Posted on 03/28/2016 9:47:04 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Oh, how cruel the game of politics can be — especially if you don’t have a ground game.
On Sunday night, Donald Trump tweeted, “Just to show you how unfair Republican primary politics can be, I won the State of Louisiana and get less delegates than Cruz — lawsuit coming.”
It’s true: On March 5, Mr. Trump took 41.4 percent of the Louisiana vote compared with Ted Cruz’s 37.8 percent and Marco Rubio’s 11.2 percent. Mr. Trump was awarded 18 delegates, so was Mr. Cruz, and Mr. Rubio got 5 delegates.
So what happened between March 5 and Sunday? Mr. Rubio dropped out, and under Louisiana delegate rules, those pledged to Mr. Rubio became unbound — meaning they were free to choose whatever remaining candidates were left in the race. Looks like they chose Mr. Cruz.
Mr. Cruz knows that in order to secure the number of delegates he needs to take the Republican nomination, he’s going to have to woo over Mr. Rubio’s supporters — and although he’s fallen short of an endorsement from the senator from Florida (as of now), many in the establishment lane are seeing Mr. Cruz as the only way to stop Mr. Trump.
Not to mention the grunt work Mr. Cruz’s team is putting in.
Mr. Cruz’s campaign has worked a state-by-state delegate strategy — both encouraging his supporters to run as delegates and by lobbying them to run and serve on various committees at the Republican National Convention.
As The Wall Street Journal noted last week: “Mr. Cruz’s supporters seized five of Louisiana’s six slots on the three powerful committees that will write the rules and platform at the Republican National Convention and mediate disputes over delegates’ eligibility this summer in Cleveland.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
RE: Technically, the rules change at every convention because each convention votes in a new set of rules.
So, did the Louisiana delegate rules change recently, or were they in place since long before the primaries started?
The delegates are free, personally, to choose who to move to if the person they were elected to vote for withdraws? No need to check with the voters who made them delegates? Are they then bound to #2 or can they change their mind(s) again?
RE: More of the “Most LA voters” didn’t vote for Cruz.
So how do we decide the outcome?
The Louisiana rules are there precisely to decide on such issues.
Otherwise, do you propose a 3 man rematch in Louisiana to see who really would get the most votes without Rubio?
Maybe Trump will sue himself over not understanding the rules.
I can promise, international trade agreements that Trump claims he can master are far more complicated than Louisiana Republican Party rules.
Fair question.
The GOPe always wins, except in November.
And BINGO! The very response I expected, WTF is wrong with you people? Discussion, reasoning and courtesy is right out the window, all you can do is insult and flame, next I expect the childish “they started it” response.
And that is the difference between Trump and Cruz supporters. Most of the Cruz supporters WILL vote for Trump if he is the nominee.
—
This is where you’re missing the boat ..... If Trump is cheated of the nomination by the republican party (like they did to Chris McDaniel in Mississippi), I will not be a part of their shenanigans or corruption.
If Cruz fairly beats Trump, I will support him.
-PJ
BINGO! Right back at ya!
No doubt. But, is it really that he doesn’t understand the rules? Come to think of it, probably not. It’s probably just that, as a fat cat that has always been wealthy, he probably thinks his wealth can or should buy him ‘anything’. And that’s why he has promised such “great deals”. He’ll use America’s cash to make more great deals that end up screwing the little guy (that would be you and me), per usual.
Remember, he donated to and supported the very same elitist leftists that have all but destroyed the middle class and are still working feverishly to do so. He has enabled America’s enemy within with his donations to the pro-big-government leftists. And as president, he will do even more of the same. Count on it.
I will consider anything it takes to bust up the GOPe. The GOPe talks a game but they’re part of the liberal establishment.
The Great Dealmaker just got outfoxed. But I’m sure he’ll do better against Putin and the Chinese.
Political parties are private power brokers. They are corrupt and want only to keep power. The do not have the voters on their radar
Agree. And there are no disclaimers that allow the voters to confirm that II cast my vote for this candidate and clearly understand that the delegates alloted to that candidate may not go to the person with the highest vote total if my candidate later withdraws from the race....
Or smart enough to read the rules, interpret them correctly, then dispatch his operatives to round them up. In other words, a thinker and a leader, not a showman.
Well, electoral rules are electoral rules. They may not be what we want, but there they are. Cruz figured them out, Trump didn’t.
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