Tag: Ted Cruz

Donald Trump Runs Cruz Out of Race – Update

Kasich to Suspend Campaign

A senior campaign official for John Kasich said the Ohio governor plans to announcee he is suspending his presidential primary campaign today.

It appears reality has finally sunk in to the final Republican candidate left standing against Donald Trump. Reality says the Kasich campaign was over whether he suspended it or not.

Trump will have locked up the nomination by the time the Republicans gather in Cleveland for their national convention in July.

Now it will be interesting to see the developing strategy for winning the general election in November.

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Donald Trump burned down the Ted Cruz firewall in Indiana and Cruz suspended his campaign for the presidency after getting clobbered by Hoosier voters.

The victory for Trump is not only over Cruz and the other candidates who started in the race, but over the Republican Party itself.

I don’t know if the party leaders get it, but, this year at least, the voters have demonstrated over and over they don’t want an establishment politician in the presidency.

This is a populist election year. Voters are tired of the political polarization the two parties have fed us for over 30 years while the middle class contracts and more good jobs disappear to foreign countries every year.

It’s not completely over because Trump does not have the 1,237 delegates needed to sew up the nomination yet. But he will by first ballot time because nothing of consequence stands in his way.

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Presidential Primary Home Stretch

After sweeping five presidential primaries in big fashion last night, I think Donald Trump can tell the fat lady to start warming up her voice.

After six straight overwhelming primary wins, Trump has at least entered the home stretch to the Republican presidential nomination while rivals John Kasich and Ted Cruz are fading fast.

Cruz certainly demonstrated to Republican delegates to the national convention why he shouldn’t be the party’s choice with one second place finish and four thirds.

Cruz had a new excuse yesterday for his poor showings – It’s the media’s fault. Coming from a man who’s often wrong, but never in doubt, such a statement is not unexpected.

Cruz was in Indiana yesterday campaigning among the voters he predicts will be the stoppers to Trump’s nomination run.

Outside his own state of Texas, Indiana is a state that could buy into Cruz’s nonsense. After all, it’s only two years ago that Republican voters chose Richard Mourdock over long-time incumbent Richard Luger in a primary for the Republican nomination for the Senate.

Mourdock went on to snatch defeat from almost certain victory in this red state with the brilliant statement ‘if a woman becomes pregnant through an act of rape, It’s God’s Will.’

Kasich should be ashamed of himself for even thinking of joining is some type of collusion with Cruz to ‘Stop Trump’ from gaining the nomination.

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Random Thoughts on Presidential Primaries

Voters will go to the polls in five states today to cast a ballot in Republican and Democratic presidential primaries.

At the end of the day, Hilary Clinton will probably be very close to securing the number of delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination for president.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump is expected to win all five states. However, his nomination will still be in doubt because of party rules and a last ditch effort between the other remaining Republican candidates, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, to stop his nomination at all costs.

Here is a sample of the rhetoric we have heard in the last several days:

A vote for Cruz or Trump is a vote for Hilary Clinton – Kasich

John Kasich has no path whatsoever to the Republican nomination – Cruz

If you collude in business, if you collude in the stock market, they put you in jail. But, if you collude in politics, because it’s a rigged system, that’s okay. – Trump

It takes two guys, long time politicians, to get together to try and stop Trump and they’re way behind. These two guys have to collude in order to stay alive. And they’re not doing very good. They’re way behind. – Trump

Pennsylvania demonstrates the Republican system. It will send 71 delegates to the Republican national convention. If Trump has a big win in Pennsylvania, as he is expected to do, he will gain 17 pledged delegates. The remaining 54 will be unpledged going to the national convention.

This is why Cruz and or Kasich still have hopes of gaining the nomination. They don’t have to win with the voters. All they have to do is stop Trump from gaining a majority of delegates on the first ballot to force the convention open to second and further ballots where the results from the voters will be largely ignored.

As the rhetoric rises and the games being played are brought to light, it becomes more obvious to voters that they really don’t matter that much to the Republican insiders who are trying to stop Trump from gaining the nomination.

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Republican Party Trumped in New York

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.

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Donald Trump Bandwagon Gains Momentum

The Donald Trump bandwagon keeps gaining momentum while those who consider themselves Republican Party traditionalists keep wringing their hands.

Maybe the best part is Ted Cruz, the original outsider in this race until Trump stole his thunder, is now trying to get party officials to coalesce behind his campaign in a ‘Stop Trump’ movement.

But stopping Trump is going to be very hard. Statistics out today predict Trump has to win 54% of the remaining delegates to secure the nomination, Cruz needs 69% and John Kasich can win 100% of the remaining delegates and still not have enough for a first ballot nomination.

Trump could get the needed 54% although Republican Party regulars, or those who think they are, will do everything they can to stop him short. Cruz can’t get the needed 69%. Forget Kasich unless the convention becomes open and probably even then.

Look at the big states left to vote – New York, California, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Indiana, not very fertile Cruz country.

And if Trump arrives at the Republican Convention in Cleveland with 1100 or more pledged delegates for the first ballot (I would call that scenario a virtual lock at this point) and the party denies him the nomination, look out.

For the Republican Party to deny Trump the nomination after millions of voters turned out for him in the primaries, more than for any other candidate by far, would demonstrate just how little regard the party has for the American public.

When Trump announced in June, I was of the opinion he would be fun to watch for a little while, then he would fade away.

Boy, was I wrong!

What I failed to understand is just how much the American public is fed up with the Republican and Democratic parties and government in general.

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Donald Trump Bandwagon Keeps Rolling

The Donald Trump bandwagon rolled through Nevada last night on the way to Super Tuesday I with a convincing win in the Republican Party caucuses.

Trump captured 45.9% of the vote, nearly doubling the 23.9% that went to second place Marco Rubio. Ted Cruz again finished in third place with 21.4% while Ben Carson and John Kasich were in the low single digits.

With each victory, Trump demonstrates the strength of his candidacy and further worries the Republican Party establishment.

And the Republican Party establishment has a right to be worried since only 27% of nationwide voters identify themselves as Republicans in 2016 and over 50% of those voters say they are dissatisfied with their party in exit polls.

Marco Rubio appears to be the only so-called Republican establishment candidate left with a chance to beat Trump, but being the choice of the establishment doesn’t appear to be a plus this year.

After real voting began, the quick exit from the race by Jeb Bush, the establishment’s first choice, shows how little voters pay attention to the Republican National Committee and political endorsements.

American voters are disgusted with government, especially the federal government, and Trump is capitalizing on that disgust.

The federal government has demonstrated little fiscal discipline since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society legislation passed in the mid 1960’s. Our national debt is $19 trillion now. It was less than $1 trillion when Ronald Reagan took office in 1981.

Reagan swept into office in the 1980 election by proclaiming ‘government isn’t the solution to the problem, government is the problem.’ Of course, Reagan promised to reduce the deficit and balance the budget, neither of which he did.

Reagan swept into office in the 1980 election by proclaiming ‘government isn’t the solution to the problem, government is the problem.’ Of course, Reagan promised to reduce the deficit and balance the budget, neither of which he did.

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Donald Trump Wins South Carolina Republican Primary

Donald Trump scored another resounding primary victory by being the choice of South Carolina Republican voters Saturday.

This is another nail in the coffin of the Republican establishment.

If the South Carolina vote proves one thing, it is the Republican establishment is in real trouble this election year. Fully 53% of voters in the Republican primary said, in exit polls, they felt betrayed by incumbent Republican politicians.

Trump, who is definitely an outsider, and Ted Cruz, who is considered an outsider by Republican politicos, garnered 54.8% of the total vote.

With 99% of the vote in, Trump had 32.6%, Marco Rubio, 22.4%, Ted Cruz 22.3%, Jeb Bush 7.9%, John Kasich 7.6% and Ben Carson 7.2%.

Trump also was the top vote getter in 44 of the 46 South Carolina counties. Only Richland and Charleston counties, both of which went to Rubio, kept Trump from a clean sweep.

Jeb Bush, the candidate most closely aligned with the Republican Party establishment, finished a poor fourth and announced he was suspending his campaign. Despite having both his brother, former president George W, and his mother in the state to stump for him, Jeb’s campaign went nowhere.

I guess we can conclude, even this most conservative Republican state is tired of the Bushes.

Another candidate who had a disappointing night was Ted Cruz who finished in third place. If Cruz, who loves to pander to the evangelical vote, can’t do better than third place in this heavily evangelical state, I would think his days are numbered.

Horry County led Trump support with fully 49% of the total vote going to Trump. This is another indication that it’s the year of the outsider in politics.

More than any other county in South Carolina, Horry County, with its large transplant and retired population, is indicative of the mood of voters in the nation. More than 50% of the population in Horry County is transplants from all over the eastern half of the United States.

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Republican Presidential Primary Saturday

After nearly two weeks of non-stop mudslinging, Republican presidential primary candidates can sit back and see whose negative ads were most successful.

Or maybe not.

Voters will go to polls Saturday February 20 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to vote for the Republican of their choice. The Democratic presidential primary is Saturday February 27.

Those voters who cast a ballot in the Republican primary are not eligible to also vote in the Democratic primary.

Acceptable forms of ID to vote are driver’s license or other DMV ID, passport, military ID, or SC voter registration card.

I have spoken to several staunch Republicans in Horry County who plan to forego their own party’s primary in order to vote for Bernie Sanders in a week. As a group they support Donald Trump and feel confident in their favorite’s ability to win the South Carolina primary without their vote. Instead, they are in a “stop Hillary” frame of mind.

If polls are to be believed, Trump is on his way to a second straight primary victory. Ted Cruz is currently polling ahead of Marco Rubio for second with Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Ben Carson rounding out the field in that order.

Personally, I see Trump winning with Rubio scoring a surprise second and Cruz third. Rubio remains the choice of a majority of the Republican establishment while the Bush campaign continues to founder.

But, it looks more like a brokered convention is in the offing for the Republicans, the only hope that keeps the Bush candidacy alive.

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SC Moves to Republican Primary Center Stage

For the next 11 days, South Carolina will be center stage for Republican candidates attempting to gain a claim to their party’s presidential nomination.

If history has anything to tell us, it is also time to let the dirty tricks begin, especially with a Bush candidacy in trouble and needing a big showing in South Carolina to remain relevant.

In 2000, after John McCain slapped George W with an 18 point loss in New Hampshire, all the Lee Atwater wannabe’s associated with the Bush campaign in South Carolina smeared McCain as being gay, fathering an illegitimate child, committing treason and having a drug addicted wife, among other things.

With Jeb Bush’s candidacy on life support, I can’t wait to see what the dark side comes up with between now and voting on February 20th.

Of course, this year is different. There is an anti-establishment anger among voters. A full 90% of New Hampshire voters said they were dissatisfied with the federal government in exit polls and 50% of both Republican and Democratic voters said they want an outsider as a candidate in November.

And with 35% of the Republican vote in New Hampshire, Donald Trump demonstrated he is for real by bringing those angry voters under his tent.

A key question in South Carolina voting is how well John Kasich can do. Taking second in New Hampshire voting with 16%, Kasich needs another good showing in South Carolina to demonstrate his campaign is for real.

Ted Cruz gained 12% of the New Hampshire vote with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio each capturing 11%. All are hoping for at least a second place finish to Trump in South Carolina to continue momentum into Super Tuesday voting on March 1st.

Although, for Bush, it appears his only hope is to keep using the large donations he has received to stay in the primaries, finishing third or worse along the way, and hope for a brokered convention where his cronies may be able to swing the nomination his way.

Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina dropped out of the race yesterday and it’s time for Ben Carson to do the same.

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Presidential Politics 2016

On the first working day of the New Year, my thoughts are of presidential primaries.

For the next seven weeks, South Carolina will be in the national spotlight as candidates travel throughout the state hoping to convince supporters they are the best person to be our next president.

Of course, this will be mostly on the Republican side as South Carolina is one of the most intensely conservative states in the nation.

Right now that looks like it means Donald Trump and, possibly, Ted Cruz against the field.

The Trump phenomenon is holding, even gaining a little momentum as the voting nears. Cruz, who must be considered another outsider in traditional Republican circles, has been coming on strong in the minds of South Carolina voters for the last month.

More traditional, establishment candidates, such as Jeb Bush, are trailing miserably.

If nothing else, this is a year of protest against the system, something traditional politicos have been slow to pick up on.

And what better state to lead that protest than South Carolina?

When Trump first announced his candidacy, I thought we would have a couple of months of fun with his outrageousness, then, he would fade from view.

That hasn’t happened.

The more outrageous Trump’s pronouncements are, the more his support grows.

Because the general feeling throughout the country is the system needs change.

I have been socially liberal all my life, but, when Trump calls for an end to all Muslim immigrants into the country, it strikes a sympathetic cord within me.

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