GOP field running out of time to stop Donald Trump

MSNBC ^ | 11 Feb 2016 | Benjy Sarlin

[mandaladon]

Time is running out fast for the “anyone but Trump” wing of the Republican Party.

Donald Trump’s march to the nomination is far from inevitable after a resounding New Hampshire victory, but the state’s failure to whittle down the field to a manageable number is threatening to tip the delegate race in his favor before anyone can stop him.

Unless the field can consolidate behind one or two alternatives in the next few weeks, Republicans warn, the odds of a Trump victory or a brokered convention will increase dramatically.

“I think if Trump is the front-runner on March 15 and there are still 2-3 other candidates in the race, it¹s very difficult,” Katie Packer, who runs the anti-Trump Our Principles PAC, told MSNBC.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and his campaign acknowledged on Thursday that the race might go to the convention floor, with no candidate securing the necessary delegates to clinch the nomination.

“We’re planning for anything,” Rubio told reporters. “We’re ready for that. We’re ready for a long primary process. We’re ready for it to end in a more traditional way. No one can predict this year.”

While there’s no polling of South Carolina since Tuesday’s primary, Trump has led by double-digit margins for months with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz consistently placing a strong second.

Rubio is counting on South Carolina to start his comeback after a devastating fifth-place finish in New Hampshire. But so is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who came in fourth and is touring the state with former President George W. Bush, who won its primary in 2000.

[mandaladon]

The point of no return is most likely the March 15 contest, which includes critical winner-take-all contests in Ohio and Florida. Nearly 60 percent of the delegates will have been awarded at that point, making it hard to catch Trump if he’s amassed a solid lead.

According to Wang’s estimates, the GOP field likely needs to collapse into a three-man race by March 1 and a two-man race by March 15 for anyone to have much chance of beating Trump within an outright delegate majority.------------------------------->Will keep that date in mind

[mandaladon]

Republican donors could try to stymie Trump in the meantime with a major outside spending effort, but there’s little sign that any such campaign is coming or whether it would do any good so long as the field is unresolved. “I told donors for six months ‘spend a few million now, or a few hundred million later,’ but they’re apparently OK with destroying the party, and the country,” Rick Wilson, a Republican strategist whose worked with a pro-Rubio super PAC, told msnbc. “We have had lots of interest [from donors], but the candidates are going to have to step up too,” Packer, the Our Principles PAC strategist, said. Nor is it clear Trump can be slowed that way in the first place. Some Republicans are convinced he’s immune to advertising.----------------------------Trump will prevail!!!

[EXCH54FE]

Time is over and they lost. I just voted for Mr. Trump, early voting here in TN.

[Lurkinanloomin]

The Ministry Of Propaganda and The Cheap Labor Express are beside themselves.

How could this happen?

They’re not listening when we tell them who to vote for and who not to vote for!

[JBW1949]

MSNBC...Now there is an organization that I’d pay attention to...LOL*

[dragnet2]

Should we be listening to honorable trustworthy non-biased networks like Fox, CNN, et al?

[vette6387]

“Katie Packer, who runs the anti-Trump Our Principles PAC,”

This woman is certifiably insane! She has absolutely NO Principles whatasoever! She’s a Romney leftover!

[Grampa Dave]

How Donald Trump broke all the rules, and won anyway at NH!

So Trump and his voters won and broke the rules of the conservative plantation masters by voting for Trump in NH.

It is wonderful to see a long standing corrupt political system disintegrating right before our eyes. A system that hates Americans, rewards illegals and those who bring them into America to freeload.

We are seeing a paradigm shift with us selecting our Presidential Candidate instead of the GOPe and DEMe elites who hate us, selecting our candidates.

There is a Black Swan event occurring with the daily suicidal self wrought destruction of the GOPe, Open Border Thugs, DC faux pundits, Faux News, ABCNNBCBS and the left wing fish wraps. Something similar is happening with the DEMes.

Many of us are looking forward to seeing the broken bones, drying blood and entrails of the Lying GOP Open Borders Elite, their DC faux conservative pundits, their mediots, their phoney pollers and focus groups, their hired tv and radio hacks strewn across the primary states as much as our victories in those states.

We have escaped from their faux conservative plantations, and we are not going back for more lies, abuse and mistreatment from our former GOPe masters.

[JBW1949]

I listen to One America News and NEWSMAX...
Also, use the internet and try to use common sense on what to believe and not believe...

How about you?

[upchuck]

Bump!

[dragnet2]

Just the Internet. TV on very rare occasion for live stuff only.

Even Limbaugh has finally sunk to the level of Fox, et al.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks!

[Grampa Dave]

Same here:

Just the Internet. TV on very rare occasion for live stuff only.

Even Limbaugh has finally sunk to the level of Fox, et al.

I have been Faux free since Trump cancelled the planned lynching, aka Faux debate, with the exception of watching Mgyn’s face when Faux announced that projections showed Trump winning big time when the polls closed at NH.

[dragnet2]

lol..You got it.

[Crucial]

Trump is a fraud. He seems in vague terms and promises the moon. Typical sales tactic of used car salesmen...

[patriot08]

Go Donald Go!!!

[BobL]

“Time is over and they lost. I just voted for Mr. Trump, early voting here in TN.”

They say Texas votes on March 1. Not really - only the procrastinators vote then - the rest of us start voting as early as Tuesday (Feb 16). By the time SC votes, almost half of our votes will have been cast...including mine for Mr. Trump.

[Gator113]

Good.

[Gator113]

I am very close to shutting down our satellite tv and save about $100 a month.

[Varsity Flight]

Shut down over 100 channels on our service yesterday. Saving over $600/yr.

Fraud
“news” channels not working a full week taking off Fridays and the weekends to run pre-recorded repititions. Increasing commercials. Agenda pushing. PC, etc.