Posted on 02/26/2016 11:21:27 AM PST by GOPAreDemProgressives
Conservative donors have engaged a major GOP consulting firm in Florida to research the feasibility of mounting a late, independent run for president amid growing fears that Donald Trump could win the Republican nomination.
A memo prepared for the group zeroes in on ballot access as a looming obstacle for any independent candidate, along with actually identifying a viable, widely known contender and coalescing financial support for that person. The two states with the earliest deadlines for independent candidates, Texas and North Carolina, also have some of the highest hurdles for independents to get on the ballot, according to the research.
All this research has to happen before March 16, when inevitably Trump is the nominee, so that we have a plan in place, a source familiar with the discussions said. March 16 is the day after the GOP primary in Florida, a winner-take-all contest that Marco Rubio supporters have identified as a must-win to stop Trump's early momentum.
Its critical some serious attention is given to this, the source said.
The document, stamped *confidential,* was authored by staff at Data Targeting, a Republican firm based in Gainesville, Fla. The memo notes that *it is possible to mount an independent candidacy but [it] will require immediate action on the part of this core of key funding and strategic players.*
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
I will show up and vote for the Democrat if they pull this.
Rubio is full blown attacking Trump today, they are scared.
the desperation of theses people who would be king maker if they could tells me that we are going in the right direction if we want to get rid of or hamper the crony capitalism of the last 15 years.
You must be a big fan of the Gang of Eight. And of anonymous “donors” controlling the process.
These “donors” are not conservative.
The GOP has been committing slow public suicide for the last 15 years.
You brought this on yourselves.
Now eat it.
L
Democrats have the super delegates to make sure only the ‘right’ candidate gets the nod.
On the Republican side, they are trying out new last ditch method.....
Neither side trusted the regular folks, apparently.
I guess the money has to go somewhere. The message: Send the money to us.
EXACTLY.
“The fix is in; to try to take down Trump with Ruboto or Romney”
My hunch is both, Romney/Rubio.
You got that right.
The GOPe’s will take Hillary over Trump.
I don’t think it’s so much desperation as it is laying down the foundation for negotiating with Trump.
Trump wants to be President. A independent candidacy from the center right (moderate GOP version of Nader in 2000) is a major threat to what Trump wants.
So they throw this out as a possibility, then try to use it as leverage against Trump to gain some concessions. Possibly even selecting Trump’s VP running mate.
Classic carrot and stick, and precisely the sort of situation Trump excels in.
Who are they putting up, L. Graham?
At this point with all the logistics needed to get on the ballot in all 50 states, it really is too late for this option. Anyone heard anything else out of Bloomberg??
So you’ve been over at DU for the last two years until last month???
Huge gap in your posting history, troll.
Go back where you belong. It isn’t here.
For those of you that don’t remember, in 1980 the GOP establishment did almost the same thing when Reagan was nominated.
They backed the campaign of Illinois Republican John Anderson to run as an independent. He ran for president. He got 4% of the vote.
The man the GOP said could never win and would destroy the Republican Party was Ronald Reagan.
He won in a landslide.
I and many others feel like you do. I have voted Republican in every presidential election since 1976. If Mr Trump is the Republican candidate then I will not cast a vote for president in 2016. I am sure many people feel as I do.
If Trump wins, don’t be surprised if he is a one-term President.
Yes, he and Jeb Bush will run together and the two percent they get in some states may make a difference. After that, Jeb will be finished in the party and he can tour in the Ringling Brothers Circus as a clown.
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.