Ted Cruz delegate-wrangling operation outclassing Trump

American Thinker ^ | 04/09/2016 | Rick Moran

[SeekAndFind]

Ted Cruz's delegate-hunting operation is running rings around Donald Trump's team, and he's making gains because of it.

In North Dakota last weekend and Colorado this weekend, Cruz's team is out-hustling and outmanuevering Donald Trump, probably picking up a majority of unbound and "uncommitted" delegates in both states.

Fox News:

While Donald Trump still holds the delegate lead in the GOP presidential primary race, his Achilles heel has been a perceived weakness in his ground game. Seeking to capitalize on this, Cruz has outmaneuvered Trump lately in the behind-the-scenes battle for delegates in places that don't assign them through traditional primaries or caucuses. 

Enter states like North Dakota, and now Colorado. 

Both eschewed traditional primary elections and instead held conventions -- where delegates not necessarily bound to any candidate are selected. Cruz saw this as an opportunity anyway to get allies elected to the slate, banking on their support in the event of an open convention. 

The candidate, after picking up more likely delegate allies than Trump in last weekend's North Dakota convention, has been on a roll in Colorado. 

Thirty-four delegates are at stake in the convention process, and the Cruz campaign told Fox News on Friday afternoon it has picked up 15 delegates so far in a series of local GOP meetings. The process culminates Saturday at the state convention where a final 13 delegates will be selected. 

In Colorado, delegates can pledge themselves to a candidate or run unbound. Those who do pledge only do so for the first round of voting at the convention in Cleveland. The Cruz campaign says the pro-Cruz delegates selected so far are a mix of pledged and unbound but say they will back Cruz in Cleveland. 

[AmericanInTokyo]

Because it’s not “cheating”, when the Trump Camp does it. (Old fashioned delegate farming)

[Bellflower]

I guess it all worked out for just hunky dory for Mitt in the end, right?

You are missing the point all together. Try not to be dense.

[tillacum]

Cruz is NOT stupid. He is a revolving door wannabe President. He became a Texas senator gave everyone a bunch of bull, then HURLED himself into the campaign for the presidency. HE IS THAT SMART AND HIS DAD TOLD HIM HE WAS THE ANNOITED ONE. The rules mean nothing when one is annointed. Remember in December 2015 the McConnel PAC was promoting Cruz. It’s on FR. Yep, Cruz is an outsider. Burp

[Pollster1]

OK, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here
Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth
There's the wind-up, and there it is
A line shot up the middle, look at him go
This boy can really fly
He's rounding first and really turning it on now
He's not letting up at all, he's gonna try for second
The ball is bobbled out in the center
And here comes the throw and what a throw
He's gonna slide in head first
Here he comes, he's out
No, wait, safe, safe at second base
This kid really makes things happen out there
Batter steps up to the plate
Here's the pitch, he's going
And what a jump he's got
He's trying for third
Here's the throw
It's in the dirt, safe a third
Holy cow, *******stolen base*******
He's taking a pretty big lead out there
Almost daring them to pick him off
The pitcher glances over, winds-up and it's bunted
Bunted down the third base line
The suicide squeeze is on
Here he comes, squeeze play, it's gonna be close
Here's the throw, here's the play at the plate
Holy cow, I think he's gonna make it

Stop right there
I gotta know right now

____________________________________________________________

Stolen bases, stolen kisses, and stolen delegates. That is how the game is played. Trump needs to play the game by the rules that are in effect. I know: "Rules? In a knife fight?" But those are the rules, and Trump needs to start winning as many delegates as he can and not just winning states. Trump supporters complaining about stolen delegates are like Gore supporters complaining that Al Gore won the popular vote. It doesn't matter. What matters is winning under the rules in effect on game day, and Trump needs to focus more on delegates.

Note: This is not intended to dismiss or criticize Trump. Just the reverse. I want Team Trump to get their act together on this aspect of the primaries.

[AmericanInTokyo]

That which is freely surrendered, cannot be stolen.

[tillacum]

I’m sure are correct. McConnel’s PAC was promoting Cruz in December 2015 when Cruz was pretending to be an “OUTsider”. PHFFT!

[Oliver Boliver Butt]

they attack an old school true Conservative - Manafort

Ha! That's pretty funny. Manafort the true conservative who has worked with those stalwarts of conservatism....Ford, Dole, and the Bushes. I thought associating with the Bushes proved you were a GOPe insider; did that change?

[Defiant]

Class isn't the word to use to describe it.

Sneaky and self-destructive is more like it.

[tillacum]

Are You kidding????? Did you hear him say that???? Can you post a E Tube?

[Neu Pragmatist]

No longer ...Sun Tzu ...

[R_Kangel]

.... Hard to believe that not long from now .... all of this bickering will seem so insignificant .....

[napscoordinator]

You are trashy and no lady. You should be assumed at your fowl talk...ok gutter talk. Disgusting!

[CatDancer]

I posted this on another thread, but the thread was from this morning while I was at the Missouri District caucus:

At my District caucus in Missouri today. I wanted to be sure we had our allotted Trump delegates to go to State next month, and the percentage due him from this district. But it was a sham - the entire slate of 91 delegates and 91 alternates had been chosen by the Party, and we were “blessed” with having all 182 names read to us, with no opportunity to find out who they would vote for on behalf of we, the primary voters, or to challenge anybody. I recognized only two of the names, and one I know is for Cruz. The only thing we (hundreds of people, lots of Trump supporters) were allowed to do was propose amendments to the platform they already had.

Most noticeable there was the dozens of Cruz operatives in their red “Cruz” T-shirts. The small group of Trump supporters I found and sat with were stunned, appalled and furious. We have no idea how many MO delegates for Trump might get out of the State convention in May.

That was my first and last “caucus”. We were only there to be told what the Party already decided.

[tillacum]

How long will he be in the oval office before something better comes up????? He has yet to finish his senatorial obligation to Texans who voted him into office. Remember Cruz is in the senate for the first time. He has YET to finish his first term in the senate. He has been a revolving door lawyer from the time he graduated from law school and served as “sub-lawyer” for SOTUS
Rihnquist. He’s always been a part of DC and Texas government from day one out of law school. He’s a died-in-the wool slick politician.
polician.

[InterceptPoint]

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t the Rules Comittee made up from 2 delegates from each state? It seeme extremely likely to me that if this is the system that Cruz could possibly have more support on that Comittee than Trump. In any case a Trump Majority seem very unlikely.

[jospehm20]

The normal process of winning them is getting enough people to vote for you. Unlikeable Canadian weasels use other means.

[AmericanInTokyo]

There is NO STEALING going on here. Only NO FULL UTILIZATION of the Rules by Team Trump. To their detriment. And they are scurrying with Manafort on the county and state levels now to get in the game that Ted Cruz knows from politics, but that Trump apparently was oblivious to coming from a non political background. SUN TZU said in the Art of War, first one must know the terrain of battle. Can he catch up though?

[tillacum]

niteow177, Cruz has been slick.

[jospehm20]

Cruz was not even in the Senate for a year before he began running for President. I think Obama may have been in the Senate longer before he started running for President than Cruz was.

[DoughtyOne]

AmericansTinker... All GOPe/ All the time!

How did Ted’s ground game in Michigan go?

I guess this rage never heard of it.

Go GOPe/Go Ted /s