GOP Primary Megathread III: Third Time's A Charm

[AiliailiA]

The revelation that Trump has a troupe of dancing girls wouldn't damage his image at all.

"Follies" can also refer to ostentatious buildings with no real purpose (eg mock castles). Also seems a good fit.

The joke being that Trump will lose in a general election and so his decision to run for president was a folly.

I get the joke. But the Fiscal times is reporting it only because the name is funny; they don't know what the company does.

The other possibilities are mildy funny too.

[USS Monitor]

Outrage, outrage, yeah, yeah, but, to be fair, Clinton's the one who decided to bark on live tv.

and people wonder why she isn't spontaneous.

Being mocked is an occupational hazard of being a politician. Even if you are running in a election that doesn't turn this ugly and you don't have candidates doing this sort of thing, there will still be internet shitlords doing it. Some people can take it in stride much more gracefully than others.

That said, Trump is an ass for posting that.

[USS Monitor]

Perhaps the Donald is really helping to make America great again, by demolishing what was left of the GOP's reputation helping it to a much greater defeat than should be possible in today's hyper partisan environment.

I've heard it theorized that that is his actual goal.

Not sure if I believe it, but it's an interesting theory.

[USS Monitor]

Other options are that they don't vote at all. Or ... they vote for Rubio even though he's dropped out! Bush and Huckabee are still getting votes, though not enough to get any delegates.



It would be great if candidates could take their name off ballots state-by-state. Then Kasich and Cruz could divvy up the remaining states so they don't split each others' votes.

But it's not possible to take names off the ballot, even by announcing withdrawal from the whole contest.

They could tell their supporters to vote for each other based on the state they're in, like what Rubio did. Of course, Cruz seems to think he's leading his own movement, so that's rather unlikely.

I think Kasich wouldn't like the idea because it looks underhanded and goes against the image he's been cultivating. He refused to reciprocate when Rubio tried it.

[Idzequitch]

Okay, so Google hasn't helped me answer this question. What happens to Rubio's delegates? Are they free to vote for whomever they want? Or does Rubio get a say in where they go?

[USS Monitor]

Okay, so Google hasn't helped me answer this question. What happens to Rubio's delegates? Are they free to vote for whomever they want? Or does Rubio get a say in where they go?

I think Rubio has a choice to either hang onto them and make them vote for him even though he knows he won't have enough to win, or he can release them and let the delegates choose who they want to vote for. If he releases them, he can tell them who he wants them to vote for, but they aren't obligated to listen.

It's conceivable that if the Republicans and Democrats have different rules on this, I may be quoting the wrong set of rules. I saw this explained somewhere, but I don't remember for sure which party I was reading about.

[Idzequitch]

Okay, so Google hasn't helped me answer this question. What happens to Rubio's delegates? Are they free to vote for whomever they want? Or does Rubio get a say in where they go?

I think Rubio has a choice to either hang onto them and make them vote for him even though he knows he won't have enough to win, or he can release them and let the delegates choose who they want to vote for. If he releases them, he can tell them who he wants them to vote for, but they aren't obligated to listen.

It's conceivable that if the Republicans and Democrats have different rules on this, I may be quoting the wrong set of rules. I saw this explained somewhere, but I don't remember for sure which party I was reading about.

Right. Further Googling has actually yielded some results. Rubio can take his delegates back since his campaign has only been suspended, rather than ended.

Based on what I read, I think you may be right. Rubio's delegates basically become superdelegates who get to choose which candidate to vote for, though they very often will follow the endorsement of the eliminated candidate.

[The Lone Alliance]

And he just keeps on going and going and going and going... Though I heard there's supposed to be a giant counter protest\riot coming up against him... sure that'll work... not.

Really, Donald?

I take it you're a Hillary supporter?

[Lowell Leber]

To Trump supporters here: Why do you support him?

Because he makes alot of the people in power squirm that I want to squirm.

[Idzequitch]

To Trump supporters here: Why do you support him?

Because he makes alot of the people in power squirm that I want to squirm.

If you want people to squirm, put worms in their pants. Making people squirm doesn't fall under the President's job description.

[USS Monitor]

To Trump supporters here: Why do you support him?

Because he makes alot of the people in power squirm that I want to squirm.

Bernie Sanders makes a lot of people squirm. Why you no feel the Bern?

[Lowell Leber]

Cruz is going to have severe difficulty with Pennsylvania/New York, Cali and the rest of the west coast, etc. Basically, Kasich should contest the remaining blue state primaries to try to stop Trump's delegate accumulation if he wants to back Cruz. Then he can drop after they're done and order his delegates to support Cruz.

I think you mean "order his supporters". Delegates can't be ordered to support anyone else (in the first ballot at the National Convention) because they're pledged.

It's only a party rule, not a law though. The party can change it at the convention before holding the first ballot.

Still, I rather agree that Cruz and Kasich have to co-operate. Though Kasich is still in the race for no conceivable reason than to stop Trump AND Cruz, everyone hates Cruz etc, Kasich can't hurt Trump without helping Cruz. They both have to stop Trump getting that first-ballot majority because that's the only chance for either of them.

How they settle it at the convention is up to them. Tossing a coin wouldn't be fair because it doesn't account the disparity of delegates they will have. I suggest playing poker with their pledged delegates as chips. Kasich and Cruz at a table on the convention floor, gambling until one is bust and the other has all the delegates. Let no-one say the process was a backroom deal, or anything less than completely fair. It would be televised.

If a brokered nomination excludes Trump if he holds a sizable plurality of delagates, then the GOP will implode.

[USS Monitor]

Because he makes alot of the people in power squirm that I want to squirm.

If you want people to squirm, put worms in their pants. Making people squirm doesn't fall under the President's job description.

Shh! If Trump reads NS you'll give him ideas!

[USS Monitor]

I think you mean "order his supporters". Delegates can't be ordered to support anyone else (in the first ballot at the National Convention) because they're pledged.

It's only a party rule, not a law though. The party can change it at the convention before holding the first ballot.

Still, I rather agree that Cruz and Kasich have to co-operate. Though Kasich is still in the race for no conceivable reason than to stop Trump AND Cruz, everyone hates Cruz etc, Kasich can't hurt Trump without helping Cruz. They both have to stop Trump getting that first-ballot majority because that's the only chance for either of them.

How they settle it at the convention is up to them. Tossing a coin wouldn't be fair because it doesn't account the disparity of delegates they will have. I suggest playing poker with their pledged delegates as chips. Kasich and Cruz at a table on the convention floor, gambling until one is bust and the other has all the delegates. Let no-one say the process was a backroom deal, or anything less than completely fair. It would be televised.

If a brokered nomination excludes Trump if he holds a sizable plurality of delagates, then the GOP will implode.

It's imploding anyway.

[Lowell Leber]

Because he makes alot of the people in power squirm that I want to squirm.

Bernie Sanders makes a lot of people squirm. Why you no feel the Bern?

Because he has zero, instead of an undefined, grasp of economics.

[Saiwania]

To Trump supporters here: Why do you support him?

He tells it like it is. He dominates that category of speaking. The other candidates are full of spin or scripted answers.

[Lowell Leber]

In my not so humble opinion Mr. Trump is just the demagogue we need at this point in US politics, a counter to the last eight years of demagoguery.

[Idzequitch]

If you want people to squirm, put worms in their pants. Making people squirm doesn't fall under the President's job description.

Shh! If Trump reads NS you'll give him ideas!

That could explain how he got all the terrible ideas he already has.

[USS Monitor]

Bernie Sanders makes a lot of people squirm. Why you no feel the Bern?

Because he has zero, instead of an undefined, grasp of economics.

How many times has he gone bankrupt? How many times has Trump gone bankrupt?

Bernie left Burlington in much better shape than Trump leaves his businesses.

[Idzequitch]

To Trump supporters here: Why do you support him?

He tells it like it is. He dominates that category of speaking. The other candidates are full of spin or scripted answers.

Only if you define "like it is" in the loosest possible sense of the term.

[Lowell Leber]

Shh! If Trump reads NS you'll give him ideas!

That could explain how he got all the terrible ideas he already has.

Those on the left have the current Mr. President a pass for eight years for a more subtle form of the same behavior that you two detest.

[USS Monitor]

Shh! If Trump reads NS you'll give him ideas!

That could explain how he got all the terrible ideas he already has.

In fact, I think I saw a Trump nation around here somewhere.... So don't give him more ideas!

[Liriena]

To Trump supporters here: Why do you support him?

Because he makes alot of the people in power squirm that I want to squirm.

If it's an anti-establishment sentiment that guides you... why vote for someone who has been a part of the establishment his whole life? Trump is not a revolutionary from the American political underground. He's a multimillionaire who's repeatedly stood beside establishment politicians, and appears to have only decided to "go rogue" in the least underdog-ish way imaginable when his ego finally got the best of him.

Bernie Sanders makes a lot of people squirm. Why you no feel the Bern?

Because he has zero, instead of an undefined, grasp of economics.

You do realize that actual economists have endorsed Sanders, right? And have denounced Trump's own proposals as damaging to the economy?

[Idzequitch]

That could explain how he got all the terrible ideas he already has.

Those on the left have the current Mr. President a pass for eight years for a more subtle form of the same behavior that you two detest.

Not a fan of him either. I'm fairly conservative, I just prefer my presidential candidates to be of the "sane" and "sensible" variety.

[Lowell Leber]

Because he has zero, instead of an undefined, grasp of economics.

How many times has he gone bankrupt? How many times has Trump gone bankrupt?

Bernie left Burlington in much better shape than Trump leaves his businesses.

Bernie was more frugal with OTHER people's money, of course he took less risk.