Day: April 15, 2016

A Denied Trump Will Not Go Quietly Into that Good Night

Buck Banks

Moreover, if Republicans think that denying Trump the nomination will solve their problems, they forget that the guy is neither a magnanimous winner nor a gracious loser. Forget about Trump running as an independent in the fall. He won’t have the organization or time to get on the ballot in most states. But, he’s got something more important than ballot access: Twitter and TV. He will be happy to continue his campaign against the GOP via social media. Do we really think that if Trump loses he’ll go underground never to utter his views again? Do you think that if he loses a floor fight he’ll warmly embrace Ted Cruz? I doubt it.

— Amy Walter, Cook Political Report

More Rubio Delegates Become Free Agents

Buck Banks

171

The number of delegates Marco Rubio won before dropping out of the race. Of those, the 17 he took home in Minnesota, the 12 in Oklahoma and the two he picked up in New Hampshire are now free agents, reports National Review. “In Minnesota and Oklahoma, Rubio’s delegates are obligated only to cast a ballot for him if he is formally nominated, while in New Hampshire they’re entirely unbound.”

Cruz Maintains McConnell Lied to Him

Buck Banks

Every word I said there is true and accurate. No one disputed a word I said. The reaction in the Senate is how dare you say that out loud? They’re not upset that somebody lied to them!

— Sen. Ted Cruz, doubling down “on an accusation that Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell lied to him, all the while insisting that he would work well with congressional leadership,” NBC News reports.

GOP’s Unfair Primary System Has Helped Trump

Buck Banks

Donald Trump has a point … After getting shut out at the Colorado conventions, Trump has been complaining that the Republican primary process is undemocratic and rigged. I don’t agree with the ‘rigged’ part, as the rules have been known for some time, but it’s true that some Republican votes are worth a lot more than others. ‘One person, one vote’ — or the idea that every voter should have equal say in an election — is not the rule in the GOP primary system. The irony, however, is that Trump has benefited from this imbalance.

— Harry Enten, Five Thirty Eight.