[Wally_Kalbacken]

A candidate who runs for the nomination of a political party has a responsibility to know the rules of the party. The GOP is an incorporated organization, subject to its own internal rules and bylaws. Which are widely published, and fairly easy to understand. Some are fixed, some, like the convention rules, are dynamic. If a candidate does not understand the rules they can hire advisors who do. Or they can remain ignorant. But they cannot make up their own rules (like "I win the nomination if I have less than the required number of delegates on the first ballot".) Does not work that way.

If Trump is the nominee, the GOP is dead because of the down-ballot damage his enormous loss would cause. If he bolts the party and attempts a 3rd party challenge in the general election, I think there is at least a chance the GOP holds the House, which probably would not be true if he is the nominee. Look to the GHW Bush-Clinton-Perot election in 1992. Clinton won with ~43% of the vote. I think that kind of split would be possible with a Clinton-Cruz-Trump split, and I think Trump would end up in the Perot position. But that offers a better chance for control of the White House, or failing that, retention of at least one house of Congress than with Trump as nominee.

[MaxFlint]

A candidate who runs for the nomination of a political party has a responsibility to know the rules of the party. The GOP is an incorporated organization, subject to its own internal rules and bylaws. Which are widely published, and fairly easy to understand. Some are fixed, some, like the convention rules, are dynamic. If a candidate does not understand the rules they can hire advisors who do. Or they can remain ignorant. But they cannot make up their own rules (like "I win the nomination if I have less than the required number of delegates on the first ballot".) Does not work that way.

I understand this line of reasoning. I really do. But it won't help. If the GOPe selects a Ryan or Romney at the convention every Trump and Cruz voter will believe in their gut, regardless of your logic, that they were cheated. Their hatred and bitterness will... trump... any eat your peas grow up and take it like a man spin you put on it. Millions will leave politics forever, shrinking the GOP base permanently.

If anyone here has the ears of the GOPe puppet masters they need to do some polling. Trump's way is the only way forward. There is no new winning coalition but the Trump coalition. Attempting to resuscitate the Moral Majority or Compassionate Neoconservatism won't work. The K-Street globalists have a statistically zero constituency among actual voters. Nationalism works. Voters love it. It can bring good paying middle class jobs back without makework government spending.

Immigrants vote Democrat. That's true for every major immigrant group except Cubans. Trump's strategy is so obvious only a GOP consultant could fail to endorse it.

Play by your rules and Hillary is president, she rams through amnesty, appoints social justice warrior judges and the entire Bill of Rights - not just the Second Amendment - is dead in eight years time. Is that what you party firsters want?

I would hope no one on FR does... but sometimes I wonder. There were McCain supporters here...