Posted on 05/11/2016 10:29:20 AM PDT by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
Strong-arming techniques?
Cruz has no right to change the state of Wisconsin’s party rules. Those delegates have no obligation to vote for a suspended candidate beyond this:
Note: WISCONSIN PARTY RULES- Adopted 2015.
National Convention Delegates are bound by the results of the primary unless either released by the candidate or the candidate fails to receive at least 1/3 of the total votes cast in any vote for nomination. [Article X Sections 3. and 4.]
No effect on Trumps nomination. None, Nada, zippo.
They all should go to Trump for sure, but we’ll see.
It depends on how suicidal the GOPe/RNC is.
(2) For any manner of binding or allocating delegates under these rules, if a delegate (i) casts a vote for a presidential candidate at the national convention inconsistent with the delegate’s obligation under state law or state party rule, (ii) nominates or demonstrates support under Rule No. 40 for a presidential candidate other than the one to whom the delegate is bound or allocated under state law or state party rule, or (iii) fails in some other way to carry out the delegate’s affirmative duty under state law or state party rule to cast a vote at the national convention for a particular presidential candidate, the delegate shall be deemed to have concurrently resigned as a delegate and the delegate’s improper vote or nomination shall be null and void. Thereafter the secretary of the convention shall record the delegate’s vote or nomination in accordance with the delegate’s obligation under state law or state party rule. This subsection does not apply to delegates who are bound to a candidate who has withdrawn his or her candidacy, suspended or terminated his or her campaign, or publicly released his or her delegates.
This subsection is about enforcing state binding rules. It says at the top that a delegate who does not vote as the state directed them to will be discharged, and their vote will be recorded as the state initially directed.
Then it says that the subsection does not apply to delegates whose candidate suspended their campaign, meaning they will NOT be penalized for unbound voting.
Since Cruz, Kasich, Rubio, et. al., suspended, this rule says that the penalty no longer applies. If the penalty no longer applies, then delegates bound to them are free to vote for any candidate in nomination without penalty.
The dropouts, by rule, no longer control their bound delegates. Their delegates cannot be punished for voting for Trump.
-PJ
It’s moot now. Trump will have a majority on the first ballot.
It looks like Trump will gather ~ 1500 delegates after the remaining primary states vote. Way more than needed to secure the Republican Party nomination on the first vote.
The question of where the other than Trump delegates go is moot. Their first round votes will not make a difference to the convention outcome as far as the nominee is concerned.
To speculate on their utility beyond being on the losing side of the nomination is an exercise in futility. Better to contemplate your naval.
The physical bodies will go to the convention. Depending on what happens between now and the convention, the actual delegates will draft the party platform either to their liking independent of Trump, or to accommodate the Presidential nominee. Since none of them are bound on a VP vote, there is the possibility of the convention choosing the VP nominee instead of following the recommendation of the Presidential nominee.
While these are possibilities, I doubt it. The strong victories of Trump following Wisconsin, making Indiana do or die for Cruz, and then his big victory in Indiana, have given Trump abut ten weeks to focus on party unity and winning the general election.
At this point: Trump needs the infrastructure and ground troops of the Republican Party. Also, the money. Trump cannot and will not even try to self-fund the general election campaign. The Republican Party needs the persona and following of Trump. Not only to win the Presidency, but to retain and perhaps even expand on our majorities in Congress and our positions in many state governments.
At some point, people are going to realize Trump is not a professional politician. So, he doesn’t always calibrate what he says. He’s spontaneous. He thinks out loud. He plays with his audience. Trump is open to correction (which is not the same as ‘admitting mistakes’). He is also deliberately outrageous, since he is by nature a deal-maker and expects to compromise.
Together, the old-fashioned conservatives and the new-style Trump conservatives have an opportunity to chart the course of the Republican Party. So, I think Trump will nominate somebody the conservatives will like, for VP. And, I think Trump will basically embrace the Republican platform with modifications reflecting his priorities, and the members of the platform committee will make these modifications.
The moderates like Kasich will either accommodate themselves to this reality or back Hillary. Actually, Trump is himself a social moderate, so don’t be too surprised if only a few moderates jump ship.
As to those who, in the end, jump ship, maybe there are some prissy conservatives who object to Trump’s bigger than life persona and his antics. But, if Trump is going to nominate judges who will uphold our Constitution, what’s a few vulgar reflexes? I think, when all is said and done, the few who will jump ship will be the neo-cons who think the purpose of the US is to be the world’s policeman and get into as many wars as possible. They will be the ones who will go with Hillary Clinton and a continuation of the neo-con agenda.
quick solution: State party will refuse ticket placement to any candidate for any subsequent race if that candidate refuses to file a sworn statement of withdrawal upon 'suspension' of their current campaign.
Those were the rules of the State GOP — not Cruz. Cruz had nothing to do with it. Candidates for delegate positions circulated their resumes and gave their speeches at District Caucuses. Then they were elected by other members of the GOP. All fair and square. The only ones elected were those who had pledged. Pure and simple.
Now that Cruz has suspended his campaign, I don’t know whether they are released, or not. I imagine they will vote for him at least on the 1st ballot.
Don’t look for skulduggery where there is none. Don’t forget that Cruz won an overwhelming victory here in the Primary. Then, delegate election came afterwards.
unless there are still some Cruz delegates still suffering from serious butthurt.
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