The upcoming Connecticut primary in a poll released today by Emerson College, showed 50% of state Republicans likely to vote for businessman Donald J. Trump. Ohio Governor John Kasich, who has one won state (Ohio) comes in second with 26% with the highest favorable rate among all candidates. Texas U.S. Senator is placed third at 17%. Six percent remain undecided.
Former SOS Hillary Clinton still leads Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders with a 49% lead over his 46%. Sanders holds a higher favorable view among voters, however.
“Conservative Chat” – Bill Stevens and Barkhamsted RTC Chair Juliana Simone discuss Bill’s well-rounded background, his stance on immigration, the Second Amendment, National defense, the Supreme Court nomination to replace the irreplaceable Justice Scalia, the Fifth Congressional election history, why Bill believes he is the best choice to receive the Fifth District nomination at the upcoming Republican State Convention, and energy.
This interview will repeat next Thursday, April 14th, at 7PM on Charter Cable Channel 191. For those who are not Charter Communications subscribers, or who live outside the viewing area, this program can be seen online at www.ctv13.net after this coming Monday. Click on the “Watch Online” tab on the upper right and if the latest episode is not on the home page, put “Conservative Chat” in the search bar.
Businessman and Republican Presidential candidate 2016 Donald TrumpTexas U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate 2016 Ted Cruz
Written by Juliana Simone
The reason one state counts this far into the game comes down to two words: Second ballot.
Most readers probably thought they would see the words ‘contested convention.’ Also important in that one leads to the other.
But for those in the know, where things get tricky at a state or national convention, is when a candidate well into the lead and has been told by numerous delegates they were the sure winner by a healthy percentage, suddenly find themselves short enough to have to go into a second ballot.*
Wisconsin’s numbers tonight award the winner 18 delegates. Three delegates for each of the eight congressional districts within the state are then distributed. With polls showing Texas U.S. Senator well in the lead over businessman Donald Trump on the Republican side, strategists show no matter how it’s cut up, Trump won’t come out with enough to call it a win heading into the national convention after tonight.
This is good news for Cruz supporters, or the ‘I’ll-vote-for-Hillary’ group before Trump, despite their patriotic stance presented to the public. Anyone who has served on the municipal level, no matter how small a town, can tell you how every vote matters. Town board seats and State House seats have been won by one vote. One vote. Something sadly much of America, whose citizens have the privilege to vote, does not recognize each Election Day.
The Kasich camp, still believes somehow somewhere the Ohio Governor can become the nominee, even with only winning one state to date, his own, out of thirty-two primaries/caucuses held to date. Many people believe he should have left the stage some time ago. Arguably, if there was a third man (or woman) still standing, the list is long in terms of exceptional candidates who were presented to us originally back in late 2015.
Both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz voiced their opinions pre-Wisconsin vote that Kasich should drop out with only one state under his belt. But the long-serving Republican Party candidate says he is staying in until the convention. He has noted in public comments that no one outside of Ohio even knew who he was before running for President of the United States, so perhaps this achievement accompanies his view of what America would be under his leadership.
“Up until now, no one knew who I was. They thought my name was ‘Governor of Ohio.’ Finally I’m getting some attention! People can hear my message!” This may be true in some circles, but most people didn’t even know he was the Governor of Ohio. Other Governor’s had more national media attention going into this competition. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Understandably, this is a shining moment for John Kasich, the current Ohio Governor. Considered a moderate who has made statements of note during his campaign, including the idea he would perhaps pick a democrat to be his Vice President on the ticket.
Also, like Republican Party nominee veteran John McCain, (who lost to Illinois U.S. Senator Barack Hussein Obama in 2008), Kasich says he will work with both sides of the aisle, and is described as a big government legislator. For these reasons, Kasich is not popular with conservatives, libertarians, right-sided Republicans and some of the blue-collar demographic who support Trump.
New York businessman Donald Trump has connected with voters from a vast amount of demographics and appears to be the only Republican who currently can assure cross-over votes. Kasich’s camp would disagree with this assessment and argue because of his moderate stance, he will appeal to these groups, as well. But this is old strategy from the current GOP establishment which continues to believe, if we’re more like them they’ll vote for us. Election results have not proven this to be case in terms of who wins the highest office politically. (McCain 08; Romney 12.)
Federal offices hold Republican majorities in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Congress with a mix, depending on the state, but notably with the addition of new conservative faces. Texas Senator Ted Cruz is one of those. Endorsed by former Alaska Governor and 2008 Vice President Candidate Sarah Palin, he won his U.S. Senate seat in 2012. Governor Palin now has endorsed Donald Trump for the party nomination for president, but either way, she clearly stands by candidates who are anti-establishment.
Cruz has made this reputation by his actions as a constitutionalist in Washington D.C., who stands firmly on the Founder’s principles and his, while Trump presents this status as a businessman who has never held public office but has made major achievements over his lifetime. Both men have Ivy League degrees (Cruz: Princeton/Harvard; Trump: Wharton Schol of Business, University of Pennsylvania) and are happily married with children.
They each have their critics, too.
Cruz, has people who staunchly insist he is not qualified to run for the office of President of the United States since he was born in Canada. His mother, an American, married a Cuban native. He also is said to have few allies among his colleagues in the U.S. Senate for his strong approach in fighting the insiders and business as usual.
Trump, the media has pulled out all stops to try and bury every day, as both the never-perceived front-runner, and due to personal vendettas apparently from some of the media’s upper tier. A blunt man, who speaks plainly with no apology, receives constant criticism from the commentators and politically correct crowd who does not believe any lets-cut-to-the-chase speak, should ever be allowed (regardless of how they talk amongst themselves privately with no cameras rolling.)
But both of these aforementioned things the two men bring to the table, who presumably will be the nominee coming out of the national convention in July, are what brings them their devout fans.
Interestingly, the location of the convention is in the home state of Governor Kasich, where the third man hoping to somehow grab a seat in this game of musical chairs, still hopes for some miracle that can happen with the arm-twisting and madness of the super-delegates.
On the democrat front, things are even bleaker for Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders who has won the last states over presumed former First Lady/NY Senator/SOS Hillary Clinton despite her serious woes with the FBI in re her email server scandal. For this party, primaries have just been an expense for taxpayers, as Clinton already had sewn up all her caucus’s super-delegates before even starting the process. It must be a concern to those who immediately ushered her in to this front-line position and ignored her pockmarked veneer that the massive youth turnout for Sanders would not take kindly to learning their vote never mattered due to these party logistics.
Sanders who has out-performed her in many states throughout the county, has left the democrat party in a dilemma. With large wins in Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and one really close win in Michigan, he has outperformed what any pundit conceived after his announcement. His supporters maybe at best can hope for a FBI arrest for Clinton, which is far more deserved than what General Patraeus was found guilty of – but even he made recent comments Clinton under the Obama administration and the current Department of Justice will sweep under the rug to keep their liberal agenda for the country going.
On the Republican front, somehow this group needs to form an alliance whoever the nominee is after the convention. The country continues to diminish as Democrats are elected or re-elected due to stubborn Republican voter divide.
*{Ask former Congressman and retired U.S. Army Colonel Rob Simmons, (CT-2), who was assured he would beat the democrat nominee, Connecticut’s long-serving Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, once becoming the official nominee in 2010, but a second ballot flipped the vote for newcomer WWE co-owner Linda McMahon.}
{Editor’s note: these choices are in no particular order. They are my top ten in my view. It would be easy to add another five, all worthy of mention. Of course, there are many others beyond that…but, this is a top ten list.}
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Okay. For those who need to know who the other five would be:
Alfred Hitchcock
Sydney Pollack
Anthony Minghella
James Ivory
Ang Lee
{Editor: Honorable mentions to both exceptional directors Martin Scorsese and Mike Nichols. Favorite Scorsese film “Raging Bull”}
“Raging Bull” still from end of film with actor Robert De Niro – “you didn’t knock me down, Ray”
{” Favorite Nichols film “Wolf.”}
Michelle Pfeiffer and Jack Nicholson in Mike Nichol’s “Wolf”; intellectual and witty script albeit traditional over-the-top horror film ending with James Spader – though this arguably is what it should be given the genre.
Lindsey Graham’s endorsement of Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz on Thursday, states his reason for this as being Cruz is our “best chance to stop Donald Trump.” This shows the Republican National Committee does believe it is much more important to take out the popular frontrunner, than the Democrat challenger, former First Lady and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Other supposed Republicans, also have picked up this torch and are clearly making it more of a goal to assure businessman Donald Trump does not receive the nomination at the upcoming Republican National Convention, regardless of how many states he’s won in the primaries, and how the majority of voters from both parties and the independents, have clearly made him their choice.
As a veteran RNC rules committee member has affirmed recently, it’s the RNC super-delegates and delegates who make this decision. Who cares about the majority of people who took the time to go to their polling places and cast a vote for Trump, and how much it cost municipalities to conduct these primaries?
Apparently, it’s more important for the GOP establishment to lose the Presidential race in 2016 then let Donald Trump win the country’s highest office. They would rather allow a democrat candidate running for the second time, who is now associated with more illegal acts and scandal than her previous run in 2008, to win and during her term bury the United States, in four to eight more years of the liberal policies that have made America the weak and blemished country it is today, after two terms of the Obama administration.
There’s a goal!
Which brings many commentators to note, how much does the Republican establishment really care about the American people and those who are registered with their party? It is clearly more important to them that they dictate the outcome of races, however large or small, by choosing the candidates, effecting results at the state and federal conventions, what insider friends can continue to give jobs, and who will allow them if elected, to keep their jobs and affluent lifestyle, whether it’s as a legislator or someone behind the scenes who works as a consultant, adviser, staff hire or lobbyist.
Sure, there are some never-Trump haters who would rather toss the election to perhaps who is arguably the worst candidate ever put up for our country’s highest office, that the establishment feels they are connecting with or protecting, but the current numbers clearly show they’re in the minority.
For the Republicans who work in politics, or volunteer for their state parties or a particular candidate’s campaign local or federal, it’s been known for a long time now that Republican’s do most of the Democrats work for them. Their continual attacks against fellow party members, however revered or popular, meddling at the convention level to throw over the candidate who has earned the nomination over someone else regardless of experience or likely voter turnout, gets chosen either due to deep pockets or insider influence.
Unfortunately, this insider influence often doesn’t pick the winners, but it does provide them with their position and livelihood. Even if they truly care about winning, maybe they just don’t have the gift or objectivity to choose the right candidate. Outside of D.C., there are even public figures who are declaring they’d rather help Hillary Clinton win then see Donald Trump become the party nominee.
The Kendrick’s, Arizona’s owners of the baseball team the “Diamondbacks” have come out to say they would rather lose thousands of dollars a month with less ticket sales to their games by making their position known, then see Trump nominated. This is an odd decision, as Trump has two important endorsements from the state of Arizona already – former Governor Jan Brewer, who was another anti-immigration advocate lambasted by the mainstream media, regardless of how many millions of dollars this issue cost her state and taxpayers, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who also agrees how important it is to stop the influx of illegal immigration and has seen first-hand the damage it does on a continual basis.
The Kendrick’s comments, as conservatives, seem disjointed, in that Ken Kendrick announced he was fine with 100,000 people not attending their major league team games if in protest to their decision to not support Trump, they stood up for the right thing – Mrs. Kendrick, making comments from a Phoenix suburb after hearing this said she hoped Ken kept feeling this way. Kendrick is someone who has poured tens of millions into advertising dollars to stop Trump’s road into the party nomination. For the record, Mrs. Kendrick was a Rubio supporter, who gave at least $350,000 to the Florida U.S. Senator also seeking the nomination to run as the 2016 Presidential candidate.
Rubio who gave one of his best speeches after losing Florida, which perhaps left voters wonder where this man was during the race, now is blaming the media for his loss as the nominee, and also saying he won’t run for another term as U.S. Senator.
The trail continues with the Ricketts who founded Ameritrade, own the Chicago Cubs, and Club for Growth, a fund and a PAC which has spent more than 28 million dollars in anti-Trump advertising over anti-Clinton ads. They feel satisfied with their views and spending, saying all of the negative Trump things will come out eventually. Perhaps they should focus, as “true” republicans and conservatives how many more serious negative things about Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton have come out for decades, and are still coming out present day.
If their thinking is they will do this after Texas U.S. Senator Cruz becomes the nominee, or one-state winner, John Kasich, what they sadly don’t understand is neither Cruz nor Kasich will beat Clinton, regardless of Cruz’s exceptional education and patriotic dedication to the Constitution, or Kasich’s warm and fuzzy moderate ‘I’ll-just-get-along’ message. Moderate democrats and independents won’t vote for a conservative who holds the bible up at events, however admirable this is in a country founded by Christians, and Kasich’s cross the aisle handshake extension, won’t bring in the frustrated American’s who can get more of that from Clinton, and did not elect 2008 Republican Presidential nominee Arizona’s U.S. Senator John McCain or 2012 nominee former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
Conservative magazines, who still perceive themselves this way, such as the “National Review,” have dedicated whole issues to why Trump should not be the nominee. The democrat party couldn’t ask more from the liberal magazine “Mother Jones.”
Donald Trump, in respect to conservatism: he has the most amazing children, all on solid ground, who are achievers, and did not take the fact their father had money as a lifestyle choice that now allowed them to do nothing all day but perhaps sit on their surfboards in hopes of catching a wave; in respect to Christianity, he proudly states he is of this faith; in terms of abortion, though later in life, which is not uncommon, he realized he is pro-life; as for patriotism, his message has resonated loud and clear with the masses, in that quite simply, he considers being a patriot as someone who will keep America free and safe, even though this stance is faulted every day by the media and his democrat opponents, as if this is wrong; Marriage: although married three times, his current wife and two ex-wives have only good things to say about him, which is a testimony in itself; Constitutionally, Trump stands by the second amendment, the first, etc.
The Clinton’s, though not married more than once, live in a façade of a marriage, for political ambition and most probably monetary concessions (if they were to divorce). The former President of the United States, has reportedly had continued extramarital affairs, which could be argued as understandable when there is no relationship with their spouse for multiple years. Hillary, to this day portrays herself to the public, as a woman who cares about her fellow females, and is the opposite to Republican party members who are holding a ‘war against women,’ despite the fact she allegedly led multiple abusive attacks on the women her husband was involved with since marrying.
The Clinton’s, from what research reveals, haven’t lived together after leaving the White House, and have rarely been seen together for over a decade except for gratis publicity photo ops during Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 Presidential run among the Democrat Party. Understandably, perhaps the disgrace the forty-second President brought to the Clinton brand name, after his affair with young intern Monica Lewinsky while serving as President, was enough for the former First Lady to move on with her own career.
Nee, William Jefferson Blythe III, Bill Clinton has maintained the quickly purchased lodging in Chappaqua, N.Y., purchased by the couple that allowed his wife, to run for the U.S. Senate in New York. The Illinois native had no affiliation with this state, but in terms of campaign ambition, it had clout, and was arguably winnable due to its majority of democrat voters. She succeeded, despite initial rejection from constituents, and went on to lead an unimpressive role in the United States Senate.
Mrs. Clinton today, according to published articles, lives in D.C on Whitehaven Street in a home that cost almost three million dollars, and would sell today for over six million.
It’s believed if not for her continued ambitions to be the first female President of the United States, the two would have divorced and moved on. Both of the Clinton’s will be seventy years old, or soon turning seventy come this November.
Despite the numerous scandals surrounding both Hillary and Bill Clinton, past and present, the one-time Secretary of State appointed under current President Barack H. Obama, continues to push forth her dream to be the first female President of the United States. For those in the know, there could not be a worst choice and the list is long as to why. For now, Vermont U.S. Senator, Bernie Sanders, continues to challenge her for the democrat nomination at the upcoming national convention. Regardless of his popularity among the under-thirty voting demographic, Mrs. Clinton had sewn up the super-delegate vote needed within their party to receive the nomination, before the challenge even started.
Where does this leave the youth vote who wanted Sanders and not Clinton? Nowhere. But, for those indoctrinated by an education system that promotes liberal ideology, they’ll just hold their nose and vote for the corrupt Clinton rather than a true patriot with concerns about America’s future like businessman Donald Trump, or Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. Governor John Kasich, after winning his own state, is also still hoping to receive the Republican nomination at the GOP convention.
GOP candidates for President 2016 (l-r) U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (FL-R), Businessman Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (TX-R) and Ohio Governor John Kasich {photo: ABC/AP}
FINAL Update II:
Missouri’s update today, March 17th, has the delegate counts with 99% reporting for Trump at 25, and Cruz at 5. A newer post by CNN within the hour, has just changed this total, that the numbers now from pledged delegates give Trump 25 to Cruz’s 15, out of 52 delegate’s total.
Missouri, the fifth and last state to report the Republican winner with numbers between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz just about even, announced Donald Trump as the winner with 40.9% of the total votes, and Ted Cruz right behind him at 40.7%. The amount of votes that gave Trump the win was 1,726. At this time, Trump earned Missouri’s 15 delegates, as well, and Cruz none.
Kasich came in with 9.9%. Despite Ohio being the only state Kasich has won so far, he maintains he is staying in the race until the national convention where the RNC delegates will choose who the nominee is going to be.
Delegate totals with this finish leave three out of the four participating candidates Tuesday night with these numbers:
Trump: 661 Cruz: 406 Kasich: 142.
Trump’s four-state win Tuesday night broadened the amount of delegate votes between the businessman and second-place candidate Texas Senator Cruz. Going into Tuesday, Trump led Cruz by 99 votes. Now his lead over Cruz is 255.
However, there are still 1,079 delegate votes to be gained for the needed 1,237 to secure the nomination assuming the convention remains uncontested. If contested, the rules committee, super-delegates and delegates can make changes that allow them to deliver a different outcome of who the Republican nominee will be, regardless of how many states and votes a candidate won from the people as their choice.
In the Democrat primary, the race between former N.Y. U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton and Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, which was also too close to call and nearly a tie, gave Clinton the win when all votes were counted by a very small margin, as with Trump and Cruz. Clinton received 49.6% to Sander’s 49.4%. Clinton came out on top with only 1,531 votes more than Sanders. They each picked up the same number of Missouri delegates with 32 each. Still, Clinton’s win of all five states is a poor sign for Sanders, but he plans to remain in the race as the democrat candidate strongly popular with the under-thirty voters.
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Update: With Missouri still undeclared at 99%, and Trump winning by a hair, here are the delegate totals as of tonight:
Trump: 619 Cruz: 394 Rubio: 167 Kasich: 136
Update: Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz takes the stage tonight in Houston, still waiting for a close race in Missouri to give him a win tonight. It is too close to call now. Former fellow Republican Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, gave opening remarks as a campaign endorser.
Ted Cruz said if elected, he will take away welfare benefits from those here illegally, improve the economy and get rid of the cronyism in Washington surmising “less government is more freedom.” Cruz also said he would uphold the Second Amendment and gun owner rights, uphold the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, and stand by the nation of Israel. Unlike Trump, he pointed out he won’t try to negotiate the nuclear deal Obama made with Iran, but will “rip it to shreds.”
He added as President he will pass a flat tax, get rid of amnesty, and abolish the IRS. Cruz told supporters “enough with the Washington corruption,” and projected, “Together, we can turn things around.” He encouraged viewers to remember the Constitutional liberties that turned America around, and asked voters to come together and stand as one.
Cruz told supporters “enough with the Washington corruption,” and suggested, “Together, we can turn things around.” He told viewers to remember the Constitutional liberties that turned America around, and asked voters to come together and stand as one.
On the Democrat side, former First Lady Hillary Clinton, appears to have won all five states over her competitor Bernie Sanders, who has a lock on the under-thirty vote. Numbers were close between the two, in Illinois and Missouri. At this time, Sanders has a slight lead over Clinton in Missouri.
Regardless, as noted in this blog before, how many states or votes the Vermont U.S. Senator acquires, he will never get his party’s nomination. With Democrat super-delegates in a large majority, if not total, casting their votes for the previous Secretary of State in their national convention, they will assure her of the nomination she could not achieve when she competed with Barack Obama in 2008.
Update: Trump is the easily projected winner of Illinois and maintains a lead in North Carolina over Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.
Kasich wins Ohio, the state he governs, with 47% currently to Trump’s 35.9%, 95% reporting. An important win for the former Lehman Brothers’ investment banker (2001-2008), who has not won a state yet in all of the preceding primaries.
Update: Marco Rubio loses Florida to Trump
Marco Rubio loses Florida to Donald Trump except for Rubio’s own Miami-Dade county at 62%. Trump, with latest numbers showing his returns at 45% to Rubio’s 27%, won considerably in this important contest. Florida, Trump’s second home when not in New York, has created many jobs and businesses in Florida compared to the U.S. Senator who like all members of the Legislative Branch and their staff, are compensated through taxpayer money. Whether this was a factor or not, Rubio did make some notable comments before suspending his campaign tonight.
With opening remarks, he congratulated Trump for his win this evening. An audience participant yelled repeatedly at Rubio, and the Senator told him {Ed. Paraphrasing at this time} it was okay, he wouldn’t call the police and he didn’t have to worry about any violence here. His voters gave a strong chorus of support after this, chanting, “Marco! Marco! Marco!”
Reminding his audience of his upbringing, where his two parents fled communist Cuba to find freedom in Florida, and worked as a bartender and maid to give him the opportunity to one day, as an American born son, the opportunity to run for the office of President of the United States, he was proud his eighty-five year old mother could cast a ballot for him today for America’s highest office.
He commented on the economic state of the country, that since 2007, 2008, there has been a horrible downturn that has left many voters upset. He said he knew what it was like to live paycheck to paycheck, and grew up that way, where if the air conditioner broke, money had to be found somehow to fix it.
Rubio also noted that people are tired of hearing if they’re anti-illegal immigration, they’re bigots, and are tired of hearing from the self-called establishment elites who tell them what they should think.
Observing former esteemed President Ronald Reagan’s eleventh commandment that premised no republican should speak ill of any other republican, Rubio maintained this rule by not mentioning Trump directly, but by using sentences that started with the words “what we don’t need” and then referring to things that Trump has said throughout his campaign.
On policy, Rubio told the crowd that America needs a vibrant conservative movement, a strong military, and to keep its Judeo-Christian values that founded our country. He reflected that we were a country formed by descendants, from settlers, to pioneers who ventured west, and to slaves, and we should not lose this, or America won’t be special anymore. He observed, “When America doesn’t lead, it leaves a vacuum.” This vacuum, leads to chaos.
The results that will come in tonight from five big states will either determine the current front-runner in the Republican race, who is to become the party’s nominee by the people, which at this time is businessman Donald Trump, or the second place winner, Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who is still not far behind in popularity. It will also validate why Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich, should not suspend their campaigns, in their view, if they each manage to win their own states.
Both Florida and Ohio are delegate-take-all states, so a win for any candidate here would be a hefty boost, whether you’re in the upper numbers among delegate counts, like Trump and Cruz, or in the lower numbers, like Rubio or Kasich. The remaining three states, Missouri, North Carolina and Illinois have divided delegates, so portions of those counts can be distributed among any of the four candidates.
Going into today’s vote, Trump has the most delegates with 469; Ted Cruz about a hundred behind Trump has 370; Marco Rubio holds 163; and John Kasich comes in last with 63.
Of the five states up for grabs tonight, Florida has the most delegates at 99. North Carolina, which hasn’t had as much attention from the press, comes in second with 72. Illinois has 69, Ohio has 66 and Missouri has 52.
For the candidates who aren’t in first place, and two who need to win their states to maintain respectability among their constituents, Rubio said today on the stump, “We’re going to get the 99 delegates that we need…,”and remained positive that he will win his home state. Cruz said, “If Trump wins, it’s a disaster.” Cruz, who did not receive as much attention this cycle, due to two legislators needs to win their home states, still hopes to do well.
Kasich also said he believed he would win his state of Ohio, and in his view, would then go on to win many states and ultimately the party nomination. Even with a gain of 66 delegates, and the only state won so far under his belt, he would still be in last place.
Kasich also received some help going into this primary, from Republican Party nominee for President in 2012, Mitt Romney, who paid for two advertisements that were anti-Trump. He also made appearances on behalf of the Ohio Governor, in hopes to secure the win for anyone-but-Trump, and in this instance, John Kasich. As commentators have noted, myself included, if perhaps Mitt Romney had put this much energy into beating incumbent President Obama, America would be in a much better place today without four more years under the Obama administration and its failed policies.
Trump noted today at an event speech that as the nominee, we would win states no one ever thought would be possible to win. Traditional states that run blue, or Democrat, have shown a trend of cross-over party votes for Trump, which any Republican candidate will need to win the White House in 2016. However, he has not been performing well in the Midwest, which may give an edge to his competitors. This may or may not reflect on Trump solely as a candidate, as the bulk of the U.S. has never truly embraced a candidate from the Northeast.
What’s different this election, is Trump himself and his “Make America Great Again” message that is resonating with voters beyond party lines. This theme crosses state lines and appeals to many Americans today.
March 8th Republican primary candidates (l-r) Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio {photo: Fox News}
Written by Juliana Simone
March 9th, 2016
With three states in the United States holding primaries March 8th, and a fourth, Hawaii, holding a caucus, more delegates were up for grabs among the remaining four Republican candidates for President: Businessman Donald J. Trump, Texas U.S. Senator Rafael Edward (Ted) Cruz, Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich. The state of Michigan had the largest delegate count at 59; Mississippi came in second at 40 delegates; Idaho, had 32 delegates. Hawaii, holding a caucus this evening, had 19 delegates for the Republican winner.
The Idaho primary was only for the Republican Party today. Democrat’s primary in Idaho will be held later. Statistically, less than one in ten voters are Democrat’s in the very red state of Idaho. Rubio visited Idaho three times, Cruz and Kasich twice. Trump did not visit Idaho to talk to their constituents.
After the results came in, Trump once again was the big winner. Michigan, the largest prize in terms of delegate counts for the candidates, voted strongly with 37.5% for Trump. A close second place went to Cruz who came away with 24.9%, while Kasich was edged out and placed third with 24.3% of the vote. Rubio placed fourth and last with 8.5%. Kasich had hoped to win his neighboring state of Michigan, for a much needed boost in a campaign that’s produced little results.
On the Democrat side, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton soundly, earning 50% to Clinton’s 17%, giving him his one win for the night. Michigan made it clear, regardless of party affiliation, they prefer the anti-establishment candidates to be the nominees.
Mississippi also preferred entrepreneur Donald Trump, with the highest total return of any Republican candidate in all four states, by achieving almost half the voters nod with 47.3%. Ted Cruz, again placed second, with a respectable 36.3%, almost the amount that won Michigan for Trump. Rubio finished at 5% and Kasich with 9%.
Idaho was the one state won by Senator Cruz, who got the second largest return after Trump’s win in Mississippi, at 45.4%. Trump, though second, had his lowest return at 28.1%. Still, even so, that’s a favorable outcome for the one candidate who did not make a campaign stop in this state. Senator Rubio, who visited Idaho three times, still came in well behind at third, with 15.9% of the vote, which was his only double digit return in the three primaries. Kasich, who made two trips here, as did Cruz, came in with 7%.
Why Trump didn’t visit Idaho, could be for a couple of reasons. One, either his campaign believed with Idaho being such a red state, they would vote for Trump as the frontrunner whether he visited or not, or two, intel told his campaign Idaho was so strongly for Cruz, it wasn’t worth a campaign stop on this tour.
The Hawaii caucus was the third win for Trump Tuesday evening out of the four voting states with delegates up for grab. Trump, with a big percentage of caucus members choosing him to be their choice for President, got 42.4%, the third highest return for any Republican seeking the nomination. Cruz, repeating the pattern of the evening, placed second with a respectable 32.9%. Rubio, came in third with 13.1%, the second time he was able to get above ten percent. Kasich received 11%.
Still, despite the popularity of Donald Trump with the voters, he did not sweep the delegate counts as easily. As a result, the delegate rewards were split more evenly, which brought Senator Cruz closer to Trump in terms of total delegate counts to date.
Michigan, the most sought after reward for the evening that went to Trump, had split results among the delegates, giving the winner twenty-five delegate votes, but then seventeen votes also went to both Cruz and Kasich, with none for Rubio.
Mississippi, with the largest percentage for Trump out of the four states participating, delegates divided their results between Trump and Cruz. Twenty-five went to Trump; fifteen went to Cruz. Kasich and Rubio did not receive any.
Idaho, Cruz’s big win, received the majority of delegate votes at twenty, but twelve still went to Trump. Again, despite the campaign stops both Kasich and Rubio made here, they both failed to earn one delegate.
Hawaii delegates – Trump – 10; Cruz- 6; Rubio and Kasich – 0.
Going into yesterday’s primaries, Trump had the most delegates at a total of 384. Ted Cruz, who did well on Super Tuesday, was now is a closer second, at 300 delegates. Marco Rubio had a count of 151 and John Kasich held 37.
Last night’s returns leave the four Republican candidates with these current totals:
Trump: 458; Cruz: 359; Rubio: 151; and Kasich: 54. Cruz, now is 99 delegates behind Trump. Before Tuesdays four state returns, Cruz was 84 votes behind Trump. The numbers remain close between the New York businessman and the Texas Senator.
Today, former businesswoman, Carly Fiorina, who was one of the original seventeen Republicans seeking the party nomination, endorsed U.S. Senator Cruz. No surprise she would choose Cruz over Trump, after the ill feelings that grew between Trump and Fiorina in the early debates.
Speaking of ill feelings, former candidate Jeb Bush, who went into this race from the beginning with the largest amount of money raised and an important family behind him, with his loss in South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa in February 2016, and low polling numbers for months, Bush suspended his campaign. It was announced yesterday, that now Jeb’s brother Neil, will be raising money for Ted Cruz, to help Cruz beat Trump.
There are 1,435 delegates left for the four candidates to win in their column, assuming all four candidates stay in the race, and Rubio and/or Kasich don’t suspend their campaigns. 1,237 are needed to win the national convention that is being held in Ohio.
Daily news reveals more facts that the Republican establishment continues to discuss how they can unseat Trump as the probable party nominee, and speak outwardly to the press against him. Former Massachusetts Governor and previous Republican Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who lauded the endorsement he received from Donald Trump when he was running against Democrat incumbent Barack Obama in 2012, came out last week in a press conference saying Trump was a fraud, a phony, and the worst choice for the 2016 nominee as a man he did not perceive to be a true conservative.
He also recorded a taped message for robo calls to be sent to voter’s phones in all four states Tuesday, which encouraged them to vote for any of the other three candidates than Trump, particularly Rubio. With the heavy losses Senator Rubio saw last night, Romney’s message didn’t show much influence. Romney keeps swinging though on his public campaign against Trump. He appeared on the night time talk show with host Jimmy Kimmel, to read some of the insulting tweets Trump had made about the former presidential candidate over Twitter. Though Romney kept his appearance light and took the remarks with a sense of humor and some fair rebuttal, it’s clear the democrats and competing Republican candidates, can count on Romney to keep hitting the frontrunner for them in any venue, given the opportunity.
Apparently, secret meetings are being held, as well, among Republican leadership where they discuss, one, how it can have happened that Trump is so popular and be the preferred nominee, and two, what can they do to take a perceived endorsement away from him. Some of these Republicans have said they will vote for former First Lady, N.Y. Senator and SOS Hillary Clinton before voting for Trump. (It should be noted Clinton was never a New York resident until she chose to run for the U.S. Senate after leaving the White House as First Lady…with quite a bit of furniture, and other White House antiques the Clinton’s felt fine with taking on their exit.)
Fox News Anchor, Megyn Kelly, still wore her personal distaste for Trump on her sleeve, (if she wore one) repeating comments Trump made in his press conference after the results from Mississippi and Michigan came in, with a sneer and a laugh.
Anyone over forty recognizes objective journalism is a thing of the past. Anchors have interjected themselves into a whole new persona, where in their minds, their remarks are more important than the people covered in their lead stories. Despite trying to lead the narrative for at least two decades, and sway the opinion of Americans who don’t follow politics 24/7, it must be frustrating to them to see they haven’t been able to dispose of successful businessman Donald Trump this far into the process.
From Florida, taking the podium to address his supporters last night, in a lengthy appearance, Trump took a higher road and said kinder comments about those who have said derogatory things about him over the past few weeks, including Romney and Kelly.
Plainly answering Mitt Romney’s attacks in his press conference the other day, he rebutted the negatives about some of his brand name spin-offs, such as Trump steaks, Trump water, Trump magazine and Trump University. {In re the latter, he explained in detail that Trump University was still in a lawsuit and explained he had been taught that when one was in a lawsuit, one never settled, because if one did, everyone then could sue.} He assured once the lawsuit was settled, Trump University would start up again and go on to be a success. He cited numbers from participants at TU, that were high up in the ninety percentile, that there was no reason to settle when that many people said it was a good experience.
He also mentioned in regards to his product, Trump Vodka, for the press to please check the records on how well it was doing. He added he owns two thousand acres in Virginia, close to the Jefferson estate, that produces the finest wines.
On the positive, Trump said statistics were showing people who had never voted before for a Republican, voted tonight for the first time. He then thanked the lobbyists for their influence on getting out the vote from this group. He also noted turnout was tremendous – 102% over a year ago.
He thanked golfer Jack Nicholas for his support and Ohio native former Yankee player Paul O’Neill, who endorsed Trump and was in the crowd. Trump is popular with other famous athletes, as well. New England Patriot Quarterback Tom Brady is a Trump supporter, as well as Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz. Brady even wears Trump’s baseball cap with the Trump slogan “Make America Great Again.”
He said he would like to congratulate all of the candidates – “it’s not easy stuff.” Trump said he hoped all of the House Representatives and Senators are re-elected despite whether they supported him or not. He thanked House Speaker Paul Ryan, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for his endorsement, as well as Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio. Arpaio is another advocate for stopping the influx of illegal immigrants into the United States. Former Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer, has also endorsed Trump.
Arizona, a southwestern state, greatly affected by illegal immigration that bears the weight of this invasion every day, in terms of jobs, state assistance, education, crime, incarceration and drug cartels, would naturally support a candidate tough on securing America’s borders.
Donald Trump told the crowd and reporters that tonight’s primary results show, “advertising is not as important as competence.” In talking about U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, he said “he’s a nasty guy.” “Hostility works for some people; not for everybody” he noted when asked about Rubio and others who have recently attacked him. Looking back at his campaign, the billionaire remarked that every person who has attacked him is gone, and that out of seventeen candidates, we’re now down to four.
The victor also noted there’s never been more money spent than what is being spent now to take him down.
With big wins in Mississippi and Michigan, Trump said even Kelly and Charles Krauthammer said I did well tonight; he’s been waiting a long time to hear Charles say this. With Florida voting next, it’s an important last breath for Florida’s Senator Rubio to win, but with Florida being Donald Trump’s second home, and as a businessman whose provided many jobs there, it will be a tough challenge.
As for the second place winner, the Cruz campaign released the fact they only spent one thousand one hundred in advertising dollars in Michigan to come in second, while Rubio and Kasich spent the most. Rubio’s Conservative Solutions Super PAC spent 1.2 million to walk away with zero delegates. Kasich’s PAC spent $770,000. For the record, Trump spent far less at $184,000. for the win.
Cruz also has his sights on Florida, opening ten campaign offices there to get out the vote hoping to come in second over Senate colleague Rubio. The Florida primary will take place on March 15th and has 99 delegate votes. Rubio trailing Trump in the polls in his home state, could get a boost from former competitor for the nomination for President, and former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, with his endorsement, but it is not expected for Bush to endorse his former colleague Rubio at this time.
Other states voting on March 15th, will be Kasich’s Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri. The five states together have 358 delegates for the four candidates to earn. After this primary, it would be surprising to still see four candidates in the Republican race.
The former First Lady of whom many consider to be the most beloved President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, passed today in Bel Air, CA at the age of 94.
Born in New York City as Anne Frances Robbins, to an actress and a used-car salesman, after her parents’ divorce early in life, she was adopted by her mother’s second husband, a neurosurgeon in Chicago. Becoming known as Nancy, she took her step-father’s last name of Davis, and went on to graduate private school and Smith College.
Following her mother’s career footsteps, Nancy Davis acted on stage, in television and in film, appearing in eleven movies, including her last with Reagan. She met her future husband, Ronald Reagan, when he was serving as the President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and was stunned to find her name on a list published in the newspaper of communist sympathizers, and called him for help. It turned out to be a mix up of two women with the same name.
Within relatively a year, they married and had two children. Ronald had two former children from his first marriage to actress Jayne Wyman. Maureen, died of cancer in 2001. Michael Reagan, adopted by Ronald and Jayne, is a conservative political commentator and published author today. After being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1994, Michael was the one child the respected two-term Republican President always stood and waited for a hug from after a visit.
Former President Ronald Reagan is kissed by his wife Nancy in their Bel-Air home in Los Angeles, Feb. 6, 2000, on Reagan’s 89th birthday. The White House was informed that the 93-year-old president’s health has deteriorated, a person familiar with Reagan’s condition said Saturday, June 5, 2004. (AP Photo/File)
Nancy and Ronald Reagan’s close relationship gave them fifty-two years of marriage. Nancy adored her husband and was very protective of him throughout his years as the Governor of California, and later as the President of the United States. Ronald equally cherished his wife, and the two always held hands, shared love letters and had affectionate names for each other in private.
Nancy, as First Lady, is remembered for her war on drugs, and her slogan to youth and others to “just say no.” She also worked diligently raising money for the Alzheimer Foundation and as an active member of the Reagan Library.
Personally, she was well known for her haute couture, which consisted of red gowns designed by American fashion designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrara for evening wear, and Chanel inspired suits for day time business.
The fine former First Lady will be laid to rest alongside her husband in Simi Valley, CA, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Former U.S. first lady Nancy Reagan touches the casket of her husband, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan as it lies in state in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington in this June 9, 2004 REUTERS/Jason Reed/FilesSimi Valley, Calif. (June 7, 2004) – – Nancy Reagan holds onto the flag that covered the former president’s coffin as she departs the internment area following services at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Jon D. Gesch
Quoted many times with the great insight a woman of her caliber would have, aside from the great love of her husband, this one was maybe the most true, surmising the life she and her husband led together:
“The movies were custard compared to politics.”
President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan share a kiss {photo: news.wabe.org}
Former MA Governor and 2012 Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney
February 10, 2012
Written by Juliana Simone
Washington, D.C. – The Marshall Ballroom at CPAC 2012 is similar to a strip of beach with the tide flowing in and out at different peak hours. It ebbs and flows with the crowd according to whomoever is taking or leaving the stage. When a big draw comes on, attendees, press and campaign staff come crushing in to pack every imaginable corner of open space. After they leave, whole aisles of CPAC supporters stand up to walk out in single file and the droves who were standing in the back cram through the exit doors to leave first. The best thing about the duller moments in the CPAC agenda is the Wi-Fi suddenly flies at MACH speed. When the masses descend, the Wi-Fi lags dramatically, if not dropping the connection all together from the maximum capacity of users plugging their laptops into every imaginable outlet.
Though all of the Presidential candidates have had this effect the last couple of days, the two winners, if you will, were definitely Rick Santorum who preceded Mitt Romney, and then the former MA Governor himself who came on a short time after the former Senator. I will give Romney the win in terms of the media, who seemed to only have been here to see him, as they swarmed in like bees to double the amount of press in the media balcony and spill over onto the staircase filling each step and hanging against balcony rails. Since many of them were Main Stream Media reporters, they naturally looked pained to have received this assignment, wrote few notes, and made it clear they were unimpressed with his speech at the conclusion.
I write all this to preface the impact Romney had on the room when his speech came up on the schedule. For those who find him wooden or flat his magnetism was felt even if you prefer another candidate to Mitt. Even if its more physical than intellectual its charisma nevertheless. A keen businessman who does not apologize for his success, he recognized this was the room beyond most others where he had to emphasize the word conservative and make it clear he is indeed conservative despite what his distractors say. He made his case.
Amusing CPAC with his opening words, “Obama really is a good community organizer – and I want to thank him for this – but, I don’t think this is the community he hoped to organize” he declared with amusement. Laughter.
“This country we love is in jeopardy” he said changing tones. For two or three years we’ve suffered (under a) weak leader with bankrupt idealogy. “This is the last gasp of liberalism’s great failure. It’s not enough to show how they failed but to show how we will lead. Conservatives all agree departing from these founding principles would depart from our purpose. We’re not just proud to cling to our bibles and guns but to our constitution,” the candidate affirmed.
Government doesn’t exist just for the people but it’s been made a success by the people. Politicians have fallen under the spell of Washington. They begin to see government as the solution to every problem. Government knows better. Government can do better. Barack Obama is the poster child for the arrogance of government. Cheers. Romney pointed out this can be a nation of and by Washington or of and by a free people.
The former Governor told on-lookers my path to conservatism came from my family and my life’s work. He talked about his grandparents coming to America from England for a chance at religious liberty, how his father couldn’t finish college but worked hard in a car company (Chairman and CEO of AMC) to later become the Governor of Michigan, and how he met his wife Ann and had five fine sons. “These conservative constants have shaped my life.”
In talking about his career as a businessman he noted, “In business if you’re not a fiscal conservative you’re bankrupt.” (Applause) He said he became successful as a businessman by eliminating waste, balancing budgets, by starting new businesses, and turning away broken ones. “I’m not ashamed to say I was successful doing it,” he beamed to more applause.
Talking about his years as Governor of Massachusetts, he noted how he took office with the state in a three billion dollar deficit, had a 85% democrat majority in his legislature, cut taxes nineteen times, balanced the budget all four years he was Governor, made 800 vetoes, cut entire programs, and put two billion dollars in a rainy day fund before leaving office. “I served in government but I didn’t inhale,” he laughed. “I want to get my hands on Washington, D.C.”
Continuing his review of office in Massachusetts, once nicknamed “Taxachusetts” he said on his watch we prevented MA from becoming the Las Vegas of the marriage act. Romney says he believes marriage is defined by a relationship between a man and a woman.
“I was a severely conservative Republican Governor. I was on those front lines and expect to be again.” There are two choices for America. Candidates with two different backgrounds.
Leadership is sharing credit when things are good and taking responsibility when they’re not. Romney was proud to tell the audience he is the only candidate who hasn’t served a day in Washington. “To get America back on track we need bold and sweeping reform. We borrow forty cents of every dollar we spend. It’s reckless, immoral, irresponsible, and it will end under my Presidency.” He said before he agreed to spend any money he would first ask, can we afford it, and then can we really risk borrowing money from China to pay for it?
Ed.: This article written and reported by Juliana Simone, also appeared on Ameriborn News Network, a CT internet news site taken down in October 2015.
Businessman Donald Trump won seven states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. The numbers vary, but according to the New York Times, Trump now has 319 delegates, gaining 237 Tuesday night. He was in the lead before Super Tuesday with 81 delegates from wins in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa.
Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz won three: Alaska, Oklahoma and Texas. He now has 226 delgates, with a gain of 209. The state of Texas on Super Tuesday, had the largest amount of delegates to award at 155. Cruz, like Rubio, going into Super Tuesday were tied with 17 delegates each. It’s interesting Alaska went for Cruz, when their former Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, had just endorsed Trump for President. But Cruz was also endorsed by Palin, and she stumped for his Senate win in Texas.
Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio finally won one something with a win in Minnesota, which was a caucus and not a primary. He also was able to inflate his flagging delegate numbers from 17 to 110 with Tuesday returns. He came in second in Virginia, losing to frontrunner Trump by 3%.
Kasich came in second in Vermont with 30% of the votes tallied after Trumps 33%. He gained six votes yesterday, coming into this important primary day with 19 delegate votes. He now has 25.
Revered Dr. Ben Carson did not win a state and with Super Tuesday had eight delegates, and gained three at the final count for a total of eleven delegates. These results produced a statement from his campaign released this afternoon:
I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit. Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America. I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results. However, this grassroots movement on behalf of “We the People” will continue. Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to Saving America for Future Generations. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation.
I appreciate the support, financial and otherwise, from all corners of America. Gratefully, my campaign decisions are not constrained by finances; rather by what is in the best interests of the American people.
I will discuss more about the future of this movement during my speech on Friday at CPAC in Washington, D.C.
So what do these results mean? For starters, the assault on Donald Trump by the RNC and its leadership, in addition to the state party leaders who quickly tow the line, is really a disgrace and more proof the Republican Party will never be able to pick the candidate who can actually win an election when it comes to our nations’ highest office. It’s more important to them to control the choice, regardless of what their actual registered voters believe, so they can maintain power and essentially keep their jobs.
This history with party leadership, is what has led the public to casting so many votes for any anti-establishment candidate. For those U.S. citizens paying attention, they are choosing Trump, to yes, as his campaign slogan states, “make America great again.” Tired of politics as usual, with the elected officials driving around in their limos, flying to events in chartered jets, staying safe with their security details, and living the high life on taxpayer’s dimes attending cocktail parties and cutting occasional ribbons at some local event to keep it real with their actual constituents, the general public is sick of this decades old pattern, and want someone from the outside who does not drink from this well.
The media has blatantly been against Trump from the beginning, way back to the first Republican Presidential primetime debate in August of 2015, with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly foaming at the mouth on her first question to Trump. She addressed him believing she was still a prosecutor, not mentally making the transition she was now simply a debate moderator and journalist, who should not appear biased. Thinking their daily diatribe could quickly eliminate him that evening, or soon after time, they’ve dug deeper as his popularity has grown.
The only Republican candidate they perhaps despise more than Trump, is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who dropped out of the race for the nomination more recently. Christie, a strong, bright alpha-male who made it clear to the media on assuming office during his press conferences, he was not going to address their questions that bore only progressive agenda for a daily soundbite. As a result, they made a mountain out of a mole hill on a non-story, that involved a Christie staffer who organized two lanes on the Tappan Zee Bridge being closed for a short while during rush hour, when in the media’s view, the Mayor of Fort Lee, a Democrat, did not endorse Christie for President.
This high profile story dictated by the media, actually makes no sense since no Republican, or few and far between, would expect any Democrat to endorse the Republican candidate over their own party’s candidate for any office. Nevertheless, the staffer was fired, and Christie, who always maintained he knew nothing of the call to the DOT, was cleared of all charges in this small incident. The mainstreammedia, however, dragged it out for weeks as a top news story.
Guns still aimed at Christie, his endorsement of Trump couldn’t have been better news for the media’s narrative…it kept him in their sights while they were lamenting his pulling out of the race, so he could no longer be daily fodder for their vitriol.
To their delight, Christie stood behind Trump on stage Tuesday evening, which oddly allowed collective hours of commentary ensued on how Christie even appeared in the background. Totally bizarre. Rush Limbaugh noted this today, as well, during his nationally syndicated talk radio show, and asked, well, what was he supposed to do?
To anyone normal watching, obviously not jumping jacks. I suppose like so many anchors on network shows, the botox could have kicked in, and he could have worn a frozen smile or stern frown.
Voters should see what the media has done to Christie over his years in service as a Governor, a candidate for the President of the United States, and now colleague of Donald Trump, that this is what they will continue to do to anyone anytime unless things change in Washington. More importantly, voters should notice how there is hardly any equal time given to Democrat President nominee Hillary Clinton, who is laden with so many scandals, the dedicated broadcast time could fill at least a year of discussion.
Moving on to Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who is placing second in the Republican challenge, and like Trump, is controversial in that his party does not want him to get the nomination either, as someone who bucks the status quo of how things get done in Washington. Cruz, has his devoted fans and an education a minority of Americans will achieve. Most reading this piece know his history, as Canadian born to an American mother and Cuban father, a Harvard Law graduate who went on to be the captain of the Harvard debate team, earning the highest of praise from even Professor Alan Dershowitz, a staunch liberal,who publicly acknowledges Cruz is one of the best debaters he’s ever seen.
The negatives with Cruz today, are some foul play outcries from competing campaigns that say he has used social media, robo calls and public remarks to mislead voters prior to primary dates in hopes of switching their votes. His likability is also considered, as D.C. colleagues argue he does not get along with any of his fellow legislators and has few allies there. Cruz supporters would say this is a good thing. How this resonates with voters and delegates is a more serious concern.
Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, as of Super Tuesday, had the one state of Minnesota under his belt, interestingly the only state Ronald Reagan did not win in his landslide victory in 1984. For someone perceived by party insiders and Rubio himself, as the candidate most like Reagan, this is an odd note. Minnesota also chose Democrat candidate Bernie Sanders over the presumed nominee Hillary Clinton. Rubio is under-performing among voters despite the push he’s getting from Washington and party supporters. His answer to this, he told the press as polls closed, was it did not matter as only the delegate count at the Republican convention mattered, so he was staying in the race because it was up to the delegates to pronounce the nominee, not the people.
This comment, illustrates how voters in terms of party nominees, have little to do with who the nominee is that appears on the ballot. In published stories weeks ago, former First Lady, New York State Senator and SOS Hillary Clinton, already had the Democrat superdelegates sewn up in the bag, so it ultimately didn’t matter how much of the youth vote competitor Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders had, or how many states he eventually wins during the primary process. He will not win the nomination at the National Democrat Convention. The fix is in for Hillary and had been before Bernie even knew that much about the process.
The question is, will Sanders supporters roll over in the traditional democrat way regardless of outcome, and just say, ‘okay, not happy it’s not Bernie, but we’ll just vote for Hillary instead.’
1,237 delegate votes are needed at the Republican Convention. Although even higher numbers were expected for Trump on Super Tuesday, he still was way ahead of any contender even with the RNC and their state leaders nipping at his heels.
In terms of funding, anyone who has ever worked or volunteered for a campaign, or their state party, a primary argument for choosing a nominee is always the money – who has the most funds or can raise the most funds to use them to get elected?
Many unqualified candidates have been given the nod because they could bankroll their campaign regardless of outcome. Additionally, the usual party insiders with multiple lost races on their resumes, can be rehired or business contracts can be signed that will leverage support and votes.
With Trump, within the Republican Party, has anyone heard mention of how much money he has to spend? How he could even top the Clinton’s with all of their questionable donations to their foundation and typical donators like George Soros and other liberals? The only large treasure chest the public ever heard about on the Republican side was former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s, who spent over one hundred million dollars for naught.
He had the Bush family influence behind him, but in regards to the so-called political wizards backing him, they somehow failed to recognize what the general public did. In a Bush vs. Clinton race, Clinton would win – no matter how damaged a candidate she is, for two reasons.
One, the mainstream media hammered the Bush name for years, tarnishing it among the younger generations and uniformed voters, however wrongful the message was, and two, the mainstream media will never hammer the Clinton’s on the innumerable crimes, lies and corruption under any elected office they’ve held, or Hillary alone on anything unethical that’s plagued her throughout her career even before ever going to Washington.
For once, the Republican Party establishment needs to stop meddling with the nominee and start endorsing the candidate favored by the public. Their current excuse for not standing behind Trump is because if he wins the nomination, the U.S. Senate and Congress will lose the majority’s they hold today. But to anyone who follows politics, we’ve seen the majority gifted to these legislators in the past two elections, has amounted to little to nothing.
The power they were bestowed they did not act upon, and left them lamely and publicly shrugging their shoulders, basically asking, what can we do? So, this argument holds no water at all. Ultimately, it just sounds like they’re worried about keeping their jobs and the luxurious lifestyle that goes along with it. So much for “We the people…”
The momentum from the GOP establishment to stop Trump is in full swing.
Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, competition for the nomination for President with Trump, spent every moment speaking in public up to Super Tuesday, insulting Donald Trump with words and comments that made him look anything but Presidential. With catty remarks about Trump’s bad spray tan and small hands, he also continually calls the successful businessman and Wharton Business School grad, a con-artist. Rubio, is not problem free and should have taken a higher road to appeal to the public.
On Super Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan, came out publicly to pick up the media’s latest anti-Trump message that former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke had endorsed him, and basically say the Republican Party could not have anyone as their nominee who did not reject any group that is built on bigotry, as the party of Lincoln. The story turned out to be false, like so many mainstream media attack pieces, with Duke himself saying he’d never even endorsed Trump. Regardless, Trump said innumerable times in every venue, including a press conference he disavows any endorsement from Duke.
This Thursday morning, 2012 Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, also took a turn at trying to tear Trump down from becoming the nominee, and urged voters to vote for three good candidates still in the race: Rubio, Cruz or Kasich. “Dishonesty is Donald Trump’s homework,” Romney said, giving examples of contradicting statements the front-runner has made on what he’s supported over the years. Romney scolded Trump for his insults, conduct, use of profanity, and lack of conservatism.
Donald Trump greets Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, after announcing his endorsement of Romney during a news conference, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Romney has demanded Trump release his tax returns. Romney said it’s an issue to him personally, since he was repeatedly asked to produce his tax returns when he was running. In tweets on Twitter, Romney has called Trump a phony and a fraud and claims his domestic policies would put the nation into recession. One tweet included this: “He has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president. And his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill.”
Critics of Romney making these tweets and calling for this press conference today, wonder why Romney never came out this strongly against his Democrat opponent in 2012, Barack Obama, and if he had, maybe he’d be President today and would have spared the country of four more years of Obama’s bad policies.
Remember when Romney was running for President, he was happy to receive Donald Trump’s endorsement and had completely contrary things to say about Trump at that time, in that they were all positive. For me, Romney is just another Republican doing the Democrat’s work for them and another who failed to honor Reagan’s eleventh commandment where no Republican should speak ill or another Republican.
We’ll have to see what else Washington will pull out of their hat next as they continue to attack the popular front-runner. An older argument the GOP maintains today, is that Trump’s background is a problem. I’ll take his background over Hillary Clinton’s any day.
Lastly, “likability.” A very important component to anyone who knows or works in politics and something that still holds fast and true. If you don’t have it, it does not matter how long your resume is, how many colleagues you have in D.C., how much money you have, or how hard you try…the public either likes you or they don’t. True, Trump has his haters, but Clinton certainly does, too. As the only Republican candidate bringing in cross-over votes from democrats and independents, which are unquestionably needed to win the general election in November, clearly he has many more supporters than adversaries.
Commentary and Rhetoric from Politics to Entertainment
In My Vue 