican race than ever; he's now in the driver's seat on the road to the presidential nomination.

Trump is dominant. Here are a few examples:

Every Republican candidate who finished first and second in Iowa and New Hampshire has won the presidential nomination. Having done so, Trump is now in a class with Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, George W. Bush, and Mitt Romney. John McCain was a partial exception in 2000, having basically skipped Iowa and then won in New Hampshire. And it doesn't matter where the first and second place finishes occurred. Reagan was second in Iowa in 1980, then won New Hampshire. Dole won Iowa in 1996 and settled for second to Pat Buchanan in New Hampshire.

That New Hampshire failed to force all the marginal candidates out of the race is a boon for Trump. There's still no single "establishment" candidate to oppose him. There are three, maybe four, and they're fighting each other, not Trump. This is important. If Jeb Bush is still running when the Florida primary occurs on March 15, he'll split the establishment vote with Marco Rubio. And Trump will win Florida. A similar situation will exist in Ohio if Kasich, the state's governor, hangs around. Kasich and Rubio and maybe Bush will form a circular firing squad. Should Trump win both states, the race is over.

Trump was zinged after Iowa because his vote was less than polls had forecast. But in New Hampshire, the opposite happened. The RealClear average of New Hampshire polls pegged Trump at 29.5 percent. He got better than 34 percent of the actual vote.

(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...


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1 posted on 02/10/2016 5:38:36 AM PST by Helicondelta
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To: Jane Long

ping


2 posted on 02/10/2016 5:41:39 AM PST by monkapotamus
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To: Helicondelta

Mayhaps pundits are now figuring out just what side of the bread their future butter may be on.


3 posted on 02/10/2016 5:41:57 AM PST by Gaffer
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To: Helicondelta

I want the FBI to be diligent in their investigations into all possible conspiracies to commit voter and election fraud before there is any smoking gun.


4 posted on 02/10/2016 5:42:33 AM PST by equaviator (There's nothing like the universe to bring you down to earth.)
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To: Helicondelta

Looks like America wants to hire Trump, all others can go home.

I can picture the Statue of Liberty, she says to Trump, You’re hired!


5 posted on 02/10/2016 5:44:24 AM PST by Daniel Ramsey (You don't have to like Trump, his enemies certainly don't.)
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To: Daniel Ramsey

agree


6 posted on 02/10/2016 5:45:24 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: Helicondelta
What help Trump more than his win is how other lost. If Rubio would have done well in the “establishment lane” this would have been a three person race. Now it is clearly for the next few weeks Trump, Cruz and Bush/Rubio/Kasich. Establishment may not get off the ground at this rate.
7 posted on 02/10/2016 5:50:00 AM PST by 11th Commandment ("THOSE WHO TIRE LOSE")
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To: knarf

Let’s not believe our own BS. I want Trump but a lot of republicans on that list of past nominees - lost.

And when they won we had less millions of illegals and Muslims than the current disgrace has let in here, and socialism and communism had not been fully mainstreamed.


8 posted on 02/10/2016 5:50:40 AM PST by Williams (Dear God, please save us from the Democrats. And the Republicans.)
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To: Helicondelta

It must be humiliating for Weekly Standard publisher Bill Kristol to have to put this out after Kristol famously opined last week Trump would finish 3rd in NH.

Now the neo-cons are admitting what the rest of us have known since last summer: Trump will be the nominee. I can’t imagine what it cost poor Fred Barnes to come to terms with reality.

The Weekly Standard crowd really wanted Marco Rubio but he crashed and burned in New Hampshire. There’s no one obvious for them to rally around and Trump is not their favorite.


9 posted on 02/10/2016 5:54:23 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: Helicondelta

Some of the high-IQ, well-educated people in my social media networks are saying how “unimaginably bad” Trump is. (To their credit, they say the same about Sanders.)

This EQUALLY well-educated, high-IQ person supports Trump! The difference is that I am an Orthodox Christian, and refuse to vote for an anti-Serb, anti-Russian candidate who is a thrall of the banksters.

Since going to war with Russia is suicide, I’ll bet that some of my colleagues will soon figure out that Trump is the ONLY goos choice, no matter how “culturally incorrect” he is!!!! Then there are other issues, like the barbarian invasions we are being subjected to, and the true nature of political islam.

GO, TRUMP!!!!


10 posted on 02/10/2016 5:54:44 AM PST by Honorary Serb (Kosovo is Serbia! Free Srpska! Abolish ICTY!)
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To: Williams

“I want Trump but a lot of republicans on that list of past nominees - lost.”
_______________________________________________

Every one of those losers was an establishment nominee with very little cross party appeal.

Trump is entirely different. He’s not as conservative, granted, but he’s right on the biggest threat facing us - muslims and illegal immigration.

I’ll gladly trade perfect conservatism for an electable nominee who recognizes our top priority.


11 posted on 02/10/2016 5:55:06 AM PST by ConservativeWarrior (Fall down 7 times, stand up 8. - Japanese proverb)
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To: Helicondelta

It’s nice to see the Weekly Standard has moved on to the acceptance phase in their grief. LOL


12 posted on 02/10/2016 5:57:22 AM PST by 20yearsofinternet
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To: Helicondelta

I always liked Fred, not surprised that he’s smelling the roses first out of that bunch.


13 posted on 02/10/2016 6:01:16 AM PST by BobL (Who cares? He's going to build a wall and stop this invasion.)
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To: Gaffer
Mayhaps pundits are now figuring out just what side of the bread their future butter may be on.

Fred Barnes is far too old to worry about that game anymore.

14 posted on 02/10/2016 6:14:38 AM PST by montag813
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To: Helicondelta

from the article:

Given the headwind he faced, Rubio did well to wind up fifth in New Hampshire.

-Just silly !


15 posted on 02/10/2016 6:16:01 AM PST by Baldwin77 (Christians want their RAINBOW back. I'm offended the gays use a Biblical icon as their flag.)
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To: montag813

If he’s too old to worry about it, why does he have his own company and brand? I don’t believe that for a minute.


16 posted on 02/10/2016 6:17:05 AM PST by Gaffer
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To: Helicondelta

As to Jeb! thinking New Hampshire “reset the race”: how pathetic is he that he’s got to have mommy campaign for him. No teen running for student council president would be caught dead having mommy give speeches. Just Pathetic.


17 posted on 02/10/2016 6:42:36 AM PST by captain_dave
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To: Helicondelta

What I seen in last night victory to Trump and all of us supporters was very blaring...Sanders....

We have to make sure that Trump is the Victor for the Republican Party to take Sanders out...it shocked me with Sanders last night with his ‘fund’ raising speech, I haven’t had the desire to listen to him before, what the ‘snowflakes’ see in him is everything is ‘free’ and that is what the colleges are teaching them...

We cannot ever let this socialist or communist rule this Great Nation, so we need to make sure that Trump continues on in the war to get him in the Oval Office...

Hillary is done for, whether she will ever be charged with any crime is a mystery, but we need to get rid of the Clintons and keep them away from our Government...


18 posted on 02/10/2016 6:43:49 AM PST by HarleyLady27 ("The Force Awakens"!!! TRUMP;TRUMP;TRUMP;TRUMP!!! 100%)
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To: Baldwin77
There's a faction of the electorate that didn't trust/like Clinton because he was a 60's pretty boy that could talk, and our suspicions were proven relatively true

Rubio hasn't a chance with us

19 posted on 02/10/2016 6:47:24 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: Gaffer

Fred is starting to realize that Trump Haters, who pose as writers and pundits will not have much of an audience willing to read or listen to them.

We will Macy them big time between now and the November election.

Then when Trump becomes president in 2017, these pundits owned and controlled by the GOPe open border thugs will be totally irrelevant.


20 posted on 02/10/2016 7:00:39 AM PST by Grampa Dave (Delegate count to date: Trump 18, Cruz 10, Rubot 9, Kasich 4, Carson 3, Yebe 3, Fior 1)
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