Posted on 04/08/2016 7:17:17 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Via Breitbart, the key bit below starts at 6:30. When he says “set the country on fire,” does he mean people literally setting things on fire in rage over how much they hate a Trump/Cruz ticket? Because I can sort of see that. Trump’s numbers are flaming garbage, as you know, but check out Cruz’s numbers from the same poll:
What should we call that? Smoldering garbage? I’m a Cruz backer but I’m also under no illusion about how popular he is and isn’t among the general electorate. (Although the AP data here is from a poll of adults, not likely voters, please note.) Unlike Trump, he really would have a chance against Hillary this fall, but only because her own numbers are a smoking dumpster — and even then, he’ll have trouble flipping any of Obama’s blue states in 2012 to red. There is no ticket involving Trump or Cruz, let alone both of them, that sets the country on fire. There’s a ticket involving Cruz and someone not named Trump that might eke out a close victory if they catch some breaks. That’s your best-case scenario.
Buchanan’s logic here, if there’s any logic behind this, presumably is that a Trump/Cruz ticket would give the party its best chance at unity against Clinton this fall by reconciling embittered Trump fans and embittered Cruz fans. It would, for sure, eliminate the risk of a major third-party effort from one side or the other. But so what? What’s the prize for bringing the party together only to lose with 45 percent of the vote in a two-way race instead of with 37 percent in a three-way one? Trump/Cruz still leaves you saddled with all of Trump’s negatives at the top of the ticket, with all but the most hardcore Cruz-fan conservatives deeply disaffected with the direction of the party. It’s one thing for Trump to win the nomination by piling up votes in the primaries, it’s another thing for him to coopt the party’s leading conservative lights by bringing them onto his team to serve his agenda. Many Cruz fans would be enraged at him, I’m sure, for tossing his principles aside to join Trump, especially after Trump’s boorish nastiness towards Heidi Cruz. There’d still be a #NeverTrump movement, albeit a bit smaller than it is now as some strong Cruz supporters would eventually decide to suck it up and back Trump. How does all of this add up to setting the country on fire? Which swing voters, among whom Trump is toxic right now, are thinking, “No way will I support that buffoon — unless he puts Ted Cruz on the ticket, in which case ‘game on'”?
Buchanan does make one good point, though. If we go to a brokered convention, which seems likely, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Cruz agrees to accept the VP slot. Trump will lead on the first ballot; if he doesn’t clinch there, a bunch of votes will shift to Cruz on the second. If Cruz doesn’t lead on that one, he almost certainly will when more delegates become unbound on the third. Once he takes the lead, what incentive does he have to accept the number-two slot? You’d need to see some delegates shift back to Trump on the fourth ballot or fifth ballot, I think, and then have them end up in a protracted stalemate. In that case, Cruz might eventually cave and agree to be VP. (If only because, once there’s a stalemate, the odds of a dark-horse nominee will rise and Cruz will risk being left with nothing.) So long as Cruz maintains a lead among the delegates, though, he has no reason to bow to any other prospective nominee. If you want a Trump/Cruz ticket, it needs to happen with Trump winning on the first ballot.
Exit question: If you’re saddled with Trump as nominee, wouldn’t one of your top priorities for VP be finding someone who’s exceptionally personally likable, whom voters trust instinctively? They could look at the veep and tell themselves that if that person trusts Trump to run the country, maybe he’s worth taking a chance on. Ted Cruz has many good qualities. Being exceptionally likable isn’t one of them.
Update: Glenn Beck’s head writer chimes in:
Not only would I not vote for Trump/Cruz ticket, I wouldn't vote for Cruz/Trump. Taking Trump would convince me I'm wrong about Cruz.
— STU BURGUIERE (@WorldOfStu) April 7, 2016
If Cruz wins on the third ballot Trump supporters will stay home. And I’ve been a Cruz supporter (though now I flip flop about once every thirty minutes).
If Martinez got begged by enough of the Establishment (and the line of beggars would be miles long), I suspect she'd do it. Maybe
Both of those guys could really use a female VP.
When asked “who is the better political analyst and commentator, Pat Buchanan or Glenn Beck?”
truth_seeker replies: “Buchanan, of course.”
Yeah, he needed to thank Trump for insulting his wife.
If it was unconstitutional, they were all morons for passing a law that contradicted the Constitution they'd just ratified. If it wasn't unconstitutional, then you're wrong.
I go with you being wrong rather than all of them being morons.
There was a time Beck was very good.
Over the last few years, however, he’s become totally divorced from reality.
WTH are you talking about.
Anyone who hangs their hat on what Stu the clown or Stabby has to offer, is not fit to vote imho.
Buchanan often gets it wrong.
Trump and Cruz supporters are largely from different crowds.
A Trump-Cruz ticket would unite the base AND bring voters out to the polls in November.
The November election will be about voter participation.
There is no enthusiasm behind the Democrat ticket.
Both Trump and Cruz have enthusiastic supporters.
Good Hunting... from Varmint Al
Classic Establishment fear talk. Blah blah blah
Very impressive! However....
“What difference – at this point, what difference does it make?” HRC
I thought she was a bit low on energy lately, until I heard her speak before the Arizona primary. She was on fire.
So, I changed my mind.
Martinez, of course, is Hispanic.
But New Mexico has very few delegates. Arizona has 11. Ohio, 18.
I think Trump carries Florida on his own. He doesn’t need a Bush or Rubio. He trounced them in what is his second home state.
Kasich would carry Ohio, but I think Kasich would fight the nominee the entire way. He’s really cantankerous. Plus, there’s the 2 old white guys problem.
So, a female. I know others will disagree with these, but I’d take: Brewer, Martinez, Condi Rice, Star Parker, Tennessee’s Blackburn, South Carolina’s Haley, etc.
I’d even consider Christi Todd Whitman, but I’d have to hold my nose on that one.
Pocahontas would be ideal. But she’s a bit old.
Yeah, will never happen. They each have too much ego.
And then when they start insulting each other’s wives....FUGHEDABBOUDIT!!
Not to mention Trump still maintains that Cruz is not eligible.
Trump and Cruz need to unite somehow. But Trump has the upper hand, though not full defeat.
Trump should promise Cruz something for his full support, even hire him as an advisor, even secretly promise a SCOTUS nomination - this would prevent the eGOP picking someone else and destroying themselves.
Then tap Martinez for VP.
Do anything to keep Hillary from winning.
According to Rience, the Convention just might be choosing the VP as well as the pres. nominee.....Might not be the Pres nominee’s choice, as usual.
I don’t think that hitler and bernie would survive their first term! Age and health are going full speed against them. lol
..just like that other great political alliance: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams—some things just do not and cannot work—the two factions hate each other...
I agree, though I suspect you're right in thinking that others will be outraged at the lack of "purity".
But the bottom line is that we have to win, or none of this matters. The only one I'd be hesitant about is Condi, simply because it will let the Democrats keep playing the Bush card. Those who object to adding "RINO's" or GOP-E need to realize that as nasty as Hillary is, the addition of a Cory Booker or Julian Castro is going to help her image a lot.
This election is very unusual because the nominees are both likely to have high negatives, so selection of VP may be much more important than in past elections.
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