Posted on 04/03/2016 4:11:35 PM PDT by Steelfish
Trump Tries the Art of Intimidation
by JOHN FUND April 3, 2016
Seven months ago, after he signed a pledge to support whoever won the GOP nomination, Donald Trump said, I see no circumstances under which I would tear up that pledge. That was then. Today we see a different Trump. On Sunday, he told Chris Wallace of Fox News that while he wanted to run as a Republican, he wouldnt rule out an independent or third-party race this fall. Were going to have to see how I was treated, he warned. GOP leaders should have known better than to have taken his pledge seriously.
As the Associated Press pointed out in September 2015, his record on honoring contracts is at best spotty: When lender Boston Safe Deposit & Trust refused to extend the mortgage on his Palm Beach resort, Mar-a-Lago, he ceased making loan payments until the bank capitulated in 1992. In his book The Art of the Comeback, Trump proudly recounts forcing his unpaid lenders to choose between fighting him in bankruptcy court or cutting him an additional $65 million check. Afraid of losing their jobs, the bankers folded, Trump says. (snip)
As Donald Trump piles up more rookie campaign mistakes and his momentum stalls, he is clearly developing a Plan B for the Cleveland convention. Call it The Art of Intimidation.
Republican leaders shouldnt twist convention rules in Cleveland to block Trumps nomination. Nor should they disrespect his voters. But they also should call out the veiled threats from Team Trump for what they are: a form of political blackmail. And no party seeking a mandate to govern should surrender to such lowball tactics
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
On this, I agree with you completely. The only area we may be in disagreement on is what votes we are talking about and when we determine who has the most. To me, delegate votes are what count and we don't know who has the most until they are actually cast. As to who is leading at this time, no one knows for sure who will receive those that are unbound, including those previously bound to candidate who have suspended their campaigns.
My objection is to short circuiting the process. When the delegates actually vote and someone receives the necessary 1237 delegate votes, they will be the nominee, not before. I don't want to see everyone drop out and then the individual prematurely anointed become incapacitated. It is sometime hard to exercise patience, but it is best to allow the process to play out.
But it’s not part of the process for Kasich, who has zero chance of reaching those delegates to stay in. It’s never done that way and they’re just doing it now to stop the frontrunner.
I wouldn’t say that if he had any chance of winning outright as Cruz still does but he doesn’t . Kasich is only trying to rig the game, pure and simple.
Mr. Trump and Senator Cruz have a combined total of over 70 percent of the delegates. If they can't work together to prevent any rule changes that would allow Kasich or anyone else to manipulate the process, neither deserves the nomination. At some point, they are going to have to talk together, not talk about one another. Winning the nomination and loosing the presidency is Dole, McCain, and Romney territory. I hope we don't continue down that path.
Yep. Just wait until the Egress exhibit is done!
My way or the highway, Huh?
Well, don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Kenny the Un-American.
Well then, Bye Bye!
LOL!
You were not the first to suspect such, but probably the first to admit it.
Sure, feel free to quote me, but please be aware that I am totally unqualified to make an authoritative statement regarding anything with respect to this election except with the possible exception that the current Republican Party Washington establishment elite is monumentally stupid, totally self absorbed, totally self serving, totally out of touch with the American people and reality as we know it in general, incompetent, inept and seemingly bent on committing organizational suicide.
But that really is not a controversial assertion, it's more along the lines of a statement of fact.
I hope you got a great education academically. I also hope there is a good moral education that can rise above the constant perjurative attacks an the use of the word “shallow.”
We and just about every other non-politician Pubbie agrees, the current Republican Party Washington establishment elite, like most every other human being, wants to maintain the comfortable status quo.
Change involves an unknown factor, that causes lots of concern for anyone dramatically affected.
Where you and I part ways is with your whole assertion: “Republican Party Washington establishment elite is monumentally stupid, totally self absorbed, totally self serving, totally out of touch with the American people and reality as we know it in general, incompetent, inept and seemingly bent on committing organizational suicide.”
That would require one to believe that those people just stumbled into national office, which they surely did not. They have been re-elected numerous times, which means a majority of voters must see a value in their continuance.
Happy to see you agreeing that none of us, even here at FR, have any hard info and are working off feelings and supposition. As long as our opinions include some rationality, we might offer some influence.
Trump made the pledge to support the Republicans in return for the Republicans stopping their jihad to destroy him in the presidential primaries.
All of the candidates took the pledge. If in Trump’s case it was termination of the “jihad against him”, what was in it for the other candidates? Why did they take the pledge? I thought the candidates gained access to the GOP’S voter data and the assurance that the other candidates will support you if you become the nominee. Am I wrong?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.