By Paul Gable
Every time the Republican Party elders think they are regaining control of their party, Donald Trump sticks another finger in their eye.
Donald Trump did it again last night with an overwhelming win in the New York Republican Primary. And, there are lots more to come in the Northeast, Middle Atlantic and Pacific Coast regions in the next six weeks or so.
This primary season can basically be described as a two part saga. Nearly every time the voters have their say in primaries, Trump comes out on top. When the party establishment can work its back room tactics in one type of caucus or another, someone else wins.
The quick conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the people want Donald Trump while the Republican Party establishment doesn’t.
Exit polls among Republican voters in New York say the same thing – 61% of those voting in the Republican primary (remember this was a closed primary limited to registered Republicans) said they wanted an outsider as the party’s nominee. At the same time, 69% said they felt the candidate who captures the largest number of delegates in the primaries, even if it isn’t a majority of delegates, should be the party’s nominee.
This is important. It is the voters who go to the polls in November who will elect our next president, not a bunch of party hacks trying to twist and turn the rules to their advantage.
And, if we’ve learned one thing during the primaries, it’s that Ted Cruz doesn’t excite a large number of voters.
If the Republican Party movers and shakers want to guarantee a loss in November, all they have to do is work their back room deals to nominate Cruz in July.
Neither of the two major parties have done a good job of leading the country over the last 16 years. I would contend much longer.
Regardless of which party has held control of the White House or the Congress, it’s been more of the same from the government – big deficits, foolish military adventures, poor foreign policy, loss of American jobs and the deterioration of the middle class.
Maybe Trump can fix some of this. Maybe he can’t. But, it’s a guaranteed bet that neither Ted Cruz nor the presumptive Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton can.
I have talked to a number of long time Republican Party members in the past several weeks (they were Republicans before South Carolina was) who have told me if the party steals the nomination from Trump, they will vote Democratic or stay home in November.
Trump is the only Republican candidate who appeals strongly to independent voters and disaffected Democrats, you know those people who carried Ronald Reagan to big election wins.
That’s why Reince Priebus and his party cohorts better do some hard thinking in the next several weeks.
Speak Up…