Is it too late to stop the Donald Trump machine?

[Jingthing]

Actually Kasich is very right wing on actual policy but people are fooled by his reasonable affect. The republicans would be fools not to nominate him and again, hoping they stay fools.

He seems to be kind of a mixed bag of tricks, some right wing and some moderate. He's certainly the most acceptable to those center right and center left, but as you say, he is too moderate for the tea baggers, and Trumpers etc.. I do understand that on social issues he is not as moderate liberal as you would like to see.

Please speak for yourself and don't assume what I think.

Kasich has been very crafty in fooling mainstream Americans about his right wing agenda.

Again, he is VERY right wing on a wide range of issues.

But he does have a pleasant temperament and comes off as SANE.

Unlike Trump and Cruz.

Which is why he is a real threat to HRC because he's got the "moderate" act down pat.

10 Reasons Why John Kasich Is As Rabidly Right-Wing as the Rest of the GOP Presidential Candidate Pac

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/10-reasons-why-john-kasich-rabidly-right-wing-rest-gop-presidential-candidate-pack

Edited April 4, 2016 by Jingthing

[Asheron]

"Immigration laws crippling farms in Indiana and Georgia"

"For Indiana and Georgia farmers, it's not a matter of who's right and wrong in the debate behind tough new immigration laws that took effect July 1, 2011

but of those laws essentially biting the hands that help feed them."

"In a report released earlier this month, the Center said farmers of the state's seven largest crops:

onions, watermelons, bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, blueberries and blackberries,

reported shortages of almost 6,000 workers this spring as immigrants fled the state with the bill's April passage."

"The estimated loss to farmers has been $140 million so far, with the ripple affect on local and state economies estimated at $390 million."

(In the first year)

The Georgia Department of Agriculture estimates the worker shortage has now grown to 11,000.

"While agricultural specific figures aren't available in Indiana,

a report by the Perryman Group predicts a cost to that state of $2.8 billion,

and more than 16,000 jobs lost if all of the estimated 47,000 unauthorized immigrants in the state were removed.

"In Georgia, Perryman figures stand at a staggering $21 billion and 132,000 jobs lost."

http://northamericanfarmer.com/articles/farmlabor.aspx

The Bloviator once again, clueless.

And he wants to deport 11 million... What a clown.

Which other laws do you think anyone should be able to break without punishment?

Dunno. Maybe any one of the nearly 5000 laws, just on the Federal books might be suitable for non compliance.

"The number of criminal offenses in the U.S. Code increased from 3,000 in the early 1980s to 4,000 by 2000 to over 4,450 by 2008."http://www.heritage.org/research/factsheets/2011/04/overcriminalization-an-explosion-of-federal-criminal-law

Of course over-criminalisation is promoted by the right wing 'strong on crime' politicians in the same breath that they prattle on about their 2nd Amendment freedoms. Funny how many of these laws impact on people of colour and other minorities more than others. Criminalisation of immigration is as blinkered a policy as criminalisation of recreational drug use or sexual activity. But the old white men are too angry to accept such thinking and so the dangerous populists thrive and morph into demagogues and tyrants. Viva il Duce.

Not an argument, try harder.

[Asheron]

It's a big place. California went through some tough times economically while Shwarzenegger was governor, but now with Brown, it's on the mend. It's also had a 5 year drought. Speaking of Jerry Brown, he would make a great president. Maybe Sanders or HRC will pick him as their running mate.

CA is a big target, if someone wants to poke holes at it. Yet, it's got a lot going for it. It's the #1 inventor and sustainer of businesses related to digital and internet. It's got the biggest film-making industry in the world, by far. If it were a country, it would be the 5th biggest economy in the world. It has excellent parks and boasts the first or second national park in the world (Yosemite). I think Yellowstone in WY was the first. There are many parts of CA where geese and deer, roam, and it's not unusual for a cougar or bear to be sighted near human settlements. As a comparison, in China or SE Asia, you wouldn't see flocks of geese or herds of deer. Locals would charge out to kill them all - every last one. Americans are creating giant marine parks, rehabilitating near-extinct species, and sharing park management with neighboring countries (Glacier National Park is one example). Nothing like that is happening anywhere in Asia. Indeed, the S.China Sea could be designated an International Marine Park if Asians weren't stuck in archaic-thinking. Instead, it's becoming militarized.

How many illegals are doing all that?

Illegals is an over-amped word. Similar to the word 'bastards.' An illegal is a person who does not have citizenship in the country he's/she's in. A bastard is a person who is born of parents who were not married. In both cases, the people are people. It's their circumstance that warrants the prejudiced label from people like Trump supporters. Anyone in the USA who is not an American Indian is a migrant or offspring of migrants. The so-called illegal 'wetbacks' probably have closer blood ties with the original Americans than do any of the people chastizing or criminalizing them. It the Mexican army had been content with conquering the Alamo and surrounding region, and hadn't ventured further north and northeast, the map of the SW region of the US would probably look a lot different. Half of Texas, a third of California, and the states of NM and AZ could quite possibly have stayed as parts of Mexico. In a bigger perspective, many illegal Mexicans are straying into territory that could have been theirs, if history had been a bit different.

Which other laws do you think anyone should be able to break without punishment?

If you ask me, there are several. One of the biggest, is the law against farming hemp. It's utterly ridiculous. Thankfully, there are some reasonable politicians who are now distancing themselves from the insanity of criminalizing an herb used to make rope and healthy snacks.

If you were to ask a Republican candidate about hemp, you would probably draw a blank stare, like when Romney was asked 4 years ago.

So your argument is that if someone views a law as "ridiculous" then you can break it?

And "illegal immigrant" means it's a person who is staying illegally in nation X, in other words, committing a crime. Being born a "bastard" is not a crime. Not rocket science.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Asheron

[iReason]

GOP preparing for contested convention:

"Republican officials and leading figures in the party’s establishment are preparing for the possibility of a brokered convention,

as businessman Donald Trump continues to sit atop the polls in the GOP presidential race."

"More than 20 of them convened Monday near the Capitol for a dinner held by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus,

and the prospect of Trump nearing next year’s nominating convention in Cleveland with a significant number of delegates dominated the discussion,

according to five people familiar with the meeting."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-preparing-for-contested-convention/2015/12/10/d72574bc-9f73-11e5-8728-1af6af208198_story.html

They met in December 2015. You think they haven't fine tuned their plan? Especially since the Bloviator's recent remarks?

Think again.

Donald Toast.

[Publicus]

The conventional wisdom now.

First ballot is Trump's only chance and it's looking more and more likely he won't make that.

Second ballot favors Cruz.

Multiple ballots favor KASICH.

Contrary to what some have asserted there does NOT need to be any rule change for delegates to vote for KASICH.

I've said it all along ... Kasich is one to seriously watch.

The BAD news is that Kasich could really beat the democrats.

So I hope my prediction is ultimately wrong!

I checked this again today....

The Republican convention in 2008 approved a Rule that a candidate has to get the majority of delegates in at least 6 states for the name to be placed on the convention ballot.

In 2012 the successor Republican national convention adopted the same kind of rule, except it increased the number of states to 8.

This 2016 convention will also make rules for itself. Both Cruz and Trump want the 2012 eight-state rule to apply to this convention. Kasich isn't anywhere near having won the majority of delegates in eight states.

K would have to rack 'em up in the remaining R primaries and caucuses in the generally friendly to him Northeast, i.e., from PA to ME. (As you'd know, the NE is an isolated pocket of a small holdout group of centrist Republicans in a region of a dozen states, all of 'em blue.)

Cruz and Trump are meanwhile trying to get their delegates on to the Convention Rules Committee (still in the process of being selected) so that, among many purposes, the first order of business would be to adopt the eight state rule.

Institutional Republicans want two names on the convention ballot, not three. My take is they do indeed want the scenario as you've presented it, i.e., Trump fails on the first ballot, Cruz succeeds on the second convention ballot. Game over, all neat and clean (their thinking). Kasich watches it all from his seat in the Ohio section for delegates on the convention floor. Or maybe on his feet.

K is anyway behind the scenes competing with Paul Ryan among delegate sentiment should the convention go to a third ballot or more than three. Still, my take is that Kasich will be hard-pressed to win a majority of the delegates in a total of eight states.

(It looks like the 8-state rule has a green light for this convention too...Cruz is for it, Trump is for it, RNC is for it while Kasich is flapping his arms against it.)

[iReason]

Trump’s Week of Errors, Exaggerations and Flat-out Falsehoods:

“It turned out I’m much richer than people think.” (March 7 in Madison, Miss.)

Trump says he’s worth more than $10 billion. Forbes Magazine says he’s worth $4.5 billion.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at $2.9 billion.

“You have Japan, where the cars come in by the hundreds of thousands, they pour off the boats,

We send them like nothing. We send them nothing, by comparison, nothing.” (March 7 in Concord, N.C. and at least one other time)

The United States exported $62 billion worth of goods to Japan last year.

“We don’t win at trade. We lose to everybody at trade. Trade we lose to everybody.” (March 11 in St. Louis)

In 2015, the U.S. had trade surpluses with a number of countries including Hong Kong, the Netherlands, the UAE and Australia.

“I’m not going to take any money. I don’t want any money. ... You know, I’ve self-funded my campaign,

Right now, I’m into, you would know better than me, maybe $30 million, maybe more.” (March 11 press conference in Palm Beach)

There’s a big blue “DONATE” button in the top right corner of his campaign website.

As of Jan. 31, his campaign had accepted $7.5 million from donors not named Donald J. Trump.

Trump gave his campaign only $250,318.

He lent another $17.5 million, but that’s repayable at any time until shortly after the election.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/trump-fact-check-errors-exaggerations-falsehoods-213730

See link for much more Bloviating/Lying.

Edited April 4, 2016 by iReason

[TheCruncher]

Trump’s Week of Errors, Exaggerations and Flat-out Falsehoods:

“It turned out I’m much richer than people think.” (March 7 in Madison, Miss.)

Trump says he’s worth more than $10 billion. Forbes Magazine says he’s worth $4.5 billion.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at $2.9 billion.

“You have Japan, where the cars come in by the hundreds of thousands, they pour off the boats,

We send them like nothing. We send them nothing, by comparison, nothing.” (March 7 in Concord, N.C. and at least one other time)

The United States exported $62 billion worth of goods to Japan last year.

“We don’t win at trade. We lose to everybody at trade. Trade we lose to everybody.” (March 11 in St. Louis)

In 2015, the U.S. had trade surpluses with a number of countries including Hong Kong, the Netherlands, the UAE and Australia.

“I’m not going to take any money. I don’t want any money. ... You know, I’ve self-funded my campaign,

Right now, I’m into, you would know better than me, maybe $30 million, maybe more.” (March 11 press conference in Palm Beach)

There’s a big blue “DONATE” button in the top right corner of his campaign website.

As of Jan. 31, his campaign had accepted $7.5 million from donors not named Donald J. Trump.

Trump gave his campaign only $250,318.

He lent another $17.5 million, but that’s repayable at any time until shortly after the election.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/trump-fact-check-errors-exaggerations-falsehoods-213730

See link for much more Bloviating/Lying.

You're really so much clamping at straws that it makes you look foolish.

Who will best know your net worth, some magazines or youself.

US exported 68 Billion to Japan, and how much exported Japan to the US? You missed that Trump said " nothing BY COMPARISON".

WOW, the US had a trade surplus with a whole 4 countries? How many countries does the US have trade relations with?

Yeah his campaign has to pay back the loans, but who is that actually? I doubt it are the campaign workers, so how he gonna get back his money?

Any figures how much donation money Cruz, Carson, Clinton or Bush have spend ? I heard those figures run into the tenfold.

The link for much lying was actually this one, isn't it

[iReason]

How Trump Could Be Blocked at a Contested Republican Convention:

"Mr. Trump could lose delegates support as delegates become free to vote as they please."

"A coalition of Republicans is banking on a scenario in which Donald J. Trump fails to reach the 1,237 delegates required to secure the party’s nomination before its July convention,

creating a potential opening for another nominee as the delegates vote on the convention floor."

"Most states “bind” their delegates to candidates based on primary results.

But most delegates are released if no candidate wins a majority in an initial vote at the convention, so those who were bound to Mr. Trump could shift their support."

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/09/us/politics/how-trump-could-be-blocked-at-a-contested-republican-convention.html

Game over.

Find another candidate.

[CWMcMurray]

An interesting article ... About a PhD student who supports Trump (so not a redneck knuckle dragger)

http://www.vox.com/2016/4/4/11346078/donald-trump-support

[boomerangutang]

Your grasp of Texas history is as flawed as your PC fear of calling an illegal an illegal. The Alamo was but one battle. The WAR was won by Sam Houston and the Texican army, who defeated and captured Santa Ana at San Jacinto.

You're actually confirming what I wrote earlier. If Santa Ana had stayed and consolidated his gains at and around the Alamo, instead of taking his army further north, then the map would likely be a lot different than it is today. Sam Houston is rightly considered a hero in Texas, but his win was (at least partly) predicated on the Mexican army straying too far north. Interestingly, Houston had an option to attack the Mexican army sooner than he did, but he chose to delay for several days, until the Mexicans got further strung out and ill-provisioned.

[mesquite]

How Trump Could Be Blocked at a Contested Republican Convention:

"Mr. Trump could lose delegates support as delegates become free to vote as they please."

"A coalition of Republicans is banking on a scenario in which Donald J. Trump fails to reach the 1,237 delegates required to secure the party’s nomination before its July convention,

creating a potential opening for another nominee as the delegates vote on the convention floor."

"Most states “bind” their delegates to candidates based on primary results.

But most delegates are released if no candidate wins a majority in an initial vote at the convention, so those who were bound to Mr. Trump could shift their support."

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/09/us/politics/how-trump-could-be-blocked-at-a-contested-republican-convention.html

Game over.

Find another candidate.

Trump should come in at about 1300. The GOPes won't like it but they won't be able to steal the nomination. From there it will be an easy win over Jailbird or Bum Sanders.

Game over.

Trump is president.

[lannarebirth]

How Trump Could Be Blocked at a Contested Republican Convention:

"Mr. Trump could lose delegates support as delegates become free to vote as they please."

"A coalition of Republicans is banking on a scenario in which Donald J. Trump fails to reach the 1,237 delegates required to secure the party’s nomination before its July convention,

creating a potential opening for another nominee as the delegates vote on the convention floor."

"Most states “bind” their delegates to candidates based on primary results.

But most delegates are released if no candidate wins a majority in an initial vote at the convention, so those who were bound to Mr. Trump could shift their support."

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/09/us/politics/how-trump-could-be-blocked-at-a-contested-republican-convention.html

Game over.

Find another candidate.

Trump should come in at about 1300. The GOPes won't like it but they won't be able to steal the nomination. From there it will be an easy win over Jailbird or Bum Sanders.

Game over.

Trump is president.

Say you're right. What happens next?

[Berkshire]

How Trump Could Be Blocked at a Contested Republican Convention:

"Mr. Trump could lose delegates support as delegates become free to vote as they please."

"A coalition of Republicans is banking on a scenario in which Donald J. Trump fails to reach the 1,237 delegates required to secure the party’s nomination before its July convention,

creating a potential opening for another nominee as the delegates vote on the convention floor."

"Most states “bind” their delegates to candidates based on primary results.

But most delegates are released if no candidate wins a majority in an initial vote at the convention, so those who were bound to Mr. Trump could shift their support."

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/09/us/politics/how-trump-could-be-blocked-at-a-contested-republican-convention.html

Game over.

Find another candidate.

Trump should come in at about 1300. The GOPes won't like it but they won't be able to steal the nomination. From there it will be an easy win over Jailbird or Bum Sanders.

Game over.

Trump is president.

Regarding "jailbird," are you referring to the Trumpster...

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-mum-petition-calling-trumps-arrest/story?id=38146180

[mesquite]

How Trump Could Be Blocked at a Contested Republican Convention:

"Mr. Trump could lose delegates support as delegates become free to vote as they please."

"A coalition of Republicans is banking on a scenario in which Donald J. Trump fails to reach the 1,237 delegates required to secure the party’s nomination before its July convention,

creating a potential opening for another nominee as the delegates vote on the convention floor."

"Most states “bind” their delegates to candidates based on primary results.

But most delegates are released if no candidate wins a majority in an initial vote at the convention, so those who were bound to Mr. Trump could shift their support."

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/09/us/politics/how-trump-could-be-blocked-at-a-contested-republican-convention.html

Game over.

Find another candidate.

Trump should come in at about 1300. The GOPes won't like it but they won't be able to steal the nomination. From there it will be an easy win over Jailbird or Bum Sanders.

Game over.

Trump is president.

Say you're right. What happens next?

We will see a reversal of the horrible policies of the past. Immigration will change and places like Texas and Arizona will once again become desirable as we pick and choose who enters our country. Jobs will come back to the US. Those who expect welfare handouts will be at first disappointed, but later happy that they are working. Other countries will once again respect us.

[Publicus]

The best headcounters in the Institutional Republican Party are making an interesting point when the say no one will know the actual count of delegates for each candidate until after the (first) roll call vote is completed of the states and territories.

The delegate counts of each candidate that most of us see most of the time are by the media organisations or at some political blog with a point of view.

The party people in each state and also in Washington do the delegate stuff. Assigning delegates, apportioning delegates, delegate eligibility, hearing and deciding delegate challenges etc. It seems to be forever incomplete and imprecise, subject to challenge and review right up to the convention itself from the floor (maybe on the floor).

Back in '76 when Reagan unsuccessfully challenged Ford, the Reagan people convinced a number of delegates awarded to Ford not to vote on the ballot roll call of the states and territories. The convention chairman however successfully directed the recording secretary conducting the vote to enter the names of Ford delegates as votes for Ford, whether or not they voted in their state party caucus sitting on the convention floor.

So rotsa ruck youse guyz over there when youse gather at the Mistake by the Lake in mid-July. A hellovalot is gonna happen between now and then besides.

[lannarebirth]

How Trump Could Be Blocked at a Contested Republican Convention:

"Mr. Trump could lose delegates support as delegates become free to vote as they please."

"A coalition of Republicans is banking on a scenario in which Donald J. Trump fails to reach the 1,237 delegates required to secure the party’s nomination before its July convention,

creating a potential opening for another nominee as the delegates vote on the convention floor."

"Most states “bind” their delegates to candidates based on primary results.

But most delegates are released if no candidate wins a majority in an initial vote at the convention, so those who were bound to Mr. Trump could shift their support."

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/09/us/politics/how-trump-could-be-blocked-at-a-contested-republican-convention.html

Game over.

Find another candidate.

Trump should come in at about 1300. The GOPes won't like it but they won't be able to steal the nomination. From there it will be an easy win over Jailbird or Bum Sanders.

Game over.

Trump is president.

Say you're right. What happens next?

We will see a reversal of the horrible policies of the past. Immigration will change and places like Texas and Arizona will once again become desirable as we pick and choose who enters our country. Jobs will come back to the US. Those who expect welfare handouts will be at first disappointed, but later happy that they are working. Other countries will once again respect us.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. What happens the next week after the election. What happens during the transition when staff is normally assembled? From where will those people be drawn? Can you name some potential appointees, VP, cabinet members? I don't find Trump interesting at all, but these people could be.

[Publicus]

Trump should come in at about 1300. The GOPes won't like it but they won't be able to steal the nomination. From there it will be an easy win over Jailbird or Bum Sanders.

Game over.

Trump is president.

Say you're right. What happens next?

We will see a reversal of the horrible policies of the past. Immigration will change and places like Texas and Arizona will once again become desirable as we pick and choose who enters our country. Jobs will come back to the US. Those who expect welfare handouts will be at first disappointed, but later happy that they are working. Other countries will once again respect us.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. What happens the next week after the election. What happens during the transition when staff is normally assembled? From where will those people be drawn? Can you name some potential appointees, VP, cabinet members? I don't find Trump interesting at all, but these people could be.

No one was thinking of a Trump cabinet.

Edited by Publicus for spacing.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Publicus

[keemapoot]

^The only confirmed appointment I've heard that Trump has made is Chris Christie, for this position in the White House:

[mesquite]

Also, we get the hottest first lady ever. But the same might well be true if Hillary is elected, as her lover Huma Abedin is hot.

Edited April 5, 2016 by mesquite

[Pinot]

The best headcounters in the Institutional Republican Party are making an interesting point when the say no one will know the actual count of delegates for each candidate until after the (first) roll call vote is completed of the states and territories.

The delegate counts of each candidate that most of us see most of the time are by the media organisations or at some political blog with a point of view.

The party people in each state and also in Washington do the delegate stuff. Assigning delegates, apportioning delegates, delegate eligibility, hearing and deciding delegate challenges etc. It seems to be forever incomplete and imprecise, subject to challenge and review right up to the convention itself from the floor (maybe on the floor).

Back in '76 when Reagan unsuccessfully challenged Ford, the Reagan people convinced a number of delegates awarded to Ford not to vote on the ballot roll call of the states and territories. The convention chairman however successfully directed the recording secretary conducting the vote to enter the names of Ford delegates as votes for Ford, whether or not they voted in their state party caucus sitting on the convention floor.

So rotsa ruck youse guyz over there when youse gather at the Mistake by the Lake in mid-July. A hellovalot is gonna happen between now and then besides.

Rotsa ruck to all the delusional TV wingnuts in this election cycle. I see no way the Republicans come out of this with a viable candidate. The Republicans had a deep bench when they started this abortion, but now we know why they were on the bench. No electable Presidential candidate and by the look of things now the Republican base will be so divided by November, they'll be staying home in droves. Then, the Dems grab the Senate, put a young Liberal Supreme Court Justice in there and the Republican wingnut dream is over for a generation to come. It's going to be a monumental beatdown.

Who is coming off the bench to save the Republicans from themselves? Koch wants Paul Ryan. If Trump stumbles next up is Cruz who is nuts and will do worse than Trump. Romney again? Laughable. They're all simply terrible candidates.

Two of my sisters ended up living in Cleveland suburbs and I've visited the city a number of times. It's no longer the mistake by the lake, the downtown area they took me to was a vibrant happening place. And the river no longer catches fire. Can't wait for the convention. I'm just disappointed that the delegates won't be able to carry guns.

[keemapoot]

All kidding aside about Christie, if Trump somehow pulls out Wisconsin and shuts the door on Cruz, there may not be much choice except to accept him as the eventual GOP nominee. In that event, of course, the floodgates will open with willing career-builders who may not otherwise have a chance with a mainstream candidate if they are lesser known or not connected.

It wouldn't surprise me to see some talent emerge then, even if they think their new boss is a joke.

[Usernames]

Your grasp of Texas history is as flawed as your PC fear of calling an illegal an illegal. The Alamo was but one battle. The WAR was won by Sam Houston and the Texican army, who defeated and captured Santa Ana at San Jacinto.

You're actually confirming what I wrote earlier. If Santa Ana had stayed and consolidated his gains at and around the Alamo, instead of taking his army further north, then the map would likely be a lot different than it is today. Sam Houston is rightly considered a hero in Texas, but his win was (at least partly) predicated on the Mexican army straying too far north. Interestingly, Houston had an option to attack the Mexican army sooner than he did, but he chose to delay for several days, until the Mexicans got further strung out and ill-provisioned.

Anyone who knows anything about San Antonio in the 1830s knows that there was nothing there to "consolidate." The expanse of territory around this small garrison is enormous and March and April of 1836 virtually all of the winter stores were gone, including those destroyed during the siege. BTW, San Jacinto is East, not North, of San Antonio.

[Publicus]

The best headcounters in the Institutional Republican Party are making an interesting point when the say no one will know the actual count of delegates for each candidate until after the (first) roll call vote is completed of the states and territories.

The delegate counts of each candidate that most of us see most of the time are by the media organisations or at some political blog with a point of view.

The party people in each state and also in Washington do the delegate stuff. Assigning delegates, apportioning delegates, delegate eligibility, hearing and deciding delegate challenges etc. It seems to be forever incomplete and imprecise, subject to challenge and review right up to the convention itself from the floor (maybe on the floor).

Back in '76 when Reagan unsuccessfully challenged Ford, the Reagan people convinced a number of delegates awarded to Ford not to vote on the ballot roll call of the states and territories. The convention chairman however successfully directed the recording secretary conducting the vote to enter the names of Ford delegates as votes for Ford, whether or not they voted in their state party caucus sitting on the convention floor.

So rotsa ruck youse guyz over there when youse gather at the Mistake by the Lake in mid-July. A hellovalot is gonna happen between now and then besides.

Rotsa ruck to all the delusional TV wingnuts in this election cycle. I see no way the Republicans come out of this with a viable candidate. The Republicans had a deep bench when they started this abortion, but now we know why they were on the bench. No electable Presidential candidate and by the look of things now the Republican base will be so divided by November, they'll be staying home in droves. Then, the Dems grab the Senate, put a young Liberal Supreme Court Justice in there and the Republican wingnut dream is over for a generation to come. It's going to be a monumental beatdown.

Who is coming off the bench to save the Republicans from themselves? Koch wants Paul Ryan. If Trump stumbles next up is Cruz who is nuts and will do worse than Trump. Romney again? Laughable. They're all simply terrible candidates.

Two of my sisters ended up living in Cleveland suburbs and I've visited the city a number of times. It's no longer the mistake by the lake, the downtown area they took me to was a vibrant happening place. And the river no longer catches fire. Can't wait for the convention. I'm just disappointed that the delegates won't be able to carry guns.

Here's an historical article by a gal who in 1952 was a teen from Red state Utah at her first Republican National Convention, when after the first ballot Ike was 70 votes short of securing the nomination.*

She has attended every Republican Convention since (except 1984), to include the 1964 Goldwater-rightwing seizure of the Republican nomination, the 1976 primaries and convention fight of the unsuccessful challenge of Pres Gerry Ford by Ronald Reagan.

Lotsa stuff about R party convention delegates, their selection, their loyalty vs party rules etc. It's instructive and simply written. Spoiler alert to any potential readers: here's the conclusion...

If the Republican Party stoops to give its nomination to Trump, women and men who have worked for the party for years will not campaign for him. They will stay home or throw their energies into electing Republican candidates running for lesser office.

Trump is about to learn about the reality of American politics. He will be surprised to find that bullying, ridicule, and hatred toward those not of his gender, color, ethnicity, or religion will not win the hearts of the majority of Republicans or other Americans.

After nearly a year of listening to candidate Trump, we know the quality of his character. When the November election is over, he will be known as the Republican presidential candidate who suffered the greatest defeat in his party's history.

http://www.vox.com/2016/3/21/11257862/melich-conventions-first-person

Which is why we're getting all the maneuvering and manipulating that is occurring over there for this 2016 R party convention. Republicans definitely need Paul Ryan as their guy. Make Republicans on all sides divided.

The writer btw is Tanya Melich who quit the Republican party in 1998 because of the Republicans' "War On Women," the term she is credited with coining.

*Governor Earl Warren successfully moved to recast California's divided vote to unanimous for Ike to give him the nomination. That would be the soon afterward Scotus Chief Justice Earl Warren. The guy President Eisenhower years later called the "greatest mistake of my presidency."

Edited April 5, 2016 by Publicus

[boomerangutang]

How Trump Could Be Blocked at a Contested Republican Convention:

"Mr. Trump could lose delegates support as delegates become free to vote as they please."

"A coalition of Republicans is banking on a scenario in which Donald J. Trump fails to reach the 1,237 delegates required to secure the party’s nomination before its July convention,

creating a potential opening for another nominee as the delegates vote on the convention floor."

"Most states “bind” their delegates to candidates based on primary results.

But most delegates are released if no candidate wins a majority in an initial vote at the convention, so those who were bound to Mr. Trump could shift their support."

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/09/us/politics/how-trump-could-be-blocked-at-a-contested-republican-convention.html

Game over.

Find another candidate.

Trump should come in at about 1300. The GOPes won't like it but they won't be able to steal the nomination. From there it will be an easy win over Jailbird or Bum Sanders.

Game over.

Trump is president.

Say you're right. What happens next?

We will see a reversal of the horrible policies of the past. Immigration will change and places like Texas and Arizona will once again become desirable as we pick and choose who enters our country. Jobs will come back to the US. Those who expect welfare handouts will be at first disappointed, but later happy that they are working. Other countries will once again respect us.

That's the rosiest prediction if Trump gets in the power seat. That's like asking Rodney King for a permanent solution to city riots, and he responds, "Why can't we all just get along?"

The world is a complicated and screwy place. Here are some more likely eventualities, if Trump becomes prez:

>>> tariffs go up 35 to 45% (his threat). Prices of imported items go up by same for Americans. Trying to make ends meet, just got harder.

>>> Trump appoints one or two S.Court justices. Abortion becomes illegal. tens of thousands of women are compelled to go to back-alley coat-hanger abortionists.

>>> Trump successfully bans the Dept. of Education (a wish for both Cruz and Trump). States and Districts decide student bodies and curriculum. Elitist schools flourish, as do ghetto schools. Creationism and other non-scientific myths are taught. American kids fall farther behind when compared to int'l standards.

>>> Trump bans the IRS (Cruz also advocates that), making it easier for the very rich to get richer. Poor get poorer and able to access less services.

>>> Hemp continues to be illegal, therefore depriving American farmers from growing a utilitarian and nutritious crop - which grows well on poor soils.

>>> Peaceful protesters will be harshly treated as rioters, compelling them to be more agitated.

>>> Trump (or Cruz) will carpet bomb Middle East villages, thereby causing ranks of ISIS to swell. Trump will also try to kill families of ISIS fighters, thereby further endangering any westerners (and their families) caught by ISIS. Remember the name Leon Klinghoffer? He was the wheelchair-bound American who was thrown overboard from a cruise ship in 1985 by Islamist terrorists. Expect more of the same. Instead of one American thrown overboard, ISIS/Al Qaeda can board a cruise ship and throw everybody overboard, while shouting "Allah Akbar" and "Death to Trump!".

....shall I go on?

[Chicog]

We will see a reversal of the horrible policies of the past. Immigration will change and places like Texas and Arizona will once again become desirable as we pick and choose who enters our country. Jobs will come back to the US. Those who expect welfare handouts will be at first disappointed, but later happy that they are working. Other countries will once again respect us.

You forgot that little birds will sing and flowers will fall from the sky. Rivers will run full of cherry cola and fruit trees will sprout knickerbocker glories. Oh and the Cubs will win the World Series.

(OK I probably went too far with that last one).

[iReason]

"Kori Schake, who served in the Republican administration of George W. Bush, said that Trump would offer a poor contrast to the former secretary of state."

"It will be impossible for Donald Trump as the Republican candidate to pick up any ground against Hillary Clinton on national security.

All she will have to say is 'steady, positive relations benefit the United States and the world." said Schake"

"He looks like he will be a crisis a week in foreign policy," Schake said. "If the American people are at all anxious about how dangerous the world seems,

he will make it seem more dangerous"

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/04/politics/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-nuclear-policy/index.html

Not only do the Republicans have to face the Democrats, they continue to collectively discount one of their own candidates.

Truly remarkable to watch.

Edited April 5, 2016 by iReason

[up2u2]

Publicus if the GOP move on Trump and dispatch him from being a nominee then who do they (meaning Koch Bros. and the wealthy elite and Corporate America) put forward?

Cruz couldn't win a raffle if he bought all the tickets. He's a fraction worse than Trump. Kasich? problem there is he isn't extreme Right Wing enough. He is very prone to rational thinking and that makes the Koch Bros. nervous.

I have heard Paul Ryan but he is saying absolutely no way.

I just can't think of one person from the Republican side that is even remotely electable.

[keemapoot]

"Kori Schake, who served in the Republican administration of George W. Bush, said that Trump would offer a poor contrast to the former secretary of state."

"It will be impossible for Donald Trump as the Republican candidate to pick up any ground against Hillary Clinton on national security.

All she will have to say is 'steady, positive relations benefit the United States and the world." said Schake"

"He looks like he will be a crisis a week in foreign policy," Schake said. "If the American people are at all anxious about how dangerous the world seems,

he will make it seem more dangerous"

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/04/politics/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-nuclear-policy/index.html

Not only do the Republicans have to face the Democrats, they continue to collectively discount one of their own candidates.

Truly remarkable to watch.

There's been conjecture about the things he will do his first day in office - send Megyn Kelly and Bill Maher to Guantanamo, etc., but I think his first foreign policy act will be to order CIA to immediately overthrow the Kenyan government, take control of the bureau of records, and find Obama's birth certificate!

That's how he got popular with Republicans and Fox News years ago, was by going on Fox and railing about the Birther issue with Obama. After finding that birth cert., he will also then order Obama apprehended and sent to share the cell with Maher in Cuba.

[iReason]

Inside the Republican Party’s Desperate Mission to Stop Donald Trump: The scenario Karl Rove outlined was bleak.

"Addressing a luncheon of Republican governors and donors in Washington on Feb. 19,

he warned that Donald J. Trump's increasingly likely nomination would be catastrophic, dooming the party in November."

"But Mr. Rove, the master strategist of George W. Bush’s campaigns, insisted it was not too late for them to stop Mr. Trump, according to three people present."

"At a meeting of Republican governors the next morning, Paul R. LePage of Maine called for action. Seated at a long boardroom table at the Willard Hotel,

he erupted in frustration over the state of the 2016 race, saying Mr. Trump’s nomination would deeply wound the Republican Party."

"Mr. LePage urged the governors to draft an open letter “to the people,” disavowing Mr. Trump and his divisive brand of politics."

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/us/politics/donald-trump-republican-party.html?_r=0

Edited April 5, 2016 by iReason

[up2u2]

"Kori Schake, who served in the Republican administration of George W. Bush, said that Trump would offer a poor contrast to the former secretary of state."

"It will be impossible for Donald Trump as the Republican candidate to pick up any ground against Hillary Clinton on national security.

All she will have to say is 'steady, positive relations benefit the United States and the world." said Schake"

"He looks like he will be a crisis a week in foreign policy," Schake said. "If the American people are at all anxious about how dangerous the world seems,

he will make it seem more dangerous"

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/04/politics/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-nuclear-policy/index.html

Not only do the Republicans have to face the Democrats, they continue to collectively discount one of their own candidates.

Truly remarkable to watch.

There's been conjecture about the things he will do his first day in office - send Megyn Kelly and Bill Maher to Guantanamo, etc., but I think his first foreign policy act will be to order CIA to immediately overthrow the Kenyan government, take control of the bureau of records, and find Obama's birth certificate!

That's how he got popular with Republicans and Fox News years ago, was by going on Fox and railing about the Birther issue with Obama. After finding that birth cert., he will also then order Obama apprehended and sent to share the cell with Maher in Cuba.

WHAT!!!! no Real Time? Now he is really starting to annoy me. First The Colbert Report then The Daily Show gone. I am just managing to struggle through with John Oliver and Bill Maher. This is getting very serious.