Posted on 04/08/2016 5:34:08 AM PDT by Kaslin
"Donald J. Trump withstood the onslaught of the establishment yet again." That's the first sentence in a Trump campaign statement tweeted out Tuesday night by the Washington Post's Robert Costa. It's also a strange way to respond to a solid defeat, reminiscent of the Monty Python knight who insists he is winning after both his arms are hacked off.
Ted Cruz -- "Lyin' Ted" to the Trump campaign -- won 48 percent of the votes in Wisconsin's Republican primary. Trump won 35 percent. John Kasich got only 14 percent. The delegate count was even more one-sided. Cruz won 36 delegates. Trump won six. Kasich won none.
In the three weeks since March 15, Trump has made little progress in his drive to win the 1,237-delegate majority necessary for the Republican nomination. The Washington Examiner delegate count shows Trump with 743, some 494 delegates shy of 1,237. He needs to win about two-thirds of remaining delegates to get a majority.
The race in Wisconsin shows why that seems increasingly unlikely. One reason is that Trump speaks conservatism as a second language he hasn't bothered to master.
Hence his offhand remark that women who have abortions should be punished -- something advocated by no one on any side of the issue. Hence his blistering attacks on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, whose policies have been supported well nigh universally by Wisconsin Republicans.
In contrast, Ted Cruz showed an ability to adapt to terrain and vary his approach from his usual college-debater style. Appearing with his wife, mother and supporter Carly Fiorina, he spoke of the achievements and tragedies of women in his life. He has learned to leaven his crisp issue stands with an emollient tone reminiscent of Marco Rubio.
Cruz seems unlikely to overcome Trump's lead in New York, where the relatively few registered Republicans seem to lack the social connectedness that helped him pile up huge majorities in the Milwaukee suburbs. But he has demonstrated that his appeal is no longer limited to evangelicals. He may lose to Trump in the Northeast but block him from amassing 1,237 delegates in contests elsewhere.
John Kasich's weak Wisconsin showing may reduce his numbers elsewhere. Or it may indicate that Wisconsin voters wanting to stop Trump were tactically voting for Cruz -- and that anti-Trump voters in affluent Northeastern districts where Kasich outpolls Cruz may flock to Kasich.
Either way makes it harder for Trump to get to 1,237. And even if Kasich and Cruz split the anti-Trump vote in Pennsylvania, that would get him only 17 statewide delegates; the state's other 54 delegates elected by congressional district will be uncommitted.
The Trump campaign's Tuesday night tweet accused Cruz of being a "Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump." The assumption is that the candidate who wins a plurality of delegates is entitled to the nomination even if he falls short of a majority.
Nonsense. The majority requirement is not arbitrary, as Trump has suggested, but a rational means of preventing the nomination of a candidate opposed by a majority of the party. Trump, who has won 37 percent of primary and caucus votes and 31 percent of delegates so far, is such a candidate. His high negatives and poll deficits against Hillary Clinton give Republicans reason to fear disaster if he is nominated.
Democrats have a similar majority rule and for a century, from 1836 to 1932, required a two-thirds supermajority for the nomination, to allow any large faction -- Southern segregationists, big city machine bosses -- a veto over the nomination. The parties' current majority requirements are modest in comparison.
In recent years candidates with plurality wins like Trump's have gained added support because they were widely acceptable. Trump isn't widely acceptable, and he hasn't gained added support. His 35 percent in Wisconsin against two rivals is just slightly above his poll numbers there and is identical to the 35 percent he got in New Hampshire against a dozen opponents in February.
One final note on Wisconsin: Republican turnout was higher than Democratic -- 1.1 million versus 1.0 million. Democratic turnout was not depressed by lack of suspense: Bernie Sanders won with 57 percent, and there was a hotly contested partisan race for state Supreme Court.
Republican turnout also exceeded Democratic in six other general election target states this year. That's a vivid contrast with 2008 and a mildly positive harbinger for Republicans -- if they manage to nominate a candidate without Trump's huge negatives.
>> He hired someone yesterday that he should have hired a year ago <<
I get your point, and I can’t say you’re wrong. In particular, a campaign managed almost entirely by Mr. Trump himself, with the assistance of Ivanka and Hope Hicks, and maybe Corey, would be very unlikely to survive the rigors of a contested convention.
But on the other hand, it’s far from clear that Manafort or another GOP old-timer could have run the kind of media-savvy campaign that Mr. Trump cooked up with the aid of Ivanka, Roger Stone and Hope. This campaign worked out brilliantly for the early primary season, even though something different is now needed. If Mr. Trump had played “by the rules” all along, with the guidance of a Manafort, he might not be where he is today.
Sorry, if sCruz or someone else is the nominee, not Trump, I will stay home. It will not make any difference at that point if Hillary or Cruz or Ryan is POTUS, they are all the same.
The process was only to include NATURAL BORN CITIZENS. Cruz does not qualify and every vote he gets is a vote against the Constitution, so don’t talk about the system working as it was designed to work. That’s an outright lie!
>> The process was only to include NATURAL BORN CITIZENS <<
Thanks for changing the subject. My morning needed a little humor!
Sorry you’re too thick to see the basic rule of the subject.There is nothing funny about it.
“So I guess the Republican Party is supposed to operate like a republic instead of like a democracy.”
*********
Yes. We are a representative republic NOT a democracy. If it were a democracy Al Gore would have been president in 2000. It’s not “who gets closest” it’s who gets to 1237. And I wholeheartedly agree that if neither Trump or Cruz are the candidate then there will be a major issue.
But one of the problems is so many trumpettes saying they’ll never vote for Cruz. Most cruzers I’ve seen or talked to say they’ll hold their nose and vote Trump. I don’t believe Trump is the best choice for POTUS but he’s a better choice than Hildabeast. If trumpettes think she’s better than Ted then I can see why we can’t agree on anything.
This is true. The shtick from donald is getting old
Ryan nominating Cruz supporters need to get up to speed.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/04/07/campaign-ad-new-paul-ryan-video-raises-questions/
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/275496-hatch-potential-for-ryan-to-be-drafted-at-convention
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/05/forget-trump-paul-ryan-is-the-likely-gop-nominee-commentary.html
Many Many more telling you their plan. Whatever deal Cruz made with the GOPe to stay in after losing the south and keep Trump from winning outright apparently did not include Cruz being the Nominee.
Once again it takes 1237 delegates regardless of how you get them, hook or crook.
Cruz or Trump needs to get there some way.
Its called an elective process. Do you think Reagan in 76, Ike in 52 or Lincoln in 1860 should have thrown their hands up at those conventions and said oh well shucks, and rolled over for candidate with the plurality of delegates?
Of course Donald doesn’t want the same rules to apply to him because he’s great!
Now if they change the rules without the support of the Trump and Cruz camps then I will riot along side you!
Actually, that’s from singing ‘Tradition’ and ‘I Wish I Was a Rich Man’ at the Matzoh factory.
The only pleasure I might get out of a President Trump is seeing all of his sycophants stammering “but, but he said he’d build a wall and Mexico would pay for it.”
Trump says what’s good for Trump (when he stops to think about what he’s saying instead of tweeting or re-tweeting garbage). Put him in the WH with the power of the president and watch what happens to his enemies. He’ll be so busy sending the IRS and FBI after them he won’t have time for any of the empty promises he made on the campaign trail. But he’ll be making deals, you bet. With Nancy P and Chuckie Schumer “cause that’s what has to happen to get a deal.” And those nasty Republicans that were “very, very unfair” to him? They’ll be the 1st ones in the box.
Amen........ to your comments.
Note the Paul Ryan internet release last night. @#^#$ this! It is NOT YOUR party, Paul and Reince and Mittens. It is OUR Party.
Ted is the invisible man.
When you consider his qualifications, he fades away.
That’s a damn accurate Magic 8-Ball you got there sport.
And of course your Dominionist King Cruz will get right to work transferring the ‘wealth of the wicked’ to the pockets of the ‘righteous’ should he somehow have his ass miracled into the White House and why wouldn’t he?
He IS “God’s anointed one” isn’t he?
Wellllll isn’t he?
That’s what all the Cruznadians keep telling us, ya know?
Speaking of rules it will be interesting to see what the rules for the 2016 Convention
will look like. 112 delegates meet the week before the convention to develope the
rules for 2016. The rules will come up for adoption and must be voted on by the delegates.
Not sure as to what point in the convention schedule that happens, early on I’d guess.
“And of course your Dominionist King Cruz will get right to work transferring the ‘wealth of the wicked’ to the pockets of the ‘righteous’ should he somehow have his ass miracled into the White House and why wouldn’t he?”
*************
Cruz spent the last 4 years in the Senate doing what he said he’d do and fighting those people he said he’d fight. He isn’t in the habit of “transferring wealth.” That’s YOUR guy and the only one he transfers it to is himself at other people’s expense.
One thing Mr Trump is good at is going back on his word. You can ask his 2 ex-wives about that.
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