Posted on 03/17/2016 9:41:46 AM PDT by GIdget2004
A secretive group of Republican operatives and conservative leaders convened Thursday morning for more than three hours to discuss ways to unite the right against Donald Trump, with a presentation about the feasibility of mounting a third-party challenge as well as extensive deliberations about whether a coalition of anti-Trump forces could prevent the billionaire mogul from securing the party's presidential nomination at the July convention in Cleveland.
"It's certainly not too late," Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said as he left the session. "You could get another party on the ballot. If you did that, you'd need a movement conservative to be the candidate."
"I was just here to listen," Franks, a supporter of Trump rival Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), added. "I am worried about the kind of damage that Trump could cause to our party. You can't trust him and we've got to stop him."
Franks repeatedly declined to name who was floated as a potential standard-bearer for a third-party conservative bid.
A second attendee, requesting anonymity to discuss private conversations, said Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska was one name mentioned as a possible late-entry contender who conservatives could rally around.
A spokesman for Sasse said he did not send a representative to the meeting.
Per three people familiar with the talks, the mood of the room was muted and downbeat. Attendees voiced frustration with the lack of coordination so far and wondered aloud whether Trump could be halted. The third-party scenario drew intense interest, but it also acknowledged that it would be logistically and financially difficult with few major politicians willing for now to agree to take the political risk that such a run would entail.
Instead, a consensus emerged by the end that the best option may be working in upcoming primaries to boost Cruz...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Is this the 12th. Stop Trump meeting the elites have held? Or the 27th.? Or the 53rd.? I’ve lost count.
Trust me Franks when Hillary wins more States and you tell her she is bad for the Country see who buys your argument
Those in Close races better be careful
This is just stupid.
First of al...it is not conservative republicans doing this. It is the GOPe plain and simple.
They may try and adorn themselves with such a label...but that is not what they are.
Second, the people themselves are going to thwart this GOPe attempt, like they have thwarted every other. It is likely (and becomes more and more likely with each such attempt or the rumor of it) that the people will vote Trump in hands down with a majority of the delegates needed.
One good thing is that the covers are being thrown back and in their desperation, these people are revealing themselves for what they are.
The GOPe pouring themselves a suicide cocktail.
Amazing how one single man can cause these hacks to become unhinged.
Irony. The people who are the problem pretending they are the solution.
"Outsider. I do not think that word means what you think it means."
Mr. niteowl77
The 3rd party option isn’t nearly as difficult or costly as it seems. The goal isn’t to get 270 electoral votes. The goal is to stop Trump from getting their. They can do that with as little as 2 or 3 states (even 1 big one). Then Hillary wins.
With enough money they can also try to win some of Hillary’s states and stop her from reaching 270. Then the republican house decides and they aren’t likely to choose Trump
Sasse has been outed by Trump. Send him some tweets of Trump the Viking.
When Donald Trump denounces this "leadership" as stupid, he is also right on the mark. Even where you run into one of them with a normal academic IQ--and a few are certainly even above average--you are dealing with people who have allowed their contextual focus to have been adjusted by those people with unfortunate axes to grind. (Some of those axes are special economic interests; but others are the pursuit of ideological fantasies. None of those interests, however, can be rationally defended against anyone who understands the fuller context of the particular pursuits.
William Flax
They are afraid Trump might stop the invasion of their third world cheap labor & their replacement plan of changing the voter demographics by elimination of the middle class.
We now see the Boston Herald lauding the second coming of Cruz, made over into the ESTABLISHMENT's only recourse to stop Trump.
A seemingly staunch supporter of Constitutional principles and conservatism, Cruz allies with the execrable ESTABLISHMENT that has made a career of lying and stabbing conservatives in the back.
Cruz will do and say anything to win. He will become whatever is necessary to gain power. Over the years, Cruz/s mask slipped every now and then. His true self was exposed and it wasn/t pretty.....and I do mean Glenn Beck.
================================================
CRUZ IS NOT PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL FOR SEVERAL REASONS
<><>The single most disturbing aspect of this guy.....Tuesday night, Cruz acted like he was making a victory speech on a night that proved his campaign is a delusional disaster.
<><> After each significant loss he makes a victory speech.....like HE was the winner.
<><> losing killed off Cruz/s cognitive brain cells.
<><> Wall Street/s ultimate insider couple, Ted and Heidi. A two-fer....like we need a serving of warmed-over Clintons.
<><> And there/s Ted/s top political guru---his Dominionist Dad who preaches that religions belongs in every aspect of govt.
<><> What govt job would Cruz be planning for his Dad in Washington?
Thanks, but no thanks, Ted, go back to your (cough) stellar career in the Senate.
It is not easy. Especially for these inept losers.
” The Establishment couldn’t coordinate a 3 car motorcade “
...Steve Schmidt
Interesting that Cruz’s camp was there.
Americans really don’t like disloyalty.
Think Mitt is going to show his face again this election cycle? Nope.
“Instead, a consensus emerged by the end that the best option may be working in upcoming primaries to boost Cruz...”
Of course, they still hate, the establishment literally hates Cruz more than they hate Trump because Cruz is completely inflexible, whereas they can deal with Trump.
Support Trump or not, you have to hand it to him that he’s exposed just how bad and deep corruption has become in OUR government. A few years ago it was suspected, now it’s blindingly obvious. The cockroaches are under the spotlight blatantly saying to the people, “We do not give a F what you want, and we will fight you every step of the way”. Pure T-R-E-A-S-O-N. They are enemies of the people!
Ah ha ha ha ha..., bwa ha ha ha ha ha...
Conservatives don't conspire to deny a Conservative who has won the nomination fair and square.
And once again for the learning impaired, Trump is driving CONSERVATIVE policy. Deal with it.
Or they don’t vote and House Speaker becomes President.
Paul “Not me” Ryan.
These morons are not only trying to deny the winning candidates the nomination, they are denying the States the right to pick the nominee.
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