Jeb would like you to know that if you can come up with another $150 million, he'll take another whack at it if he can clear his schedule.
Posted on 05/05/2016 11:41:16 AM PDT by Peter ODonnell
This sudden and orchestrated list of events -- Cruz drops out, Kasich drops out, Romney not to attend GOP Convention, Bush family not to attend -- and others beyond -- suggests to this observer that the other shoe is about to drop.
We must be careful at Free Republic to realize that a prevailing mood here is not necessarily an indication of a strong prevailing mood elsewhere in American political culture. It might be at best what one third of one half are thinking, in other words, what one-sixth of the voters accept to be orthodox self-evident truth.
The fact that you and I believe something does not make it true or even feasible that many of the other five-sixths of the political spectrum accept or believe it.
So it would not surprise me, and it should not surprise you, if the following scenario or something like it unfolds.
First, the Republican Party will announce that the Cleveland convention is no longer happening. They will say that they accept the nomination of Donald Trump to run as president is inevitable but that he cannot have the endorsement of the Republican Party. That would no doubt lead to numerous large legal battles fought mainly at the state level. But as a political fait accompli, if the party mechanism does not move into the convention centre, then it is basically de facto a Donald Trump Independent for President convention with whatever supporters of his decide to show up. What they do and decide will then determine how the Trump campaign proceeds although if any wind of this reaches the Trump forces before mid- to late May, clearly there are legal problems they need to investigate on a number of levels.
One of those will be, how does Donald Trump get his name on ballots? How is he to be styled on the ballots?
Meanwhile, I would expect the Republican Party to announce a new and different convention location, wherein delegates appointed by a process that they fully control would choose a nominee. That person would then go onto the ballot as the Republican depending on the outcome of any legal challenges brought by Donald Trump.
One really has to wonder if, confronted with this situation, Donald Trump would want to go before the voters as a Republican anyway.
This process would create more or less the same dynamics as the 1992 election. There would be a maverick iconoclast (like Perot), a relatively unpopular Republican establishment candidate, and a Clinton. But of course, not the charismatic and seductive one, but the old one with baggage and huge question marks (in the 20-20 hindsight that we all have, of course, the first one had those same attributes, except not so many people knew).
So would that be a cakewalk for Hillary Clinton? Probably not. Both of her opponents would easily be able to rebut her assertions that the Republican process was anti-democratic. Bernie Sanders proves that point, more people are actually voting for him than for Hillary in most states so far. But he has no path to the nomination either.
Do you folks think this could happen? I think the tells are pretty obvious. Or will the party go through the motions of lukewarm support but spring a third option after the convention on the grounds that Trump is trailing badly in the polls? (if that happens)
Of course, one thing would forestall all of this -- Ted Cruz as running mate. There's no way the GOP would roll the dice against 70% of the primary voters, they might try it against 45%.
This is just my opinion. I have no insider knowledge.
(cue the History Channel bad hair pictures)
Sudden? Cruz stayed in long after he was viable and even long after he was mathematically eliminated. Nothing sudden about it.
Wrong—the GOP will rally behind Trump. No third Party stab in the back for the Republican Party. The GOP must not break apart.
[holds breath, steps back quietly, leaves and shuts the door]
That’s it!!!
Trump’s evil plan all along.
First Trump makes everyone else drop out, and then Trump drops out!!!
NO CONVENTION!!!
Healthy paranoia is fine, but no, that scenario isn’t going to happen.
Could a retard like Romney launch a 3rd party bid? Sure.
Trump will be the Republican nominee.
Bad idea. That would start the revolution.
Do you accept that Cruz lost? Do you support the presumptive nominee Trump?
Based on the prior three paragraphs, nothing is surprising to you.
The GOP will do whatever it needs to do for self preservation. Doing anything drastic is too risky for them. They will support Trump in public but they will probably be helping Hillary in the background...feed her information or tips etc.
Uh ... Canadian dude ... These convention things are decided a long time in advance. Cities vie for them for their economic benefits, especially in times like these.
Somehow, I don't think the Republican party wants to anger the entire city of Cleveland for this nutty little scenario of yours.
Don't quit your day job.
Great minds think alike.
No offense, but this is quite silly.
Nobody has dropped out yet. As far as I know the have all suspended their bids to run. This because of some legal rules about donations. So they all can restart the runs for president.
Jeb would like you to know that if you can come up with another $150 million, he'll take another whack at it if he can clear his schedule.
Trump needs Ohio. Any Republcan needs Ohio. You pull the convention out of there, a Republican will never again win Ohio.
Hillary will have no choice but to select Sanders as her running mate, in order to capture his voters. Tough times for Trump at that point.
That’s ‘Area 51’, not 57.
LOL
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