Posted on 03/17/2016 6:14:55 AM PDT by Enlightened1
After Super Tuesday 2.0 Donald Trump is on track to secure the Republican nomination.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) would need 87% of remaining primary voters to win the nomination.
It might be time for Ted Cruz to drop out and endorse Donald J. Trump?
The New York Times reported:
Donald J. Trump’s series of victories on Tuesday extended his delegate lead and forced Senator Marco Rubio of Florida out of the presidential race. Mr. Trump’s path to winning enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination is not assured, but he is in a strong position.
Here are some ways the Republican nominating contest could unfold. Try adjusting the sliders to see how the outcomes change. Each line in the chart represents one possible outcome.
If Mr. Trump maintains his current level of support in the remaining races, he would almost certainly secure the nomination.
After Tuesday’s contests, no other candidate retains a real chance of capturing the delegates required to win the nomination outright. Mr. Rubio dropped out, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio is too far behind, and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas would need to win the vast majority of the remaining delegates — a near impossibility.
(Excerpt) Read more at thegatewaypundit.com ...
That makes it much clearer....for those who will not see.
You would think so, huh?
But not for some....it’s just too simple...
Trump has won 2/3rds of the states.
Kasich ....1/27th!
Cruz....he’s won 7 states. 1/4th.
Trump...2/3rds of the states...Cruz 1/4th.
Plus Trump has 1,300,000 more votes than Cruz.
So even though Cruz could very well get more delegates going into the Convention than Trump, you’d really prefer that he drop out so that it won’t be contested.
Yea, I think I understand your point very well.
So I guess you’d agree that if he starts pulling ahead of Trump, then Trump should drop out for the same reason?
“Trump’s SCOTUS picks will depend on whatever mood he happens to be in that day.”
But I think that people should listen to what people who know Trump have said - like Dr. Carson and Rudy Guiliani (the latter of whom isn’t my favorite pol by a long shot, but he’s honest). He is certainly and obviously very bombastic, very aggressive, prone to exaggeration, etc. - IN PUBLIC. However, behind closed doors he is a very smart guy, willing to listen to all points of view, and not so bombastic, etc.
But let’s say that you don’t believe those people, that you’re still skeptical about him. OK, fine. In that case, I would ask you to consider how a guy could start with a $1 million loan as a 22-year-old kid in 1968 (from his father), and turn it into a well over a billion dollars before his father died in the late 1990s (when, of course, he inherited a lot of assets) if he was incredibly moody and unpredictable. It simply couldn’t be the case - oh, maybe it’d work for a few deals, but not consistently. He would necessarily have to be a smart guy, someone who learned to follow the advice of people expert in areas that he wasn’t, someone who was very disciplined and logical. There is really no other way that this guy would be so wealthy - look beyond the show (because a lot of politics IS entertainment, especially getting your name in the public eye) and look at the substance.
There’s more to Trump than meets the eye. This “ogre,” just like Shreck, is complex and has many layers, like an onion.
That all is true... that he’s quite successful in the business world... but the world of governance is a whole different animal. IF he gets there.. and that’s a big IF...he will find he can’t summarily fire people who don’t do his bidding on demand. I’m not convinced he understands the constitutional co-equal status of the three branches of government.
Very true... in a formerly crowded field in which Rubio, who pulled more than 3 million votes himself is no longer in the mix. Trump had Rubio's presence on the ballot to thank for his wins in Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina.
And don/t think keeping Rubio in did not cross the minds of the Trump team strategists.
Letting ol’ Maple Leaf Teddy win a few inconsequential states was also a good idea.
Yes, I'm... sure you're right./s
If there’s only 2 names on the first ballot (nobody else having gotten 8 states), why would there be a second ballot? Does the exact wording of the rules require an majority of votes (ignoring disqualified “none of the above” votes), or a vote count equal to a majority of delegates regardless of how many cast a valid vote?
I’ll repeat myself:
“If you actually tried to understand what I (and others, including the author of this article) are saying, you’d understand that Cruz CANNOT win...and by his own standards (which he has applied to Rubio and Kasich), he ought to exit gracefully and allow the Party unify behind one person. He could even cut a nice deal for himself if he does that in the relatively near future.”
Yes, exactly. You finally got it - I want to beat the Dems, and I don’t give a rat’s ass who does it. ALL of the Republicans in the race would’ve been better than ANY of the Dems. Realistically, however, we’re between Trump and Cruz (and Cruz is right about Kasich, he should drop out). But Cruz is right at the cusp of not being able to win on the first ballot, based on sheer mathematics. He’s so close, in fact, that there is no realistic path to doing so even now, even if it is theoretically possible. So he should drop...and if Trump doesn’t get any delegates before NY, then HE should drop in favor of Cruz (but, again realistically, that isn’t going to happen).
It’s truely not happening for Ted, so unless he wants to sabotage for Hillary and the GOPe it would be best to suspend.
I think that he understands it - or that he’ll be made to understand it by his advisers and allies.
Of course, Obama has largely ignored the other 2 branches...but I’d really love to have him be the last President who does so.
You didn/t enjoy seeing ol' Teddy riding around victoriously in his Mounty uniform?
Ted didn’t get any the last round and there is no way he won’t lose other states with zero delegates, so it’s over unless he wants to be a shill for the GOPe or Hillary.
It’s gone on a while, the writing is on the wall, so we know what time it is?
Ah... I’ll have to pull up one of my fav Trump photo fakes. Stay tuned.
Pissed? we already have Cruz working 2x time to parachute in on the third ballot regardless of who wins the primaries.
Remember some delegates are bound BEYOND just the first and second votes.
We ALSO have perfectionists who are delusional and on the cusp of losing their pundit jobs. (easy money for pontificating)
The horror of the donor class: voters voting might actually have an effect!
Maybe Trump will make him AG, or nominate him to the Court to replace Scalia (now THAT would be quite an honor).
I don't see it happening. Trump is a loose cannon -- nobody really knows what he'll do as President, probably not even Trump himself. I don't see Cruz tying himself someone that risky.
If Cruz doesn't get the nomination, I'd rather he stay right where he is, hopefully holding Trump's feet to the fire anytime Trump starts waffling on some of his foundational claims that got people interested in him in the first place. Trump does not have a great history of following through on his promises, and Cruz is one of the few people who will call him on that sort of thing.
I think Cruz is holding on, to increase his bargaining power at the convention. BTW, Rubio and Jeb are also holding on to their bargaining chips. They have ‘suspended’ their campaigns, but have not declared themselves ‘out’ of the race - which would release their delegates from their pledge on the first vote.
So, everybody who has delegates wants to arrive at the convention with something to trade. And the swap meet will begin - VP slots, cabinet nominations, etc.
Now I am of the opinion (and Cruz probably is too deep down, even if he can’t accept it now) that if Trump arrives at the convention with a significant lead in delegates, and a lead in the number of states ‘won’, he should be the nominee. From a strategic point of view, moral point of view, no matter how you slice it, if Trump is leading big, he should be the nominee. And, Trump is a deal maker - no doubt he’s going to try and play Cruz and Kasich against each other.
BTW, I’ve used the SCOTUS appointments to justify voting for Romney, McCain, Dole, etc - so I understand the logic. But - I do not expect to be completely happy with anyone Trump would nominate. Yes it would be better than HRC’s, but I have no illusion that Trump’s would be the next Scalia.
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.