[Laserman]

Until such time as Trump secures 1237 or more delegates Cruz can still assemble a coalition of delegates from other candidates to either get 1237 or more on the first ballot or, if Trump fails on the first ballot, Cruz can win with a coalition on the second or later ballot. This is politics and building coalitions is a natural and expected process. Trump may have a hard time building a coalition since he has insulted virtually every other candidate who is or was in the race. His ardent supporters who have posted vile words about other candidates or other candidate’s supporters have not done Trump any good either.

So, no, Cruz should not pull out. He still has a reasonable chance of gaining the support of more delegates and more voters than Trump. Remember, Trump has not had the support of over 50% of voters, whether In primaries or caucuses.

[AZ .44 MAG]

YES!

[mkmensinger]

I’ve stayed out of the internecine battles on FR over the various(actually two) candidates. It’s now time to choose, and I will support the one I think can and will defeat Hillary. Go Trump!

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

There's a simple, straightforward reason why one candidate (Trump) continues to skyrocket in all the polls, while the other one (Cruz) dwindles further and further into electoral irrelevancy:

;)

[Bobalu]

Thanks for this Jim!

Since the last post a few days ago where you declared Trump the presumptive nominee I quit posting all my hard-hitting anti-Cruz images.... I just figured I was adding to the discord here and I am so very tired of this forum looking like a bunch of monkeys flinging poop at one another. I was one of the biggest monkeys..lol

I think we should stick to posting images and toons that support our chosen candidate and no longer post images trying to make the other guy look the fool...even though we think he is a fool.

I’d be happy to see the mods remove any images that are attacks...of course they can leave the ones that are attacks on Hillary :-)

Time to look responsible and adult again.

Make this forum great again.

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

We the People have voted and are voting to finally wrest control of our government from the entrenched corrupt establishment, aka, the uni-Party.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amen and Amen...

[LMAO]

So now we are being threatened to unquestionably back a candidate that just a few years ago was considered at no go and a conman by the same people, including you, who now demand we back him without any disagreement?

I’m not a NeverTrump but I won’t be bullied into giving up my belief in limited government,fiscal responsibility, the Constitution, family, traditional values, rule of law, and the word of Christ

This man donated to many of the same people who have been a thorn in the side those of us who are and remain conservative?

Great conservatives such as Sowell, Levin, Walter Williams, the list goes on have become suspect for the crime of disagreeing with Trump.

I maintain that the people who are being zotted and or have not given their unquestioning fealty to Trump have not given up their conservative beliefs and still hold them dear.

It’s you who have given them up and compromised them for an orange con man

I maintain should by some miracle he wins in Nov, you will be the first to regret your vote

Let’s see if you have the guts to post this before zotting me

[Zajko]

‘Trump is NO conservative. He’s a self-dealing charlatan and he’s got a lot of fall-for-anything chump types fooled.’

Quote, Jim Robinson: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2706770/posts?page=109#109

Sadly, these fall-for-anything chump types now seem to include the site owner and have now entirely taken over the asylum.

Count me out, please. If you had a ‘cancel membership’ button I’d simply press this politely and quietly, and spare you the comments, time and effort. It seems you don’t, as the childish ‘zot’ game amuses the aforementioned chump-types more.

Wish all genuine conservatives the very best, and goodbye.

[Geronimo]

Thank you Jim for telling it like it is, either all in for Trump or we’re looking at Hillary the ‘C’ word for President...

Cruz is a wanker with no chance of doing anything other than making the General Election a contest between a scumbag liar with media support VS a wanker without grass roots appeal, Cruz is just too unlikeable, he sucks, she wins...

Vote Trump, warts and all, vote Trump for the future of our country, he will win, he will be President, what the hell would be wrong with that? God Bless America...

[Strac6]

Your lips > God’s ears.

Thank you again for some sanity in a time it is needed more than ever.

[M Kehoe]

Good evening.

I'll bet you are cutting zzz about now.

In the fwiw dept., I'll hold my nose and vote for Mr. Trump if he is the party nominee.

I won't hold my nose and vote for Kasich, Jeb, Romney or the tooth fairy. Why?

Because Jefferson was right about the tree of liberty. The evidence is all around us...

5.56mm

[TXnMA]

"Here's the deal. Free Republic exists for you, and because of you. Without the generosity of people like you, Free Republic would wither and die. Then where would you go to find a group of like-minded people, standing for the values and principles of conservatism, spreading the word about those who would tear down our way of life, and just plain having fun?"

"Hope you understand my position."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bookmarking -- to re-read a year from now...

[P.O.E.]

I wish both Cruz & Trump would concentrate on bashing Hillary, Obama, and the behemoth that put them in positions of power to begin with.

[EarlyBird]

I heartily agree, JimRob.

I was a Cruz supporter at the beginning of this long and winding road. I loved his filibuster against ObamaCare! What’s not to love there!

But I was concerned how a Bible-thumping, strict conservative constitutionalist would fare against the Democrat nominee who, no matter who they are, begins with almost a majority of electoral college votes.

Then Trump entered the presidential race. I was amused at first, but was soon astounded at the following he acquired. I soon found myself on his bandwagon.

This wasn’t because I no longer liked Cruz. It was because I felt a great relief that there was a Republican candidate who was doing what it takes to win! Meanwhile, Cruz was only doubling down on those same stubborn positions that got him ostracized in the Senate. Positions that I agreed with! But also positions that would lose him the November election.

And then Super Tuesday happened. I was shocked to see Cruz lose all of the southern, “evangelical” states to Trump. That was it for me.

I got off the fence and started to extoll the virtues of Trump to everyone I know.

Cruz cannot win the November election - It doesn’t matter who the Democrat nominee is. Trump can.

It’s as simple as that for me - all of the vitriolic name-calling is meaningless to me. I’m only concerned with who can beat the Democrat nominee in November. Cruz can’t. Trump can.

Go Trump!

[Heart-Rest]

This is a great post, illumined brightly by common sense.   Thank you, Mr. Robinson, and God bless you!

For anybody who makes the sad and unfortunate decision to opus out, I thought they might want to make a musical exit, so I'm offering a few song links here that they might want to use (but I really hope they don't choose to leave, but rather, that they just take a clearer look at the actual reality of the situation, and reassess their strong but erroneous views).

But, if they still feel they must go for a while because of their strong but wrong beliefs, and principled but misguided convictions, they can use these or similar songs to make a musical exit if they want to.

• "Kansas City" - The Beatles (the bye-byes start at about the 1:50 mark)

• "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" - Steam

• "Farewell Party" - Gene Watson

However, for those who choose to opus out, I'd strongly urge you to reconsider.   Your guy has taken the full ten-count, the bell has rung, and the fight is over.   It does not do any good for him to get up off the canvas, and try to start the fight over again.   That dog don't hunt.   We need to fight Hellisme with every weapon we have.   We don't need another lying President Clinton like this one:    "I did not have sexual relations with that woman...".   Or another lying President like this one:    "If You've Got A Business, You Didn't Build That".   Or another lying President Clinton like this one:    "What difference does it make?"  

[Greenpees]

Not my candidate, but mine left a while ago. I disagree with anyone who says Cruz is some RINO or not conservative enough to be our candidate. I disagree with the whole “lyin ted” crowd, being sickened by the way we so easily trash someone who’s made us proud, many times over, by standing on the right side of the constitution.

But, he has no chance of winning. None, zero. he is a known commodity with very little room to appeal to the voting public. Trump has high negatives, yes. But, as he said himself, he hasn’t even begun to go after Hillary. when he does, it’s going to be scorched earth. He can also find numerous ways to endear himself to the public, that Ted cannot. Trump has been around for decades, and is as American as McDonalds and Apple Pie. He’s been mentioned in songs, going back to the 80’s, and is simply an icon in America, it has to be recognized.

Is he a conservative? Maybe not in a universal way, but he is a nationalist. He is proud to be an American, and will defend her honor, if for no other reason than he said so. He puts every ounce of energy into winning and reaching his goals. He can bring the country along with him.

In short, he can change the game. Ted cannot. Ted Cruz just doesn’t have the appeal or the room to grow, but he is a key player in what we need to achieve. Hillary must be stopped. This is our last chance to turn the ship, for the rocks are dead ahead. She will drive us up onto the beach, and we all know it. Trump is the last chance. No stupid convention antics are going to change that. He’s the one, and I hope we all get behind him. I also hope there is some way that FR can get past this whole thing, and ease up on each other. Nobody wants a President Clinton. On that, we all agree.

[Yaelle]

A year ago, my personal life was having great trouble and my political life was looking toward Hillary Clinton as President. I saw them with the big baby food jar of Jeb Bush coming toward us conservatives with a spoon. I wasn’t going to eat it. Even if it meant our country would probably finish its dying with Hillary at the helm. The near future of the USA held nothing good politically.

I am so very happy that we have a non-oligarchy candidate, a populist patriot who will work for Us, the People and turn this country around back toward our Constitution and global greatness again.

Hillary should not be thought of as anyone decent enough to run for President, let alone the nominee. It is an insane, artificial world that she is spoken of as a viable candidate for ANYTHING.

Thank you, Donald Trump. No other patriotic billionnaires have stepped up to the plate. Let’s get a country again.

[GonzoII]

Thanks Skipper, we needed that!

[SkyPilot]

Thanks for taking a courageous stand Jim.

Gif coutesty of KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle is appropriate for this thread.

[jmacusa]

“That to secure these rights Governments are instituted among Men drawing their just power from the consent of the governed,- That when ever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends , it is the Right of the People to alter it or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying it's foundation on such principles and organizing it's powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness’’. Yup, you got Jim.I certainly didn't give my consent to be disarmed by the illegitimate seed of two political whores from Hope, Arkansas.