Posted on 03/03/2016 7:31:57 AM PST by Kaslin
I could vote for Ted Cruz in the California primary, I realized as I learned the senator from Texas won not only his home state on Super Tuesday but also Oklahoma. Cruz also beat Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses and claimed the top spot in the Alaska caucuses Tuesday.
OK, so maybe I've scolded Cruz for leading the GOP House into a box canyon in his doomed effort to defund Obamacare. And I may have called him a snake a time or two. There's something about the way he talks that gets on my nerves. I believe that Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida would have a much better chance of winning in November than Cruz. Likewise Ohio Gov. John Kasich. But the most important thing now is to deny Trump the nomination, and Cruz has won the second-most delegates so far.
The Washington Post's Dan Balz figures the GOP has two weeks to stop Trump. If he's right, then there may not be time to wait for Rubio or Kasich to catch fire. If all three R's stay in the race, the only other means to beat Trump would be to deny him the needed 1,237 delegates -- in which case Cleveland convention delegates would choose the nominee. (In 1976, Ronald Reagan supporters tried -- but failed -- to bump out front-runner Gerald Ford with a convention vote.) The surest way to dump Trump is with a rival who wins more delegates than The Donald.
Supporting Cruz won't be easy for many insiders. Not a single fellow GOP senator has endorsed Cruz. His kamikaze tactics have alienated many professional Repubs. Cruz himself has admitted he's not the candidate you'd choose to kick back with to share some brews. But he hasn't lumped undocumented Mexican immigrants into the "drug dealer, rapist" category as has Trump. He hasn't called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States a la Trump. His language isn't calibrated to insult women as is Trump's.
I don't think Trump's views are winning votes; it is that he started off as a celebrity. Being famous gave the reality TV star access to priceless free media airtime. He used it to make statements so outrageous that he dominated the following news cycle. Breathless TV pundits then marveled at Trump's genius for getting away with crude, childish remarks. Because (sarcasm alert) that's never happened before with a celebrity.
Trump also has won the most states and delegates thanks to a crowded field, which helped him despite polls showing that most Republican voters don't want Trump. Maybe Trump would win in November. Or maybe, as Cruz spokesman Ron Nehring wrote in an email, "Donald Trump as the nominee gives you President Hillary Clinton, a Democratic Senate, and a Supreme Court that's lost for a generation."
If I were voting March 15 and saw a path to Rubio's winning Florida, I'd vote for Marco. Outside that sliver of light, the smart Republican has to look at Cruz. As Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told CBS News on Tuesday, "Ted Cruz is not my favorite by any means ... but we may be in a position where we have to rally around Ted Cruz as the only way to stop Donald Trump." A small number of Republicans have announced they would not vote for Trump in a Trump-Clinton contest. If Cruz were to win the GOP primary, they might not like voting for the senator, but who said you're supposed to like voting?
‘Cruz/Rubes are lowlife race-baiters and should be disavowed by every Christian and well meaning person. If you have any morals, any hint of humanity left you should turn your back on them.’
It’s only wrong when the GOPe does it to McDaniel in Mississippi. When they do it to Trump, it’s justified. /s
I rather hope he says that he did not seek their endorsement, nor have they endorsed him, however, this is a free country and no one has the right to tell any group who they may or may not vote for. That would include white supremists, black lives matter, black panthers, westboro Baptists, etc.
Cruz has been the first choice for conservatives who understand him; and also understand Trump.
Cruz’ word is his bond; Trump, not so much.
Cruz will never abandon his principles which means he will never receive the support of the GOPe because many of his principles are the exact opposite of what they want.
And with all respect to Cruz supporters, if you think he would go along to get along with the GOPe just to win the nomination, you don’t know him very well. And I say this as a Trump supporter who has always considered Cruz my #2 choice.
The GOPe has no easy way out of this - they are either with the front-runner Trump or they are with the Democrats.
The delegate is bound by convention rules for the term determined by the rules. He or she can’t vote independently — it is discernible.
I agree, the GOPe won’t give up the feeding trough easily. They will work against both Cruz and Trump. When Rubio doesn’t win Florida, they may well try to foist a different GOPe candidate on us. Paul Ryan, who gave Zero his budget, sounds about right. That would be the end of the GOP.
“Cruz will never abandon his principles”
“There have been multiple media reports about Donald’s business dealings with the mob, with the mafia,” “ “Maybe his tax returns show that those business dealings are a lot more extensive than reported. We don’t know.” Ted Cruz
“Really sad,” “you’re better than this. We should all agree, racism is wrong, KKK is abhorrent.”
“We cannot be a party that nominates someone who refuses to condemn white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan.”- Ted Cruz
The delegates are bound for some number of votes, but I think we’re speculating on the unlikely assumption that no candidate wins on the first ballot.
Trump voters my be loyal and anti-establishment, but are Trump delegates?
Not true. Polls show Cruz defeating the shrew and Trump losing to her. Cruz would decimate her in a debate with intellectual superiority. I don't think Trump could handle the shrew and would come off looking bad.
You raise an interesting question. As a pure hypothetical, I would love to see an open convention, for reasons that have nothing to do with this year. When's the last time we had one? I think our politics were healthier back in the day. Let's go 102 ballots and see what happens.
I don't think it's at all likely, but if it does happen, what would an unbound Convention do? Suppose a clear majority of the delegates made it clear that they would NOT nominate Trump. (A majority of Republicans continue to vote for someone else, and a lot of them by now are for anybody but Trump.) One possibility, probably the likelihood, is that Trump would stomp off and run as an independent. The other is that the Trumpsters, once they toweled off from peeing themselves, would sit down and deal. Things would be pretty fractious. Could anyone unify the party? Assuming that Trump would come in with a plurality and by far the angriest group of supporters, he could probably name the unity candidate if he is willing to play ball. So the question becomes, can Trump put the country ahead of himself, who would he support as a consensus choice, and what conditions would be attached.
The choice could even be someone who was not in this year's race, or who got out early. (And no, I don't mean George Pataki.) Is there a governor or senator of unifying appeal who is unmarked by this year's infighting. Or even a major figure from outside politics? I can't think of a non-political figure who might do the trick, but that is my inadequacy; I'm sure there must be someone out there.
Conventions used to be like this routinely. It would be fascinating to do it again. We might even get away with it politically. It would be a riveting and highly dramatic story for the news media, and whoever emerged will presumably be running against America's least-trusted public figure, someone who the public knows should be under indictment, etc.
The reality is that the primary process is almost certain to produce a winner, so the above is a parlor game. But it's fun to think about. I've never been convinced that the modern primary system is necessarily the best way to choose a nominee.
<< As a Cruz supporter, I see their one goal is now stopping the nomination of Trump on the First ballot but never letting Cruz have enough for it either. Then with an open convention, they want a Ryan or some other stupid dark horse.. They won’t be satisfied with anything other than their toy car back and back bench status. >>
EXACTLY! Everything from here forward, including Romney’s little lecture to the peons, is designed to create strife and animosity between you and me, a trump supporter. As long as the GOPe can keep us fighting each other, they can install their Chosen One at the convention. Trump problem solved. Cruz problem solved.
So what do we the masses out here do about this? I’ve never felt so powerless in all my... Well... Since Orin Hatch and Trent Lott were running things.
Which is their POINT, no doubt.
I know your candidate is a Democrat so it’s easy to be confused.
Chicago 1968 was a Democrat Convention.
Perhaps, Mr. Trump would be a better candidate than Hillary for the Democrats.
After all... he is 0-3 in primary states where they aren’t allowed to choose our nominee.
I think 1948 was the last GOP ‘open’ convention.
The last winning nominee from an open convention was Franklin Roosevelt.
There will be no open convention. If a candidate doesn’t have enough delegates, that will be known long before the convention opens. The convention rules committee would then propose appropriate changes (subject to whole convention approval) to assure a first ballot winner.
Think about the logistics of an extended convention. Hotel and travel chaos, media coverage chaos, livelihoods put on hold, etc. Any deals will be done before the first ballot for the nominee.
She forgets to say this call was for a temporary halt until we knew just who was already here and just who was applying for entrance; in other words simple common sense.
The Dems seem to have a hard enough time getting folks to turn out for Hillary or Burney.
It’s difficult to believe they are turning out significant numbers for an Op Chaos operation.
Cruz/Rubes are lowlife race-baiters and should be disavowed by every Christian and well meaning person.
We live in a democratic republic- You are acting as bad as Romney. Intelligent people who have studied the issues and choose to vote for another Republican —it’s their right. Save your words for Hitlary or Romney, the fool.
It’s just low information Democrats showing up for Trump. It’s not coordinated, it’s just that Trump shares their values.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
