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Republicans Think They’ll Outfox Trump? Think Again
The Daily Beast ^ | 04/18/2016 | Adam Goodman

Posted on 04/18/2016 2:48:49 PM PDT by MaxistheBest

If there’s one thing Trump knows better than just about anybody, it’s how to make a deal. It’s a skill that’ll come in handy in Cleveland.

As pundits and political prophets focus on deciphering the vagaries of “delegate math” leading into July’s Republican convention in Cleveland—how many delegates do you need, how do you secure them, how do you keep them—stories abound about how the party establishment is plotting to deny Donald Trump the nomination.

The prevailing theory is that the grand poobahs of party discipline will pursue a three-step strategy. First, they’ll use Ted Cruz as their Trojan horse to ensure Trump falls short of the 1,237 delegates needed on the first ballot. Then they’ll pivot to stop Cruz from emerging on the second and third ballots. And finally, they’ll implant their own choice as the consensus unifier—John Kasich or Marco Rubio or Scott Walker, now that Paul Ryan has demurred.

There’s just one little problem with this scenario: Donald Trump gets it. He knows the cabal is laying in wait to use the soon-to-be-infamous rule 40(b)—a nominee must have the majority of voting delegates in at least eight states—to validate the coup despite 16 million voters who by then would have pulled the Trump lever over the others.

(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 2016election; 2016gopprimary; election; election2016; gope; lyinted; newyork; trump
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To: Nervous Tick

Cruz is a Dead Ender. So are you.

You will come to realize that soon enough.

Cruz’s poll numbers are dropping like a rock after his Voterless
wins in WY and CO.

Trump will continue to hammer the GOP rigged system.
There are a lot more and I mean a lot more Americans that believe
him than fools like you who don’t.


21 posted on 04/18/2016 3:13:34 PM PDT by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small pittance)
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To: Nervous Tick

“Cruz is poised to win all the marbles on Ballot #2.”

Cruz can’t be stupid enough to think that he is more acceptable to the gope than Trump is.


22 posted on 04/18/2016 3:15:03 PM PDT by babygene (Make America Great Again)
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To: 4rcane

>> Its not an easy task

700 is your number; therefore you can use it in your prognostications. My mileage may vary.

But I think I’ll wait until the convention to see how many delegates separate the two leaders.


23 posted on 04/18/2016 3:15:59 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (There is no "allah" but satan, and mohammed was his demon-possessed tool.)
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To: kik5150

Trump is such a genius deal maker yet can’t even figure out the primary system


Oh, I think he’s got the rnc number on rigging the primary system. Now, he’s just exposing their fraud for all the world to see.


24 posted on 04/18/2016 3:17:49 PM PDT by magglepuss
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To: tennmountainman

>> Cruz is a Dead Ender. So are you.

Thank you for that articulate, well-reasoned discussion.

When all else fails, ad hominem is such an effective persuasive technique.

I am beginning to believe all those polls that show Trump winning big among the less intellectually capable.


25 posted on 04/18/2016 3:18:01 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (There is no "allah" but satan, and mohammed was his demon-possessed tool.)
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To: MaxistheBest

Trump goes into a contested convention with a gun to the head of the Republican party establishment while they taunt him to pull the trigger. What we see on display is exactly why we have lost so many times. The GOP leadership are idiots. They have disdain for their base, they don’t believe in truly limited government nor do they display the will to go head to head against the msm and the Democrats.

Trump if nothing else has been an extraordinary revealer. We’ve gotten to see the true faces of those who run the GOP. I’ve always suspected that there was an enemy within the party because every time there has been big wins based on principle and bold enthusiasm of the base the GOP rather than capitalizing on that enthusiasm always goes into immediate retreat. They did it with Reagan, they did after the Gingrich revolution, they did it after the Tea Party revolution. Rather than embracing populist movements in their favor they instead found every way possible to disengage and undermine them. This is a very REAL problem. We have two parties. A Democrat party that goes all out for what it believes win or lose and the Republican party which is afraid of its own shadow and refuses to play the true counterpoint to the Democratic radicalism.

All one has to do is look at the degree to which both Trump and Cruz have been attacked at one time or another both in more vicious ways than the GOP has ever attacked Democrats. Just wait till Trump really starts going after Hillary. I guarantee we will see Republicans defending her “honor”. It will be a disgusting display but it will indeed happen because we have people who would rather have Hillary than actually have Washington DC take a turn away from the internationalism and centralized power to a more traditional America-centric populism.


26 posted on 04/18/2016 3:18:10 PM PDT by Maelstorm (Free is just another word for someone else has to pay.)
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To: babygene

It’s a free country. Examine the evidence and believe what you want.

I will choose to do the same.


27 posted on 04/18/2016 3:19:59 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (There is no "allah" but satan, and mohammed was his demon-possessed tool.)
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To: Mollypitcher1
Yup. AND everybody seems to forget that Trump is making his deal with the AMERICAN people. Remember us?

Establishment 'pubs keep telling us that we have to show up in person if we want to have any say in delegate selection. Perhaps we should all show up in Cleveland if they have any chances at success stealing the nomination.

28 posted on 04/18/2016 3:20:59 PM PDT by grania
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To: kik5150

“If Trump’s IQ matches his verbal skills it is about 85.”

Hmm. Yeah. Just curious... how many billions have YOU made?

Thought so.


29 posted on 04/18/2016 3:22:19 PM PDT by Pravious
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To: Nervous Tick

Trump will have an easier task than Cruz. If Trump is short, he will probably need to convince under 100, while Cruz need to convince 700 or 500 (whatever number you think Cruz end up needing). Not all Trump delegates are going to be Cruz delegates moles you know, if you think you could rely on that


30 posted on 04/18/2016 3:23:11 PM PDT by 4rcane
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To: CA Conservative

Sounds like a pretty stupid rule to me.
“You won my state, but now you gotta get me to sign a statement of support, watta ya gonna do if I don’t”.


31 posted on 04/18/2016 3:25:56 PM PDT by 5th MEB (Progressives in the open; --- FIRE FOR EFFECT!!)
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To: tennmountainman
"Cruz is a Dead Ender. So are you. You will come to realize that soon enough."

I voted for him in the primary here in MI and regret it. I followed Buckley's rule and a young wise sage that said do nothing in anger. Well now I am pissed because he is behaving like a weasel and I have had enough. What is worse, he'd be good VP material with this legal background and frankly it will be a miracle if Donald offered it too him because the way he has been behaving he has screwed the pooch. IMHO his career is more done than Rubio's.

32 posted on 04/18/2016 3:26:12 PM PDT by taildragger (Not my Monkey, not my Circus...)
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To: 4rcane

>> Trump will have an easier task than Cruz.

Trump will, at least, have a lower numerical bar to clear. That looks fairly certain at this point.

>> Not all Trump delegates are going to be Cruz delegates moles you know

Granted.

It will no doubt be an interesting, even exciting, convention, if trump goes in with less than a majority. I may even watch it this year.

Of course, if Trump goes in with a majority, that’s that. And I grant that he may very well do so.

We’ll soon see.


33 posted on 04/18/2016 3:28:08 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (There is no "allah" but satan, and mohammed was his demon-possessed tool.)
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To: kik5150

You would get more respect if you looked for some facts instead of throwing mud. A person doesn’t get into Wharton business school without top marks and serious smarts. Mr Trump has built and runs a vast empire creating jobs for 40-65K people. He doesn’t need to defend his intellect. His accomplishments speak loud & clear. http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/03/news/economy/donald-trump-jobs-created/

Ted lost most of his cases at the Supreme court level and the ones he won: deep fryer patent, redistribution of districts and the right to execute a murder without the courtesy of allowing his embassy to speak, are not earthshaking. The facts are at Oyez for those that want them.

Ted has exposed the face of Washington to us rather than the face of God. His willingness to connive, lie about his opponents and bribe delegates, to collude with the GOPe bosses to disenfranchise voters is all too clear to those with eyes to see and a mind willing to process information.


34 posted on 04/18/2016 3:28:09 PM PDT by JayGalt
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To: Nervous Tick

A LOST ELECTION; does cruz think the Hildabeast is going to treat him well?


35 posted on 04/18/2016 3:28:10 PM PDT by 5th MEB (Progressives in the open; --- FIRE FOR EFFECT!!)
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To: CA Conservative

If they try that kind of chicanery they will be finding out if you can have a political party without voters.


36 posted on 04/18/2016 3:30:31 PM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: grania

Yup! The thought has crossed my mind also.


37 posted on 04/18/2016 3:32:55 PM PDT by Mollypitcher1 (I have not yet begun to fight....John Paul Jones)
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To: 5th MEB

Despite the baseless talking points I hear over and over in this Trump echo chamber, I believe that Ted Cruz will do quite well against Hillary Clintoon.

And I am sure Ted Cruz is likewise confident in his ability to beat Hildebeast. Otherwise he wouldn’t be running.

So I argue that A LOST ELECTION is in no way motivation for Ted to fold and throw in with Trump.


38 posted on 04/18/2016 3:33:13 PM PDT by Nervous Tick (There is no "allah" but satan, and mohammed was his demon-possessed tool.)
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To: taildragger

Agree.

Cruz is in a pickle. If he wins the nomination, he will lose.
And he will be blamed. He will be finished.

If he does not win the nomination, he will return to the senate
a much deminished and hated man. He can look forward to shutting
down the GOV every 6 months or so. And that’s about it.

I am not saying it will happen, but his only option for survival is
for Trump to pick him as VP. He still has a political career. A chance
to run for President again and it will be a step up from the senate.

Cruz is finished if he wins the nomination. And he is finished if he does
not get the VP spot.


39 posted on 04/18/2016 3:36:48 PM PDT by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small pittance)
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To: JayGalt

All it took was daddy’s money for Trump to get into business school.


40 posted on 04/18/2016 3:36:56 PM PDT by kik5150 (Cruz argued 9 times before Supreme Court judges. Trump argues with beauty pageant judges.)
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