[jjsheridan5]

This is big boy politics, not some rebellious teen acting out.

You are right in saying that this is a high-stakes, cut-throat field. But you draw the wrong conclusion. A pledge of support to the GOPe (in any manner -- pledge not to run 3rd party, pledge of future support, etc.) is effectively giving carte blanche to a syndicate that has proven that there is no rule or law that they will not bend or break, in order to bypass the will of their constituents in favor of their big donor masters. Essentially, a pledge, in any form, is a big "kick me" sign, directed at a group (the Republican wing of the DC cartel) who has shown no hesitancy to fight dirty, and shows no willingness to go quietly into the night.

This isn't a "rebellious teen". This is someone who understands high-stakes negotiations better than all of us combined. A pledge, of any kind, is giving away the ace up your sleeve to an opponent who has been blatantly stacking the deck for decades.

[thefactor]

What you say is true, yet it doesn't matter. The Democrats have a solidified base that will vote for them in droves no matter what controversy surrounds their candidate. I'm amazed the previous elections have been as close as they have been.

If we split to a third party it will be a disaster. And to those who say, "I hope Trump goes third party and diverts enough votes so the GOP establishment will see that we mean business!" is the dumbest thing I've heard.

[jpsb]

Trump will be getting something in return.