Patterico's Pontifications

4/5/2016

Wisconsin Primary Open Thread

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 11:20 am



I expect Cruz to win handily. He needs it, with New York and Pennsylvania on the horizon.

412 Responses to “Wisconsin Primary Open Thread”

  1. On, Wisconsin!

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:21 am

  2. Trump’s too cheesy to win in Wisconsin.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:22 am

  3. I’m rooting for Mr. The Donald

    Being as how he wants to make America great again, it would be heartening to see our Wisconsin friends pitch in and help make this happen. Or they could vote for Ted Cruz.

    happyfeet (a037ad) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:42 am

  4. Cruz is supported by the Establishment. A vote for Cruz is for statu quo. I hope Wisconsin will do the right thing.

    Denise (f6ba68) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:42 am

  5. Cruz is supported by the Establishment. A vote for Cruz is for statu quo. I hope Wisconsin will do the right thing.

    Denise (f6ba68) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:42 am

    Even if the idea “Cruz is supported by the Establishment” wasn’t a load of crap, a vote for “statu quo” is a vote against Trumpism. Which is worse than “statu quo.”

    L.N. Smithee (b84cf6) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:50 am

  6. Denise,

    The people lying to you that Donald Trump is “anti-establishment” probably neglected to inform you that Trump is a billionaire who rides in a private jet and who has contributed money to Democrat establishment movers and shakers such as Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Chuckie Schumer, and Hillary Clinton. Hillary also attended Trump’s most recent wedding to that woman who used to get paid to take her clothes off.

    Ted Cruz never would have invited Hillary to his wedding, nor would she ever have attended his wedding.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:54 am

  7. If Cruz loses Wisconsin, Trump is the nominee, or Ryan is.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:56 am

  8. Cruz is supported by the Establishment.

    Yeah, he’s always been a team player. Mr Go-along Get-along. Right. This idiocy cannot be mocked enough.

    The Establishment candidate has been   Romney   Bush   Christie   Rubio   Kasich   and now Cruz, only because he’s the only Republican left in the race.

    Going with the last man on earth does not mean you’re in love.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:03 pm

  9. Ted Cruz never would have invited Hillary to his wedding, nor would she ever have attended his wedding.

    Ted Cruz would have invited damn few REPUBLICAN Senators to his wedding, nor would they have come if he did.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:05 pm

  10. I expect Cruz to win but by around 5-6 points, not the 10 points the polls had him at last week.

    Wisc is a fully open primary. So I think there’s a chance of an upset.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:12 pm

  11. Ted Cruz would have invited damn few REPUBLICAN Senators to his wedding, nor would they have come if he did.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:05 pm

    Feature, not a bug.

    Sean (1d5074) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:17 pm

  12. Ted Cruz would have invited damn few REPUBLICAN Senators to his wedding, nor would they have come if he did.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:05 pm

    Feature, not a bug.

    Sean (1d5074) — 4/5

    ditto

    Joe - From Texas (debac0) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:23 pm

  13. Vote Trump Or Else: Roger Stone Threatens Angry Trump Fans To Visit Delegate HOTEL ROOMS [VIDEO] | RedState http://www.redstate.com/absentee/2016/04/05/vote-trump-else-bestie-roger-stone-threatens-send-angry-trump-fans-delegates-hotel-rooms-video/

    ‘Dear Lord!’ Did Trump surrogate Roger Stone threaten ‘to sic thugs on delegates’? [video]
    Donald Trump surrounds himself with the best people. The best, Jerry:
    http://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/717378082026491906/photo/1
    Sopan Deb@SopanDeb
    Roger Stone tells radio station that Trump supporters will know hotel rooms of delegates at convention.
    This is not a drill:

    Liam Donovan ‎@LPDonovan
    “We will disclose the hotels and room numbers of those delegates… We urge you to visit their hotel and find them.”

    http://twitchy.com/2016/04/05/dear-lord-did-trump-surrogate-roger-stone-threaten-to-sic-thugs-on-delegates-video/

    Torcer (f045ef) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:24 pm

  14. Old Reader – If it is true this primary is open (I don’t care to look it up), Trump will pull a lot of votes that don’t intend to vote for him in November. These are not converting, angry democrats. These are hard line democrats taking the opportunity to choose Hillary’s competition.

    Rich (ddc02c) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:27 pm

  15. Feature, not a bug.

    Yes, of course. See the thread.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:31 pm

  16. Wisconsin is an open primary, but there is a neck-and-neck Democrat race there today as well, so I don’t expect a lot of RF votes.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:33 pm

  17. Old Reader – If it is true this primary is open (I don’t care to look it up), Trump will pull a lot of votes that don’t intend to vote for him in November. These are not converting, angry democrats. These are hard line democrats taking the opportunity to choose Hillary’s competition.
    Rich (ddc02c) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:27 pm

    Exactly!!

    Torcer (f045ef) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:47 pm

  18. Couching hopes as undeniable predictions is a good way for hyper partisans to beclown themselves. Let the Wisconsin voters speak for themselves. You’ll be glad you did.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 1:01 pm

  19. randy ted cruz releases from bondage all the tranny hookers he has been torturing and they go vote for him.

    roger (809fe3) — 4/5/2016 @ 1:11 pm

  20. Perry roger… look out your window… don’t teh first man you see look just like me?

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 1:37 pm

  21. Trumpkin Jam

    First there is a trumpkin
    then there is no trumpkin
    then there is

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 1:39 pm

  22. ted cruz is a pervert who loves trannys clintons will use this against tranny loving cruz even though dems are pro lgbt.

    roger (809fe3) — 4/5/2016 @ 1:47 pm

  23. I don’t think Ted Cruz is a pervert. I bet he does all his business in the missionary position with the lights off.

    I’ve been wrong before though.

    papertiger (c2d6da) — 4/5/2016 @ 1:50 pm

  24. @23 d.c. madam’s lawyer tells different story about tranny sex fiend cruz is a pervert!

    roger (809fe3) — 4/5/2016 @ 1:55 pm

  25. The thing I like about this election, if Trump wins I win, if Cruz wins I win.

    It’s like having loaded dice at the craps table.

    papertiger (c2d6da) — 4/5/2016 @ 1:59 pm

  26. Bernie is definitely helping Ted avoid crossover Dhimmicrats. Feel the Bern, Donald!

    This is a weird one tonight. Tonight, unlike any other election in memory, I am hoping for a huge turnout in the biggest city and for less in the rest of the state. This is the direct opposite of any general election where the Dhimmis must come out with large urban margins.

    I am looking for Ted to beat DT by 6-8%, with Kasich under 20%. My fear and belief, though, is that DT and Ted will essentially split the CD delegates, and Kasich will win a handful. I very much doubt it will be the victory we are looking for.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 2:11 pm

  27. Couching hopes as undeniable predictions is a good way for hyper partisans to beclown themselves.

    Like insisting that a certain wealthy yet crass businessman will crush a certain wealthy yet corrupt politician in the general election?

    JVW (aa050c) — 4/5/2016 @ 2:18 pm

  28. Yes, JVW, point taken.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 2:23 pm

  29. For all you purported rational Trump voters/commenters:

    How does it feel to be in bed with the likes of perry, roger, ‘feets, and the randomized perverts spreading sex stories here?

    Steve Malynn (b5f891) — 4/5/2016 @ 2:42 pm

  30. Steve,

    I think there’s a chance he’ll be identified as client of the DC Madam within a few weeks but who knows what rumors are true. Nobody should say definitely one way or another right now but at least he finally stated that he has always been faithful to his wife (only took about two weeks). He does seem a bit squirmy and guilty when he’s asked questions about the story (see the video clip where Carly steps in to try to save him but just makes him look guilty).

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 2:52 pm

  31. “Old Reader” is a moronic conspiracy theorist too. Shocking.

    JD (f897a0) — 4/5/2016 @ 2:58 pm

  32. The idea that he shouldn’t feel squirmy or guilty of whatever weasel words Old Reader is using to try to insinuate guilt based on baseless rumors is beyond funny. I would state that having to answer such BS with cameras in front of you based on nothing but smears from a slimy opponent would make any honest or normal person uncomfortable. How he chose to answer said smear just shows that people of your ilk would never be satisfied with whatever answer he gave. You and ropelight and those peddling these smears should be ashamed, but you have proven to be beyond embarrassment and shame.

    JD (f897a0) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:04 pm

  33. @ Colonel Haiku

    An April breeze chills
    the chattering fools who vote
    for a ginger twat

    Jack (ff1ca8) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:06 pm

  34. JD, if there is truly nothing to the allegations, I think many people would almost laugh them off as ridiculous and be upfront in their denials as possible. Maybe I’m wrong but Cruz acted guilty as hell. We all judge people’s mannerism and affect differently as it relates to truthfulness–jury’s for instance are permitted to make inferences about truthfulness by tone, body language, etc.

    I think Cruz seemed guilty, maybe you did not. There are some other reasons I think there might be something to the allegations but there is also a ton of false info out on the internet and twitter, etc. But one alleged mistress did have a handful of odd tweets, and another (the one working for the Carly Pac that Cruz gave 500k to) has still not commented on the story at all.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:16 pm

  35. Well, I know Trump acts like he is guilty—guilty of being lazy, having no real agenda, and hiring bad people. Also guilty of hiding his tax records.

    But you see, you won’t agree.

    Thing is, I would bet serious money I am right and you are wrong. If you are smart, you won’t take that bet.

    So it’s amusing that you find Cruz “suspicious” and but not Trump.

    Just a shill.

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:19 pm

  36. I find it particularly suspicious that Trump has never responded to accusations that he has forced women to have abortions. Everyone acts very frightened.

    See how this works?

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:20 pm

  37. Powerful man chasing young tail=conspiracy theory? What is so implausible about that?

    That said, had he handled himself a little differently on this story I probably would have quickly dismissed the rumors.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:22 pm

  38. Old Reader, having feelings that “there might be something” to allegations for which there is no proof is not a good enough reason to publicly smear a man and humiliate his family. But then again, if that sort of thing bothered your conscience, you probably wouldn’t be a Trump Fan Boy in the first place.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:22 pm

  39. Lets see: Cruz – Texas Solicitor General 2003-2008

    DC Madam, Convicted felon, April 15, 2008, Suicide May 1, 2008 – in Florida.

    Yep, Cruz has gotta be worried. not.

    Steve Malynn (b5f891) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:24 pm

  40. I find it particularly suspicious that Trump has never responded to accusations that he has forced women to have abortions.

    Wouldn’t surprise me if he had and he doesn’t go around acting like a weird preacher so it isn’t really relevant to the validity of his persona like it is with Cruz.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:24 pm

  41. friend I sh*t you not
    the nattering nabobs cry
    negativism!

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:25 pm

  42. Yeah, White Supremacist Christoph probably would have dismissed the rumors about the hispanic guy y’all. But he is just so concerned. So we need to focus on the scandals, evidence or not.

    Meanwhile any horrible thing Trump did “isn’t relevant.”

    Dustin (2a8be7) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:25 pm

  43. Oh, Old Reader, have you considered this?

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexcampbell/court-papers-trump-ate-at-jeffrey-epsteins-house#.dgkQ8jOwk

    Trump *did* ride on Epstein’s jet, and he *did* understate his relationship with the fellow convicted of sex with underaged girls.

    I think this merits immediate consideration. Don’t you?

    Because there is FAR more evidence that Trump has hired kiddie prostitutes that Cruz hiring any kind of prostitute.

    And if you say “there’s no proof” everyone will laugh in your hypocrite troll face.

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:25 pm

  44. Saying I think there might be truth to the rumors based on Cruz’s odd responses to the scandal is hardly smearing him.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:27 pm

  45. I think this merits immediate consideration. Don’t you?

    It’s a valid question, certainly.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:28 pm

  46. Saying I think there might be truth to the rumors (of Trump’s hiring underaged prostitutes) based on (Trump’s) odd responses to the scandal is hardly smearing him.

    LOL.

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:28 pm

  47. Much more evidence for my accusation than yours. And since you are supporting Trump, I recommend you IMMEDIATELY dig deep into it. It’s MUCH more important than anything involving Cruz.

    Based on Trump’s absolute misrepresentation of facts, and lawyering up.

    Go now! That’s your candidate! You can’t support a child raper, can you?

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:30 pm

  48. Only one thing left for Trump to do: pose unsaddled on shirtless horse. No… wait!

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:30 pm

  49. Old Reader, I should have named you up there with the loons.

    Ropelite, Hoagie, RKS, do you really want to be in that company?

    Steve Malynn (b5f891) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:30 pm

  50. Every time this silly troll tries to smear Cruz, we should just ask him about his progress into accusations of the hiring of child prostitutes by Trump. Every time.

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:31 pm

  51. Sometimes it Sh*tstorms in April…

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:31 pm

  52. Much more evidence for my accusation than yours.

    Why did Cruz give Carly’s PAC 500k. This same PAC pays one of the alleged mistresses six figures. She has not yet commented on the scandal (last I checked).

    One of the alleged mistresses had a handful of incriminating tweets, tweets she has since deleted. Certainly nothing to that, eh?

    Can you honestly look at this video and say Cruz isn’t acting guilty.

    Where’s your evidence that Trump slept with underage prostitutes, other than the fact he ate at Epstein’s house?

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:36 pm

  53. Old Reader, I’ve heard rumors that Trump may have hired underage prostitutes. What is your position on hiring underage prostitutes? Keep in mind, you’ve told us we reserve the right to intuit guilt based upon the intensity of your response.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:37 pm

  54. Well, duh: look how weird Trump’s reactions have been to… stuff, I guess. Trump’s acting weird all the time, if you ask me. Exactly how many underage prostitutes did he sleep with, to have him acting so weird? Nationally enquiring minds want to know!!1!

    Leviticus (efada1) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:39 pm

  55. What’s the age of consent in Slovenia, anyway?

    Leviticus channeling Trump (efada1) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:40 pm

  56. Old Reader, there you go again.
    Cruz didn’t give 500K to a Fiorina Super Pac.
    It was actually a Cruz Super Pac which gave the 500K to a Fiorina Super Pac.

    You intentionally like to muddy the waters by asserting facts which simply are not true.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:41 pm

  57. Well, duh: look how weird Trump’s reactions have been to… stuff, I guess.

    Show me the video of Trump responding to the Epstein reaction and I’ll tell you if I think he’s lying or evasive. Not sure why you all think it’s out of bounds to have an opinion that a candidate is lying based on his own odd, evasive responses. But whatever, keep believing the preacher man.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:48 pm

  58. Wouldn’t surprise me if he had [forced women to have abortions] and he doesn’t go around acting like a weird preacher so it isn’t really relevant to the validity of his persona like it is with Cruz.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:24 pm

    Old Reader is ready to write off Ted Cruz, the best-qualified viable candidate running, because he either suspects or believes that everything written about his infidelity — unsourced, incredible and disclaimed as it has been — is true, making Cruz out to be a monstrous hypocrite with an ‘invalid persona.’ On the other hand, he’s ready to swallow hook, line and sinker the idea that, as suggested by Ben Carson and Rudy Giuliani, there are two Donald Trumps: A patient, intelligent, inquisitive and thoughtful leader that exists only behind closed doors in private meetings unseen and unheard by the public, and The Donald we see all too often: An impetuous, arrogant, childish silver spoon-fed brat whose fame is style over substance, and a person that a great republic would never allow to take its helm.
    If the former Trump persona turns out to be just as much a fantasy as Cruz the Pious Preacher, whatevs.

    This, in a nutshell, is why I have ZERO respect for Trump supporters, especially the ones who bash Cruz.

    L.N. Smithee (b84cf6) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:50 pm

  59. Pennsylvania is a winner-take-all state, but only for 17 delegates. There are 54 other Pennsylvania delegates that are unbound to any candidate.

    Jim S. (d465f1) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:01 pm

  60. Old Reader, since Donald Trump evaded the Iowa debate entirely due to the fact Megyn Kelly was scheduled to be one of the moderators, we should conclude that he was fearful of the questions she might ask him. Perhaps he believed she was going to ask him a question about his connection to Epstein.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:02 pm

  61. Naw, this is all trolling.

    Fact is, Trump acts like a freshly wake and baked freshman, not having read the assignment, trying to bully his way through a discussion in class. He brain is THC addled, so he needs to act all brash.

    He does this ALL of the time. If he acted like a statesman at any point, things would be different.

    So this is all trolling.

    And Trump did lie about his association with Epstein. That’s why he lawyered up.

    Why, he seems like a pervert to me. How you other folks?

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:02 pm

  62. Old Reader is ready to write off Ted Cruz, the best-qualified viable candidate running

    I don’t support Cruz because of immigration, trade, and foreign policy. I could care less if Cruz chases young staffers, though it’s certainly a liability electorally if it’s true.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:02 pm

  63. And I think Trump’s consistent lack of attention to policy and ignorant bullying style, are…ahem…an electoral liability. And that’s not just my opinion.

    It’s as if you want HRC to win.

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:03 pm

  64. Those tweets you reference were already covered here. You choose to ignore that. And yes, I can watch that video and believe he does not look guilty.

    JD (f897a0) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:08 pm

  65. And you are a lying liar that tells lies. Above people showed you that the 500k to super pac narrative is a flat out lie. Yet, you persist.

    JD (f897a0) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:09 pm

  66. Patterico post on subject is full of mistakes. For instance, he claims the one photo is photoshopped, it is not, it was actually still on her instagram (though she deleted the tweet), he also did not cover the cheese tweet which she deleted, among other things. It’s true that the “daddy cruz” tweet was explainable in context, that is true, and I commended in the comments for pointing that out.

    The 500K to Carly’s PAC is not a lie, I should have said Cruz’s PAC to Carly PAC. Still pretty hard to explain.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:15 pm

  67. What’s much, much harder to explain is your support of Trump after watching your bizarre focus on tiny things from other candidates.

    Trump’s problems are YUGE. They would make your head spin.

    Pretty sure you are a HRC supporter in orange hair drag. Nttiawwt.

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:23 pm

  68. Old Reader, you’re doing it again.
    You still aren’t getting the facts correct. It was actually a Cruz SUPER Pac that gave money to a Fiorina SUPER Pac.
    If you actually know anything about Pacs, you wouldn’t have said that Cruz gave the money.

    By the way, Kellyanne Conway is the President of that Cruz Super Pac. The money was given to the Fiorina Super Pac prior to Fiorina’s awesome debate performances which enabled her to raise money to sustain her own campaign.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:27 pm

  69. Trump’s a flawed candidate but he has some real strengths too.

    As I have said many times, I support him because I feel that strongly about immigration, trade, and foreign policy. While Cruz has come closer to Trump’s position on immigration and trade, I do not trust him on these issues.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:28 pm

  70. bah humbug, volodya knows where is bread is buttered,

    http://freebeacon.com/issues/panama-papers-implicate-podesta-client/

    narciso (732bc0) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:40 pm

  71. friend I sh*t you not
    the nattering nabobs cry
    negativism!

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:25 pm

    Heh, that’s reaching back a few years Herr Oberst. Very appropriate somehow.

    Bill H (dcdd7b) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:43 pm

  72. Old Reader, I have to ask, how does Cruz’s immigration policy differ from Trump’s? Do you have any idea? I’d like to see you compare the two rather than just spout off.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:49 pm

  73. I just heard a very interesting exit poll nugget reported by ABC Radio…25% of the Dem voters tonight were Independents! There is a big turnout on that side, too. Ted is avoiding some major incoming if this is actually true.

    THANK YOU, BERNIE!

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:50 pm

  74. The problem is that Wisconsin is the badger state, which gives Trump’s hair a home state advantage.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:53 pm

  75. Old Reader is ready to write off Ted Cruz, the best-qualified viable candidate running, because he either suspects or believes that everything written about his infidelity — unsourced, incredible and disclaimed as it has been — is true, making Cruz out to be a monstrous hypocrite with an ‘invalid persona.’

    No, he’s not ready to write Cruz off – because he never had any intention of supporting him in the first place, and by continually intimating that Cruz *may have* been unfaithful to his wife and refer to an unproven, unsourced, and untrue piece of gossip while making sure to refer to it as a “scandal” is simply the manipulative machinations of a passive-aggressive individual having some fun.

    With all this passive-aggressiveness and painfully obvious manipulations, we can only conclude that Old Reader is really a girl.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:54 pm

  76. The common loon is the state bird of Minnesota, BTW.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:55 pm

  77. Cruz was arguing for a wall before Trump was ever a candidate. He was arguing for a wall while running for the SENATE. He is STILL arguing for a wall. He isn’t arguing for “making the Mexicans pay for it” because 1) it would take a war or something as disruptive and 2) it’s juvenile and stupid.

    Cruz wants to enforce the current laws about deporting illegals. Which means they all have to go. Under current law, deported persons cannot be readmitted. Trump wants to let some come back. Trump is the amnesty guy here.

    Cruz also wants to suspend H1-B visas, and end the program unless it can be shown that it doesn’t replace American workers. Trump’s policy is unknown.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:56 pm

  78. Old Reader, there you go again.
    Cruz didn’t give 500K to a Fiorina Super Pac.
    It was actually a Cruz Super Pac which gave the 500K to a Fiorina Super Pac.

    You intentionally like to muddy the waters by asserting facts which simply are not true.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:41 pm

    The term you’re looking for is clarifying the waters.
    Not hiding behind. Out in the open.

    papertiger (c2d6da) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:59 pm

  79. Bernie will always be a bigger loser magnet than Trump. Trump attracts losers who want to be winners. Bernie attracts losers who recognize a kindred soul. The fact of the matter is most losers don’t want to be winners, they want everyone else to be losers, too.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 4:59 pm

  80. The term you’re looking for is clarifying the waters.

    So, what is Trumps position on abortion, again? No fair looking for today’s answer.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:01 pm

  81. #78 papertiger,

    That’s cute. (LOL)

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:01 pm

  82. #75: Dana,

    we can only conclude that Old Reader is really a girl. ?????

    Old Reader sounds more like a Trump stooge. Perhaps a transgender, but not of the female persuasion intrinsically.

    I’m married to a very nice girl, and I take exception to your attempt to associate the better half of our species with such a snarky creature.

    BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:06 pm

  83. republican texas central chairman robert morrow has the pervert ted cruz underage trannys evidence at the omni hotels 9 th floor hotels night manager confirms. see video at classicalvalues.com

    ron (b72045) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:14 pm

  84. Here’s another EP number: WI GOP voters who will not vote for Trump if he wins the nomination…35%. Yup.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:19 pm

  85. Cleanup needed on aisles 19, 22, 24 and 83.

    I wonder if there’s an anti-VPN/TOR module for WordPress.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:21 pm

  86. Gary Johnson is hoping the LP could be taken seriously if the GOP nominates Trump. I think this a forlorn hope. Especially since there would be a Romney 3rd Party run.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:24 pm

  87. Kevin – those are all Perry.

    Old Reader is a freakin passive aggressive liar. Period. Full stop.

    JD (f897a0) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:25 pm

  88. BobStewartatHome,

    Females are inherently gifted with mad skills at being passive-aggressive and manipulative when necessary. It’s the flip side of feminine allure, kindness, graciousness, and wit.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:25 pm

  89. A poll of Mississippi voters has Trump leading Hillary by only 3 points. That’s almost as scary as the Utah poll a couple weeks ago.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:26 pm

  90. More EP…1/3rd of WI GOP voters self-described evangelicals…Cruz is doing “very well” with them.

    I sure hope so. And. It is about FREAKING TIME.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:28 pm

  91. well do you want a medal for that,

    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/corker-gop-will-pass-bill-to-block-irans-access-to-dollar/article/2587673?custom_click=rss

    narciso (732bc0) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:28 pm

  92. crud suppository see the turd crud polls when people find out ted cruz was taking underage tranny hookers to the omni hotel and in washington d.d. classicalvalues.com see video

    ron (b72045) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:30 pm

  93. Dana:

    With all this passive-aggressiveness and painfully obvious manipulations, we can only conclude that Old Reader is really a girl.

    Or Trump himself. It’s hard to tell the difference sometimes.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:30 pm

  94. Kevin, at #77 you write:

    Cruz was arguing for a wall before Trump was ever a candidate. He was arguing for a wall while running for the SENATE.

    Can you back-up that statement? I’d like to see some corroboration.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:41 pm

  95. Trump is a lesbian.

    Steve Malynn (b5f891) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:42 pm

  96. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

    Steve Malynn (b5f891) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:43 pm

  97. well do you want a medal for that,

    He’s just doing his job. What else do yo uexpect him to do. 0bama will probably veto any legislation that is passed, but as we get closer to the election more Democrats might find themselves willing to override the veto. That’s the only chance of fixing anything before 20-Jan-2017.

    Milhouse (87c499) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:46 pm

  98. Re: 94:

    Border wall: James and Leppert oppose a wall, Dewhurst and Cruz tout “boots on the ground” and a wall in some places.
    Source: BurntOrangeReport.com on 2012 Texas Senate Debate , Apr 18, 2012

    Steve Malynn (b5f891) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:47 pm

  99. Strengthen border security and increase enforcement

    Ted Cruz has worked to strengthen border security and help ensure that America remains a nation of laws. Among other efforts, he has worked on efforts to increase penalties for felons who enter the country illegally.
    Ted authored a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief on behalf of 10 states in Lopez v. Gonzales, urging the strictest enforcement of laws punishing those with prior felony convictions who entered the country illegally.
    Source: Campaign website, http://www.tedcruz.org, “Issues” , Jul 17, 2011

    Steve Malynn (b5f891) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:48 pm

  100. Perry is not going to stop posting until somebody abuses him verbally and he gets his masochistic thrill. But I’m feeling sadistic, so I won’t do it.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:50 pm

  101. Ropelight, here you go. That’s Cruz sponsoring a bill requiring the unbuilt 700 miles of border fence to be finished. Remember that both houses of Congress passed a law calling for a border fence back in 2006, when Trump was still openly a Democrat, calling for amnesty, and calling Romney’s self-deportation idea “mean-spirited”.

    Milhouse (87c499) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:51 pm

  102. Ropelight – that was covered here previously, at length.

    JD (3845bd) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:52 pm

  103. Fall 2013:

    Cruz proposed to secure the border by tripling the size of the border patrol and quadrupling the number of helicopters and cameras on the border and completing a double-layered border fence.

    But you won’t be convinced because Patterico posted on how Cruz was first and you acknowledged he was but dismissed it as just talk. You are a blowhard a nothing you say can be believed, just like Trump.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/5/2016 @ 5:59 pm

  104. CNN and Decision Desk EP give Cruz ELEVEN point WIN.

    Bad news for the WI Supreme Court race, though. Here, Bernie’s energy hurt real bad. Dang it.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:08 pm

  105. So, it seems that contrary to the best efforts of Ted Cruz’s supporters he has not proposed anything like the wall Trump advocates. Talk is cheap and cheerleaders can chant in unison, but the truth is that pretending Cruz was outspoken in support for a wall along the lines of Trump’s proposal is pure hogwash.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:09 pm

  106. Nate Silver, five minutes ago (hyperlinks omitted):

    Exit polls in Wisconsin show Cruz 10 points ahead of Trump. Based on the formula I described earlier, that would point toward an 8- or 9-point win for Cruz when combined with pre-election polls. The margin of error is high enough, though, that while a Cruz win is likely, it isn’t quite certain. Hence, ABC News and other networks aren’t likely to call the race until some actual votes come in.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:10 pm

  107. But Trump isn’t just talk! He said he’d pay for it himself! Right? Oh, wait. He said he’d make someone else pay for it. And they say he isn’t a Socialist.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:11 pm

  108. Cruz within margin of error in WI-7th in one EP I saw, which is Trumps’ best chance to take 3 delegates.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:12 pm

  109. And Trump’s talk of what, maybe six months vintage, is worth what?

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:12 pm

  110. Bad news for the WI Supreme Court race, though. Here, Bernie’s energy hurt real bad. Dang it.

    I’m willing to bet that Trump voters chose the Dem to make Walker pay.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:12 pm

  111. The answer rhymes with “what” and it has an “s”, a “q”, a “u”, an “a”, and a “t” in it.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:14 pm

  112. Wouldn’t surprise me if he had and he doesn’t go around acting like a weird preacher so it isn’t really relevant to the validity of his persona like it is with Cruz.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:24 pm

    What is the “validity” of someone’s persona? How does Cruz “act like a weird preacher”?

    Gerald A (7c7ffb) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:15 pm

  113. You’re right DRJ. Not even worth engaging. He just retreats to abject fingers-in-the-ears denial.

    I expect ropelight to convince himself to vote for Bernie with the time comes.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:16 pm

  114. “validity” of someone’s persona

    It is a term you throw out when you want to obfuscate the discussion rather than deal with standing on no legs.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:18 pm

  115. Sounds like you folks in FLA better suck it up, ropelight. You have your own problem with an influx that is fundamentally transforming your state… no?

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:19 pm

  116. Kevin, are you ignoring my comment at #94?

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:20 pm

  117. If things hold as they look to be in WI, Trump is looking at 1175, give or take going into Cleveland. Of course, freaking Kasich could screw this up and hand Trump what he needs for a 1st-ballot win.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:20 pm

  118. No, I let 7 other people speak for me. If you won’t accept their answers, why should I bother. I would say no different. You’re like the flat-earther who says “Sure, THIS part of the earth looks round, but the next parts are all flat.”

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:22 pm

  119. NBC and Decision Desk call WI for CRUZ.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:23 pm

  120. In other news….UConn women are beating Syracuse by only 40-19 in the 2nd Qtr.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:25 pm

  121. Ted Cruz just declared victory on Twitter.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:25 pm

  122. “What’s the age of consent in Slovenia, anyway?”

    Leviticus channeling Trump (efada1) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:40 pm

    In your case, 83.

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:25 pm

  123. I wonder if Trump will retweet it.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:26 pm

  124. Sandernista for the queso. 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:29 pm

  125. So, Kevin, you can’t back up your silly claim. I thought so.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:29 pm

  126. Kasuck for teh show…

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:30 pm

  127. It is now ALLLLLLLLLL about Trump being held under 50% in NY. If he is, Cleveland will be wide open. if he gets 50%, he still has a real shot at a 1st-ballot nomination.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:32 pm

  128. Speaking of all over…UConn 50-23 at the half.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:33 pm

  129. Ropelight, quit acting like a troll.

    You are just mad Trump got beaten by such a YUGE margin, it would make your head spin.

    Simon Jester (abb5d2) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:38 pm

  130. ropelight,

    Sounds like you think there is a big difference between a fence and a wall. Can you explain specifically what it is?

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:41 pm

  131. If so, tell Donald because he doesn’t seem to know.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:43 pm

  132. So, Kevin, you can’t back up your silly claim. I thought so.

    You have already had several people back it up for me, and you respond to each of them with “I don’t believe it.” THhre is really no point in talking to you.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:43 pm

  133. Cruz performing better than expected in the 2nd CD. This was one of three CDs Trump or Kasich had the best chance of taking. So….it appears that worst case for Ted is he takes 36 out of 42 delegates. Fingers crossed.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:46 pm

  134. And, in the end, ropelight will decide that either Bernie is better on some issue he doesn’t care about today, or “there’s no difference between cruz and bernie” and stay home. Then complain night and day about how horrible bernie is.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:46 pm

  135. Alamo Ted’s last stand- Wisconsin. The home of his kindred spirit, Tailgunner Joe McCarthy.

    Trump will take the Northeast easily as well as Cslifornia.

    If party hacks deny the will of the voters, Trump will go third party and take voters w/him. And Hillary wins.

    With Cruz, you lose.

    DCSCA (a343d5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:47 pm

  136. Trump is winning in Paul Ryan’s home county. Of COURSE he is. But Cruz will take that CD (the 1st).

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:48 pm

  137. There is a difference between a fence and a wall. You know that. We already have lots of fences, virtual as well as physical, along the Southern border. Walls are a much bigger deal. Remember the Berlin Wall?

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:48 pm

  138. Kevin, you make a phony claim then weasel out when asked for corroboration. Typical.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:50 pm

  139. Trump in his own words:

    Trump explained his art to The New York Times editorial board, telling them that when he sees people at one of his rallies he just throws out a line that he knows will get them riled up.

    “If it gets a little boring, if I see people starting to sort of, maybe thinking about leaving, I can sort of tell the audience, I just say, ‘We will build the wall!’ and they go nuts,” he told the Times’ editorial board.

    New York values = Some people will believe anything.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:51 pm

  140. 25% drop for Trump from Illinois.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:52 pm

  141. Trump called it a wall and a fence in the same interview. Tell him.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:52 pm

  142. Off topic, but:

    nk, thanks again, very much, for the recommendation and gift of the Judge Steel e-book, which I’ve quickly devoured before ordering the next in the series. My son (who’s still waiting for his bar results) will likely enjoy them too!

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:52 pm

  143. De nada, Beldar.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:55 pm

  144. Thank you Wisconsin.

    NJRob (a07d2e) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:55 pm

  145. Steve,

    I think there’s a chance he’ll be identified as client of the DC Madam within a few weeks but who knows what rumors are true. Nobody should say definitely one way or another right now but at least he finally stated that he has always been faithful to his wife (only took about two weeks). He does seem a bit squirmy and guilty when he’s asked questions about the story (see the video clip where Carly steps in to try to save him but just makes him look guilty).

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 2:52 pm

    Versus supporting the Donald who is guilty of everything you accuse Cruz of doing.

    Straight out of the left’s playbook.

    NJRob (a07d2e) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:57 pm

  146. Kevin the weasel, just like when you tried to absolve Cruz of philandering accusations by claiming he was elected to the Senate in 2013 and couldn’t have been involved with the DC madam. Again it was an attempt to deceive. As usual.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:58 pm

  147. Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 12:05 pm

    Ted Cruz would have invited damn few REPUBLICAN Senators to his wedding, nor would they have come if he did.

    I don’t know who he invited to his wedding in May, 2001, but he says in his book that the day before the ceremony they took the wedding party to a picnic at the Reagan ranch (which by the time the book was written in 2015 was a museum) and he was standing in awe behind the chair at the dining room table where President Reagan would do much of his work when he was there, looking out the window at Lake Lucky, but he would not sit in that chair.

    He says it was moving, even spiritual, experience and for most of the wedding party that visit was their favorite memory of the weekend, but that he’d be in deep trouble if he said it was his favorite memory. He doesn’t say whether he saw Ronald (probably not, given his Alzheimer’s) or Nancy Reagan (probably not)

    Sammy Finkelman (6f4cf5) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:59 pm

  148. Trump has a 🐿 on his 🍉

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:00 pm

  149. 34. JD, if there is truly nothing to the allegations, I think many people would almost laugh them off as ridiculous and be upfront in their denials as possible. Maybe I’m wrong…

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 3:16 pm

    Yeah, you’re wrong. Since you have amnesia, let me refresh your memory. Before the court placed a gag order on all this the media went through the DC Madame’s phone records with a fine tooth comb. In fact, her now disbarred former attorney sent CD-ROMs to LHMFM outlets and activist groups so they could expose people.

    http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/04/senior_official.html

    Deputy Secretary of State Randall L. Tobias submitted his resignation Friday, one day after confirming to ABC News that he had been a customer of a Washington, D.C. escort service whose owner has been charged by federal prosecutors with running a prostitution operation.

    Tobias, 65, director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), had previously served as the ambassador for the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief.

    A State Department press release late Friday afternoon said only he was leaving for “personal reasons.”…

    …Tobias’ private cell number was among thousands of numbers listed in the telephone records provided to ABC News by Jeane Palfrey, the woman dubbed the “D.C. Madam,” who is facing the federal charges.

    In an interview to be broadcast on “20/20” next Friday, Palfrey says she intends to call Tobias and a number of her other prominent D.C. clients to testify at her trial.

    “I’m sure as heck not going to be going to federal prison for one day, let alone, four to eight years, because I’m shy about bringing in the deputy secretary of whatever,” Palfrey told ABC News…

    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/senator-caught-in-dc-madam-scandal/

    …Until Vitter’s admission, the most prominent client of Palfrey’s to emerge was senior State Department official Randall Tobias, who resigned from his post in April after ABC confronted him about his use of the service.

    Palfrey’s Web site contains several pages phone records, but no names, dating from August 1994 to August 2006. Palfrey wrote on the Web site that she believed a disk containing the records had been pirated, and said she was posting the records “to thwart any possible distorted version and to ensure the integrity of the information.”

    Palfrey revealed details of her escort service on ABC’s news magazine “20/20” on May 4. At the time, ABC said it could not link any information in records from 2002 to 2006, provided by Palfrey, to members of Congress or White House officials but did find links to prominent business executives, NASA officials and at least five military officers.

    This is a replay; we went over this plowed ground nine years ago. Nothing new is going to come out of it this time. The LHMFM identified as many government officials as they could, military and civil, no matter how lowly.

    And you think the first time around they just overlooked Ted Cruz, a former assistant deputy attorney general under Bush and at the the Texas solicitor general? That’s deranged.

    Palfrey’s legal team would have been playing that up like nobody’s business, and drooling to drag him into court as a witness. He would have been a far bigger prize than a deputy secretary of state. One of the highest law enforcement officials in the Bush administration, and the one of the top attorneys in the state of Texas? Are you kidding me?

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:03 pm

  150. More good news….Bradley (WI SC Justice) is outperforming the exit polls and may retain that seat.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:04 pm

  151. Trump can💋 the southbound end of a northbound 🐴

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:05 pm

  152. For crying out loud, ropelight, there’s more credence to your suspicion that the Bushes were involved in Hinckley’s shooting of Reagan, than there it to the Reidesque slanders about Cruz fooling around. If nothing else, I give you more credence than I give to Roger Stone. That mother makes his living spreading horses**t.

    And you do know that Trump was stepping out with Marla Maples while married to Ivana, right? Right?

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:05 pm

  153. More good news….Bradley (WI SC Justice) is outperforming the exit polls and may retain that seat.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:04 pm

    That would be excellent news.

    NJRob (a07d2e) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:05 pm

  154. Sammy Finkelman,

    Reagan’s ranch is not actually a museum, although it has been preserved just as the Reagans enjoyed it.
    President Reagan last visited there in 1995, and Nancy was last there in 1998. They sold it to Young America’s Foundation in 1998.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:07 pm

  155. Kasuck doesn’t have a 👻 of a chance, he doesn’t have a 🙏

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:07 pm

  156. ropelight,

    You’re far too upstanding a citizen to vote for a candidate who cheated on his wife. Therefore, I recommend you publicly withdraw your support for Trump immediately.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:10 pm

  157. Poor Ted.

    5.8 million people live all of Wisconsin. Over 8 million live just in New York City.

    W/t Northeast on the horizon, he won’t win anything again.

    DCSCA (a343d5) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:12 pm

  158. So Hannity cuts away from the end of Cruz’ victory speech to interview … Trump apologist and semi-supporter Newt Gingrich. That’s classless and unprofessional. I never expected to have to switch to CNN to see the end of a Ted Cruz speech.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:13 pm

  159. Let me pile on, ropelight the Trumpster. With video.

    http://neoneocon.com/2016/01/26/2011-ted-cruz-on-the-wall-and-amnesty/

    But as neo-neocon says:

    …Oh, I know it won’t matter to the most fervent Trump supporters. “Well, that not a wall like Trump will build a wall!” There will always be something to object to. But Cruz has been fighting for this—actions, not just words—for a long time, as long as he’s been in public office (that 2011 interview was during his campaign for the Senate).

    In the video, Cruz actually supports more than a wall…

    See, unlike Trump, Cruz doesn’t support amnesty. And since you’re voting for Trump you support amnesty. I realize you don’t know that, because your cult leader hasn’t explained that in simple words for you.

    But that’s exactly what “letting the good ones back in” means.

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:14 pm

  160. Ropelight is fast losing his 💩, where Trump is concerned he’s strictly 🙉🙈🙊 and is under the influence of 🦄 farts and 👼🏻 dust.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:15 pm

  161. ropelight, if you were paying attention and were well-informed you’d be voting for Cruz.

    But paying attention and being well-informed doesn’t fit the profile of a Trump cultist.

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:17 pm

  162. There is a difference between a fence and a wall. You know that. We already have lots of fences, virtual as well as physical, along the Southern border. Walls are a much bigger deal. Remember the Berlin Wall?

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:48 pm

    I’m pretty sure there was a heavy military presence along the Berlin Wall. Otherwise I don’t believe it would have been all that effective.

    Gerald A (7c7ffb) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:23 pm

  163. Tell me this doesn’t mean Wisconsin’s machines are totally rigged or malfunctioning and there will have to be a recount and hand count:

    Republican
    5.7% Reporting
    Tweet
    D. Trump 96.1% 122
    C. Christie 2.4% 3
    M. Huckabee 0.8% 1
    M. Rubio 0.8% 1
    T. Cruz 0.0% 0
    J. Bush 0.0% 0
    B. Carson 0.0% 0
    C. Fiorina 0.0% 0
    J. Gilmore 0.0% 0
    J. Kasich 0.0% 0
    R. Paul 0.0% 0
    R. Santorum 0.0% 0
    Uninstructed 0.0% 0

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/president/wisconsin#ixzz450YoIr3C
    Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:23 pm

  164. Cruz is too ugly to represent the conservatives, he’s so ugly he has to pay for hot babes. It all fits. He looks like he’s been whipped with an ugly stick by a leather clad chick.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:24 pm

  165. 136. There is a difference between a fence and a wall. You know that. We already have lots of fences, virtual as well as physical, along the Southern border. Walls are a much bigger deal. Remember the Berlin Wall?

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:48 pm

    Berlin Wall? Trump’s not going to build anything like the Berlin Wall. How about the Great Wall of China? He’s going to build the Greater Wall of the Border. Why, he’s going to Make America Great Again by building the Greatest Wall of Trump! The Greatest Wall of them all!

    (This is the part where you’re supposed to give a standing ovation and applaud until your hands fall off while screaming until your head falls off. If it already hasn’t, Trumpster.)

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:24 pm

  166. #156 Beldar,

    Hannity has been a slick shill for Trump, although he’s not man enough to actually admit it explicitly.
    I can’t listen to him anymore, and I can’t watch his show. The sad thing is that he’s one of those chest-thumping arch-conservatives who has trashed John Boehner and Mitch McConnell and who looks down upon anyone to the left of Barry Goldwater, yet here he is supporting the guy who has written checks to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:26 pm

  167. Oh, now they suddenly “fixed it”.

    Republican
    25.7% Reporting
    Tweet
    D. Trump 39.5% 337
    T. Cruz 33.2% 283
    J. Kasich 24.3% 207
    M. Rubio 1.4% 12
    B. Carson 0.6% 5
    C. Christie 0.4% 3
    M. Huckabee 0.2% 2
    Uninstructed 0.2% 2
    J. Bush 0.1% 1
    C. Fiorina 0.1% 1
    J. Gilmore 0.0% 0
    R. Paul 0.0% 0
    R. Santorum 0.0% 0
    Iron County

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/president/wisconsin#ixzz450dwyuXD
    Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:26 pm

  168. Trumpkins will soon be in a ☠ spiral.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:27 pm

  169. 160. …I’m pretty sure there was a heavy military presence along the Berlin Wall. Otherwise I don’t believe it would have been all that effective.

    Gerald A (7c7ffb) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:23 pm

    Trump is going to Make America Great Again by having a Greater military presence than along the Berlin Wall. Remember the wall guarding the entrance to Mordor in LOTR? It’ll be like that. Except yuuuuger and more epic.

    And the crowd goes nuts!!

    (Actually the crowd showed up nuts, but it goes nuttier.)

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:28 pm

  170. Hemmer on Fox is utterly blowing his presentation. He is showing the maps and he declared Trump LIKELY to win two and maybe three CDs in WI. He said, “Indiana looking good for Trump.” Hemmer is a MO-ron. Indiana is Cruz country in all polling now. The question is how many CDs Kasich or Trump can pick off.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:32 pm

  171. ropelight, with the way that you’re trashing Ted Cruz’s physical appearance, it sounds like you might have a latent man-crush on The Mr Donald.

    The Mr Donald is paying for sex. That’s why he’s traded in two previous wives for younger playthings. Sure, he gives Melania a couple of credit cards and lets her decorate the apartment, but at the end of the day he’s still paying for sex.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:33 pm

  172. Trump fans will soon be behind the 🎱 and will find that they’ve screwed teh 🐩 on this one.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:33 pm

  173. @ Cruz Supporter (#164): Yeah, Hannity has been an unabashed Trumpkin for a long time, but he’s usually remained decent and professional with Cruz and other candidates. But tonight Hannity’s show cut away from an unfinished Cruz victory speech on one of the most significant nights in the whole campaign, just in order to speak to Gingrich, who in turn referred to the interrupted speech as one of Cruz’ best speeches ever. It was a cheap shot, whether it was the decision of Hannity himself or of one of the Fox producers.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:34 pm

  174. The biggest macro take is that Trump’s ceiling is real and it has held. He will do well in his home region. It won’t be enough to waltz into Cleveland as the nominee.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:34 pm

  175. Cruz is too ugly to represent the conservatives, he’s so ugly he has to pay for hot babes. It all fits. He looks like he’s been whipped with an ugly stick by a leather clad chick.

    Ok, that’s better.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:35 pm

  176. Rope, you have chosen to be right there with ‘feets. Sad, deluded, troll.

    Steve Malynn (b5f891) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:35 pm

  177. Cruz is too ugly to represent the conservatives, he’s so ugly he has to pay for hot babes. It all fits. He looks like he’s been whipped with an ugly stick by a leather clad chick.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:24 pm

    You were once better than this. Trump does not bring out the best in his supporters.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:36 pm

  178. How much of a chump do you think Chris Christie feels like right about now?

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:37 pm

  179. Dana – How much of a chump is Dr. Carson?

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:38 pm

  180. Ropelight sounds like he assumes the 🚼 when it comes to Trump, as the only peeps who seem to support teh Trumpster are the blue rinse ladies and old broke ⤵️s

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:38 pm

  181. “The question is how many CDs Kasich or Trump can pick off.”

    CD-4 is the only one left. Trump has six delegates, so nine is his max take. Cruz has 33, so 36 is his max.

    Walker did a great job in helping Cruz and Cruz reciprocated by helping Bradley keep her seat (so far). The pollsters all look like idiots and the missing foundation for the Great Wall of Trump seems to be causing some deleterious structural issues. It’s almost as if it were all a phony facade.

    Rick Ballard (f28e3d) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:40 pm

  182. Cruz is too ugly to represent the conservatives, he’s so ugly he has to pay for hot babes. It all fits. He looks like he’s been whipped with an ugly stick by a leather clad chick.

    Bullshit. Cruz would be a perfectly fine candidate for the presidency if he was constitutionally eligible. Of Course that doesn’t let Cruz off the hook for running when he knows damn well he isn’t eligible.

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:41 pm

  183. You using a Samsung, Haiku? I have the daughter’s hand-me down, and I love its features but I’m too used to keyboards.🐢

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:42 pm

  184. #49 Steve M.

    I understand folks refuse to read, but just in case, I am a Cruz voter and contributor. I am not a fan boi of his nor Trump, but Trump would not be the worst thing to happen. The worst is for fugazy RINO to get nominated and then Hillary …..

    Trump for better or worse is changing the culture. He is getting people to challenge PC bullshit. And as Mark Steyn correctly states, win the culture then win elections. Folks simply lack foresight to see what value he has created and unfortunately too shortsighted to use these gifts to foment conservatism. He is the tip of the spear for those wise enough to use him.

    Instead we get fugazy faux rage over a guy grabbing a reporter …

    Rodney King's Spirit (391081) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:43 pm

  185. #175, Dana, OK, yeah, I was. But was I right about your pics? Central coast between Cambria and Piedras Blancas.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:45 pm

  186. 538 writer says it appears that Ted will win by 14. Here’s the thing – there were fewer late deciders tonight than any other state which could be seen as Trump-friendly. That means the Trump hysteria is more and more played out. Huge.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:45 pm

  187. There is a difference between a fence and a wall. You know that. We already have lots of fences, virtual as well as physical, along the Southern border. Walls are a much bigger deal. Remember the Berlin Wall?

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 6:48 pm

    As a matter of fact Ropelight, YES I DO.

    Bill H (dcdd7b) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:47 pm

  188. The big takeaway tonight is the scale of Cruz’s victory.

    Yes, Trump was limit to 30. He was run throw the wringer and came out lacking in any positive features.

    Kasich was judged to be a poor anti-Trump. Fine.

    But Cruz gained 10 points because of his positive features. And this is the big story. As much as he is beaten on by the Dems, Trump, establishment, etc. When character is judged, we see that he us a decent person who would make a good leader at this time.

    paul deignan (029c36) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:50 pm

  189. The only time my comments enter Patterico’s “awaiting moderation” limbo is when I put two particular words together. I’ll put some noise in between the words to see if it goes through: Constitutional noise eligibility.

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:55 pm

  190. Lol, that worked.

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:56 pm

  191. Constitutional eligibility.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:57 pm

  192. If a citizen is not naturalized, he is a………..

    Stop being ignorant. It is tiresome.

    paul deignan (029c36) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:58 pm

  193. Trump is a scheisskopf.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:58 pm

  194. Decision 2016: None of the above.
    What a sh!tshow.
    I’m hunkering down, abandoning civics, clinging to my guns.

    gp (0c542c) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:59 pm

  195. I was in West Berlin before the wall came down. I took the “tour” into East Berlin. Everyone was scuttled through Checkpoint Charlie, mirrors under buses, purses checked, explanations for why were on the tour, armed guards all over. It was unnerving. The “tour” ended up being driven around the city while a tour guide explained the greatness of East Germany over the loudspeaker. She had a tough gig trying to convince tourists from the West how incredible of place it was given that any number of buildings were still in disrepair from the war, as well as there still being bullet holes in the older ones. It also didn’t help that it was a gloomy gray day, cold and wanting to rain but without the necessary energy to make it fall. When I left to go back to the West, I looked back, and in the apartments overlooking the checkpoint and the fence, were people sitting in their apartment windows, looking at freedom. I always wondered what they must have been thinking. So close, yet so far.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:00 pm

  196. Yes, ropelight. Close enough.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:00 pm

  197. The big takeaway tonight is the scale of Cruz’s victory.
    paul deignan (029c36) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:50 pm

    Isn’t it pretty much the scale of victory for Cruz in all the baja Canada states? I think you’ve run out of Canadian border states now. Well, we’ll have to keep an eye on Erie PA and Buffalo NY in coming primaries.

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:00 pm

  198. that is shameful how Mr. Trump let us down in Wisco

    shameful

    dude campaign much?

    lame-ass tardboy

    the idea that Ted Cruz best represents the ideals of simpering wiscotrash?

    that’s on you Donald

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:02 pm

  199. Sounds like you were never in Wisconsin and don’t know the people.

    They are normal with a splash of Austin liberal mixed in.

    paul deignan (029c36) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:02 pm

  200. 88 Oh. It must have been the non abbreviated form of “BS” that I typed that got it moderated.

    Never mind. My bad. Didn’t occur.

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:02 pm

  201. Decision Desk hinting that Bradley may just pull off an unexpected win and retain her seat on the WI SC.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:04 pm

  202. “Sounds like you were never in Wisconsin and don’t know the people. They are normal with a splash of Austin liberal mixed in.”

    I’m astonished that Trump got even one single vote in Dane county.

    gp (0c542c) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:04 pm

  203. like i never been in wisconsin just cause i never been there

    you cruz people are insufferable

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:04 pm

  204. After tonight’s results, Ohio Gov. John Kasich — the nominal third-place candidate still in the race — continues to trail departed-candidate Marco Rubio in both wins and in delegate count.

    Sad!

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:05 pm

  205. P.S. Trump is a loser.

    And only losers support Trump.

    You want to be a loser, hang with Trump.

    You want respect and positive change ( and hard work) come around to Cruz.

    You want a hug in an interstate rest area, you hot Kasich.

    paul deignan (029c36) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:06 pm

  206. The Trumpkins are getting angry. Their cult hero has been rejected by the voters in one of those purple states that they claim Trump will win in November.
    ropelight’s begun trashing Cruz’s physical appearance, while this jcurtis person is alleging that aliens from Jupiter have co-opted the voting machines in Wisconsin.
    Next thing we know, there will be silly allegations about tranny hookers at the Omni Hotel in DC.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:06 pm

  207. No, nk, that was on an iPad but now I’ve switched to iPhone6, watch out world! Wait a minute… same stuff… Hate when that happens!

    Oh, oh catch that buzz, love is teh 💉 I’m thinking of

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:06 pm

  208. “Sounds like you were never in Wisconsin and don’t know the people. They are normal with a splash of Austin liberal mixed in.”

    WI: birthplace of progressive politics. State motto: Forward.
    Madison: Berkeley of the Midwest. Love the ethnic restaurants.

    gp (0c542c) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:08 pm

  209. Happyfeet is a penguin.

    Hard to dislike penguins.

    paul deignan (029c36) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:08 pm

  210. And only losers support Trump.

    that is so not true i know for a fact cause I support Mr. Donald Trump and i’m like very respected in my field so you know

    you’re just not nice

    you gotta learn you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar

    you just suck at fly-catching and that’s me being charitable on you

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:09 pm

  211. hah that was very sweet and spot-on what you said about penguins

    you ok

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:11 pm

  212. while this jcurtis person is alleging that aliens from Jupiter have co-opted the voting machines in Wisconsin.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:06 pm

    Never said anything of the sort. Gave you clearly sourced vote counts. Why can’t you acknowledge that something was amiss there?

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:11 pm

  213. 205. Happyfeet is a penguin.

    Hard to dislike penguins.

    paul deignan (029c36) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:08 pm

    It’s not hard to dislike penguins. I hate penguins. They’ve got this obnoxiously strong fishy taste. I still haven’t found a marinade that will make them edible.

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:12 pm

  214. Trumpkins can eat 💩 and😵… Democ🐀s too.

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:13 pm

  215. you know at the end of the day it’s wisconsin

    it was in that book

    american gods by neil gaiman (sp?)

    it’s gonna be a series on

    Starz?

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:13 pm

  216. I still haven’t found a marinade that will make them edible.

    filet em real thin and garnish them puppies with pea tendrils

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:14 pm

  217. thank me later

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:14 pm

  218. I catch flies with my shoe.

    I take it off, squash the fly, fly is captured.

    No honey or vinegar necessary.

    I treat Trump supporters like Iraqi recidivists.

    Learn this lesson soon. Good for you.

    paul deignan (029c36) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:15 pm

  219. i just wanna make america great again

    i don’t even smoke weed

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:15 pm

  220. “Sounds like you were never in Wisconsin and don’t know the people. They are normal with a splash of Austin liberal mixed in.”

    Rural Wisconsin: More bars per square inch than any other locality on Earth. Snow machines. Dairy farms. Bicycle trails and quaint B&Bs.

    Milwaukee: Brokedown industry, and very violent criminal underclass.

    gp (0c542c) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:15 pm

  221. Wow! Bradley WON!!!! Per Decision Desk. She retains her seat for 10 years!!!

    Cruz coat tails, anyone? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:18 pm

  222. Outstanding!!!

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:19 pm

  223. #208 jcurtis,

    Your conspiracy theory is adorable. I’m sure that when aliens from Jupiter do eventually land on planet Earth and say, “Take me to your leader,” you will personally lead them to Donnie Trump.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:21 pm

  224. Losing with grace and class simply isn’t in Trump’s wheelhouse. He can’t stand losing. In his statement released tonight after his devastating loss, he accused Cruz of being “propelled by anti-Trump super-PAC’s spending countless millions of dollars,” as well as accusing him of illegally coordinating with his own super-PAC. And finally, he said that Cruz is “worse than a puppet, he’s a Trojan horse being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump”.

    He’s already got the built-in excuses for his next loss.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:21 pm

  225. Do yourselves a favor and watch Cruz’s victory speech. There’s a very sweet and genuine moment between Mr. and Mrs. Cruz as well as a great closing line at the end directed at Hillary.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:24 pm

  226. A nice chaser- Bradley won.

    We should all send GO BERNIE! cards to Comrade Sanders to encourage him in New York.

    Rick Ballard (f28e3d) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:25 pm

  227. The Trumpkins are always as un-gracious in defeat as they are in victory.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:26 pm

  228. The gnashing of leftwing teeth, rending of leftwing garments and cries were heard throughout teh cheesy land. And the righteous people bathed in pools of leperous leftwing tears and it was good.

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:29 pm

  229. Cruz is too ugly to represent the conservatives, he’s so ugly he has to pay for hot babes. It all fits. He looks like he’s been whipped with an ugly stick by a leather clad chick.

    BS. Cruz would be a perfectly fine candidate for the presidency if he was constitutionally eligible. Of Course that doesn’t let Cruz off the hook for running when he knows damn well he isn’t even remotely constitutionally eligible for the presidency with his foreign birth to a foreign father and ex-pat mother.

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 7:41 pm Your comment is awaiting moderation.

    There. I fixed it by abbreviating the bs thing. Kind of over-sensitive, aren’t ya P?

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:29 pm

  230. Cruz Supporter,

    I think it further reveals Trump as a small and vindictive man used to getting his way by hook or by crook. And when that doesn’t work, then he’s at a loss. He doesn’t grasp that character matters. As it should.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:29 pm

  231. I hate that Kasich is keeping Cruz from getting to the 50 percent threshold. I would wish for him to go home, but since Westerville is in my home state of Ohio, how about he moves to Florida instead? He can move in next door to that knucklehead Trump worshipper who lives there and comments here.

    John Hitchcock (e4e244) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:31 pm

  232. AP called at least one district for Trump, so no sweep for Ted. They have it at 33-3. It appears that the remaining two CDs will split. So….36-6 for Ted.

    Raise your hand if you would have taken that three weeks ago!

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:32 pm

  233. BTW, SarahW also said that Cruz is unprepossessing in appearance, and added that his wife dresses him funny. In more words than ropelight, and more than once. I’m fine with that. In the first place, you can’t expect everybody to like everybody. And that goes double when it comes to liking politicians. In the second place, that’s what I like about these threads, the other commenters’ opinions. Not the National Enquirer’s or some professional conspiracy shill’s.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:33 pm

  234. Yes, grace is an important part of politics.

    “…you cruz people are insufferable…”

    Now that made me laugh, considering the source. The self-examined life is not exactly the gentleman’s metier.

    As for penguins, I have had several friends work in Antarctica. Penguins eat fish. And for some reason, they will not defecate in the water. So the coastline is about a foot deep in frozen penguin poop. Since it is cold, you don’t really notice. And you have to walk through it. Again, no problem because it is cold.

    Until you go indoors, and it heats up.

    Its real nature is thus revealed by the heat.

    Sort of a metaphor, now that I think of it.

    Simon Jester (abb5d2) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:33 pm

  235. Feets will suffer me, I think, ’cause I said the nice things ’bout his bud Fred Thompson.

    Icy (4f33a9) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:35 pm

  236. Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:21 pm

    I’m still not seeing you acknowledge that something was amiss there. Trump had almost all the votes and your guy Cruz had zero votes when 5% were tallied. If I was a Cruz guy it would make me say “hmmm”. Unless……

    jcurtis (05e85f) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:36 pm

  237. 220. Losing with grace and class simply isn’t in Trump’s wheelhouse…

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:21 pm

    Doing anything with grace and class ain’t in Trump’s wheelhouse.

    You know, if Trump loses the nomination there will be a couple of downsides.

    1. Whoopi Goldberg may not leave the country.

    2. The Trumps won’t be redecorating the WH to look like Casa de Liberace.

    3. Kim Kardashian won’t be Secretary of Defense, Justin Beiber won’t be Secretary of State, and Myley Cyrus won’t be Secretary of the Treasury. Why would have Trump chosen those people? That leads to my next disappointment.

    4. We won’t have televised Cabinet meetings run like episodes of Celebrity Apprentice. I was kinda looking forward to the episode where Trump blows a gasket when he finds out he can’t fire his VP, Dennis Rodman.

    “Constitution! Why didn’t someone tell me about this Constitution thing?”

    5. President Trump suing the

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:37 pm

  238. BTW, the best way to “Make America great Again” is to NOT elect America’s Greatest Assh*le to the office of the presidency.

    Icy (4f33a9) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:38 pm

  239. No. five would have seen the Supreme Court for hurting the “Trump Brand” as he keeps losing unanimously.

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:38 pm

  240. *No. five would have seen President Trump suing the Supreme Court for…

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:40 pm

  241. No. Six: Trump opening every SOTU speech by bragging how rich he is.

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:41 pm

  242. nk,

    “Unprepossessing in appearance” is on a completely different plane than “Cruz is too ugly to represent the conservatives, he’s so ugly he has to pay for hot babes… He looks like he’s been whipped with an ugly stick by a leather clad chick”. The first comment is a non-emotional observation. The second is an emotionally charged angry accusation with a vested interest.

    I have no opinion on his clothes.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:41 pm

  243. I was in West Berlin before the wall came down. I took the “tour” into East Berlin. Everyone was scuttled through Checkpoint Charlie, mirrors under buses, purses checked, explanations for why were on the tour, armed guards all over. It was unnerving. The “tour” ended up being driven around the city while a tour guide explained the greatness of East Germany over the loudspeaker. She had a tough gig trying to convince tourists from the West how incredible of place it was given that any number of buildings were still in disrepair from the war, as well as there still being bullet holes in the older ones. It also didn’t help that it was a gloomy gray day, cold and wanting to rain but without the necessary energy to make it fall. When I left to go back to the West, I looked back, and in the apartments overlooking the checkpoint and the fence, were people sitting in their apartment windows, looking at freedom. I always wondered what they must have been thinking. So close, yet so far.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:00 pm

    I went in ’86. I was in a rented car, Dutch plates, by myself. I had all the usual tourist trappings with me. It started earlier that morning, when I secured a visa to cross East Germany into West Berlin. Innocently enough, I realized I didn’t want to break any laws, just get there safely. I’m travelling along, minding my own business. A couple of hours later, I’m at the ring road that surrounds Berlin. Like a complete fool, I took the wrong exit and wound up in East Berlin. Not being able to locate an onramp back to the ring, I very quickly toured East Berlin. The first thing that strikes you is how so gray everything is. Buildings, cars, people. Still a considerable amount of bomb damage from WW2. Anyway, I found a border control, and tried to cross. Not a chance- I had to go to Checkpoint Charlie. I stumbled my way there, and explained my situation as well as I could in a mix of German and English. I was ordered to go “park over there, and wait”. They took all papers I had- passport, rental agreement, plane ticket, you name it. I dutifully did as I was told, expecting to need to place my next call to the American Consulate. 3 hours later, the Officer of the Day motions me over. He was a pleasant sort of mant, official but cordial. He saw the camera equipment I was carrying- 3 Canon SLRs with different lenses- and he asked if he could have a look. Not a problem. He nodded approvingly, then told me that what I had done was quite illegal. Readily acknowledging him, he further said that it was obvious I had not done so intentionally. With a strange smile, he said that if I wished to visit again, just please have the correct paperwork in hand, and wished me good day. With that, I crossed into West Berlin. Later that night, I couldn’t sleep, so a tour along the Wall from the west seemed in order. I tell you now, that is the saddest sight you will ever see. I came across a stair-step ladder, maybe 15 feet tall. I climbed to the top, looked out across no-man’s land, and on into East Berlin. You could see guard towers and dog runs, barbed wire and concrete barricades. It all had this strange green lit glow.

    I wonder if this is what Trump is attempting to sell his supporters on. Ropelight did say there was a difference between a wall and a fence. This is about as stark a wall as you’re going to get.

    Bill H (dcdd7b) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:43 pm

  244. #232 jcurtis,

    Aliens from Jupiter were commissioned by Karl Rove to co-opt the voting machines. Most of the counties were actually won by Trump, but we fixed that. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Except cry.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:46 pm

  245. Pride goeth before the fall.

    Better reel in some of that pride, Donald.

    As for horrible Hillary, she’s so repulsive that even her outright Communist competitor doesn’t come off as nearly as bad by comparison. That’s how contemptible the 21st century’s Democrat Party has become, and is.

    Mark (723bab) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:49 pm

  246. Thanks for sharing your experience there, Bill H. I was there 10 years earlier. Not many people had the “opportunity” to see how it was back then. “Terrifying” would have been my choice of descriptor had I been in your shoes. One thing the East Germans, they were very, very serious about who was inside the checkpoint and what business they had there. It was a very eye-opening experience for me, as I know it was for you.

    That single experience was pivotal in my beginning to really understand the difference between living in the freest country in the world versus a totalitarian state. I had never really considered it too deeply before, but simply taken it for granted. That trip shaped my view of politics, conservatism, and the unparalleled gift that it is to live in the U.S.

    Dana (0ee61a) — 4/5/2016 @ 8:57 pm

  247. Via AoSHQ:

    http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=362599

    Roger Stone: I’ll Release the Hotel Room Information of Any Delegate Who Tries to “Steal” Trump’s Nomination From Him

    By “steal” Stone means “outsmarting Trump by playing by convention voting rules that, like the nuclear triad and high school civics, Trump never even heard about.”

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:01 pm

  248. I hope Kasich runs out of money very soon so he can quit failing to contest for primary wins.

    John Hitchcock (e4e244) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:02 pm

  249. i hope there’s someone who wins what wants to make america great again

    please?

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:10 pm

  250. Trump has the “grate” part down.

    Simon Jester (abb5d2) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:14 pm

  251. There are walls designed to keep a domestic population in – like the Berlin Wall or prison walls, and there are walls designed to keep people out – like the Great Wall of China. It’s good to keep that distinction in mind.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:15 pm

  252. Remember the Berlin Wall?

    Not only do I remember it, I walked most of its length in the summer of ’89.

    Given the nature of that wall, and the occasional black-bordered names and dates here and there along the top of the wall, I pray to a loving God that the United States of America never builds such an evil thing.

    And anyone who would should rot in Hell.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:24 pm

  253. Cultures on the decline build walls. Like the Great Wall of China. Cultures on the ascendancy build navies. A strong nation’s walls are the breasts of its fighting men.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:25 pm

  254. Trump’s wall, what a concept! We know it will be awesome, but the details have yet to be disclosed. Given the man and his ego, the following seems certain:

    It will be visible from orbit and considered the eighth wonder of the world.

    It will be wide enough to allow M1A1 tanks traveling along the upper ramparts in opposite directions to clear each other without difficulty.

    There will be crenellations to give it that coveted old world look.

    Every mile, there will be a rest stop including a helipad and five restrooms: his, hers, hers who want to be hims, hims who want to be hers, and don’t give a damn.

    The colors will be fabulous.

    It will be powered with solar cells.

    And wind mills for the evening hours.

    Waste disposal will be top notch, nothing left to chance.

    The mine fields on the Mexican side will be terrific.

    And best of all, it will be free. In fact, the Mexican Army will man it.

    BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:26 pm

  255. fabulous colors go a long way

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:31 pm

  256. What if all dem Messicans climb over the wall?! Huh?! Bet all you RINO sellout Trump and Cruz supporters didn’t think of that one, did ya? What we need is a *dome* or maybe even a *sphere* like one that can’t be broken maybe made of diamonds or something.

    Then we can all take a deep breath and go back to er jerbs, which we totally have.

    Leviticus (814157) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:36 pm

  257. Someone’s off his meds.
    .
    .
    .
    or never is off them.
    .
    .
    .
    or something.

    Icy (4f33a9) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:45 pm

  258. Bill H,

    I climbed that ladder too, and looked over. Unlike you or Dana, I had no wish to submit myself to Soviet sovereignty. But standing there, I thought that this was the most evil thing I had ever seen.

    Three months later it was gone with the wind. But to this day, I do not take references to tthe Wall casually.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:49 pm

  259. Are any of you from California? Did you vote in the 2014 midterm election?

    Proposition 1 — water projects bond. Here’s a summary (pdf) to refresh your memory.

    Reading through that did you ever get the slightest impression that it was about destroying long standing hydro electric dams? Returning the rivers to their “pristine” natural condition for the sake of imported game fish? Effectively doubling the price of electricity in Northern California?

    Yeah me neither. I’d like to say I didn’t vote for it, but it was so mealy mouthed and opaque, and sounded like Jerry might do something good for Californians by accident just that once…

    papertiger (c2d6da) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:49 pm

  260. Fast forward to 2017:

    Trump: “Alright you Mexicans, Send us $10 billion dollars so that Trump’s Wall Construction Co can build that wall.”

    Mexicans: “Nuts!”

    Trump: “I declare war!”

    Congress: “We do that. We declare impeach!”
    Senate: “We declare convict!”

    Welcome President Gingrich.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:53 pm

  261. Effectively doubling the price of electricity in Northern California?

    Was the bay area included in that?

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:55 pm

  262. papertiger —

    California is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tom Steyer. Whatever Tom wants, Tom gets.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:59 pm

  263. From Nate Silver’s summary post, entitled A Breakthrough Night For Cruz:

    Clearly tonight’s results were problematic for Trump in terms of his delegate math….
    ….
    In some ways, though, this [delegate math problem and possible over-polling in favor of Trump] misses the big story in Wisconsin. What was really different about tonight is not how poorly Trump did, but how well Cruz did.

    That’s an accurate assessment of the objective results of tonight’s Cruz victory on the overall race. I think the other difference tonight is that it really advanced a brilliant narrative trajectory for the Cruz campaign, painting him as a unifier for the roughly two-thirds of the GOP (from top to bottom) that wants to resist Trump’s hostile takeover. Cruz is now their successful vessel, most likely on a second or third ballot.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:03 pm

  264. “Cruz is now their successful vessel, most likely on a second or third ballot.” <– That's the narrative, mind you. I'm not claiming that's the reality yet, but that's how the optics poise this to be interpreted later. 😀

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:04 pm

  265. Will Trump wrangle ~80 of the ~150 unbound for the first ballot???? There’s your election. If he does not, Ted gets the nomination.

    Our boy Reince is now on the record saying the nominee has to be one of the three remaining. If true, Trump and Cruz will have no difficulty reinforcing Rule 40(b).

    Thank God CA is militantly closed. I was a precinct Inspector there for several cycles and the handling of GOP ballots is no joke. If you have not pre-registered as a GOP voter, you will NOT get a GOP ballot.

    I heard Rove guess that Trump will end up with about 2/3 of the CA delegates. I am darn sure he won’t garner that many. The GOP machine, such as it is, have pledged to support Cruz. Cruz is already the proven GOTV guy. This makes it doubly tough for the Donald.

    Now let’s just see what that cra*weasel Kasich (tm Michelle Malkin) pulls in the coming months. And Marco best get with it. The quicker he is disabused of any notion of a legal nomination (the inevitability of a Rule 40 being operative this year) the better! Paging Reince…

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:14 pm

  266. #255: Destroying hydroelectric dams is the current fad. Washington State had two dams on the Elwha River near Port Angeles removed starting in 2011. The work was completed in 2014. They hope that salmon runs will return to pre-dam levels in 20 years.

    But this doesn’t take into account the realities of salmon in Puget Sound. We are familiar with a small cove off Carr Inlet. Three years ago a native run of salmon showed up to everyone’s surprise and happiness. Three young men from one of the tribes scouted the place, but missed them the first time. The next day they struck gold. In three hours with a 20 foot outboard and a thousand feet of netting, they caught all the salmon in the cove, and ended the hoped for recovery of the run. Oh well.

    BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:15 pm

  267. The GOP is dead. It’s time for a new Conservative Party that includes Libertarians, boomers, millennials and minorities that believe in the Constitution.

    To me, the fright isn’t Trump. It’s Sanders.

    No Socialist, Communist and, for that matter Democrat, believes in the United States. The whole point of leftism is to create a new state devoid of indivdual freedom.

    Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:31 pm

  268. I never count SF. Hope they fall in the ocean. But they get their power from Hetch Hetchy, I think.

    Stands to reason the psychotics want to knock that down too.

    papertiger (c2d6da) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:34 pm

  269. 252. What if all dem Messicans climb over the wall?! Huh?! Bet all you RINO sellout Trump and Cruz supporters didn’t think of that one, did ya? What we need is a *dome* or maybe even a *sphere* like one that can’t be broken maybe made of diamonds or something.

    Then we can all take a deep breath and go back to er jerbs, which we totally have.
    Leviticus (814157) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:36 pm

    See my comments @163 and 167. It’s going to be a crenelated wall with a walkway wide enough to accommodate horse archers riding three abreast, Orcs, and towers every Roman mile crewed by giant cave trolls equipped with 25mm chain guns.

    It’ll be Yuuuuuge!

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:44 pm

  270. Dem Messicans ain’t climbing the Great Wall of Trump!

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:45 pm

  271. 258. papertiger —

    California is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tom Steyer. Whatever Tom wants, Tom gets.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:59 pm

    Him. And the prison guards’ union. Which, when you think about it, explains a lot about how things are turning out in Kali.

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:50 pm

  272. Old Reader, I have to ask, how does Cruz’s immigration policy differ from Trump’s? Do you have any idea? I’d like to see you compare the two rather than just spout off.

    Cruz is actually more hawkish at the moment, saying illegals must leave the country and never return. But I don’t trust him. He also supported expanding H1Bs by 500% during the amnesty fiasco and he was on the record saying he wanted the 2013 amnesty to pass.

    The reason I trust Trump more is it is clear that Sessions is a close advisor and because he’s taken in some of Sessions own people–Stephen Miller is excellent on immigration and a huge asset to the campaign. I don’t think he would have said some of the inflammatory things he said if he wasn’t a believer but maybe that’s all part of his plan. Trump will probably be for amnesty once border is secure but I think he’ll be relatively more discriminating on who qualifies compared to Cruz. In particular, given Cruz’s ties with Wall Street (he has raised the most of any candidate in the race by far) and his previous proposal to expand H1B visas 500%, I do not trust him on immigration going forward at all. Trump’s policy paper calls for a pause in immigration and an end of the abuse of H1B visas.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 10:57 pm

  273. We have a couple of trolls right here. They’ll be looking for a new gig once this election is over. Are 25mm chain guns hard learn?

    BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:02 pm

  274. Hopefully the big loss will shake Trump up. He needs to dump Corey (for vision and competence reasons and not the so-called battery) and expand his team and get more serious on the details, it’s not that hard to memorize a series of talking points about immigration or trade or foreign policy, he gets a lot of leeway for being a newcomer but the guy needs to try. He’s been a lazy ass and it’s shown.

    Cruz might have won me over the last 6 weeks or so but at every opportunity he just blamed Trump and sounded like a deranged liberal. He has bad political instincts. He blamed Trump for the Soros-funded Chicago nonsense. He blamed Trump for his sex scandal. He blamed Trump for protestor-instigated violence, for the Michelle Fields “battery.” Too many conservatives are acting like social justice warriors and it’s sickening.

    If GOP tries to drop in Ryan or Rubio in place of Cruz or Trump, they will kill the party. Right now the party and media is only playing nice with Cruz to get to an open convention.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:08 pm

  275. Old Reader, Trump is responsible for his own sex scandals. Don’t try to pass the blame to Cruz.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:13 pm

  276. #268:

    In particular, given Cruz’s ties with Wall Street (he has raised the most of any candidate in the race by far) … blah blah blah

    The fact that Cruz has raised more money than the other Republicans does not mean that Wall St. was the source. This link to the FEC Presidential Campaign site should be of interest to you. Instead of assuming something that is convenient to your present argument and in agreement with your prejudices, you will find that by clicking on a candidate’s name, you can get detailed reports of all of his donors. For Cruz, you will find that his donations are strongest in Texas, California, and Florida, and after that Washington, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania, etc. You could even search on Wall Street’s zip code if you thought that might be interesting. And you will see that Hillary! and Bernie have raised far more than Cruz. In fact, Hillary! has collected a couple of bushels of cash from New York, which is exceeded only by California, so perhaps your conjecture might hold true for her.

    If learning is proving difficult in your Oldness, I’d suggest some Omega-3 supplements. You might surprise yourself.

    BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:21 pm

  277. Bob @269, no, it’s not hard to learn the 25mm chain gun.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biaybsIfASc

    25mm gun shoot

    For some reason, though, skippers keep assigning sailors who can’t hit a toilet bowl when they’re standing over one to crew them.

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:23 pm

  278. The GOP is dead.

    And ask why that is. The 1964 immigration act fundamentally altered this country’s demographics. Do you think Obama would have ever been elected in a country with, say, 1980s demographics? Of course not.

    But the GOP still hasn’t gotten the message. 25 percent foreign born labor force is not enough, we need MORE cheap labor. What’s enough? 35 or 40 percent foreign born work force? At what point will the Chamber of Commerce realize they’ve destroyed any chance of electing a pro-business government because they’ve imported the third world and its values. At what point will they realize that this country is not just an economy but a culture and a people.

    We’ve already well exceeded our capability to effectively assimilate given the PC/SJW cancer infecting society which encourages all immigrants to keep their language, their values, their culture, even when it is backward and dangerous for the greater society.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:26 pm

  279. What if all dem Messicans climb over the wall?! Huh?! Bet all you RINO sellout Trump and Cruz supporters didn’t think of that one, did ya? What we need is a *dome* or maybe even a *sphere* like one that can’t be broken maybe made of diamonds or something.

    Srsly Singapore would be greatly improved if they could put a dome over it and air-condition it.

    Milhouse (87c499) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:29 pm

  280. The fact that Cruz has raised more money than the other Republicans does not mean that Wall St. was the source.

    Heidi Cruz is a managing director at Goldman Sachs, currently on leave. Ted Cruz is literally married to Wall Street. When they decided to invest their liquid net worth into his Senate campaign, she said that her time in investment banking taught her it would be a good “investment.” That’s actually public record, she must have aspergers like Ted.

    Second, he does have the most Wall Street donations. I think he’s even exceeded Hillary now but here’s a Jan. chart showing him just behind Hillary.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:33 pm

  281. Everyone keeps saying Trump’s bound to win big in NY, but I don’t see how they can be saying that. Especially if it’s by CD. Has anyone polled Republicans in my district? I doubt it, because I don’t think you can get a representative sample without calling me, and nobody has done so. I mean, when I go to vote in the primary they usually have to open the packet of orange cards for me (or salmon, or whatever you call that color). On one occasion they didn’t even know there was a Republican primary, and I had to point to the unopened packet of orange cards that was at the bottom of a pile of junk. I don’t know how many registered Rs there are in my district, and how many of them vote in primaries, but I’m a significant percentage and I’m not voting Trump, so there. And without any polling it should’t surprise anyone if Trump loses at least some of the districts like mine, with very few Republicans.

    Milhouse (87c499) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:41 pm

  282. Riiiight, Old Reader. It’s Cruz who keeps blaming others, sounds deranged, has bad political instincts, whines like a lib SJW, blah, blah, blah. So you’re going with calm, cool, collected, even-keeled, mature, totes always under control Trump instead.

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-campaign-blasts-lyin-ted-in-bonkers-statement-over-primary-loss/

    …Of course, this is Donald Trump we’re talking about, so he sent a statement to Robert Costa of the Washington Post, and conceded his loss tonight with the grace and poise the world has come to expect from him.

    Long story short, it was absolute insanity:…

    You are extremely convincing when you try to paint a word picture that’s the opposite of reality. You’re really very good at it.

    Maybe if you tell us the name of the mental hospital you escaped from we can call an ambulance for you. I’m sure the nice men in the white coats will buy you an ice cream and take you on a lovely drive if you promise to be good so they don’t have to strap you down on the gurney. Like last time.

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:43 pm

  283. Old Reader @276, really, quite convincing.

    The name of they asylum you escaped from, please?

    Steve57 (c108f9) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:45 pm

  284. Milhouse – If Trump gets to 50% statewide, he gets all 95 NY delegates. The current polling has him right at 50%. A twist in all this is that Kasich seems to be in the mix to win a few CDs. Ugh.

    I am hopeful that the downward trend on DT will be enough to keep him in the 40s. I sure hope so, anyway.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:48 pm

  285. Forgot to mention…for any candidate to claim any NY delegates at all, they must meet a 20% statewide threshold.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:50 pm

  286. Oh, and I always cause them to waste a green card, because as I come up to the desk they automatically start filling one out for me until I point out that I need an orange one. They don’t check the party registration, because what’s the point? Everyone’s a Democrat. So if I ever wanted to vote in a D primary I could probably get away with it just by shutting my yap and letting them give me the green card.

    Milhouse (87c499) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:56 pm

  287. If you want to know why the environment is going to crap, now you know. Blame me.

    Milhouse (87c499) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:57 pm

  288. The GOP is dead. It’s time for a new Conservative Party that includes Libertarians, boomers, millennials and minorities that believe in the Constitution.

    And, please tell me, how a GOP that nominates someone like Cruz does not measure up?

    The idea that, somehow, like a Blofeld after-the-nuclear-war plot you are going to gather up something that you’ve JUST NOW BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS out of the ashes as you march forward into the bright new dawn…

    Again, this kind of thing cannot be mocked enough.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/6/2016 @ 12:09 am

  289. I never count SF. Hope they fall in the ocean. But they get their power from Hetch Hetchy, I think.

    Stands to reason the psychotics want to knock that down too.

    If they put a “SF has no water and freezes in the dark” proposition on the ballot I will register in every county under assumed names to vote for it.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/6/2016 @ 12:11 am

  290. I climbed that ladder too, and looked over. Unlike you or Dana, I had no wish to submit myself to Soviet sovereignty. But standing there, I thought that this was the most evil thing I had ever seen.

    Three months later it was gone with the wind. But to this day, I do not take references to tthe Wall casually.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:49 pm

    Don’t mistake my words, Kevin. I had no desire to submit. I did so simply through a mistake I made. I got out of trouble with a combination of careful behavior, some nice toys on board, and a working knowledge of spoken German. Personally, I’m grateful for that few hours spent in fear for my freedom. It concentrates your mind wonderfully, I’ll tell you.

    Bill H (dcdd7b) — 4/6/2016 @ 12:25 am

  291. There are walls designed to keep a domestic population in – like the Berlin Wall or prison walls, and there are walls designed to keep people out – like the Great Wall of China. It’s good to keep that distinction in mind.

    ropelight (fd4e8d) — 4/5/2016 @ 9:15 pm

    And you can take your cowardly equivocation and stick it where the sun never shines. You know full damn well what Trump is after. You were the one that asked if we remembered the Berlin Wall. I, Dana and Kevin have answered in the affirmative. That alone, if you were an honest man should give you pause with Trump and his desire to not only build a wall, but pay for it with basically stolen money if another sovereign government doesn’t come to heel.

    Bill H (dcdd7b) — 4/6/2016 @ 12:38 am

  292. Stolen money?

    Funny story. Downtown Sacramento used to have Campbell’s Soup as a sort of anchor company for the region.
    And like a minute (four months) after they fired a thousand people, they expanded their operations in Mexico.

    papertiger (c2d6da) — 4/6/2016 @ 3:20 am

  293. Gone. Big empty brick building. Broken dreams for whole generations.

    Mmmm mmm stolen!

    papertiger (c2d6da) — 4/6/2016 @ 3:26 am

  294. 14.Old Reader – If it is true this primary is open (I don’t care to look it up), Trump will pull a lot of votes that don’t intend to vote for him in November. These are not converting, angry democrats. These are hard line democrats taking the opportunity to choose Hillary’s competition.

    ……………………………
    Bingo….. why reinvent the truth when posting opinion.

    I do think there is about 20% of lost republicans that are just tired, exhausted after this decade of debacle BY OBAMA that think Trump will come to there rescue…. But, Trump doesn’t even know what day it is……CRUZ is the only antidote to OBAMA….. because he will rescind BO’s executive orders/laws.

    jrt (bc7456) — 4/6/2016 @ 5:28 am

  295. November CANT come quick enough

    Ted Cruz to destroy and take down this Obama/order/rule/law/curse that we all have been plagued with since he first hit the scene in 06/07…..See I think when it became apparent that this wild card BO was gearing up for the president run, that was when the economy took a nose dive. Just the threat of socialist Taxes and then 8 years of devastating taxes has nearly killed us all.

    jrt (bc7456) — 4/6/2016 @ 5:34 am

  296. I think Cruz would improve his chances considerably if he would announce that he is sympathetic to denigrating trade agreements to a limited extent, for example by raising tariffs on countries that have a minimum wage less than half of our minimum wage.

    Andrew (b12b60) — 4/6/2016 @ 5:41 am

  297. Denigrating >> renegotiating (!)

    Andrew (b12b60) — 4/6/2016 @ 5:41 am

  298. And a Ferrari Testarossa with a 25-year old “model” in the passenger seat for all lawyers.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/6/2016 @ 6:00 am

  299. Srsly Singapore would be greatly improved if they could put a dome over it and air-condition it.

    Milhouse (87c499) — 4/5/2016 @ 11:29 pm

    No it wouldn’t. That is simply silly on its face.

    Colonel Haiku (42c195) — 4/6/2016 @ 6:27 am

  300. papertiger,

    I have said, repeatedly, that neither party has acquitted itself well in the jobs/trade arena and that Trump has called them out correctly. The problem isn’t the message, but the messenger.

    As far as California is though, much of the problem is California’s. We import food from Mexico that we used to grow, for example, because the Marin Mafia is too busy destroying California agriculture to save the Delta smelt. IF there is no water, there will be no crops, and soon to topsoil.

    I don’t know if Campbell Foods had to move to Mexico, but business is leaving California as fast as possible. If not Mexico, somewhere. Thirty years ago the aerospace industry was centered in Los Angeles. Now it’s in Georgia.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:30 am

  301. *no topsoil.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:31 am

  302. “At what point will the Chamber of Commerce realize they’ve destroyed any chance of electing a pro-business government because they’ve imported the third world and its values. At what point will they realize that this country is not just an economy but a culture and a people.”

    – Old Reader

    There’s the Christoph we know and … know.

    Leviticus channeling Trump (efada1) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:32 am

  303. Whoops. Gotta watch my channeling.

    Leviticus (efada1) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:32 am

  304. Charles Murray says much the same thing.

    http://www.aei.org/publication/trumps-america/

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:36 am

  305. To me, the fright isn’t Trump. It’s Sanders.

    No Socialist, Communist and, for that matter Democrat, believes in the United States. The whole point of leftism is to create a new state devoid of indivdual freedom.

    Whether Sanders or horrible Hillary, today’s liberalism and Democrat Party are unbelievably corrupt, in both the traditional sense and the ideological one.

    BTW, (and per article currently linked at the Drudgereport.com), it’s uplifting the way such leftism is making the person who filmed the undercover videos that exposed Planned Parenthood for the greedy, diabolical baby-parts seller they really are the bad guy, the heavy, the suspected criminal, not PP.

    An upside-down US in this era of fashionable “Goddamn America” is taking on aspects of Germany in the 1930s, when people who loved animals and enacted animal rights, and whose political party’s name nonchalantly contained the word “socialist,” could also be the ones who created the Final Solution.

    Mark (723bab) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:46 am

  306. LOL @ Drudge burying the Cruz win.

    Rodney King's Spirit (db6706) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:52 am

  307. papertiger 288,

    Your link about the Campbells’ plant closings in California and New Jersey said they were the least efficient, most cost intensive plants Campbells operates. What your link doesn’t say is that Campbell’s also announced the plants’ operations were moving to Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina.

    In addition, that Mexico plant you mentioned? It was closed in February 2013.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:53 am

  308. leaving California as fast as possible.

    When politics and politicians fail, the one vote that ultimately counts is voting with one’s feet and the moving van. Upon certain moments in history, no other vote, if you will, will be as effective or matter as much.

    I just feel sorry for sane, sensible people trapped in nations like Venezuela or, closer to home, American cities like Detroit, St Louis, etc. Moreover, do sane, sensible people in such places, people similar to native-born Mexicans who otherwise love being patriotic about their home turf, ever look upon their society — when there are never-ending socio-economic-political problems like high crime rates, crooked cops, crooked government, low academic standing, shantytowns, etc — and feel total shame and red-faced embarrassment?

    Mark (723bab) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:58 am

  309. #276 Old Reader,

    I love how you think Donald Trump’s billions and bankruptcies make him a sexy boy, but Heidi Cruz working as a managing director at Goldman Sachs makes the Cruzes evil. I also love how you think that Trump’s boasts that he’s bought off politicians qualifies him as an outsider.
    For your next trick, you’ll tell us all about the Donut Diet, and how eating tons of donuts will make you lose weight.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:01 am

  310. #276: Your link shows the Wall Street donations to Cruz’s campaign to be about $1M, about half of the amount donated to Rubio, and a fifth of the amount donated to Clinton. At that time, January of 2016, the FEC reported donations to Cruz’s campaign in 2015 to be about $46M, so the Wall Street portion was not remarkable. And yesterday, Cruz mentioned that he raised over $2M in campaign donations. All considered, I rather doubt the Wall Street donations have unduly influenced him. The super Pac donations are a slightly different story, but Cruz can not control those funds. And based on recent history, I think he’d much prefer donations to his campaign.

    The super PAC donations are an exercise of First Amendment Rights. Do you have a problem when some one other than yourself chooses to express themselves?

    BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:02 am

  311. There you go again with pesky facts that shatter Trumpkin narratives, DRJ.

    And, yes, Old Whatsis has a distinct Richard B. Spencer* smell to him.

    *The neo-Nutsie. Not to be confused with Robert Spencer.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:13 am

  312. Steve, that 25mm chain gun is just the thing. Although it looks like it needs a bit of a redesign. That second man flicking away the cartridge and belt debris would be considered undesirable in an aircraft. However, that position would be a good starting point for our trolls. A year or two of flicking debris might inculcate some good habits.

    The gunner’s azimuth appears to be predictable, but his range was plus or minus 50%, which would be ok if the target was nearby, rather large, and not shooting back, but otherwise not so good.

    BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:16 am

  313. “Everyone keeps saying Trump’s bound to win big in NY, but I don’t see how they can be saying that.”

    I will be rather surprised if Trump does better in the entire Northeast than he did in Illinois (39%). He really does have a ceiling and the media have achieved their objective in giving him free media exposure. Poking holes in the gasbag from here on out better suits their ultimate objective.

    Rick Ballard (f28e3d) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:17 am

  314. other things going on in the world,

    http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2016/04/a-word-about-the-panama-papers.php

    hsbc was one portal,

    narciso (732bc0) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:42 am

  315. the mindset of our betters, displayed,

    http://www.steynonline.com/7506/just-for-laughs-festival-toronto-branch

    narciso (732bc0) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:48 am

  316. Old Liar – there is no Cruz sex scandal, despite your repeated attempts at trying to create one from the ether. It seems you believe that simply repeating unfounded baseless lies will eventually make them true. Just like ropelight and Perry.

    JD (d1fc85) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:11 am

  317. Old You-Know-What is struggling to establish a valid persona.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:59 am

  318. @ DRJ (#303): You’re one of my biggest and longest-standing internet heroes, DRJ — busting the comprehensive liars comprehensively! Well done.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 11:58 am

  319. i like the tomato and the chicken noodle

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/6/2016 @ 12:12 pm

  320. Let’s dispel with this fiction —

    Oops, let me start again. Let’s dispense with this fiction that being a managing director at Goldman Sachs somehow makes Heidi Cruz the embodiment of Wall Street.

    Goldman Sachs is a very successful, very profitable organization. It has been for decades and decades. It is a large, international organization. And on average, someone joining the firm immediately after college or graduate school takes something like thirteen years to earn a position as a “managing director,” and once they do, they’re making, on average, something in the mid-six figures (comparable to an equity partnership at the most profitable of BigLaw law firms).

    But “there are around 2,000 [managing directors] at Goldman out of 34,000 employees.”

    And by no means are all managing directors equal — not in theoretical management rights, not in actual practical managerial authority, and certainly not in income. Despite Heidi Cruz’ success in making money for the private individuals whose investments she manages, and for herself and for Goldman Sachs, she was, before taking a leave of absence for the campaign, in a regional office (in Houston). And frankly, private wealth management is a sideline for Goldman Sachs, a service they offer mainly to endear themselves to the executives who may be in a position to steer company business for hugely profitable activities like underwriting new IPOs or M&A work. She’s been recognized by GS for her competence, certainly, and promoted somewhat more rapidly than average. But she’s nowhere remotely close to the levers of power at Goldman Sachs. And her particular skillsets in private wealth management make her incredibly mobile: She could make as much, or possibly more, money working for hundreds of other much smaller and more nimble firms if she ever had reason to leave Goldman Sachs altogether.

    You’ll perhaps recall Ben Franklin’s dictum that three people can keep a secret (if two of them are dead). I assure you that it’s impossible to mount an international secret conspiracy that includes 2000 individuals scattered around the world, many of whom can walk away into new jobs at a moment’s notice.

    But we can rely on conspiracy theorists — nursing their wounds and exposing their spectacular ignorance — to claim that Heidi Cruz is her husband’s secret puppet-master, pulling his strings at the directions of her employer, with neither evidence nor even simple logical possibility to support their fantasies.

    Mind you, these are the same people who also believe that if Trump is elected and turns his ongoing businesses to his kids to run, that will be the same as if his fortune were in a “blind trust.” The Trump family history is already filled with shady deals among them (e.g., Trump’s father’s $3.5M illegal casino chip loan, and his countless multi-million dollar guarantees of young Donnie’s fledgling business ventures in a way that would transfer wealth to him free of any inheritance or other tax concerns). But we’re supposed to believe that as one of 2000-odd Goldman Sachs managing directors, Heidi Cruz is supposed to somehow be likely to cause Ted Cruz to favor Goldman Sachs than Donald would be to favor his own nuclear family’s wholly owned companies.

    Morons. Dupes. Shills. Idiots.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 12:28 pm

  321. Beldar,

    Beldar,

    Thanks for the long-winded response that says very little.

    Your post was also irrelevant. At what point did I allege any conspiracy? The point was Cruz’s “connections” to Wall Street and whether we could trust him to stick to his new positions on trade and immigration. I pointed out that Cruz is literally married to a Goldman Sachs managing director. He therefore has a personal and financial incentive not to piss off Wall Street. Second, I pointed out that Cruz leads the field in Wall Street donations. This is not new, GS also bankrolled his Senate campaign (though, inexplicably, Cruz failed to report this in compliance with the law).

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 12:45 pm

  322. I love how you think Donald Trump’s billions and bankruptcies make him a sexy boy, but Heidi Cruz working as a managing director at Goldman Sachs makes the Cruzes evil.

    I never said they were evil but Goldman Sachs has a well deserved reputation. The entire point is whether we can trust Cruz’s new positions on trade and immigration. Trump has been talking about trade deficits for 30 years and is the ONLY candidate to propose ending the indefensible carried interest loophole. Trump has received 5 figures (10K) from Wall Street employees where Ted Cruz has received tens of millions. I’m not worried about Trump’s independence from Wall Street.

    As far as his casino bankruptcies, why should I care whether Trump used bankruptcy law to preserve some of his equity in those businesses? Am I supposed to shed a tear the bondholders took a haircut on their debt (or whatever you think old mean Trump did to the bondholders)? I could care less given the problems this country faces.

    In contrast, it’s a real concern Cruz is just faking it on trade and immigration and he’ll revert to his previous positions of supporting amnesty and TPP. His personal and financial ties to Wall Street make that concern even more real. That’s the point. This isn’t some complicated conspiracy theory.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 1:08 pm

  323. goldy sackies are not real americans

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/6/2016 @ 1:11 pm

  324. I love lying liars bemoaning Wall St while singing the praises of Donald Effin Trump.

    JD (69a249) — 4/6/2016 @ 1:23 pm

  325. I love how Old Liar can only make his case by repeating lies. He can’t argue against reality, so he argues against a myriad of lies that he simply asspulls.

    JD (69a249) — 4/6/2016 @ 1:25 pm

  326. Old Reader is just the same old hot wind in sails…

    Colonel Haiku (c76994) — 4/6/2016 @ 1:29 pm

  327. Milwaukee is like Miami if the Mariel boatlift never happened. Black and Jewish north side, hispanic near south side. Tolerable people further north and west. Dangerous neighbor state (Illinois) to the south.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 4/6/2016 @ 1:34 pm

  328. Lessons for the Spectacularly Uninformed But Mendacious: Bankruptcy for Dummies, Lesson #1:

    In a bankruptcy — personal, corporate, any kind of bankruptcy — there is a debtor, and there are creditors. The creditors come in two flavors: secured creditors and unsecured creditors.

    Secured creditors are those who have collateral for the loans they’re making. Unsecured creditors, by contrast, have no collateral; they were simply relying on the promises of the debtor.

    Whether it’s a liquidation (which wipes out the debtor’s equity) or a reorganization (which puts the restructured business into the hands of someone, maybe the original debtor or maybe someone else), the secured creditors get paid off first, off the top. They get permission from the bankruptcy court to lift the automatic stay on collection proceedings against the debtor, and they then proceed with their remedies (e.g., foreclosing on a real estate mortgage, or judicially seizing and then collecting upon the bankruptcy debtor’s pledged accounts payable).

    Bondholders are secured creditors. They make out best of all in bankruptcies — not because they’re morally superior, but because they’ve had the leverage and ability to protect themselves from risk. They’ve bargained for, and gotten, legal rights that will give them alternative remedies (usually foreclosure on specific property that’s been pledged as collateral for particular debts) which they can make use of despite the bankruptcy laws.

    Unsecured creditors get screwed, always. In business bankruptcies like Trump’s four waves of corporate bankruptcies, their claims are typically extinguished — discharged in full — in exchange for the debtor’s payment to them of less than a penny on the dollar.

    So the people who got screwed to the tune of billions of dollars by Trump’s bankruptcies weren’t the bondholders. Those were people like Trump’s friend Carl Icahn, who ended up owning Trump’s casinos (including the right to continue to brand them with the Trump name).

    The people who got screwed were the trade creditors: The plumbing and electrical and HVAC contractors, the company that launders the hotel’s linens, the local Coca-Cola bottler, the local electrical utility, etc. Every one of those businesses either has to eat the loss or pass it on to their customers.

    Every single one of Trump’s bankruptcies have been financed by hardworking Americans who were stupid enough to trust the written contractual commitments made by Trump through his various companies that he then washed & rinsed through bankruptcy.

    Only a sniveling coward would do that four times. Only a deluded Trumpkin shill would pretend that it wasn’t at the expense of the American public — by lying, as was done above (#318) by a practiced and deliberate liar. These liars are scum, because they’re trying to help that same damned con man, Trump, do to America what he’s already done to his unsecured creditors in four waves of corporate bankruptcies.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 1:52 pm

  329. Bah. I meant “pledged accounts receivable” in that parenthetical; sorry for the editing error.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 1:56 pm

  330. Beldar, you seem to be missing the point a lot lately. Maybe the pompous tone worked well for you in front of juries all these years but you’re simply wrong. You obviously don’t know much about bankruptcy or the particulars of Trump’s bankruptcies, because the criticism of Trump is that he screwed over his creditors by “abusing” bankruptcy law, where in each case he only relinquished a portion of his equity to creditors in exchange for write-downs and other debt restructuring. The criticism is that he was unfair to his creditors.

    You’re also wrong that bondholders are “secured” creditors. Most corporate bonds are senior UNSECURED debt. Generally, companies issue “secured” debt when their credit ratings decline.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 2:18 pm

  331. Beldar,

    Also, any evidence that vendors were screwed over in Trump’s bankruptcy restructurings? Any evidence at all? Seems like they were debt restructurings where major bondholders wrote down debt and extended maturities, etc. in exchange for a PORTION of equity. So, any evidence that vendor debts were “extinguished” in these proceedings? You won’t find that evidence, since TRUMP STILL MAINTAINED EQUITY IN EACH CASE. You do know how bankruptcy works, right?

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 2:23 pm

  332. Beldar,

    Anyone who believes that the Bush administration could keep a secret like their evil 9/11 conspiracy will believe anything.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 4/6/2016 @ 3:21 pm

  333. The point of every bankruptcy is to discharge the insolvent debtor’s debts in order to give the debtor a fresh start. That’s why the Constitution empowers Congress to handle bankruptcies. If the debts aren’t discharged — if they aren’t wiped out — then debtor gets no relief. Every one of Trump’s four waves of corporate bankruptcies — whose documents I’ve perused on PACER — ended with the confirmation of a plan of reorganization, the entire point of which was to discharge all debts inconsistent with that plan.

    My identity is public; my credentials and experience are here. My practice has included major lawsuits in bankruptcy court (including Greyhound’s bet-the-company trial in its 1992 strike-induced Chapter 11). It’s also included just about every kind of state and federal court securities litigation. I claim to know what I’m talking about when I comment here on legal and financial matters, but readers can draw their own conclusions.

    Only a genuine moron thinks you can get something for nothing. Bankruptcies leave general creditors with nothing; their debts have to be absorbed by themselves or passed on to other customers. That is economic reality, in the real world.

    The problem with Trump’s bankruptcies — in considering their relevancy to his fitness to be president — isn’t that he treated creditors unfairly. Trump didn’t control the bankruptcies. The whole problem with bankruptcy is that the debtor has to surrender control over its financial future to the bankruptcy court, either to see the debtor’s estate liquidated or to see it reorganized (usually under new ownership). But how the creditors got treated depended on their status, the legal bases of their respective claims, and the rulings of the bankruptcy judge.

    The problem with Trump’s bankruptcies is that they demonstrate that he’s a lousy businessman who’s dragged his corporate empire into insolvency four separate times.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 5:11 pm

  334. The creditors in the most recent Trump Entertainment Resorts bankruptcy filed in 2014 are still litigating but it is estimated the unsecured creditors will recover “less than half-cent per dollar recovery on more than $200 million in claims.”

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/6/2016 @ 6:06 pm

  335. Beldar,

    So you concede no vendors were harmed in Trump’s casino bankruptcies? Despite what you apparently think (which is inexplicable if you have any bankruptcy experience), not every bankruptcy proceeding leads to a wipe out of existing debts, or a wipe out of existing equity holders, to say nothing of a near certain wipe out of unsecured bondholders. In these particular cases, debt holders exchanged equity for debt write downs and restructuring, leaving Trump with significant equity. Trump still had equity in the businesses, so no vendor liabilities were wiped out as you originally seemed to suggest. Trump apparently did well for himself in these proceedings–that’s why people accused him of “abusing” those laws. Yes, a lot depends on the court–but good lawyers and good strategy make a significant difference, which of course you know.

    With respect to the bankruptcies involving the Atlantic City properties, I hardly think it proves Trump is a “lousy businessman.” Most casinos located in AC had serious financial difficulties and these properties were only a portion of Trump’s real estate empire.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 6:59 pm

  336. You’re delirious. I’m sorry I’ve wasted the time trying to educate you. Never again.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:02 pm

  337. Art Deco.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:04 pm

  338. “So you concede no vendors were harmed in Trump’s casino bankruptcies?”

    No, you blithering idiot. Vendors were unsecured creditors. They all got wiped out.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:04 pm

  339. DRJ, Pretty sure these “Trump” properties have nothing to do with Trump any longer at this point.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:06 pm

  340. Old Reader,
    Trump has a history of shafting vendors.

    He’s like a cult figure for you guys. If your teenager did stupid stuff or spoke rudely about a female, you’d reprimand him. If your wife were to forget to pick up your favorite beer or soda at the store, you’d express your displeasure.
    But this Donnie Trump guy can call women nasty names, tell lies in front of your face, and leave vendors holding the bag, yet you go to the mat to defend his behavior.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:07 pm

  341. How’d they get wiped out if Trump kept half his equity? Do you know how bankruptcy works, Beldar?

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:07 pm

  342. How can you say there was no harm when the unsecured trade creditors will get less than 1/2 cent per dollar? That means trade creditors have already waited over two years to get paid next-to-nothing, and a creditor who was owed $1,000 would get paid $5.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:08 pm

  343. But it is true that Trump’s share, if he has any, is probably small. Every bankruptcy resulted in him losing more and more of his assets. What a businessman.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:10 pm

  344. DRJ, do you know if Trump even had a stake in company in 2014? My understanding is that he was no longer involved with company other than use of his name after 2009.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:13 pm

  345. debt holders exchanged equity for debt write downs

    Trump still had equity in the businesses, so no vendor liabilities were wiped out as you originally seemed to suggest.

    If debt was written down, then by definition liabilities were wiped out. If the creditors got equity that doesn’t change that fact. What does the fact (if it is a fact) that Trump still had equity got to do with it?

    Gerald A (7c7ffb) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:14 pm

  346. This Trumpkin shill doesn’t understand — or care to understand — what a bankruptcy discharge is. He seems to think that Donnie Trump struggled and saved his nickles and dimes to pay off his creditors, like Abe Lincoln did.

    He genuinely has no clue what bankruptcy is. We’re wasting our time, DRJ. He’s both stupid and arguing in bad faith.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:15 pm

  347. Beldar thinks that vendors were “wiped out” in 2004 bankruptcy even though Trump kept half his equity. It is Beldar that has “no clue” about bankruptcy law.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:18 pm

  348. He’s both stupid and arguing in bad faith.

    Yes, that is what Art Deco does. Then he proceeds to New York style know-it-all rudeness.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:21 pm

  349. Yes, Beldar, the vendors were wiped out even though Trump kept half his equity. That’s right. Keep telling yourself that, Mr. Bankruptcy Expert.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:22 pm

  350. He’s just a troll doing trolling, Gerald A. Don’t expect anything resembling a rational response.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:33 pm

  351. Beldar thinks that vendors were “wiped out” in 2004 bankruptcy even though Trump kept half his equity. It is Beldar that has “no clue” about bankruptcy law.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:18 pm

    Explain how your understanding of bankruptcy law means Trump keeping equity means no vendors lost money.

    You are starting to remind me of that troll who kept repeating something like “You know what the fact that Cruz’s wife kept her job at Goldman Sachs means” and when asked what it means just kept repeating the same thing.

    Gerald A (7c7ffb) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:34 pm

  352. Yeah. He is a YUGE troll. The biggest. Trump hires all the best trolls. Their lies would make your head spin.

    But I did learn some good stuff from Beldar and DRJ.

    From the YUGE troll, nor so much.

    Do you smell Cheetoh crumbs every time he trolls? I do.

    Simon Jester (833652) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:40 pm

  353. Gerald,

    Sure, I can explain it. Any creditor is paid before equity holders. It looks like all but the 2009 were pre-packaged bankruptcies where bondholders or other debt holders (banks) agreed to exchange portions of debt for equity and probably extend terms, stuff like that. The fact that Trump kept half his equity means the vendors weren’t wiped out because they have a claim on that equity before Trump himself. No bankruptcy court would wipe out an unsecured creditor and let Trump keep 25% of the equity, as was the case in 2004. The 1990s bankruptcy appears to be a similar situation. I don’t know for sure about the 2009 bankruptcy but one online source says he had 10 percent equity post bankruptcy, so same would apply.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:40 pm

  354. He’s just a troll doing trolling, Gerald A. Don’t expect anything resembling a rational response

    .

    Mr. Bankruptcy Expert, explain how Trump could keep HALF his equity and wipe out unsecured creditors. Stop spouting off on areas of law like you’re educating people when you don’t know the first thing about the subject.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:42 pm

  355. Nobody “keeps” any equity in a corporate bankruptcy.

    If it’s a reorganization and there are assets which — when unencumbered from their pledges — can be used for the reorganized entity, then there may be a new entity created, whose equity may be distributed according to the terms of the plan of reorganization. And sometimes the original debtor-in-possession can argue that he’s bringing new value to the reorganized company, or otherwise so beneficial to its continued existence (e.g., because his f’ing name is on everything from the ashtrays to the urinals to the sign out front), such that all of the creditors who’d otherwise be dividing up the equity in the reorganized entity would be better off letting him have a tiny piece of equity in the reorganized company. That’s how Trump kept a thumb in the (increasingly shrinking) pie during this first three waves of bankruptcy. But after the fourth, he and Ivanka were nothing but figureheads — Icahn’s entities owned everything — and they quit. (They couldn’t take the name with them; Icahn got to keep that, and still has it even though he promptly had to do another bankruptcy with these same troubled properties even under his more tight-fisted management.)

    The unsecured creditors got nothing beyond the less-than-a-penny payout to unsecured creditors. The reorganized company didn’t owe them anything, because they didn’t assume their predecessor (pre-Chapter 11) entities’ debts as part of the plan of reorganization, and because the predecessor companies’ debts were discharged and those companies were dissolved without any remaining assets to distribute.

    This deluded Trumpkin seems to think Trump wandered down the Atlantic City boardwalk repaying his bankrupted-and-dissolved companies’ discharged trade debts. Those people never got paid anything more than pitiful less-than-1% payout made to general creditors as part of the plans of reorganization. They did indeed get wiped out, while Trump indeed did continue to get crumbs from the table of his corporate bond-holding creditors.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:45 pm

  356. BTW, a corporate bond doesn’t have to be secured. But if you’re talking about “the bondholders” in the context of corporate bankruptcies, you’re talking about secured bondholders. Otherwise they’re just general creditors. Companies that have the creditworthiness to sell unsecured bonds generally don’t end up in Chapter 11.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:48 pm

  357. I do this for a living, you idiot.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:48 pm

  358. Old reader, go back to reading and not commenting you should!

    Dumberer than a sack of Andrews he is.

    Yoda (feee21) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:49 pm

  359. This is effin comical. Beldar will poop out more knowledge about this subject matter before lunch tomorrow than Old Lying Liar will ever know.

    JD (01c7d1) — 4/6/2016 @ 7:50 pm

  360. I represented post-petition Texaco Inc. in a series of “LUST cases” — that is, “leaking underground storage tank” property damage cases — in the early 1990s. This is how I explained to a Texas state district judge in 1992 how Texaco Inc.’s successful Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization had discharged its pre-petition alleged debts (including tort damages in that case). This motion for summary judgment walks the court through the relevant bankruptcy laws and rules. The underlining on this copy reflects the judge’s own notations to himself, before summarily granting this motion.

    I’m not just making this stuff up.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:08 pm

  361. Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:08 pm

    Thank you for that example, Beldar. By the way, page seven appears twice. I thought I was experiencing Déjà vu.

    felipe (56556d) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:35 pm

  362. ir’s a conundrum
    old reader’s no quick study
    and too old for school

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:42 pm

  363. Recorder’s error by the Harris County District Clerk, decades ago, felipe. 😀 That was from the days of paper filings.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:46 pm

  364. (Which then got microfilmed, which then got converted to .pdf, somewhere during which process page 7 got repeated.)

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:47 pm

  365. Beldar expects us to believe bankruptcy court gave Trump 25% equity in new company because his name was on the building, yup, sure that’s the ticket. You’re just digging yourself deeper, Beldar.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:54 pm

  366. Old Liar – you are proving yourself to be a bigger moron than we originally gave you credit for.

    JD (0a1c0d) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:56 pm

  367. I do have to admit that I rarely take pleasure shooting the same fish in the barrel so many times, but this one is hard to resist.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:57 pm

  368. Yup, the bankruptcy court gave Trump 25% of the company because his name was on the building but vendors were left with nothing, even though bankruptcy law says they have to be paid in full before equity holders get any stake in new company.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 8:59 pm

  369. I do this for a living, you idiot.

    Thank you should know better, you idiot.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:06 pm

  370. Old Liar – the more you yammer on, the more moronic you get. Vendors are unsecured creditors, and get shafted in almost every bankruptcy.

    JD (0a1c0d) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:15 pm

  371. JD, Trump would not get to keep 25% of the equity if unsecured creditors were wiped out. Beldar knows better but he’s embarrassed and won’t admit it.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:20 pm

  372. Old lying EPWJ Readwrong, slept last night in a Holiday Express, you might have. But it and sniffing glue make you smarter, they do not!

    Yoda (feee21) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:22 pm

  373. I’m not even an accomplished attorney and I know you are full of shlt.

    JD (0a1c0d) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:26 pm

  374. JD, am I really?

    But when Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection two months ago, the approximately 1,900 businesses and individuals holding unsecured claims totaling $45 million got a break.

    Under a reorganization plan worked out in advance, the unsecured creditors will be paid 100 cents on the dollar for their claims, according to the plan.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:35 pm

  375. Beldar is a fool and a blowhard.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:44 pm

  376. Was the plan approved by the Court?
    Was every business which received preference approved by the Court?
    Did everybody get paid?

    Debtors would like to choose which creditors they want to stay on good terms with and which to stiff. But they have to show a good reason why the Court should go along with it. Like that you need them to keep the business operating so that all the creditors will salvage more out of it.

    Get lost, Old Art Deco. You’re a troll and a waste of time.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:50 pm

  377. All unsecured creditors were paid in full.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:52 pm

  378. Where do you see that? It’s not in that article you linked.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:54 pm

  379. SQUIRREL!!!

    JD (0a1c0d) — 4/6/2016 @ 9:59 pm

  380. That is an interesting link, and I hadn’t seen it before. Let’s look at what it actually says.

    First, this is from 2005. So this is one of the four waves of Trump bankruptcies. Do you claim that this also occurred in any of the others?

    Second, your source confirms what I’ve described as the general rule:

    When a company goes bankrupt, it’s often the small-time vendors and suppliers who suffer.

    Bills go unpaid for goods and services delivered before papers were filed seeking bankruptcy protection. Or vendors are forced to settle their claims at a discount.

    But when Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection two months ago, the approximately 1,900 businesses and individuals holding unsecured claims totaling $45 million got a break.

    Under a reorganization plan worked out in advance, the unsecured creditors will be paid 100 cents on the dollar for their claims, according to the plan. Some already have been paid; others are still waiting.

    Part public relations ploy, part practical consideration, the move is helping speed Trump Hotels’ emergence from bankruptcy and maintain the flow of goods and services needed to keep the casinos operating in the meantime.

    I think that answers my question about the other three waves of bankruptcies, doesn’t it? This was effectively a one-off, something proposed and put into the reorganization plan by agreement of the creditors, ultimately with court approval — even though there was no legal obligation that the general unsecured creditors be paid. As a practical matter, new investors were voluntarily agreeing to pay something the reorganized companies could otherwise have walked away from because they needed the continuing goodwill of these particular creditors:

    “With trade creditors, unless you’re treating them appropriately, you may have to find other suppliers and vendors willing to extend credit to you as you operate your businesses” during bankruptcy, said John R. McDonald, a Minneapolis lawyer who specializes in bankruptcy case.

    “In the casino arena, many of those suppliers you can replace, but there are highly specialized vendors and suppliers that might not be as easy to replace,” McDonald said.

    Of course, this wasn’t the last of the Trump casino bankruptcies. So the people who — improbably — got paid off in this unusual restructuring very likely were lured into again relying on Trump businesses’ general creditworthiness.

    I repeat, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The losses from Trump’s mismanagement of his businesses had to be distributed somewhere. If the trade creditors got paid off in one of the four waves, that was at the other, superior creditors’ expense.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 10:05 pm

  381. Beldar, this result isn’t exactly unusual even if isn’t the norm. Often corporations just need to restructure their debt, sometimes the terms of the debt prevent refinance and sometimes debt markets are in turmoil so credit markets are closed to the debtor, they’re not truly in a situation where equity or unsecured get wiped out.

    In this case, the bondholders made out just fine (plan estimate was at least 93%), the unsecured got 100%. 2009 is probably a different story but who knows, he does keep some small stake there but it’s small enough it could be exchange for his name or reinvestment in new company. I think the 1990s bankruptcies were similar pre-packaged plans and unsecured probably did fine there, too.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 10:14 pm

  382. “…I think the 1990s bankruptcies were similar pre-packaged plans and unsecured probably did fine there, too….”

    Well, there is a fundamental error in the above. Anyone else catch it?

    Simon Jester (be8d86) — 4/6/2016 @ 10:29 pm

  383. If it’s not unusual, point to two others.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 10:45 pm

  384. I think Cruz would improve his chances considerably if he would announce that he is sympathetic to denigrating trade agreements to a limited extent, for example by raising tariffs on countries that have a minimum wage less than half of our minimum wage.

    How on earth could any Republican support that? What justifies it? If your minimum wage is too high, how’s that anyone else’s problem? Why don’t you just lower it? How does your choice to impose a high minimum wage justify your forcing consumers to pay for it?

    Milhouse (87c499) — 4/6/2016 @ 11:19 pm

  385. Stolen money?

    Funny story. Downtown Sacramento used to have Campbell’s Soup as a sort of anchor company for the region.
    And like a minute (four months) after they fired a thousand people, they expanded their operations in Mexico.

    What’s your objection? And what do you allege has been stolen? Why do you think workers in Sacramento deserve those jobs more than workers in Mexico do? And why do you think Campbell should spend more for the same work, just so it can be done in Sacramento instead of Mexico? You would never buy something for more when you can get it for less, so why should they? And what moral right do you imagine you have to force them to do so?

    Milhouse (87c499) — 4/6/2016 @ 11:22 pm

  386. If it’s not unusual, point to two others.

    Since your tone has changed, I will be nice and provide a few examples for your edification. See this Kirkland page for several examples from their litigation history. Revel AC, Inc.; Dex One Corporation; U.S. Concrete, Inc.

    Cheers.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 11:25 pm

  387. Those are listed as pre-packaged bankruptcies. Do you think all unsecured creditors get 100 cents on the dollar in all pre-packaged bankruptcies? There’s no indication what the unsecured creditors got in any of the listings on that page.

    Look, there are all kinds of bankruptcies. Some are strategic; some are successful reorganizations. Some are one-offs (Texaco’s), some are industry-related (GM’s and Chrysler’s), some are fraud-driven.

    Trump’s were because he had unrealistic business plans, wasted money, and ran his companies into the ground. He borrowed at junk bond rates and made a bunch of pie in the sky projections that didn’t come close to coming true.

    And in every single one of them, as in every single bankruptcy, his companies were insolvent when they filed. You’ve wasted a lot of my time tonight, but that’s at an end.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 11:38 pm

  388. I skimmed too quickly. You’re correct, some of those listings indicated that they were prepackaged bankruptcies in which someone else besides the unsecured creditors took the haircut.

    That is unusual, I don’t care what you suggest.

    More to the point: Present some proof, please, for your assertion that in any of Trump’s other bankruptcies, any of his unsecured creditors were ever repaid. Or admit you’re guessing.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 11:43 pm

  389. Tell ya what: Don’t bother, I’ve refreshed my recollection easily enough: Bankruptcy waves number 1, 2 & 4 were not prepackaged. I see nothing to indicate that there were any special provisions made to protect unsecured creditors at the expense of other creditors.

    We’re done.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 4/6/2016 @ 11:48 pm

  390. Beldar, three of those cases state unsecured received payment in full–I provided the cases.

    You’re a smart guy and an experienced attorney but you don’t know everything–as this exchange demonstrates. A bit of friendly advice: hesitate next time you feel the urge to get extra nasty and call those who disagree with you “idiots” and “shills.” Cut the bluster.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/6/2016 @ 11:59 pm

  391. Beldar, I’m trying not to kick you when you’re down here. You called me an idiot and invoked your experience and said it was impossible that the unsecured creditors were not wiped out. I showed they were paid in full! Then you asked for two cases where this happened if it wasn’t unusual. I gave you three from a single firm’s representative cases! Now you’re yelling at me since you think Trump’s first two bankruptcies were not pre-packaged. Some of the press I read for the 1990s bankruptcies suggests they were but I can’t tell you for sure. Just let this drop, friend, doubly and tripling down on the nastiness is unbecoming. Have a good night.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/7/2016 @ 12:05 am

  392. You sir, are an arse.

    JD (0a1c0d) — 4/7/2016 @ 2:17 am

  393. Arse Deco.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/7/2016 @ 5:02 am

  394. in a country as rife with fail as our sad little one bankruptcy shouldn’t be so controversial

    better bankruptcy than staying on the sidelines with your disgusting food stamps and your cheap-ass obamacare you whole life

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/7/2016 @ 6:04 am

  395. JD, nk, that is why he posts. I would normally wonder why, but the internet has taught me better.

    The SF writer Ted Sturgeon used to say that 90% of everything is BS (cleaning up the language).

    Nowadays, the percentage is less favorable still to careful thought and civil debate.

    Simon Jester (be8d86) — 4/7/2016 @ 6:24 am

  396. Old Reader, your “work” here are dun.

    Colonel Haiku (0eab1a) — 4/7/2016 @ 6:49 am

  397. Mr. Reader is sharing his thinkings with us how is that a bad thing

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/7/2016 @ 6:51 am

  398. So did Fanny Hill. She was more “interesting”.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/7/2016 @ 7:14 am

  399. yes yes this is true

    why Chicago always gotta be so soggy

    this is not who we are

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/7/2016 @ 7:15 am

  400. It’s good for the complexion.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/7/2016 @ 7:24 am

  401. nk, who was the troll that, when finally caught, announced:

    “I work here is done”

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/7/2016 @ 7:29 am

  402. You sir, are an arse.

    I’m the arse? I try to be civil when the tone is civil. If I’ve embarrassed the local blowhard, my apologies. But here’s a sample of the nastiness in this thread (keep in my mind I was 100% right).

    I do have to admit that I rarely take pleasure shooting the same fish in the barrel so many times, but this one is hard to resist.

    Old Liar – you are proving yourself to be a bigger moron than we originally gave you credit for.

    This is effin comical. Beldar will poop out more knowledge about this subject matter before lunch tomorrow than Old Lying Liar will ever know.

    Old reader, go back to reading and not commenting you should!

    Dumberer than a sack of Andrews he is.

    I do this for a living, you idiot.

    He genuinely has no clue what bankruptcy is. We’re wasting our time, DRJ. He’s both stupid and arguing in bad faith.

    You’re delirious. I’m sorry I’ve wasted the time trying to educate you. Never again.

    Old Reader (08f24c) — 4/7/2016 @ 12:10 pm

  403. Hmmm.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zxy_dScjsM

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/7/2016 @ 12:20 pm

  404. Don’t feed the trolls and they will starve.

    felipe (56556d) — 4/7/2016 @ 3:03 pm

  405. I’ve seen bankruptcies where the unsecured creditors were paid in full by agreement of the other creditor classes so they wouldn’t be able to vote against the debtor’s proposed Plan of Reorganization, which is what the link suggests happened with Trump’s third bankruptcy filing in 2004. It doesn’t happen often and it only happens when the unsecured creditors are a very small part of the debt, so the debtor and most of the other creditors agree to pay them off to avoid the nuisance of dealing with them.

    Think about that for a minute. The unsecured creditors in the 2004 filing had claims totaling $45M, yet the was a drop in the bucket compared to the $1.8B in total debt. (It’s also the bankruptcy where Trump lost control of his name/brand in Atlantic City.) Amazing how relatively little unsecured debt he had, isn’t it? But actually it isn’t amazing at all. First, because of the cumulative bank and other secured debt Trump accumulated and refinanced in prior proceedings — creditors who were stuck with him because of all the money/assets they had at risk. And, second, because most creditors had finally figured out that doing business with Trump was a bad idea.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/7/2016 @ 3:22 pm

  406. There are often thousands or tens of thousands of unsecured creditors in cases like this, creditors who have to get notice and opportunity to be heard on every motion. In the old days before email and online court proceedings, it was very expensive to mail notices to all these creditors and while they have no legal leverage, they can bog down the bankruptcy process and make it more expensive.

    Any Chapter 11 case works more smoothly when there are fewer creditors to negotiate with but it’s rare to find a case where the unsecured portion is the smallest share of the debt.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/7/2016 @ 3:29 pm

  407. Forbes is being generous with Trump. Bloomberg puts Trump’s net worth much lower, and the Washington Post notes an interesting comparison with another New York real estate family:

    Yet Trump has not done nearly as well as other American business magnates, or even a typical middle-class retiree following sound financial advice, as a review of the numbers over the past four decades shows. He is a billionaire today despite this poor performance because when he started his career, his father had already built a colossal real-estate empire. And the wealth Donald Trump has accumulated since then has at times come at the expense of taxpayers or the banks and investors who have lent him money.

    Citing data from Forbes, The Associated Press estimates that Trump’s net worth quadrupled from $1 billion to $4 billion between 1988 and today. That’s an impressive gain, but it’s nothing compared to the wealth produced by investors such as Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. Gates’s wealth increased from about $1 billion to $80 billion over the same period. Buffett had about $2.5 billion in 1988, and has $68 billion today.

    Yet perhaps the most telling comparison is between Trump and his golf buddy, Richard LeFrak. The LeFraks and the Trumps have been rivals in New York’s real estate business for generations. LeFrak’s father, Samuel LeFrak, took a no-nonsense approach to the business. He focused on minimizing risk and making money, according to a 1992 profile in Business Week, before the magazine became Bloomberg Businessweek.

    “He might be strutting around like a peacock today, but he’s gonna be a feather duster tomorrow,” the elder LeFrak told Business Week when asked about Trump.

    Over time, the LeFraks came out ahead of their competitors. LeFrak is worth $7 billion today, and he’s 181st on Bloomberg’s list of the world’s richest people. Bloomberg puts Trump’s wealth at just $2.9 billion — far less than Forbes’s estimate. He doesn’t even make the list.

    DRJ (15874d) — 4/7/2016 @ 3:41 pm

  408. DCSCA, I think, Simon.

    nk (dbc370) — 4/7/2016 @ 3:50 pm

  409. Mr. Trump makes MY list for sure

    he’s awesome and very congenial

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/7/2016 @ 4:16 pm

  410. And so very orange.

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 4/7/2016 @ 4:21 pm

  411. where are my keys i lost my phone

    happyfeet (831175) — 4/7/2016 @ 4:23 pm

  412. I think that this is kind of the dynamic of some folks these days about Trump.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRUa_E1CugU

    Simon Jester (2708f4) — 4/7/2016 @ 4:45 pm


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