Posted on 06/29/2016 3:49:56 PM PDT by Sybeck1
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"They say it was the roughest campaign ever in the history of Republican politics, but what you do is you go to sleep for a couple of days and you wake up and you honor [the pledge]," Donald Trump said. (AP Photo) Trump unloads on former GOP opponents who refuse to back him
By GABBY MORRONGIELLO (@GABRIELLAHOPE_) • 6/29/16 5:26 PM SHARE TWEET SMSMore Donald Trump railed against several of his Republican primary opponents on Wednesday night for declining to endorse him in the general election, going so far as to suggest "they should never be allowed to run for public office again."
"I have guys out there and if you really think about it, they're really sore losers," Trump told supporters during a campaign rally in Bangor, Maine.
Trump was referring to at least seven GOP presidential hopefuls who signed a loyalty pledge to support their party's presidential nominee and have since declined to do so. Such candidates include former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, businesswoman Carly Fiorina and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
"It was a rough campaign," he conceded. "They say it was the roughest campaign ever in the history of Republican politics, but what you do is you go to sleep for a couple of days and you wake up and you honor [the pledge]."
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The presumptive Republican nominee continued, claiming that he considered the pledge to be "legally binding" and assuring his supporters that he would have honored it had Kasich, Cruz or any other GOP candidate clinched the nomination instead.
"There are people I don't like or particularly respect on that stage, but I would have honored it," Trump said. "I wouldn't have gone crazy, yelling it from the loudest building."
Trump himself routinely changed his position on the pledge during the primary, threatening more than once to leave the Republican party and launch an indepedent bid.
"But you know what, we have people who haven't honored the pledge and that's a terrible thing," he told the crowd. "They signed a pledge saying they will abide, they will back the candidate of the party and now they sit back and ... they broke their word."
"In my opinion, they should never be allowed to run for public office again because what they did is disgraceful," he added.
Some of the billionaire's former opponents have said that in addition to declining to endorse Trump, they will not attend next month's GOP convention.
I think this runs deeper, even in families. My brother, a PhD...smart guy...and I loved to talk politics until Trump came on the scene.
If you recall, we were going into this primary season with the usual suspect choices, Bush, Rubio, Walker etc. None of were 1000% gaga on anyone. Then Trump comes on the scene, and he quickly turned our heads.
The day I was convinced is when he said we’re going to build a wall, and he didn’t back down...I told my brother, he’s the man. He says, he’s a buffoon, a gangster...kinda like the exact same argument from George Will.
Anyway for over 9 months now, we don’t talk...Maybe about our mother, or the Cubs and Sox, and what celebrity died today, but if I bring up Trump? He hangs up the phone or doesn’t respond to the text. He’s like a big baby.
I suspect that he didn’t vote in the primary and he won’t vote in the general. Trump needs to speak to these guys. He needs to turn people around like George Will and the others and win their vote....
Anyway, this anti-Trump thing runs really deep, and I think Hillary was referring to my brother the other when she asked for Trump votes.
One thing he noted is that politics is different from business in the fraction of the "customers" who are satisfied. In politics, one wins if over half, just over half (51%) are satisfied, and the rest, still nearly half, hate your guts. That is a losing formula in business, where the reasonable goal is to get people to like you, or be indifferent (usually because they have no need or desire for your goods - or they have "happy alternatives").
The other thing, and IIRC he said this yesterday in his Bangor rally, is that even some of the protester/agitators will come around to like Trump as president.
From all outward appearances, the way he intends to draw in those who are opposed is by action. His pleas are his policy positions and justifications. That's how he is going to "speak to these guys." Trump can't undo his past, and whatever impression his past has left in the minds of his detractors. He has to live with and accept that.
Some people are going to sit it out. I darn near did (and to be honest, I wish I had) when McCain was the GOP nominee.
I'm not one to blame the voter either. I think common decency puts the burden of persuasion on the candidate, and allows each individual to vote (or not) as their conscience directs. It is impossible for Trump to turn George Will around before the election. Maybe after, Will will eat crow, admit he was wrong, but not before. He has too much face to save - he's fully invested in his position.
AS always, you’re spot on. YOu should be our, something. We have to have a special chair for your commentary. Emeritus something or other...kinda like Kissinger.
Trump is not the nominee yet.
We can revisit this attack on Cruz once the convention is over.
The time when the pledge was made has nothing to do with the point I was making. That simply is that if the pledge is to support the nominee, the pledgor cannot be in violation of the pledge until there is in fact a nominee. Once a candidate has become the official party nominee, then, if the pledgors do not support him, they will be in violation of their pledge; but not before then.
Bargaining stage of grief.
Your guy lost. He lost big. He lost when the deck was stacked in his favor.
Get over it.
I anticipate that Trump WILL be the nominee. It is not in Cruz’s or conservatism’s benefit to endorse him BEFORE he becomes the nominee.
Cruz will hold a lot of power at the convention where they will draft the platform and determine the direction of the party.
He wants to make sure that the direction is a conservative one. He is going to fight like hell to make sure many of Trump’s liberal policies don’t get adopted by the Republican party.
Policies like:
Gender neutral bathrooms
Support of pro-homosexual policies
Funding of Planned Parenthood
Universal heathcare
Government mandate of health insurance
Touch back Amnesty
Abortions for babies of rape and incest
etc...
Once the convention is over, the conservative platform is protected from Trump and he becomes the nominee, I hope that Cruz endorses him. If he doesn’t I will be disappointed.
I think maybe you drink a little to much beer.
“he humiliated them. Rolled over them like a steamroller.”
Maybe you forgot many of things the other candidates were saying about Trump. They came out of the gate demeaning him to no end...pretty nasty stuff as well...in no uncertain terms, they were calling him stupid...and he punched back.
By the way, any candidate for president that can be knocked out of the race with two words...”low energy”, didn’t belong there in the first place. And to this day, I still believe Jeff Roe, with Ted Cruz signing off on it, was responsible for the attack ad using Melania Trump.
I would be amazed if we could even find a few honorable voters.
Maybe you are wrong if you think I am criticizing Trump.
“It is the job of the nominee to unify the party behind him.”
Normally I would say yes to that, but this year is different. Do you want him to flip/flop on the wall and immigration? Do you want him to go back on the way he would deal with NATO? These aren’t minor platform issues that can be played with for the sake of the MSM and the dumb public.
Truth is, they are either onboard or not. And Trump can’t weaken himself by caving in. I’ve been critical of Trump when I think he has made campaign mistakes, but never will I go along with giving in to these globalists.
Not an excuse, it’s the truth. They are actively sabotaging his chances. They are going out of their way every day to insure his loss. It will have an effect. They would rather see HRC in the white house than Trump. There is nothing Trump can do about this, he is not responsible for their disastrous choices, they are.
“Maybe you are wrong if you think I am criticizing Trump”
I guess so..but it doesn’t hurt to remind people how itall played out.
I wonder how far you have thought this through. Is it possible there’s a layer of the onion you haven’t analyzed yet?
Look at it from this POV. In DC there are supposed to be opposing sides. You could see them as political armies, or as football teams, or whatever other analogue suits you.
As currently constructed, one of these teams should be trying with everything they’ve got, mind, body and heart, to advance the Obama-Hillary agenda. The other team should be trying to stop that agenda with equal energy and passion.
But that’s not what we see. We see two teams playing on the same side. They’re both (shifting to basketball) shooting at the same hoop. They both cheer the same scores.
Why? Why does the DC Cartel only and always advance only the liberal/Dem agenda? Why do conservatives never win a single, major battle/victory?
The Uniparty recently went out of its way to answer that question. Somebody, somewhere, slipped up and mentioned that during her four years as SoS, Hillary ‘lost,’ six billion dollars. She ‘mislaid,’ it, as it were, like a document that was misfiled.
Now think carefully. What was the DC Cartel’s reaction to that news? Did the opposing army man their battle stations, and begin an incessant drumbeat of attacks? Did McConnell, Ryan, Cruz et al loudly demand hearings, and vow not to let up until they figured out EXACTLY what happened to the missing Hillary-loot?
No, nothing like that happened. Rather, as if ‘misplacing,’ six billion $ is a common, every day occurance, the code of omerta reigned supreme. Nobody uttered a peep, and the Ruling Elites simply went about their regular business of destroying the country.
Again, why? Perhaps you recall the House banking sandal? That didn’t involve missing billions, but the Republicans made a huge deal out of it. They campaigned on the Dems’ corruption, and won big.
But you see, we still had two parties then. We still had two opposite teams, fighting against each other on the playing field.
That’s no longer the case. The teams have merged with a common goal. That goal is to put so much loose money in play that a single Dept can ‘lose,’ six billion without it being any big deal. Congressional foreign bank accounts might swell to the point of bursting, but in DC its business as usual. The destruction of the country continues apace, but the DC Cartel is richer than Bill Gates, so they literally don’t care.
These are the people you’re saying Trump could win over to his side. A few minutes’ thought, however, reveals that this will never happen. Trump isn’t part of The Club. He doesn’t know The Rules. As POTUS he would almost certainly expose the corruption, and certain public sector billionaires could easily wind up in prison.
D-fender, they can’t let that happen. Too much is at stake. They either have to procure assurances from Trump that he’ll look the other way, or they have to stop him. It’s A, or B.
As you can see, the only possible way Trump could receive the backing of the Cartel is to put his seal of approval on their rape and destruction of the USA. So don’t look for that to happen. As for the alternative, just pray Trump’s security is sufficient. He’s striding straight into a den of thieves that would make the mafia look like bit players. He needs all the support he can get.
I think we must be related somehow. Lol.
Amen!
Put the heat on these traitors! You can't let them get away with it. We haven't even gotten to the hard part yet -- actually stopping the Washington corruption once elected!
Trump, Manafort, and Sessions know exactly what they are doing.
Let Trump be Trump.
He doesn't need their endorsement he needs their silence.
I think you just did Ben.
Trouble is it seems to be the goal of the party to defeat Trump.
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