Trump gets outside help for potential GOP convention battle

[webfact]

Trump gets outside help for potential GOP convention battle
By JULIE BYKOWICZ

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has a Plan B if he's faced with a contested convention, and it involves the sort of outside groups that he's called "corrupt."

While the billionaire businessman might lock up the Republican presidential nomination in the next five weeks of voting, he and his allies are simultaneously undertaking a parallel effort in case he falls short.

Outside groups, including one led by longtime Trump political ally Roger Stone, and a loose collection of colorful supporters such as "Bikers for Trump" are organizing ahead of the July convention in Cleveland.

They're soliciting money to pay for their transportation and housing, and they're already trying to influence the mood of the convention with a social media campaign saying that anything short of a Trump nomination would be "stealing."

"Our principle focus right now is Cleveland," Stone said of his group, called Stop the Steal. "We want to bring as large a contingent as possible to demonstrate the breadth of Trump's appeal so that the party can see graphically what they're going to lose if they hijack the nomination from him."

Stop the Steal and other groups are gaining steam even though Trump has insisted he wants no donor help for his bid and is beholden to no one.

Super political action committees "are a disaster, by the way, folks," Trump said at a Republican debate in March. "Very corrupt."

Stop the Steal is not technically a super PAC, but it operates under very similar rules.

This past week, Trump's lawyers sent the Federal Election Commission a letter renewing the campaign's disavowal of groups using his "name, image, likeness, or slogans in connection with soliciting contributions." All the groups planning Cleveland activities repeatedly use his name in their literature.

Trump set the stage for what the outside groups are doing by making provocative comments about the complex way Republicans pick a nominee — "rigged," he calls it. Voters weigh in, but each state has its own rules about what delegates go to the convention and how they must vote on a presidential candidate while they're there.

Stop the Steal and other Trump fans are pushing a similar message on social media and websites.

"The big steal is in full swing," one online letter says, calling unfriendly delegates "stooges."

The Stone-led Cleveland coalition includes We Will Walk, Bikers for Trump, Citizens for Trump and Women for Trump. Stone said the goal is to bring thousands of people to march peacefully in the streets.

"We are prepared to bring the Republican Party down if they mess with Trump and try to take it away from him by doing the dirty tricks," said Paul Nagy, a New Hampshire Republican. He runs We Will Walk, a group that has collected more than 41,000 online signatures of people who say Trump deserves the nomination.

The public relations offensive is a counterpart to GOP rival Ted Cruz's carefully crafted, labor-intensive strategy of recruiting friendly delegates in hopes he can win if Trump falls short on the first ballot of voting.

This weekend in Arizona, Cruz won another strategic victory over Trump, getting numerous friendly delegates elected to head to Cleveland while the Trump backers appeared to be virtually shut out. Those delegates are required to first vote for Trump at the convention because he won the state, but they could later switch their votes to Cruz.

While Cruz is playing within the party's rules, Trump's claim that what Cruz is doing amounts to "stealing" resonates with voters.

In mid-April, after Cruz swept Colorado's elected delegates, stay-at-home mom Erin Behrens said she felt sick about what was happening to her candidate. So Stop the Steal helped her organize protests in the state.

Stone and an ally, Greg Lewis, flew in to help Behrens answer email and arrange a rally. At the April 15 event in Denver, about 200 demonstrators waved banners that read "Banana Republicans" and chanted "Stop the Steal!"

Behrens said in an interview last week that she's continuing to organize Trump supporters in Colorado. "If there's funny business and they make it clear they're going to not give it to Trump, Stop the Steal Cleveland will be one thing," she said. "But we will have protests, events across the United States. Count on it."

A good chunk of what the outside groups are doing now is fundraising.

"Bottom line we need to raise $262,000 in the next two weeks," Stop the Steal's website says. "If you can't make it to Cleveland will you help those who can? Will you send $500, $200 or even $100 to this crucial effort?"

A different pro-Trump group, Great America PAC, also is raising money for a Cleveland effort. This one is led by William Doddridge, chief executive officer of the Jewelry Exchange.

Its commercials warn that "party elites" will try to seize the nomination from Trump at the convention and suggest that people stop that from happening by calling an 800 number and giving money.

It needs the help. The group's latest fundraising report, covering through the end of March, shows it is more than $600,000 in debt. The super PAC can take unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations and unions. Trump's lawyers have specifically asked it to cease operations.

Stop the Steal isn't a super PAC, the category of outside group that attracts the most ire from Trump, Stone said. But it's a distinction without a difference.

It is organized as a political nonprofit "527" group that files periodic disclosure reports about its donors and spending with the Internal Revenue Service rather than the Federal Election Commission. Like an FEC-monitored super PAC, a 527 can take unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations and unions.
___

Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-05-02

[quandow]

This election cycle has been an eye opener for people paying attention (and they're starting to pay attention cuz they're REALLY feeling the bite of the economic downturn!). Election fraud on a national scale combined with the rigging of this election on BOTH the Democrats and Republicans' parties have folks up in arms.

Senator Sanders still has a slim chance of winning the election, and even if he doesn't he has exposed the corrupt underbelly of campaign financing and the prevalent government fascism/corporatocracy/oligarchy that is crushing the U.S. economy - and that ripples around the world. I believe Bernie will continue the fight after the election, be it from the oval office or a bully pulpit of his own making.

[tuanku]

The Clinton camp should (and presumably are) be helping Trump to win the Republican nomination by every means possible as running against him is the best chance she has of occupying the White House. The only candidate with any dignity is Sanders and he is being pushed out of the race by vested interests.

[Linzz]

The Clinton camp should (and presumably are) be helping Trump to win the Republican nomination by every means possible as running against him is the best chance she has of occupying the White House. The only candidate with any dignity is Sanders and he is being pushed out of the race by vested interests.

Hell no! Hillary doesn't want to face Trump He's not a career politician and is an unknown quantity. Whereas she knows Cruz backwards and would walk over him.

[ggt]

Love him or hate him...Trump's campaign and the campaign of Bernie Sanders have changed the political landscape in the US...most likely forever...

More people have voted than ever before in a Republican primary...people are switching parties to vote Republican...

Clinton keeps claiming she has the most votes of any candidate...but she is in a two person race...and the Republicans started out with 17 candidates...

Hollywood types are threatening to leave the US for Canada...others are doing the usual mindless branding of Republicans (intolerant, bigoted, racists, homophobic, anti-woman, and so on)

The election has become one of the most interesting and entertaining current events in my lifetime...

It is all good...

[mrwebb8825]

What Trump should do is just make a quick statement thanking these groups for their moral support and publicly applaud them as "Real Americans" for fighting back against "the machine". Then, his campaign manager should be sending e-mails to the group organizers to help focus their efforts in the states that have yet to hold their primaries.

I laughed at the part about the "Hollywood Elite" threatening to move to Canada. That would be short lived when they were either sued by their contract holders or dropped and couldn't get any more film deals. Their "sacks" would soon shrivel up as their funds and party lives faded.

[slipperylobster]

The Clinton camp should (and presumably are) be helping Trump to win the Republican nomination by every means possible as running against him is the best chance she has of occupying the White House. The only candidate with any dignity is Sanders and he is being pushed out of the race by vested interests.

Hell no! Hillary doesn't want to face Trump He's not a career politician and is an unknown quantity. Whereas she knows Cruz backwards and would walk over him.

sort of like a hound dog sniffing a porcupine's behind.

she is simply barking up the wrong alley.

[fvw53]

This election cycle has been an eye opener for people paying attention (and they're starting to pay attention cuz they're REALLY feeling the bite of the economic downturn!). Election fraud on a national scale combined with the rigging of this election on BOTH the Democrats and Republicans' parties have folks up in arms.

Senator Sanders still has a slim chance of winning the election, and even if he doesn't he has exposed the corrupt underbelly of campaign financing and the prevalent government fascism/corporatocracy/oligarchy that is crushing the U.S. economy - and that ripples around the world. I believe Bernie will continue the fight after the election, be it from the oval office or a bully pulpit of his own making.

Gerrymandering is still worse for US democracy than Super PACs : it makes that 70 pct or more of the Congress are elected in "safe" districts and do not need to bother about the outcome of the election.

[Linzz]

What Trump should do is just make a quick statement thanking these groups for their moral support and publicly applaud them as "Real Americans" for fighting back against "the machine". Then, his campaign manager should be sending e-mails to the group organizers to help focus their efforts in the states that have yet to hold their primaries.

I laughed at the part about the "Hollywood Elite" threatening to move to Canada. That would be short lived when they were either sued by their contract holders or dropped and couldn't get any more film deals. Their "sacks" would soon shrivel up as their funds and party lives faded.

As I said on another thread, the same crowd threatened to leave the US if GWBush was re-elected, most to head for France.

It must mean they are still in the US, anyone surprised? They're actors aren't they?

[Inn Between]

What does it say about the integrity of the 2-party system when you've got the richest "Republicans" fighting to kill the momentum of one of the most popular nominee contenders their own party has ever had? It says that long-established ecopolitical ways must be maintained, and those ultra-rich "Republicans" will do anything, including voting for Hillary Clinton to keep the status quo. Hillary's been bent over every key desk in Washington and Wall St., in a proverbial manner of course, so she's perfectly groomed to vacuously sit in the Oval Office doing what she's told to do and lie on cue.

[Pinot]

Love him or hate him...Trump's campaign and the campaign of Bernie Sanders have changed the political landscape in the US...most likely forever...

More people have voted than ever before in a Republican primary...people are switching parties to vote Republican...

Clinton keeps claiming she has the most votes of any candidate...but she is in a two person race...and the Republicans started out with 17 candidates...

Hollywood types are threatening to leave the US for Canada...others are doing the usual mindless branding of Republicans (intolerant, bigoted, racists, homophobic, anti-woman, and so on)

The election has become one of the most interesting and entertaining current events in my lifetime...

It is all good...

You're right...it is all good. Republicans will cease to be a political entity after this cluster %#@& of a campaign. The low-info, scared old white man, wingnuts have led the GOP off a cliff.

Get used to Madam President for the next eight years. The next Republican President hasn't been born yet.

No, it's all great!

[boomerangutang]

Trump, the great flip-flopper:

>>> Said he was completely self-financed, but when pressed admitted he's gotten about 17 million from outside sources, and that was 3 months ago.

>>> Claims that no one is allowed to use his name for fundraising, yet numerous groups are using his name. What if they start making claims that Trump doesn't support? Maybe that's not an issue, because Trump is such a chameleon - he can change with whichever way the wind blow-dries his hair.

>>> He claims he hates PAC's yet identical-to-PAC groups are supporting him.

>>> He claims he's the greatest deal-maker and always has the best people on his staff, yet Cruz is quietly taking delegates which could have gone to Trump, if he had his shit together.

>>> He hates rigged deals, unless he's the only one doing the rigging.

Which is it Donald? Do you even know?

[boomerangutang]

The election has become one of the most interesting and entertaining current events in my lifetime...

It is all good...

I pretty much agree, but this election cycle has also been very divisive and polarizing. You get one guess who is feeding that. Hint: his name rhymes with rump.

Trump is like a 1920's snake oil salesman. Everything for him is superlatives: Each particular person, group or concept, he either loves or hates, ....and that love can turn to hate in a moment, and vice versa. He's got the convictions of a hummingbird.

[seedy]

Flaming post Removed. Keep the personal attacks off this Forum. Reply to the post

[hawker9000]

The election has become one of the most interesting and entertaining current events in my lifetime...

It is all good...

I pretty much agree, but this election cycle has also been very divisive and polarizing. You get one guess who is feeding that. Hint: his name rhymes with rump.

Trump is like a 1920's snake oil salesman. Everything for him is superlatives: Each particular person, group or concept, he either loves or hates, ....and that love can turn to hate in a moment, and vice versa. He's got the convictions of a hummingbird.

Yeah, he really DOES sound like a democrat, doesn't he? 'Playing the game by their rules anyway. It's going to be an interesting campaign season. There are as many republicans totally dissatisfied with Trump as there are democrats who hate Hillary. Trump does have an advantage though, now that both Cruz & Kasich have dropped out; he gets a head start both on holding out the olive branch within his own party and mounting a focused offensive against Hillary. While Hillary still has to deal with Sanders awhile longer. June 7 could be ugly. ('Thought I read some judge is now saying Hillary might have to be deposed, so all that hasn't gone away for her either.)