Presidential hopefuls Trump and Clinton shape up as they head for the November 8 showdown

[webfact]

Presidential hopefuls Trump and Clinton shape up as they head for the November 8 showdown
Produced by Beatriz Beiras



WASHINGTON: -- With each vote it becomes more clear – the battle for the US presidency looks like being between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Both the Republican and Democrat favourites are already turning their attention to each other for the November 8 showdown.

“Now, the other day Mr. Trump accused me of playing the ‘woman card.’ Well if fighting for women’s healthcare and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the ‘woman card,’ then deal me in,” proclaimed Hillary Clinton to her supporters at a rally in April.

Donald Trump has his views on how he will treat women.

“ I will be so much better to women than Hillary Clinton is. So much better. On healthcare issues, and you know what else? On the protection of our country. Because ultimately that’s one, two and three. We gotta protect our country,” he told his supporters.

And while Hillary Clinton has given as good as she has got, she now has to adapt her message to win the other battles. To be sure of victory she’ll have reach out to the white working class Americans who are the backbone of Trump’s support.

With 2165 delegates won Clinton seems all but assured of the Democrat nomination. She needs just 2,383 delegates to claim victory.

Trump has the wind in his sails… and Hillary in his sights.

“I don’t know if you heard because the press won’t tell you this but a new poll just came out a few hours ago the Rasmussen poll and I’m beating Hillary Clinton and that’s good, that’s good, we’re beating her,” he trumpeted earlier this month at a rally.

He’s already bagged 996 delegates and needs just 1,237 to secure the Republican nomination.

The state of Indiana is crucial because it yields 57 Republican delegates and 83 on the Democrat side, plus nine super-delegates who have a free vote at the Philadelphia nominating convention

Sure of her victory over Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton has already begun wooing his supporters for the right to take over Barack Obama.

“The leading Republican contender is the man who led the insidious birther movement to discredit the president’s citizenship. We cannot let Barack Obama’s legacy fall into Donald Trump’s hands,” said Hillary Clinton

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-05-04

[webfact]

Trump dashes Cruz's hopes in Indiana; Sanders-Clinton close
By JULIE PACE and SCOTT BAUER

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Donald Trump took a major step toward sewing up the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday with a victory in Indiana's primary election, dashing the hopes of rival Ted Cruz and other GOP forces who fear the brash businessman will doom their party in the general election.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were vying for victory in the Democratic primary, though it was too early to call the race as votes were being tallied. Clinton already is 91 percent of the way to her party's nomination.

While Trump can't mathematically clinch the GOP nomination with his victory in Indiana, his path now becomes easier and he has more room for error in the remaining primary contests. The real estate mogul will collect at least 45 of Indiana's 57 delegates, and now needs less than 200 more in upcoming contests.

Cruz, who hasn't topped Trump in a month, campaigned vigorously in Indiana, securing the endorsement of the state's governor and announcing businesswoman Carly Fiorina as his running mate. But he appeared to lose momentum in the final days of campaigning and let his frustration with Trump boil over Tuesday, calling the billionaire "amoral" and a "braggadocious, arrogant buffoon."


Trump responded by saying Cruz "does not have the temperament to be president of the United States." Earlier Tuesday Trump had rehashed unsubstantiated claims that the Texan's father, Rafael Cruz, appeared in a 1963 photograph with John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald — citing a report first published by the National Enquirer.

Cruz has vowed to stay in the race through the final primaries in June, clinging to the possibility that Trump will fall short of the 1,237 delegates he needs and the race will go to a contested convention. But he now could face pressure from donors and other Republicans to at least tone down in attacks on Trump in an attempt to unite the GOP heading into the general election.

Whether a united Republican Party is even possible with Trump at the helm remains highly uncertain. Even before the Indiana results were finalized, some conservative leaders were planning a Wednesday meeting to assess the viability of launching a third party candidacy to compete with Trump in the fall.

Only about half of Indiana's Republican primary voters said they were excited or even optimistic about any of their remaining candidates becoming president, according to exit polls. Still, most said they probably would support whoever won for the GOP.

Clinton, too, needs to win over Sanders' enthusiastic supporters. The Vermont senator has cultivated a deeply loyal following in particular among young people, a group Democrats count on in the general election.

Sanders has conceded his strategy hinges on persuading superdelegates to back him over the former secretary of state. Superdelegates are Democratic Party insiders who can support the candidate of their choice, regardless of how their states vote. And they favor Clinton by a nearly 18-1 margin.

Exit polls showed about 7 in 10 Indiana Democrats said they'd be excited or at least optimistic about either a Clinton or Sanders presidency. Most said they would support either in November.

The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.

A fall showdown between Clinton and Trump would pit one of Democrats' most experienced political figures against a first-time candidate who is deeply divisive within his own party. Cruz and other Republicans have argued that Trump would be roundly defeated in the general election, denying their party the White House for a third straight term.

Republican leaders spent months dismissing Trump as little more than an entertainer who would fade once voting started. Cruz was among those who actively tried to align themselves with Trump and called him "terrific."

As Trump began to pick up wins, Cruz became more critical of his rival's policies. Still, his torrent of attacks Tuesday was by far the most pointed and personal of the campaign to date.

Trump has now won seven straight primary contests and has 80 percent of the delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination. With his victory in Indiana, Trump now has at least 1,041 delegates. Cruz has 565 and Ohio Gov. John Kasich has 152.

___

Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this report from Washington.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-05-04

[keemapoot]

I thought this was a news article about pleasantly plump Hilary and robustly rotund Trump hitting the gym for the election.

[slipperylobster]

Trump takes on America...and wins!

Now watch the middle ground move to Trump!

Hillary is on a crash collision with destiny.

President Trump (fist pump) oooooorah.

time for all those #NeverTrumpers to jump ship and climb aboard the USS Trumph.

no whigners please. and negative comments are now moot. Trump is now unbeatable.

Hillary will not lose numbers...but Trump will gain many borderliners (democrats and people that would otherwise not vote..but now will)

Tiny ted now needs to bow his head....and support Trump, like the Republican Party will.

All the democraps have is sad, screaming, lying hillary. She will be busy reserving her jail cell....and will soon be losing supporters. Sanders is a better choice for them...but neither could beat trump.

good going, don.

Edited May 4, 2016 by slipperylobster

[webfact]

Ted Cruz pulls out of Republican race after losing heavily to Donald Trump in Indiana primary /BBC

[samran]

Ted Cruz pulls out of Republican race after losing heavily to Donald Trump in Indiana primary /BBC

Boonmee will be devastated...

[mrwebb8825]

Now that it's a 2-man race with the other guy in 4th place (snicker) I wonder if Trumps' people are secretly courting Bernie for the VP slot on the ticket. I can't remember if there has EVER been a GOP/DEM ticket running for POTUS/VP but I know 1 thing for sure, IF that happened, HRC would most likely need to just bow out of the general election no matter who she tapped for VP.

One thing's for certain, this is the most unique and history making change to the election norm in my 57 years of life.

[webfact]

Trump virtually clinches Republican presidential nomination
JULIE PACE, Associated Press
SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — In a stunning triumph for a political outsider, Donald Trump all but clinched the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday with a resounding victory in Indiana that knocked rival Ted Cruz out of the race and cleared Trump's path to a likely November face-off with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Trump still needs about 200 delegates to formally secure the nomination, but Cruz's decision to end his campaign removed his last major obstacle.

"Ted Cruz — I don't know if he likes me or he doesn't like me — but he is one hell of a competitor," Trump said of his last fierce competitor whom he had dubbed "lyin' Ted." Trump, in a victory speech that was much lower-key than usual, promised victory in November, vowing anew to put "America first."

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders eked out a victory over Clinton in Indiana, but the outcome will not slow the former secretary of state's march to the Democratic nomination. Heading into Tuesday's voting, Clinton had 92 percent of the delegates she needs.

Clinton and Trump now plunge into a six- month battle for the presidency, with the future of America's immigration laws, health care system and military posture around the world at stake. While Clinton heads into the general election with significant advantages with minority voters and women, Democrats have vowed to not underestimate Trump as his Republican rivals did for too long.

For months, Republican leaders considered him a fringe candidate and banked on voters shifting toward more traditional contenders once the primary contests began. But Trump proved to be surprisingly durable, tapping into Republicans' deep anger with party leaders and outlasting more than a dozen experienced political rivals.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus declared the race over, saying on Twitter that Trump would be the party's presumptive nominee.

"We all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton," he wrote.

Indeed, Trump's first challenge will be uniting a Republican Party that has been roiled by his candidacy. While some GOP leaders have warmed to the real estate mogul, others have promised to never vote for him and see him as a threat to their party's very existence.

Even before the Indiana results were finalized, some conservative leaders were planning a Wednesday meeting to assess the viability of launching a third party candidacy to compete with him in the fall.

One outside group trying to stop Trump suggested it would shift its attention to helping Republicans in other races. Rory Cooper, a senior adviser to the Never Trump super PAC, said the group will help protect "Republican incumbents and down-ballot candidates, by distinguishing their values and principles from that of Trump, and protecting them from a wave election."

Indiana was viewed as the last gasp for Cruz, the fiery Texas conservative. He campaigned aggressively in the state, securing the support of Indiana's governor and announcing businesswoman Carly Fiorina as his running mate, but lost momentum in the closing days.

Cruz had clung to the hope that he could keep Trump from reaching the 1,237 delegates needed for the nomination and push the race to a rare contested convention.

"I've said I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory; tonight I'm sorry to say it appears that path has been foreclosed," Cruz told a somber crowd in Indianapolis.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is now the only other Republican left in the race. But Kasich has won just one primary — his home state — and trails Trump by nearly 900 delegates.

Kasich pledged to stay in the race, with his campaign manager saying the governor would continue to "offer the voters a clear choice for our country."

Only about half of Indiana's Republican primary voters said they were excited or optimistic about any of their remaining candidates becoming president, according to exit polls. Still, most said they probably would support whoever won for the GOP.

Clinton, too, needs to win over Sanders' enthusiastic supporters. The Vermont senator has cultivated a deeply loyal following in particular among young people, a group Democrats count on in the general election.

Sanders has conceded his strategy hinges on persuading superdelegates to back him over the former secretary of state. Superdelegates are Democratic Party insiders who can support the candidate of their choice, regardless of how their states vote. And they favor Clinton by a nearly 18-1 margin.

Exit polls showed about 7 in 10 Indiana Democrats said they'd be excited or at least optimistic about either a Clinton or Sanders presidency. Most said they would support either in November.

The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.

With Sanders' narrow victory Tuesday, he picked up at least 42 of Indiana's 83 delegates. Clinton now has 2,201 delegates to Sanders' 1,399. That includes pledged delegates from primaries and caucuses, as well as superdelegates.

Trump now has at least 1,041 delegates. Cruz exits the race with 565, while Kasich has 152.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-05-04

[Usernames]

All the TVFers who said Donald Trump could not win a single primary. YOU were Wrong!!!

All the TVFers who said Donald Trump could not win over 50 percent of the vote in a primary. YOU were Wrong!!!

All the TVFers who said the Republicans would have a contested convention. YOU were Wrong.

And all the TVFers out there who still think Hillary has the slightest chance. YOU are Wrong. AGAIN.

[marko kok prong]

Wow,to think the Donald could be the next president,wonder who he will try to take out first,Kim il jung must be getting nervous.

[Pimay1]

All the TVFers who said Donald Trump could not win a single primary. YOU were Wrong!!!

All the TVFers who said Donald Trump could not win over 50 percent of the vote in a primary. YOU were Wrong!!!

All the TVFers who said the Republicans would have a contested convention. YOU were Wrong.

And all the TVFers out there who still think Hillary has the slightest chance. YOU are Wrong. AGAIN.

Exactly. I wonder if they would like their crow baked, fried or broiled?

[johnnywishbone]

I was so sick of Cruz on my TV.

I hope that "Group Hug" KSick disappears soon.

When Trump attacks the Clinton Machine, it will get ugly.

There will be blood.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[keemapoot]

Wow,to think the Donald could be the next president,wonder who he will try to take out first,Kim il jung must be getting nervous.

I'm pretty sure Megyn Kelly and Bill Maher have already obtained foreign passports. They for sure will be sent to Gitmo soon as he's elected. He's gonna be too busy at home building walls, cancelling trade agreements and rebuilding shoe & toy factories and Maytag washer factories to worry about any of them foreigners.

[slipperylobster]

All the TVFers who said Donald Trump could not win a single primary. YOU were Wrong!!!

All the TVFers who said Donald Trump could not win over 50 percent of the vote in a primary. YOU were Wrong!!!

All the TVFers who said the Republicans would have a contested convention. YOU were Wrong.

And all the TVFers out there who still think Hillary has the slightest chance. YOU are Wrong. AGAIN.

quiet....they are on a roll. lol.

at least they were decisive..... decisively wrong.

[slipperylobster]

Wow,to think the Donald could be the next president,wonder who he will try to take out first,Kim il jung must be getting nervous.

I'm pretty sure Megyn Kelly and Bill Maher have already obtained foreign passports. They for sure will be sent to Gitmo soon as he's elected. He's gonna be too busy at home building walls, cancelling trade agreements and rebuilding shoe & toy factories and Maytag washer factories to worry about any of them foreigners.

Trump might lay down the first brick...but Mexico is going to have to do the rest.

[Publicus]

Thank you Indiana Republican primary voters...

A new Rand survey finds 53% of voters surveyed say they will vote for a Democrat for president this fall while 37.9% will vote for a Republican.

Just four months ago, a similar survey found 46.7% were planning to vote for a Democrat while 43.1% would vote for a Republican.

And thank you to all the rest of the Republican voters in the primaries and the caucuses this year for delivering Donald Trump to us over on this side.

It is a Blue Wave election year across the board coming up from this point forward. Several previously safe Republican senate seats are presently tied with their D party challengers and vulnerable R senators up for reelection are running away from Trump cause he'd already been sinking their chances to win.

Btw anyone who might think Sanders would join a ticket with Trump, or that Trump would even think of it has been out in the sun and the heat too long so they should seek professional help.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Publicus

[OMGImInPattaya]

Best two lines of the campaign so far...

"Indiana don't want you!"

"A beautiful wall."

Go Donald ?

[helpisgood]

Wow,to think the Donald could be the next president,wonder who he will try to take out first,Kim il jung must be getting nervous.

I think you mean Kim Jong-un, the current leader of North Korea.

His dad and the leader before that, who has since passed on, was Kim Jong-il.

Before Kim Jong-il was his dad who also ran North Korea, Kim Il-sung.

I can understand non-Koreans confusing Korean names, especially the two given names which are so easy to switch around for non-Korean speakers.

[up2u2]

Trump vs Hillary

Excellent!!!!

[OMGImInPattaya]

Trump vs Hillary

Excellent!!!!

Hillary has a huge gender gap!

[Publicus]

Trump vs Hillary

Excellent!!!!

Hillary has a huge gender gap!

Here's your gender gap.....

Women prefer Clinton to Trump by 25 points (52% to 26%) while she trails Trump slightly with male voters (38% to 42%).

Considering Clinton leads by wide margins with every group except evangelicals and tea party types, Biff is gonna get a truckload dumped on him November 8th.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/blog/2016/04/07/election-tracking-takeaways-how-would-trump-hillary-play-out/

[up2u2]

Publicus is there anyway the GOP can lose Trump?

If I had to pick the candidate the most easiest for Hillary to beat it would be Trump. No one liked Cruz. Kasich polled pretty well in a General Election so he worried me a little.

Women out (remember women don't forget. You say something like women should be punished. Your done), Hispanics out, Muslims out. Who has the Black vote at the moment Trump? Hillary?. Bernie voters are out. No way they are going to vote for Trump no matter how 'Socialist friendly' he gets.

This is good news for Dems.

[pitrevie]

Pure comedy gold I can't wait to see who he picks as his running mate. Please let it be the moose from Alaska after all he does think very highly of her.

[Berkshire]

Now that it's a 2-man race with the other guy in 4th place (snicker) I wonder if Trumps' people are secretly courting Bernie for the VP slot on the ticket. I can't remember if there has EVER been a GOP/DEM ticket running for POTUS/VP but I know 1 thing for sure, IF that happened, HRC would most likely need to just bow out of the general election no matter who she tapped for VP.

One thing's for certain, this is the most unique and history making change to the election norm in my 57 years of life.

Trump/Sanders? Keep dreaming. Sanders would never play second-fiddle to that loudmouth. Besides, New Jersey Fats (aka Christie) has been seriously brown-nosing the Donald to get that slot.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Publicus is there anyway the GOP can lose Trump?

If I had to pick the candidate the most easiest for Hillary to beat it would be Trump. No one liked Cruz. Kasich polled pretty well in a General Election so he worried me a little.

Women out (remember women don't forget. You say something like women should be punished. Your done), Hispanics out, Muslims out. Who has the Black vote at the moment Trump? Hillary?. Bernie voters are out. No way they are going to vote for Trump no matter how 'Socialist friendly' he gets.

This is good news for Dems.

Few men will vote for Hillary, despite what they say to pollsters, Hispanics don't vote and the ones that do are in Democratic States already, and there are few Muslims (thankfully) in the United States.

[Cory1848]

Publicus is there anyway the GOP can lose Trump?

If I had to pick the candidate the most easiest for Hillary to beat it would be Trump. No one liked Cruz. Kasich polled pretty well in a General Election so he worried me a little.

Women out (remember women don't forget. You say something like women should be punished. Your done), Hispanics out, Muslims out. Who has the Black vote at the moment Trump? Hillary?. Bernie voters are out. No way they are going to vote for Trump no matter how 'Socialist friendly' he gets.

This is good news for Dems.

Few men will vote for Hillary, despite what they say to pollsters, Hispanics don't vote and the ones that do are in Democratic States already, and there are few Muslims (thankfully) in the United States.

You've forgotten one demographic: rational, thinking people who don't want their country to fall into one catastrophe after another. They still make up the majority I think, and they will not vote for Trump.

[slipperylobster]

Correction Required..........

People are voting for Trump for the exact reason that they are tired of the status quo (constant catastrophes)

Hillary would just be four more years of that hell on earth.

Edited May 4, 2016 by slipperylobster

[Berkshire]

Publicus is there anyway the GOP can lose Trump?

If I had to pick the candidate the most easiest for Hillary to beat it would be Trump. No one liked Cruz. Kasich polled pretty well in a General Election so he worried me a little.

Women out (remember women don't forget. You say something like women should be punished. Your done), Hispanics out, Muslims out. Who has the Black vote at the moment Trump? Hillary?. Bernie voters are out. No way they are going to vote for Trump no matter how 'Socialist friendly' he gets.

This is good news for Dems.

Few men will vote for Hillary, despite what they say to pollsters, Hispanics don't vote and the ones that do are in Democratic States already, and there are few Muslims (thankfully) in the United States.

You've forgotten one demographic: rational, thinking people who don't want their country to fall into one catastrophe after another. They still make up the majority I think, and they will not vote for Trump.

Like these folks: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-02-29/the-die-hard-republicans-who-say-nevertrump

Even some Republicans have principles.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Publicus is there anyway the GOP can lose Trump?

If I had to pick the candidate the most easiest for Hillary to beat it would be Trump. No one liked Cruz. Kasich polled pretty well in a General Election so he worried me a little.

Women out (remember women don't forget. You say something like women should be punished. Your done), Hispanics out, Muslims out. Who has the Black vote at the moment Trump? Hillary?. Bernie voters are out. No way they are going to vote for Trump no matter how 'Socialist friendly' he gets.

This is good news for Dems.

Few men will vote for Hillary, despite what they say to pollsters, Hispanics don't vote and the ones that do are in Democratic States already, and there are few Muslims (thankfully) in the United States.

You've forgotten one demographic: rational, thinking people who don't want their country to fall into one catastrophe after another. They still make up the majority I think, and they will not vote for Trump.

Rational thinking people...you mean the 60% who deny climate change, or the 50% who deny evolution...or the 70% who believe gods are born from virgins ?

[humqdpf]

All the TVFers who said Donald Trump could not win a single primary. YOU were Wrong!!!

All the TVFers who said Donald Trump could not win over 50 percent of the vote in a primary. YOU were Wrong!!!

All the TVFers who said the Republicans would have a contested convention. YOU were Wrong.

And all the TVFers out there who still think Hillary has the slightest chance. YOU are Wrong. AGAIN.

I think you may be confusing the hope that Trump would not win a single primary etc with the prediction that he would not win a single primary.

I am no supporter of Hillary and I have never forgiven her husband for his support to repeal the Glass Stegal Act (which precipitated the banking crisis). But Trump, while very entertaining at times and sometimes hits the mark when it comes to the abandonment of the working middle class whose real income has fallen over the past couple of decades under all administrations, has no experience of high office, does not read history, is inconsistent and will be a destabilising force.

I will give you a prediction - Trump will win the election for Hilary. Never before will there be so many people voting for a candidate that they cannot stand, just to keep the other guy out of office! Old Democrats, left-wing democrats, old Republicans, followers of the Gun Lobby, libertarians and many more - all will be eating crow while they vote for Hiliary just to keep Trump out of office.

As an added bonus, here is a conspiracy theory for you - Trump never expected to get past the first few debates but he was put there to destabilise the Republicans and divide the vote so that the more sane candidates would get lost in the shuffle. No one, not even Trump himself, even hoped to win the nomination. But the real reason he ran was because he is an addict to that drug called celebrity and he was put up to it by the Clintons.