Posted on 03/04/2016 1:03:57 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The results of last night's Super Tuesday primary elections would have, in a normal Republican Primary cycle, made Donald Trump the presumptive Republican nominee for President and most certainly driven the also-rans, Dr. Ben Carson and Ohio Governor John Kasich from the race.
But in case you hadn't noticed, this isn't a normal Republican Primary election cycle.
Normally in Republican politics the stronger a candidate for the nomination gets the more the self-interested powerbrokers in the professional political class come around to supporting him.
However, this year the GOP appears to be fracturing into three segments: the "vote for Trump to bulldoze DC" segment, the establishment "#NeverTrump" segment, and the limited government constitutional conservative Ted Cruz segment.
On the surface these three segments of the GOP appear to be irreconcilable, and strictly on the basis of style and personality they might very well be irreconcilable.
And so far, the "bulldoze DC" segment is winning most, but not all, of the primaries and has accumulated the most delegates, putting Donald Trump on a steady path to a majority of delegates and the Republican nomination for President.
This record of winning - in a normal year - would tend to bring the Party insiders around to accepting the leading candidate and uniting the Party.
Except this year the more Trump wins, the more the Party establishment has become opposed to him and afraid of where his bombastic unfiltered, and often ill-considered, policy pronouncements will lead the country.
Washington, like Wall Street, hates uncertainty and due to his many flip-flops, changes of heart and broken deals, Donald Trump is the very embodiment of political uncertainty.
Grassroots conservative voters also hate uncertainty, but of a different sort. They hate the uncertainty of voting for an allegedly conservative candidate only to discover that when the candidate is elected he does exactly the opposite of what he promised to do during the campaign; like Marco Rubio did on amnesty for illegal aliens, spending and supporting the Obama - Hillary Clinton disasters in the Middle East.
Much as the Republican establishment would like to present Senator Marco Rubio as a viable alternative to Donald Trump his candidacy is a non-starter for a huge percentage of grassroots conservatives who are simply not going to vote for a candidate who has the same position on amnesty for illegal aliens that Hillary Clinton has and wholeheartedly supported Obama's failed policies in the Middle East.
On the basis of style and personality there's no reconciling these three segments of the Republican Party, but on the basis of substance - that is what comes after the election - there is one candidate who can unite all three segments of this cycle's Republican electorate and that's Ted Cruz.
What's more, not only does Senator Cruz have a record of going head-to-head with Donald Trump and winning, he does it by appealing to the same voters that might otherwise vote for Trump, and together their segments make up a solid majority of the Republican base.
We contrast that to the policies of the outspoken #NeverTrump billionaires and millionaires now backing Marco Rubio whose views on amnesty for illegal aliens, same-sex marriage and the cultural issues represent a tiny RINO minority in the Republican electorate.
Were Cruz to drop out and leave the field to Marco Rubio polls suggest few of his votes would actually go to Rubio - they'd go to Trump or be off the table entirely as cultural conservatives found it impossible to hold their noses and vote for a candidate whose lifestyle has strayed so far from the principles of Biblical living.
While it is true that many Republican Party insiders have expressed a personal antipathy for Senator Ted Cruz it is because he has embarrassed them by holding their feet to the fire to actually produce on their campaign promises, and deep down inside they've got to realize that if they'd listened and done what Cruz wanted Donald Trump wouldn't be running away with the Republican nomination for President.
Even South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham who backed Jeb Bush after his own campaign fizzled and once joked about killing Ted Cruz said last night, "we may be in a position where we have to rally around Ted Cruz as the only way to stop Trump."
Senator Graham is starting to get the picture on how the numbers are adding-up in this year's Republican primary cycle and he knows that while Donald Trump's sins, political and otherwise, are many (see CHQ Chairman Richard A. Viguerie's columns "Hide the Women and Children: What A Vote For Donald Trump Really Means" and "Trump's New York Values: The Poster Boy For Debasing American Culture" and Florida Family Action's two-minute video for a partial list) Ted Cruz's only political sin is demanding that his Republican colleagues in the Washington fulfill their campaign promises and actually fight for the principles espoused by the Republican Party Platform.
Cruz can’t win? They said the same about Reagan. I see Ted Cruz as another Ronaldo Magnus, an opportunity of a lifetime. We should unite behind the true conservative, Ted Cruz, and I assure you that he will win and go on to be a great president.
-Frank (Navy vet)
Pretty rediculous comments the Trumpets keep making. Must be the only things they can come up with.
Neither.
How cool is it though that Trump gave money to Reagan!
And Jimmy Carter?
Trump is not beholden to anyone!
Cruz won’t negotiate with those powers, he cannot answer a question ever, he does not have a military based stategic plan or a backup, no flexibility.
In summary he will react in a bad fashion like a spoiled child, if a kid throws a rock at him he would grab daddies gun and shoot back.
Its saber rattling for attention from these countries, they just want to push and expand, you have to be a flexible thinker, Ted isn’t. Just like Trump said last night about being committed to a set course, well Cruz is like the captain of the Titanic, set a course and the hell with ice bergs.
Trump will settle the sabre rattling in an easy save your face manner, and without ratcheting it up.
Yes, we all get it. Cruz is the true social conservative. No one denies that. It isn’t selling. Few think social conservatism is the solution to our present danger.
And as a former submarine officer, I find his talk about CINC condescending. He knows nothing about it because he never ran anything more than his mouth.
That. Is what bothers me. Trump talks about getting great generals and supporting them. Cruz talks about how great he is going to be commanding his new toy. It is frightening.
Cruz is fixed, and predictable. Reminds me of WW2 and Rommell.
Don't consider the Republican Establishment to be stupid. They are not. The Republican Establishment is corrupt.
They know their role is to maintain the PRETENSE of opposing the Democrat (really the Globalist) agenda, while not actually beating them on anything really important to the Globalists.
The Republican Establishment would prefer to lose the White House, than be put into the position of actually having to deliver what they have promised to the American people.
Describe Don Trump’s military experience to me.
Cruz is a condescending jerk towards the military. It is a toy. Trump treats it with respect and makes clear it is a last resort, not a first one. Lots of folks talk about taking the war to Putin. Trump has the sagacity treat him with firm ness but respect.
Logic matters not.
No they wouldn't.
They would have destroyed him months ago. He would only be a distant memory by now.
Cruz owes his current political standing all to Trump.
Cruz isn't tough enough to take 10% of what Trump has and will take.
The civil case about Trump’s school is still in court and not decided on, yet. So saying he “scammed” people is another Cruz lie, at this point. Cruz lies a lot.
e all know Cruz is the most conservative of the lot but if Trump were not there taking the flack, the multi-headed enemy would be about destroying Cruz.
No they wouldn’t.
They would have destroyed him months ago. He would only be a distant memory by now.
____________________________________
Yes, you are right. My analysis was less than precise. At whatever point Trump would be out of the mix, all incoming would be immediately shift to Cruz. He would find himself out of money very fast and that would be the end of it.
The problem with Cruz, with all the Pub candidates except Trump, is that they are getting their money from rich donors who will expect to influence policy in return.
All new presidents begin immediately to campaign for the next election. That campaigning requires money, lots of it. A President Cruz, Rubio, or Kasich will have to satisfy their major donors if they expect more money.
This puts the rich donor class right back in the Presidential driver’s seat, molding policy to their satisfaction, & not necessarily to the satisfaction of the people who elected them.
If Cruz had refused all big donors & focused on a grass roots campaign, I would be backing him now. As it is, Cruz is owned just as all the others are, with the exception of Trump.
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.