Patterico's Pontifications

3/12/2016

Trump Says He Will Skip Next Debate

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 10:35 am



Well of course he will:

Donald Trump made clear Friday what Gov. Gary Herbert and other Utah Republicans have feared: He has no interest in participating in the GOP’s March 21 presidential debate in Salt Lake City.

“We’ve had enough debates,” Trump told reporters at a news conference in Palm Beach, Florida. “I mean, how many times do you have to give the same answer to the same question?”

Trump also said he was not aware of the upcoming GOP presidential debate in Salt Lake City, which was added last month to the schedule by the Republican National Committee, and didn’t see a need for it.

“I didn’t know there was a next debate,” Trump said. “Can I be honest with you? I think it’s time to end the debates. No, I didn’t know about the debate in Salt Lake City.”

Huh. I did. But then, I guess I follow politics a little more closely than this buffoon. If it’s not on the tube, he doesn’t know about it.

Rubio may well be out by that point. Ted Cruz debating an all-but-non-existent John Kasich? Not sure they’re going to bother holding that event.

I remain disappointed at the lack of substantive questions put to Trump in the last debate. Cruz seems to be coasting as if he thinks that Rubio will disappear Wednesday (which I hope is true) and that he has it sewn up if Rubio drops out (not so sure). But then, Cruz is the candidate and I am not. I’m not sure I’m in a position to fault his political instincts.

But hey, if being an American means anything, it means having the right to hold, and loudly express, an uninformed and possibly wrong opinion.

P.S. As an instructive lesson on how the media treats Trump, watch Marco Rubio here bemoaning the coverage that Trump gets for saying silly and controversial things, such as encouraging people to beat up protesters. Good point, but where was this guy in the debate? Watch closely around :39, where, at the exact moment Rubio decries the media giving Trump’s buffoonery too much coverage, a box pops up in the bottom right-hand portion of the screen, highlighting . . . an upcoming Trump rally.

The irony is so rich, if this happened in a movie, you’d criticize the screenwriter for laying it on so thick.

295 Responses to “Trump Says He Will Skip Next Debate”

  1. Hopefully someone with some stones will chime in and denounce this “protest” crap before it ends up carrying the Trumpster aloft all the way to the nomination. He’s not to blame.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  2. Little Marco sold his soul to Chuck Schumer and John McCain when he betrayed the Florida voters who trusted him and put him in the Senate. Now he wants to pretend he wasn’t the GOPe’s front man for the Gang of 8.

    Sorry, Marco, only honest and faithful politicians deserve loyalty. You turned your back on Florida conservatives and now they’re turning their back on you. And, it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving two-faced self-aggrandizing opportunist quack hustler.

    ropelight (afbacb)

  3. Hrmmm. If Rubio is out by Utah debate, and Trump skips, Cruz would be well advised to skip it too. IMHO it’d be detrimental to Cruz’s campaign were Cruz to fall asleep and fall over during a debate, which he’d likely do if one on one with Kasich.

    Arizona CJ (da673d)

  4. Heh. There’s always a chance the audience would nod off before Ted.

    DRJ (15874d)

  5. “it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving two-faced self-aggrandizing opportunist quack hustler [than Marco Rubio].”

    – ropelight

    I am repeatedly amazed at your ability as a Trump supporter to say things like that with a straight face. You are truly shameless.

    Leviticus (a8efb0)

  6. I would not want Cruz to skip the debate, it’s a perfect opportunity to hammer home his recent point that Trump doesn’t care about serving the people, just himself. Furthermore, if Trump is worried about having to answer the same questions perhaps he should show up and actually give answers this time instead of blabbing about making deals. It’s clear the reason why Trump isn’t interested is because he has nothing to add to a policy debate, he’s unskilled, underprepared, uninformed, and will get killed by Hillary in the general debates which he can’t simply skip. If he’s going to be the nominee he had better start looking at these last debates as a warm up for Hillary, if not then he’s an unserious candidate.

    Sean (221079)

  7. yeah i could only do 20 minutes or so of the last debate

    happyfeet (831175)

  8. Actually, Cruz should attend if it is only him and Kasich, and use it to put Kasich down.

    Not only can he shame Trump, which he needs to do when it goes one on one, but Kasich gets this free ride by waving his arms around, talking about all the bickering and saying absolutely nothing other than things like “We have to govern smarter!”

    Show him for the mealy-mouthed prevaricating non-entity that he is. When he talks about balancing his state budget, pint out that this is only because of the teaser Medicaid money that goes away in a few years, putting his successor right back in deficit.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  9. I agree with Leviticus.

    Strange bedfellows.

    njrob (e6ac07)

  10. Cruz’s strategy has to be to get this to one-on-one as fast as possible and start winning winner-take-all states. Trump has his 35% plus whatever Carson’s supporters might bring if they can find their way to the polls. Call it 40%. If this were strictly proportional, all Trump would need is 45% the rest of the way, but with winner-take-all that will avail him nothing.

    If Cruz wins a few WTA primaries, it will be Trump begging for some more debates.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  11. two-faced self-aggrandizing opportunist quack hustler

    Gotta agree. The projection is marvelous. Ropelight’s unconscious mind is on a roll.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  12. #9… Heh… Leviticus and strange bedfellows… Funny stuff!

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  13. Why shouldn’t Donald Trump skip the next debate? Right now he’s winning, and doesn’t need the debates.

    The Dana disappointed in the entire 2016 campaign (1b79fa)

  14. Let Ted talk to the People for 60 minutes no script, no teleprompter, no Roman Architecture, no b.s.

    mg (31009b)

  15. Hope Cruz can take advantage.

    Rodney King's Spirit (3adc86)

  16. i think you might could be overestimating people’s appetite for ted

    the more he talks the more people get a sense of his personality

    it raises huge red flags for november

    kinda like how the more lil roob roob talks the more people see how smarmy he is

    with ted, he’s just so snotty and condescending

    happyfeet (831175)

  17. #16 Happy, I tend to agree Ted is uber alles and comes across as #whiteprivilege in every sense of the word. The Princeton, Harvard training actually serves him to his detriment. He is still the best candidate of the 6.

    Rodney King's Spirit (3adc86)

  18. Rubio talks a good line here but he fails to mention how he sold out as soon as he was elected. And frankly although he has long been my choice 1A, I’m not sure Ted Cruz is any better. There is a tremendous whiff of rotting garbage that surrounds this entire nominating process.

    Mark Johnson (075924)

  19. #18 You gotta be able to make deals if you want to move things along while at the same time moving the needle right.

    Tough job for Ted or Marco or Trump or Kasish. Whoever gets the job however needs to be to take shots without folding every time. For that, I credit Cruz and why I support him.

    Rodney King's Spirit (3adc86)

  20. Hrmmm. If Rubio is out by Utah debate, and Trump skips, Cruz would be well advised to skip it too. IMHO it’d be detrimental to Cruz’s campaign were Cruz to fall asleep and fall over during a debate, which he’d likely do if one on one with Kasich.

    Arizona CJ (da673d) — 3/12/2016 @ 11:10 am

    Look at it this way: it would afford Cruz a hour or two of nearly uninterrupTED time to lay everything out. Getting the scripTED questions out of the way would be what, half hour max? And what would Kasich do about it? Drone everyone to death?

    Sorry for the …TED bit. I’m feeling a little cutesy today. Happyfeet might appreciate it.

    Bill H (dcdd7b)

  21. OT: On why morals and ethics are simply much more important than law & order (since laws are not necessarily moral or ethical) .. http://nypost.com/2016/03/12/woman-admits-to-throwing-away-newborn-baby/

    We need someone to help reset the moral compass of this Country b/c you can source one of these every week much like a female high school teacher having sex with her HS students. The Left don’t care, they benefit from the scrum and their votes. The Churches all to often empty and in need of bodies avoid “uncomfortable subjects” in an effort to keep the pews filled (hello Pope Francis). God help the West.

    Rodney King's Spirit (3adc86)

  22. There is a tremendous whiff of rotting garbage that surrounds this entire nominating process.

    And its name is Donald Trump. Bad candidates drive out good.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  23. I see little upside for Ted and massive upside for Kasich if they are the only two in an appearance. Ted’s kryptonite is likeability and Kasich’s whole shtick is to be the “good guy” in these deals. Also, the very last thing Kasich should be getting is free media.

    We might could get another “Town Hall.” Of course, Trump should be exempted from having one covered, since he will have refused a debate. Wanna bet if he is refused? Hahahahahaha.

    The ju jitsu of last night in Chicago is so infuriating. Trump has invited this passion and he is the direct beneficiary as a victim. To quote that old salt of the sea, Captain Binghamton: “I could just SCREAM!”

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  24. You gotta be able to make deals if you want to move things along while at the same time moving the needle right.

    No, you just gotta have the Congress of the same party and the ability to lead. And the latter is most important. Look what Reagan managed with just leadership.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  25. Cruz should go to the debate.

    Cruz versus Kasich is a decent comparison of reform versus establishment malaise. And it’s free TV coverage. There’s no downside. Trump can have his stunt where he uses whomever as a prop to upstage the debate, but like last time he’ll come across as a coward.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  26. The last time Trump boycotted a debate was 1/28/16 when he held a highly publicized benefit that reportedly raised $6M for veterans. Over 40 days later, only $2.9M has been disbursed. The rest apparently sits in a Donald J Trump Foundation account.

    DRJ (15874d)

  27. Maybe 1/2 of the Trump supporters defaulted on their pledges.

    DRJ (15874d)

  28. How much interest income would $3M generate each month?

    DRJ (15874d)

  29. This entire election reminds me of an old truism that the more you get to know your neighbors the more miserable they seem. The less you know them, the happier and more well adjusted they seem.

    Hey Ted might get to over 400 today is things break his way and Trumpie zippo increase.

    Rodney King's Spirit (3adc86)

  30. #26 He seems to be doing better than most Charities at distributing. Not sure that is a bullet to be fired.

    Rodney King's Spirit (3adc86)

  31. Dustin,

    I have yet to watch more than a few minutes of a Trump Clown Act but I do believe I would watch a Cruz/Kasich debate for content purposes. Kasich can hold his own and there would me no reason for him to stick with his standard schtick after Tuesday. I agree with you about the reform/establishment aspect.

    Rick Ballard (ebfe0b)

  32. The articles say that because Trump vetted the charities in advance, he should have been able to distribute funds quickly. The delay comes from vetting, not distribution. That’s why I suggested there were people who defaulted on their pledges. They meant well but didn’t follow through.

    DRJ (15874d)

  33. Donald will leave the lesser, nay loozas, pounding salt in Salt Lake City.

    Where the deer, antelope, Cruz endorser Mike Lee and Mormon Romneys oft roam.

    DCSCA (a343d5)

  34. The MDA Telethon default rate without Kerry Lewis is around 50% so there is a basis for my suggestion.

    DRJ (15874d)

  35. Jerry, not Kerry!

    DRJ (15874d)

  36. But keep in mind that even Trump has trouble delivering.

    DRJ (15874d)

  37. 28.How much interest income would $3M generate each month?

    In today’s market about a pathetic $3,000. Before taxes and until Sanders.

    Rev. TrusTED Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  38. Little Marco sold his soul to Chuck Schumer and John McCain when he betrayed the Florida voters who trusted him and put him in the Senate. Now he wants to pretend he wasn’t the GOPe’s front man for the Gang of 8.
    ropelight (afbacb)

    And yet you are okay with someone who supported those same politicians, donated to them, and agreed with them?

    If you want someone who fought against the Gang of 8, that would be Cruz.

    Patrick Henry, the 2nd (ddead1)

  39. How much interest income would $3M generate each month?

    These days? Roughly none.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  40. actually the debate, was illuminating on a number of issues, rubio was wrong to credit doc brown,
    as he was the primary figure in the senate who ignored the enemy action re the vets, he was also wrong on another point, the castro bros, do intend to demand reparations re the embargo, the wider point about this bit of rhodes’s ripoff was right,

    narciso (732bc0)

  41. I thought the interest rates were essentially 0, too, but it looks like there are some banks paying around 3/4 of a percent.

    DRJ (15874d)

  42. Perhaps Mr Trump is skipping the next debate because he doesn’t want to be asked why he didn’t fire tough guy Corey Lewandowski for roughing up Michelle fields.

    Mr Lewandowski isn’t that big a guy. I couldn’t find his height and weight in a Google search, but he’s several inches shorter than Mr Trump, who stands 6’2″ tall. I couldn’t find Miss Fields’ height and weight, either, but from her pictures, she’s very slender.

    But still, that doesn’t matter: a real man does not strike a woman, a real man does not grab a woman, a real man doesn’t try to throw a woman to the ground, but, apparently, a ‘real man’ who says that he had really big hands doesn’t think that there’s anything wrong with keeping his tough guy campaign manager on the payroll.

    Had it been Ted Cruz’s campaign manager, or Marco Rubio’s campaign manager, or any other candidate’s campaign manager, he’d have been gone by the very next day. But apparently the big candidate who mocks one of his competitors as “Little Marco” thinks it’s perfectly OK for his campaign manager to assault a woman.

    The disgusted Dana (1b79fa)

  43. Dear disgusted Dana: what makes you think Trump is in charge of his own campaign? His attention to detail in general suggests not.

    Simon Jester (3a8769)

  44. Michelle watches her diet and exercises regularly. But what really gives her that edge?

    Herbalife!

    happyfeet (831175)

  45. Good point, Adjective Dana.

    DRJ (15874d)

  46. The U.S. Is Pumping All This Oil, So Where Are The Benefits?

    America has joined Saudi Arabia and Russia as one of the world’s leading oil producers. Forecasters predicted this would usher in a golden age. It hasn’t worked out that way.

    extremely bizarre story National Soros Radio has on its front page today

    has a single one of the tapperbash propaganda sluts asked the candidates yet if they would defund this sleazy operation?

    yeah i didn’t think so

    these debates are effing lame

    happyfeet (831175)

  47. Politicians sure can keep the people divided.

    mg (31009b)

  48. Mr Jester wrote:

    Dear disgusted Dana: what makes you think Trump is in charge of his own campaign? His attention to detail in general suggests not.

    Actually, his campaign manager is the one “in charge” of the campaign, but Mr Trump is the one responsible for it.

    The very disgusted Dana (1b79fa)

  49. Anybody else out there watching what passes as a Trump Rally, on Fox?

    arrrggghhhhh

    MD in Philly (at the moment not in Philly) (5442c1)

  50. 28. DRJ (15874d) — 3/12/2016 @ 3:13 pm

    How much interest income would $3M generate each month?

    At 1% annual interest, $2,500. But it’s hard to get 1%. Donald Trump might maybe know where to get it, or shuffle other money around, but .5% or .2% is more common. At .5% it would be $1,250, at 0.2% it would be $500 and at 0.1%, $250, at 0.05%, $125, and at 0.01%, $25

    Many bank accounts that do pay higher than average rates, have a maximum amount on deposit that qualifies for the higher rate. But you do get waiver of ATM fees probably.

    Sammy Finkelman (68a4ee)

  51. Do they use Adolf’s Meat Tenderizer on Trump steaks?

    Ja, ja, sehr gut!

    DCSCA (a343d5)

  52. He wasn’t roughing up a woman, he was roughing up a paparazzi. Now you all can argue for a week about how nobody has the right to rough up this or that but the fact is the paparazzi gets in the middle of things and they get roughed up. So this woman can be a lady or a paparazzi but not both and she chose the latter. But she has no more right to claim she can’t be roughed up because of her sex than a female soldier does about complaining the enemy is shooting at her. It comes with the territory. I know there is a “safe space” for her at Harvard but in the rough and tumble world of news and politics there is no place for a snowflake.

    Rev. TrusTED Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  53. –What’s the difference between Iron Man and Iron Woman?
    — Iron Man is a comic book character. Iron Woman is command.

    nk (9faaca)

  54. hah like for when your shirts get wrinkled

    happyfeet (831175)

  55. On the other hand, the chemical name for Iron Man is FeMale.

    nk (9faaca)

  56. Hoagie – there is zero evidence she rushed at Trump, impeded him, blocked him, anything. The idea that this is part of her job is silly, but speaks to the authoritarianism of the Trumpkins. Who else should expect to be manhandled for doing their jobs?

    Frankly, I have lost some respect for several people that i used to hold in high regard over this very topic.

    JD (34f761)

  57. I wasn’t aware there is a journalist exception to the criminal laws that prevent journalisrs from complaining when they are victims of a battery. Someone should tell the Jupiter FL police department.

    DRJ (15874d)

  58. Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful, JD.

    SPQR (a3a747)

  59. It may be a small thing in the scheme of things but it is of such small things that our lives are made of. You don’t just shrug off a man hurting a woman.

    nk (9faaca)

  60. Who else should expect to be manhandled for doing their jobs?

    1. propaganda monkeys

    2. politicians and their staff

    3. anyone who works for the federal government except for selected super nice people in the National Park Service not the evil ones (poopers)

    4. child-abusing teacher trash

    5. racist and or otherwise thuggy popos

    6. gwyneth paltrow

    7. goldy sackies

    8. academic administrators

    9. herbalife partners

    10. global warm warm weirdos

    happyfeet (831175)

  61. I knew you guys would put words in my mouth and beliefs in my head with this one.

    First JD: “53.Hoagie – there is zero evidence she rushed at Trump, impeded him, blocked him, anything.” I never said she did and it doesn’t matter.

    “The idea that this is part of her job is silly, but speaks to the authoritarianism of the Trumpkins.” I never said it’s part of their job I just said in that type of job one should expect to get roughed up and if one doesn’t they are naïve and should seek other employment.

    “Who else should expect to be manhandled for doing their jobs?” A lot of people, starting with cops and ending with anybody who deals with people in emotionally charge situations. And to deny this is stupid and unrealistic.

    Second DRJ: “54.I wasn’t aware there is a journalist exception to the criminal laws that prevent journalisrs from complaining when they are victims of a battery.” Words in my mouth? I never said that now did I? Where did that come from?

    Now nk: “56.It may be a small thing in the scheme of things but it is of such small things that our lives are made of. You don’t just shrug off a man hurting a woman.” As I stated it was a political operative assaulting a member of the paparazzi, not a man assaulting a woman. Neither is right but it has nothing to do with sex.

    And now happyfeet: I accept all but #6 Gwyneth Paltrow. She should be replaced with Rosie O’Donnell.

    Rev. TrusTED Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  62. ok read this Mr. Hoagie

    happyfeet (831175)

  63. unfortunately she will be a cameo in the next captain america film,

    narciso (732bc0)

  64. When I land, I try to find a sauna to sit in for 20 minutes to help me sweat out all the germs from the plane.

    happyfeet (831175)

  65. Hoagie – your words were quite clear.

    JD (d10a47)

  66. He wasn’t roughing up a woman, he was roughing up a paparazzi. Now you all can argue for a week about how nobody has the right to rough up this or that but the fact is the paparazzi gets in the middle of things and they get roughed up

    That sounds like you think there is a journalist exception to the criminal laws.

    DRJ (15874d)

  67. Maybe you are saying it happens but the laws still apply. If so, then what is your point? That some jobs are more dangerous than others? I agree with that. I guess we have to add covering the Trump campaign to the Very High Risk list of occupations.

    DRJ (15874d)

  68. BTW, paparazzi, from the Italian word for bothersome insects, are photographers who stalk celebrities for candid and hopefully embarassing photos, often trying to provoke their victims into doing something embarassing. ???

    nk (9faaca)

  69. “The *establishment* composed of journos, BS-Vending talking heads with well-formulated verbs, bureaucrato-cronies, lobbyists-in training, New Yorker-reading semi-intellectuals, image-conscious empty suits, Washington rent-seekers and other “well thinking” members of the vocal elites are not getting the point about what is happening and the sterility of their arguments.”

    “People are not voting for Trump (or Sanders). People are just voting, finally, to destroy the establishment.”

    DNF (ffe548)

  70. Now you’re getting me, DRJ. Of course the “laws still apply” and of course it’s not polite to man-handle a lady. But this lady put herself into a highly charged situation and got a little roughed up. If she’s going to be a news reporter she’s going to be in many charged situations and each time there is an amount of danger. It goes with the territory. So if she wants to play the lady then being a street news person is not for her. Women who want to do jobs that are traditionally men’s jobs should not expect the occurrences of that job to change because she’s a girl.

    I thought that’s what feminism was all about, women doing a traditionally male job just as good as the boys. So if a lady cop gets shot it’s the hazard of the job and the same goes for a journalist who gets punched in the nose occasionally. They won’t be the first ones so buck up!

    Rev. TrusTED Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  71. Who are you quoting in #66 DNF?

    Rev. TrusTED Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  72. But this lady put herself into a highly charged situation and got a little roughed up


    Wait. It was at a press conference, not a rally. How is a press conference “highly charged, given that the candidate controls the room? And we’re not talking a crowd of 500 or a thousand, let alone 15,000.

    Also, if you look at the linked photo, no one looks on high alert, frazzled, or highly-charged. Rather it looks like Trump is intently listening to Fields, on the left, and no one around them appears on guard or tense. So I have to disagree that the lady put herself at risk in this situation. If anything, this situation would be much safer and less risky than attending a rally.

    But if you think that a presser is a high-risk situation, then what does that say about the candidate at the podium, as well as the media reporters? Because if it’s a highly-charged room, someone is doing the charging, no?

    Dana (0ee61a)

  73. It wasn’t highly charged until Trumps campaign manager grabbed her.

    JD (d10a47)

  74. For having the temerity to ask a question. But she should t ask questions unless she is willing to be manhandled, because a man would be willing, in a highly charged situation.

    JD (d10a47)

  75. Rafael Cruz is a pastor with Purifying Fire International Ministry, although in January 2014, as Ted Cruz was preparing his presidential swing, Rafael Cruz scrapped the group’s website after various blogs began identifying the ministry as rooted in “a radical Christian ideology known as Dominionism or Christian Reconstructionism.”

    Dominionism calls on anointed Christian leaders to take over government to make the laws of the nation in accordance with Biblical laws. Rafael Cruz, at the Pastor Larry Huch’s New Beginnings mega-church in Bedford Texas, outside Dallas, on Aug. 26, 2012, in a Dominionist sermon proclaimed his son, Ted Cruz, to be the “anointed one,” a Dominionist Messiah who would bring God’s law to reign.

    DNF (ffe548)

  76. Hoagie, illegitimi non carborundum.

    ropelight (afbacb)

  77. And since she is doing a traditionally male job, she should be willing to accept that she might be manhandled like a man would be in a highly charged press conference where questions are being asked.

    JD (d10a47)

  78. 67 Rev Hoagie

    What’s the frequency, Kenneth?

    pinandpuller (a12946)

  79. 68. No one I know: Nassim Taleb.

    DNF (755a85)

  80. Donald Trump has yet to break 50% in any contest. Rubio pulled 71% in Puerto Rico, but its population isn’t representative of anywhere else.

    Today, though, Ted Cruz has pulled 66.3% of the vote in the Wyoming caucus, with Rubio trailing a distant second place 19.5% and Trump an even more distant third at 7.2%. Cruz won nine delegates, while Rubio & Trump will each get one. The balance of Wyoming’s 29 delegates will be awarded at the Wyoming GOP state convention in April.

    Trump’s schtick doesn’t seem to work nearly as well among westerners who don’t work at casinos.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  81. #1 son loved visiting Wyoming. I guess there was a reason…

    MD in Philly (at the moment not in Philly) (5442c1)

  82. Laramie guess…illegal votes denied Trump his rightful victory.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  83. well it was more decisive then 2012,

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Wyoming,_2012

    but it does seem a small sample, no?

    narciso (732bc0)

  84. According to “Bing Predicts”, the Lying Leftist Democrat Donald Trump who supports criminal violence against women was supposed to get 40.4 percent of the Wyoming vote. He fell 33 points short.

    John Hitchcock (682188)

  85. yes yes as goes Wyoming

    happyfeet (831175)

  86. according to Mr. narciso’s link Mr. Cruz got more than twice the percentage of the vote that Rick Santorum got in 2012

    happyfeet (831175)

  87. In related news, DC comics go for Rubio over Kasich.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  88. maverick and romney, swept those consecutively,

    narciso (732bc0)

  89. well maybe not,

    Well, they had McCain’s number in 2008, too, so why don’t we replace Iowa with Wyoming in the future.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  90. Stop the presses! It’s a whole new ballgame!

    John Boehner has endorsed John Kasich!

    This is likely to swing a majority of votes in the Boehner immediate family, plus at least a dozen or two staffers.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  91. narcisco–

    Romney won both times.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  92. plus at least a dozen or two staffers.

    Aren’t those staffers now working for someone else?

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  93. If the state convention’s choices correspond to today’s vote, then next month WY will probably become another of Cruz’ required eight states under (current) RNC Rule 40(b).

    Beldar (fa637a)

  94. Beldar: thanks for keeping up your calm and reasoned posts. There is a lot of noise this season, and you are among several people who keep me reading these comments sections.

    Simon Jester (3a8769)

  95. there were a number of issues, where trump revealed himself to be unsuitable, tiananmen and cuba were two, but the amount of overheated rhetoric about every other aspect gets tiring, he’s not going to retire from the contest, until this project is finished,

    narciso (732bc0)

  96. What was the voter turnout in 08 and 12 compared to now??

    MD in Philly (at the moment not in Philly) (5442c1)

  97. Well, Boehner is from Ohio, after all…
    urban meyer endorsed Kasich…
    whatever that means

    MD in Philly (at the moment not in Philly) (5442c1)

  98. about twice as high, as today, so the fever doesn’t seem to have hit dc, why should it, it has been the largest beneficiary of the last 8 years.

    narciso (732bc0)

  99. More and more, it is becoming apparent that MO is essentially a must-win for Cruz on Tuesday. I have never had much hope for IL. Ted may get a decent share of the CD delegates there, but after yesterday, anything but a Trump runaway for the statewide result would be a shock.

    Also, I don’t see how Ted puts together a delegate count unless both Kasich and Rubio get lost. That is a lot to hope for at this point.

    Here is a rose-colored look at how it might could happen, though.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  100. Thanks for linking that, Ed. Very interesting indeed!

    Beldar (fa637a)

  101. Everyone wants Rubio to drop out, but Florida has early voting. So people have already voted for him, and those people essentially become disenfranchised if their guy drops out a week after they already voted for him.
    If he had dropped out several days ago, and then encouraged his supporters to vote for Cruz in an effort to stop Trump, they could do that if there wasn’t early voting.
    But as a result of early voting, Rubio has no choice but to hang in there in Florida, and see where the ball bounces.

    Ultimately, this sort of predicament is an argument against “early voting.”

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  102. Bernie Sanders is several fries short of a happy meal. You can see it in his eyes.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  103. and early voting was part of the cloward/piven expansion of the franchise, and it’s turned out great hasn’t it?

    narciso (732bc0)

  104. 77 Beldar

    WY native here (currently not in WY).

    Its a state that goes back and forth between democrat and republican governors. On the whole though they put up R’s to the federal positions. If you consider Al Simpson an R.

    The only casino I know of is on the Wind River Reservation. I think it was installed by General Steel so its not too fancy. I used to stand by the barbed wire fences covered in garbage with a tear rolling down my cheek.

    I was just thinking of a story my dad told me. Gov Ed Hershler left office to go home to Evanston and packed everything in a Uhaul. He drove out of Cheyenne, along with the chief justice of the Supreme Court. At some point they broke down or ran out of gas and they couldn’t get anyone to stop and help them.

    pinandpuller (0845e7)

  105. Rev. TrusTED Hoagie ™ (eb7063) — 3/12/2016 @ 6:27 pm

    Men and women aren’t the same, but accepting your premise that jostling is part of the biz (and lord knows the old trope was for Rosalind Russell/ lois lane to lean into the jostle), that was the explanatation or go-to defense when it first became t little story. Too late now, the first story was I didn’t do it, nobody saw me do it, there’s no way you can prove anything!

    So, guilty, dishonest, willing to call someone a liar to get away with a, by your own premise, nothing. A NOTHING. He will lie about a NOTHING.

    SarahW (67599f)

  106. 101. …So people have already voted for him, and those people essentially become disenfranchised if their guy drops out a week after they already voted for him.

    No, they’re not disenfranchised. You simply can’t stretch the meaning of the word that far. Disenfranchised means something; depriving someone of their right to vote. Wasting votes on a candidate who has no path to victory isn’t disenfranchisement in any way, shape, or form.

    Any Florida voters who wasted their votes by voting for Rubio in early voting are no more disenfranchised than voters who wasted their votes on Rubio in other states.

    …But as a result of early voting, Rubio has no choice but to hang in there in Florida, and see where the ball bounces.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 3/12/2016 @ 8:05 pm

    That’s nonsense. Of course he has a choice. He has the same choice now that he has after March 15; drop out of the race.

    Steve57 (79ea4f)

  107. yes, this is a vizzini understanding of disenfranchised, I know since 2000, it was defined down to those voting who were ineligible, thanks tapper,

    narciso (732bc0)

  108. 83 narciso

    Do libertarians get to caucus in caucus states? I went to some deal for the libertarian party in the 90’s. I don’t even know how long WY has been a caucus state. Just your low information guy all the way.

    pinandpuller (c16705)

  109. no they have a secret ballot, details unspecified, then a convention,

    narciso (732bc0)

  110. Narciso

    I guess the thing I don’t get about caucusing is can someone still absentee vote? Too late now but asking for an army son.

    pinandpuller (a12946)

  111. Steve57,

    I don’t understand why it’s nonsense.
    Cruz is totally lagging behind in Florida.
    It’s going to come down to Trump or Rubio.

    Rubio is already leading Trump in early voting. What I’m saying is, those ‘early voting’ Rubio votes could theoretically be transferred to Cruz if voting were restricted to the traditional “Primary Day.”
    But since so many people have already voted for Rubio courtesy of ‘early voting,’ it’s a wiser strategy to see if he can pull off the victory.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  112. if he’s deployed away, it depends how far is it to the primary, in order to request and send back
    ballots,

    narciso (732bc0)

  113. Cruz Supporter, it’s nonsense to say that Rubio doesn’t have a choice. He may be leading in early voting but that doesn’t mean he’ll beat Trump overall. Staying in and seeing if he can pull off the victory will prove very unwise strategy should he lose his home state. As appears likely.

    Steve57 (79ea4f)

  114. “The Miserable Republic Shall Be

    Usurped By A New Leader.

    Under Pretense Of Redemption From Bondage

    He Shall Practice Fraud On Pure Youth.

    His Book Shal Be Read To The Army–

    A False Greatness!”

    Nostradamus knows what’s up.

    pinandpuller (0845e7)

  115. 1. Col. – Right on.

    mg (31009b)

  116. occupy wall st.
    black lives matter
    gays and trannys
    team republican let them have their way.
    sickening.

    mg (31009b)

  117. Ted should have went after the crowd of scum not Trump.
    Poor advice from some hack.

    mg (31009b)

  118. http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/03/trump_storm_troopers_mob_sanders_rally_force_cancellation.html
    You muffed this one Ted. I hope you can figure a way out of this, maybe next time keep your pie hole shut.

    mg (31009b)

  119. West/Cruz

    mg (31009b)

  120. My primary objection to Cruz has always been his eligibility. I was disappointed that I could not vote for him.

    No more. Cruz showed what he is…just another pol.

    creeper (b33f14)

  121. I’ve changed my mind about Cruz, he is knuckling under. It does not help that his staunchest supporters are drooling imbeciles.

    DNF (755a85)

  122. OT but pertinent:

    http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2016/02/22/earth-is-a-1-in-700-quintillion-kind-of-place/#.VuV6rFUrKVM

    As bad as my circumstances get, my life is charmed; evidence that God is with me.

    DNF (755a85)

  123. The Colonel got it wrong:

    Bernie Sanders is several fries short of a happy meal. You can see it in his eyes.

    The problem is that Senator Sanders didn’t get the toy he wanted in his Happy Meal, and thinks that not only he, but All Of America have been cheated on their Happy Meal toys, and therefore the Government must step in and demand Happy Meal toys for everyone, and buy everyone a Happy Meal, out of everyone else’s wallets.

    The slightly amused Dana (1b79fa)

  124. Rev. TrusTED Hoagie ™” : Sorry, but no way, no how. Donald Trump is trying to run a Real Man’s campaign, showing how tough he is, and people have responded to that. But real men don’t grab women and try to throw them to the ground, period, yet Mr Trump is keeping Mr Pipsqueak Lewandowski around.

    Mr Lewandowski’s latest claim is that it wasn’t him, that he was misidentified. That might hold water, if the Trump campaign had also identified, and fired, the man who roughed up Michelle Fields. Given that there were only a few, known staffers around Mr Trump at the time, that shouldn’t be a difficult task, not when they have the video of the assault, but they haven’t done that.

    The Dana who doesn't beat up on women (1b79fa)

  125. Dana, at #58 on the Breitbart reporter assaulted… thread A.R. posted a new video that shows no assault took place.

    Behold, the great assault on video from a new angle.

    Whatever happened there—and it’s very little—she was coming at the candidate with an object in her hand. But still nothing happened of any significance at all. She’s a fabulist and a lying opportunist.

    A.R. (405c5e) — 3/13/2016 @ 3:02 am

    ropelight (885d54)

  126. But real men don’t grab women and try to throw them to the ground, period, yet Mr Trump is keeping Mr Pipsqueak Lewandowski around.

    The Dana who doesn’t beat up on women I never said anybody has the right to grab anybody, man or woman, and throw them to the ground, did I? And I didn’t say Trump should keep Lewandowski, did I? What I said was that by being a paparazzi the woman put herself in a position where she should have known it could and even would happen sooner or later. What I said was “Mr. Pipsqueak” roughed up a paparazzi not a woman. If Lewandowski was a woman it still would not be right but Ms. Pipsqueak would still have been attacking a paparazzi not another woman. IOW, being a woman does not give someone a pass if they enter a profession that is or can become rough.

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  127. #114 Steve,

    When I said Rubio doesn’t have a choice, I wasn’t suggesting he’s having his free will taken away from him. Of course he has “a choice.” I was speaking proverbially.
    In the pursuit of strategy to prevent Trump from winning FL, Rubio is in much better position than either Cruz or Kasich.
    “Early voting” is a big deterrent to Rubio withdrawing from FL prior to Tuesday simply because Rubio has already had a good turnout via “early voting” and those votes can’t be transferred to Cruz as they could if there were only voting on Tuesday.
    So if Rubio were to drop out TODAY, there would still result in a split field among the “Not Trump” vote simply due to how many people have already voted early for Rubio.

    I wish Rubio had gotten out prior to “early voting” so that his voters could coalesce behind Cruz. That would also be perceived as “taking one for the team,” thereby enabling him a better footing for a 2018 Gubernatorial run. But if he loses the FL primary to Trump, that could hurt his chances for 2018.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  128. Perhaps it was an outbreak of MGM amnesia.
    (MGM=Murray Gell-Mann)

    Looking at the most recent video linked, it would appear that something happened that was forcible, but doesn’t appear anything near a takedown.
    In a reasonable world she had a reason to complain of unexpectedly harsh physical treatment, and the Trump people would have acknowledged the incident from their perspective (instead of saying nothing happened)
    and everyone would have gone their ways and something more substantial would have been talked about for 72 hours of so.
    But a reasonable world we do not have, and usually there is plenty of blame to go around.
    It is hard for me to think of what is shown as “assault”,
    But it does look like something to be apologized for.

    MD not exactly in Philly (b0439a)

  129. He wasn’t roughing up a woman, he was roughing up a paparazzi. Now you all can argue for a week about how nobody has the right to rough up this or that but the fact is the paparazzi gets in the middle of things and they get roughed up. So this woman can be a lady or a paparazzi but not both and she chose the latter. But she has no more right to claim she can’t be roughed up because of her sex than a female soldier does about complaining the enemy is shooting at her. It comes with the territory. I know there is a “safe space” for her at Harvard but in the rough and tumble world of news and politics there is no place for a snowflake.

    Again, wait just a minute. The setting was was a press conference. It was an event intentionally designated and scheduled for reporters to have access to the candidate. It was an event where the candidate was in control. It wasn’t a scrum of paparazzi fighting on the sidewalk with each other for a glimpse, photo, or shouted question to a star being hustled into a venue or outside to a waiting car. There is a difference. Again, if you look at the photo I linked to at 69, I think it’s extremely clear to the objective eye that this was not a highly-charged environment, nor anything resembling one – like a Trump rally, for instance.

    And you’re right: because she’s a woman, she has no claim to special treatment because of her gender. However, no one has the right to assault or commit battery on another person – be they male or female. Thus, no male or female should accept that assault or battery comes with the territory if the law has been broken as a result. That should be a problem to everyone. The law is gender-blind in that way.

    Further, a press conference with the leading GOP candidate and fighting in a war are not remotely similar. If they are, then I would suggest there is a serious, serious problem with the press conference.

    I understand, and agree with your point that if women demand to be treated like men and enter what were once male-dominated jobs, then they also assume the risks that come with said positions. However, in this case, there was no attending risk. Moreover, if the alleged assault took place, then a crime was committed. And that would hold true whether it was a male or female reporter with the bruising.

    Dana (0ee61a)

  130. That is a helpful video for Lewandowski, ropelight. Arethere different people in the background than in the other videos?

    DRJ (15874d)

  131. Wait, so Rubio is a good guy now? Hours ago on this website Rubio was a piece of shit.

    So hard to keep up these days.

    Mitch (bfd5cd)

  132. Where is ropelight’s video linked?

    Dana (0ee61a)

  133. Dana, see the comment addressed to you at #126 above.

    ropelight (885d54)

  134. Yes, Dana, She was at a press conference and I’ve seen fist fights break out at a supermarket checkout. I have already pointed out:

    However, no one has the right to assault or commit battery on another person – be they male or female. Thus, no male or female should accept that assault or battery comes with the territory if the law has been broken as a result.

    Need I repeat it every time? It’s all illegal. Against anybody. By anybody. But in any political context it is possible. I am not going to further discuss this. If you do not understand my point now you are beyond never will. If a person, any person man or woman, puts themselves in a position where something CAN happen and then it DOES happen they shouldn’t cry foul. And you shouldn’t defend them because “she’s a woman” and you don’t hurt women, you should defend them because it’s wrong.

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  135. Anyone can make a claim, but a police report is a sworn statement and should be subject to those protocols.

    narciso (87f852)

  136. PS: it’s not my video link, it’s A.R.’s I tried to include his link in my comment above, but it didn’t come through.

    ropelight (885d54)

  137. The GrabGate video shows Fields and a short-haired man that makes you think it is Lewandowski, but I think that’s a security agent. If so, this doesn’t help Lewandowski because the incident had already happened.

    DRJ (15874d)

  138. Nice editing, though.

    DRJ (15874d)

  139. Yeah, DRJ, you can tell by the look on her face that she had just escaped an assault on her life.

    ropelight (885d54)

  140. Trump may bring charges against protesters. Good and I hope he does. I hope he also considers the Instapundit suggestion that MoveOn, Sanders, et al, are conspiring to violate his free speech rights.

    DRJ (15874d)

  141. But in any political context it is possible…

    If a person, any person man or woman, puts themselves in a position where something CAN happen and then it DOES happen they shouldn’t cry foul. And you shouldn’t defend them because “she’s a woman” and you don’t hurt women, you should defend them because it’s wrong.

    Good Lord, something can happen anywhere, anytime. That’s life. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you are trying to convince us that a political press conference is a risky environment in which to work, and that reporters and cameramen, etc. should be cognizant of that fact, and therefore, not complain if and when the inevitable happens. That seems absurd to me. A press conference is not a political campaign rally. And certainly not a Trump rally. Why is similar behavior not happening at the Cruz, Rubio, or Kasich rallies – or pressers? Further, if an alleged assault of a reporter happened at a Hillary or Bernie, or even Obama presser, do you think you would see it in the same light?

    I am not defending Fields because she is a woman. I think I’ve been very clear that the law is the law, and that whether it’s a man or woman who has been (allegedly) assaulted, then the law has been broken.

    I’m just surprised at your statements because to me, they seem to come awfully close to a justification.

    Dana (0ee61a)

  142. That isn’t the issue, of course, ropelight.

    I know Trump followers want Trump to push the envelope, just like Obama has. I understand those feelings. They aren’t logical but emotion is a big part of politics and that’s all that matters to Democrats and, apparently, Independents and some Republicans.

    DRJ (15874d)

  143. And your statements, Dana, come awfully close to willfully swallowing a manufactured smear. Have you looked at the video in conveniently linked by DRJ at #137 above?

    ropelight (885d54)

  144. DRJ, What is the issue?

    ropelight (885d54)

  145. But in any political context it is possible…

    If a person, any person man or woman, puts themselves in a position where something CAN happen and then it DOES happen they shouldn’t cry foul.

    So, if people take potshots at a politician, that’s just part of the game, too? It is in India and Pakistan, so why not here? Is that what you’re saying?

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  146. #134… that guy took the last tub o’cream cheese, Hoagie, and he deserved the beatdown!

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  147. I believe the reason this was classified as Misdemeanor Battery is because the injury was slight — slight bruising. The charge fits the injury she claims.

    If the injury had been worse, the charge would have been, too. In Florida, that would be aggravated felony battery, which occurs when the victim suffers great bodily harm or permanent injury, or is pregnant and the perpetrator knows about the pregnancy.

    DRJ (15874d)

  148. I see no evidence of injury, none.

    ropelight (885d54)

  149. I watched a video of the speech that Trump gave on Friday in a large theater in St Louis and the number of protesters lodged in among the audience and who interrupted him repeatedly during his chatter was interesting. He did say the protests made the evening exciting. But he barked in an annoyed tone of “get ’em outta here!” whenever a commotion would arise and stop his ruminating.

    He mentioned Howard Stern during one moment of the evening, an act of one loudmouth New Yorker praising another loudmouth New Yorker.

    America in 2016 is becoming like a real-life version of the 1970’s movie “Network,” where everything is full of blatant showmanship, shouting and anger.

    It feels as though we’re entering the end times (officially commenced by disreputable Bill Clinton in 1999), the US in its twilight.

    Mark (003427)

  150. Dana,

    I don’t think the GrabGate video shows Fields and Lewandowsi. I think it shows Fields and a security officer after the incident that she filed charges about.

    DRJ (15874d)

  151. In the #137 video, a few things are clear:

    1) Fields was simply held up, not “thrown”.
    2) It wasn’t the security guard, who continued on past behind Fields, wherever he was headed.
    3) It probably was C Lew, who can be seen with his back to the camera, also stopped and rotated towards Fields.

    So, Fields was restrained while asking Trump a question, but not in any violent way, and the Trump campaign is lying.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  152. Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063) — 3/13/2016 @ 8:35 am
    Actually, women should be treated less roughly, because they are smaller and easier to knock down and often in wobbly shoes- but assuming they are insinuating themselves assertively when the man wants to get by, and that anyone in the path might be moved aside, WHY LIE ABOUT IT.

    It’s the freaking denial and character digs that are the issue. This was a nothing? Ok, then. Express some tepid regret for unintended and a weak apology for fog of war = the nature of crowd management.

    If at worst she was treated roughly, did not expect it and understand it, but the candidate just wanted to leave the venue and get by without stopping, then for pete’s sake don’t turn it into a witchfry. Send her a note and a frozen case of ribeyes and that’s the end of it.

    SarahW (67599f)

  153. There is a photo that purports to be a bruise on Fields’ armT that she says happened in this incident.

    DRJ (15874d)

  154. It’s too late to handle the reporter’s complaint the way it should have been handled; Trump just proved the Bart Simpson defense is what you’ll get for the duration, that’s how he and his people roll. I’ve had enough of that.

    SarahW (67599f)

  155. it’s in the popo’s hands now ropelight – they get to decide if there was injury on pipsy

    happyfeet (831175)

  156. Kevin M,

    Help me out. I don’t see Lewandowski in the GrabGate video at comment 137. Where do you see him? All I see are some short-haired security guys, including one who walks past Fields on the left and touches her as he passes her.

    DRJ (15874d)

  157. If something happened between Fields and Lewandowski, I think it had already happened before the GrabGate video started.

    DRJ (15874d)

  158. Maybe it is Lewandowski after all. Hopefully whoever took the video can help the police. There were lots of people there so there are many witnesses.

    DRJ (15874d)

  159. DRJ–

    At 0:04, you see a close-cropped man’s back to you. At 0:05, you see the security agent (ear phone) pass behind. Unless there is a third close-cropped man in the play, that would be C Lew at 0:04.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  160. yes yes and Lewandowski will pay for his crimes with the full weight of justice on his head

    failmerica lol

    happyfeet (831175)

  161. I see the facial expressions of a women in no distress what-so-ever.

    ropelight (885d54)

  162. I agree it had already happened — Trump has moved on and Fields has stopped, and so has whomever is standing facing Fields, as the scrum moves past them.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  163. Mr. ropelight she seems to only have two expressions – her dazzling runner up beauty queen teefer flash smile and her “I am a serious journalist” face

    happyfeet (831175)

  164. Dana, this is your statemet in commet #141:

    I’m just surprised at your statements because to me, they seem to come awfully close to a justification.

    This is mine in #134:

    Need I repeat it every time? It’s all illegal. Against anybody. By anybody. But in any political context it is possible.

    How is that close to a justification? You like to argue just for the sake of arguing?

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  165. Distress? No. Probably more concerned about her balance, having been halted unexpectedly. Just the same, she was grabbed and forced to go somewhere she did not choose to go. That is an assault of some sort.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  166. Keep in mind that she’s an immigrant from Honduras who opposes Trump’s policies on illegal immigration.

    ropelight (885d54)

  167. Or perhaps that is just her WTF? face.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  168. i wanna talk about how national review hates poor white people

    those are some of my favorite places to visit and you feel so good about ordering a second slice of pie or picking up a snapback or whatever supplies you need in places like that

    happyfeet (831175)

  169. Keep in mind that she’s an immigrant from Honduras who opposes Trump’s policies on illegal immigration.

    Why should that have anything to do with anything? Does this mean she has fewer rights in your universe?

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  170. special snowflake’s consumed too many oxygens already

    happyfeet (831175)

  171. I think you are right, Kevin, but I also think the claimed battery occurred prior to the GrabGate video. What we see in that excerpt is Lewandowski walking past Fields after the longer video shows what may be him grabbing her from behind her.

    DRJ (15874d)

  172. Next I want to hear ropelight and hf defend Trump against charges of misogyny. Oh,wait, they have to defend themselves first.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  173. I’m not swallowing anything, ropelight.

    I just watched the video about 5 times and stopped it at several points to look more closely. The only thing for sure that stood out to me was that it was indeed Fields, and that the man in the video appears to also have a blue collar sticking out above his jacket like Lewandowski. I don’t know that it is Lewandowski, of course, as do none of us. However, it can’t be established one way or the other because we know that at some point, Fields was able to stand next to Trump, almost side-by-side, and perhaps ask him the question she claimed to have asked. She claims it was *after* she asked him a question about affirmative action that she was grabbed.

    What is confusing is if the video link shows *the* reported “yanking towards the ground”, then when was she standing next to Trump’s side appearing as if in conversation with him? Was that before the video link? Because the photo clearly shows she was next to him and yet according to the snippet of video, she did not reach him at that point in time. If he “yanked her towards the ground” and it was that traumatizing, I doubt she would try again to go through Lewandowski to reach Trump. Or did she stand next to Trump after the video’s no-grab, and Lewandowski then came upon her and did the yank toward the ground? That which was not seen in the video?

    I wish there was something from point A to point B from the other angle that would help either debunk or defend Fields’ claim. But, given what we’ve learned from our host’s admonitions about video not providing a full picture, I’m inclined to wait and see if an investigation proceeds.

    Dana (0ee61a)

  174. The Rashomon effect is contradictory interpretations of the same event by different people. The phrase derives from the film Rashomon, where the accounts of the witnesses, suspects, and victims of a rape and murder are all different.

    Mark (003427)

  175. Sorry, Kevin, for repeating what you said. I’m typing slow today.

    DRJ (15874d)

  176. Alan West was fired from PJ media for grabbing Michelle Fields’ breasts in front of an elevator.

    It doesn’t look like any charges were filed in that case.

    pinandpuller (0845e7)

  177. This, Hoagie: If a person, any person man or woman, puts themselves in a position where something CAN happen and then it DOES happen they shouldn’t cry foul.

    Dana (0ee61a)

  178. Rashomon is a great film, btw.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  179. i hate flashbacks they always feel like homework

    happyfeet (831175)

  180. Michelle may be a ditz who once accused Alan West of groping her (it’s a GOTNews “exclusive” so the whole story could be fiction), but next to Trump she is credible.

    Likewise, the loony leftists and welfare recipients who trashed Trump’s rally in Chicago, who in other circumstances nobody even spit on, look credible up against Trump.

    Trump has sunk the standard of political debate to the bottom-most sludge of the cesspool. He should choke on his vomit and the sooner the better, the badgerheaded disgusting old creep.

    nk (dbc370)

  181. nobody *would* even spit on

    nk (dbc370)

  182. 177.This, Hoagie: If a person, any person man or woman, puts themselves in a position where something CAN happen and then it DOES happen they shouldn’t cry foul.
    Dana (0ee61a) — 3/13/2016 @ 10:46 am

    I’m sorry Dana, I now realize that a person should be able to put themselves in a position where something can happen and when it does happen, like they knew it could all along, suddenly they are the victim. Gotcha. I should have known better. Does that make me your victim?

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  183. And I looked, and behold, a pale blazer. And the name of her who wore it was Fields, and allegations followed with her. And power was given to them over a fourth of the campaigns, to kill with word, with anger, with dearth, and by the beasts of the net.

    Hey, its Sunday y’all.

    pinandpuller (c16705)

  184. Very apropos.

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  185. #182, No, Hoagie, that makes you a knowingly lying piece of caca tuckfard.

    John Hitchcock (682188)

  186. Good luck proving those bruises came from any criminal incident… and good luck pinning them on anyone in particular.
    Also look for bruises could well be from “rough sex with someone who isn’t her boyfriend” angle to emerge. It’s a time honored angle that embarrasses the woman and humiliates the boyfriend.

    By the way, the left is playing GOP pearl clutchers for the chumps they are.
    Bernie Sanders is a surrogate for Hillary. His job is to get out the Black Lives Matter, Occupy, and college vote. Energize them, organize them and then flip as many as possible to her at the end.
    The only way she could lose is if there is disinterest and low turnout from the Democrat bases like college, black, crazy. Bernie’s job is to motivate, then back out.
    Get named next Supreme Court justice or Ambassador to Cuba…

    steveg (fed1c9)

  187. Speaking of Alan West, he might be a good endorsement for Trump. He’s all for enhanced interrogation techniques (mock execution) and allegedly abuses women.

    pinandpuller (c16705)

  188. Interesting isn’t it Hoagie, you think you know people, and then you find out you didn’t know them at all?

    ropelight (885d54)

  189. 185.#182, No, Hoagie, that makes you a knowingly lying piece of caca tuckfard.

    Do you have Tourette’s Syndrome or do just feel the need to unleash a filthy, disgusting, vulgar barrage of slang against anyone with whom you disagree even over the most minor points? What has happened to you, Hitchcock? You never used to post comments like that or call people all kinds of low-class names. What on earth would provoke such a disgusting display of no self control from a grown man? You really need to have that checked out there’s no need to go ballistic every time you don’t agree with someone. You’ve been doing this to happyfeet and ropelight and I ignored most of it figuring the heat of politics and all. But going all gutter on me? Are you insane? Over what?

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  190. “Keep in mind that she’s an immigrant from Honduras who opposes Trump’s policies on illegal immigration.”

    – ropelight

    Oh no, an immigrant. Sound the alarm.

    Leviticus (5271b7)

  191. ropelight, that was unbelievable and completely uncalled for. I thought Hitchcock was taking it way too personal with you guys about Trump. But he’s lost all control and all sense of proportion at this point. I think he’s losing it.

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  192. Trump treats ad hominem attacks as a legitimate debate. Why should his supporters balk at being on the receiving end of it?

    Leviticus (5271b7)

  193. *a legitimate debate tactic

    Leviticus (5271b7)

  194. At least as an immigrant Ms. Fields came to do the job Americans don’t want to do: make $175,000 a year as a news reporter. I’m sure no Americans could use that job.

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  195. 192.Trump treats ad hominem attacks as a legitimate debate. Why should his supporters balk at being on the receiving end of it?

    Because Hitchcock isn’t Trump and should be above that sort of stupidity. At least I thought he was. And his and hominem attack was against me not a Trump supporter unless you’re referring to ropelight and happyfeet.

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  196. “When The Man Comes Around Sh*t Hits The Fan”

    “And I heard, as it were, the noise of bullsh*t
    One of the four beasts saying,
    ‘Come and see.’ and I saw, and behold, it was not good”
    There’s a man called Obama talkin’ trash
    And he decides what is right and who is rash
    And a redistribution of your cash
    You’ll get a well-aimed kick in your can
    When the Sh*t hits the fan

    The liars on the Left will storm the gates
    The press they will drool and lay in wait
    Will you stand tall and speak against the hate?
    Or disappear, refuse to make a stand?
    When the Sh*t hits the fan

    Hear the Trumpets hear the ciphers
    Move ON, BLM and La Raza
    Multitudes are marchin’ to the big Fascist Groove Thing
    Voices shoutin’, voices cryin’
    Most unshorn and most are lyin’
    More’s the pity that it’s come to this
    And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree
    The Young Ones are there lapping it up
    The whirlwind is in the thorn tree
    The Smart Ones aren’t drinking from that cup

    Teh Won has surely wrought what he has sown
    Roosting chickens have all been called to home
    The wise man won’t bow down before this throne
    Our time on earth is but a grain of sand
    When the Sh*t hits the fan

    Whoever’s unjust will be unjust still
    Whoever’s righteous will be righteous still
    Whoever’s filthy will be filthy still
    Don’t listen to the words said by this man
    When the Sh*t hits the fan

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  197. i’m no trump supporter, for i am gripped with ennui, but i think he’s got more moxie than the other Rs and i think he for reals wants to make America great again

    and i think he’ll be a very good steward while the Rs take a time out and figure out their principles

    happyfeet (831175)

  198. 194 rev

    That kind of belies the whole citizen journalist schtic. I bet she walked uphill to America both ways.

    pinandpuller (0845e7)

  199. once he said Newt would be his chief of staff, that’s the day when i figured out that yup, this Donald guy, we should all be so grateful to him for coming along as he has

    like after he’s president we should all take him to chili’s for baby-back ribs

    happyfeet (831175)

  200. Cruz, to no one’s surprise, is eager to continue in one-on-one debates with Trump. From his interview yesterday on Hewitt’s radio show:

    HH: … Senator Cruz, are you open to more debates. If the invitation is extended, will you accept them? And from the RNC and a media partner, and will you sit down for long form interviews with MSM?

    MS: Absolutely, yes. I think we ought to have debates, particularly next week, I hope and believe the race will formally narrow to two voters. Right now, there’s only one candidate who can beat Donald Trump, that Donald and I are the only two with any plausible path to the nomination. And when we’re one on one, there need to be one on one debates.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  201. Sorry — I ought to have said, from Cruz’ interview on Friday with Hewitt.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  202. Mr. Cruz just wants to have debates cause he’s a better debater than Mr. Trump

    happyfeet (831175)

  203. GOP pearl clutchers are falling for a divide and conquer strategy against them, and a unite and conquer by the Dems.
    Reince Preibus is an idiot and has exerted no power against:

    1. Too many in the field for too long.
    2. Attacks on each other
    3. No coordinated attacks on Hillary

    Lots of folks here think Cruz is the guy, but although he has done better than I thought he would, Cruz has not been able to present his case to the public in a way that has won them over. There is a large segment of people that either don’t get, or don’t like Cruz… and that is a bigger segment that has high negatives about Trump within the GOP and then head to head vs. Clinton.
    Which is one huge reason why Trump is beating him.
    People like lawyers that talk like Gerry Spence, not Cruz (or Hillary with her parsed evasiveness)

    The only way I see for Cruz to win would be if Rubio and Kasich drop out now and let Cruz go straight up against Hillary while ignoring Trump as much as possible.
    Just keep repeating (my policy) beats Hillary here like this this and this, and Donald’s does not. Rather than (my policy) is better than Donald’s blah blah blah. Because the longer the GOP runs against each other, the more of a free ride the Dems get.

    Trump is impossible to ignore though, the media will pound Cruz to contrast himself with Trump, but Trump is easily dismissed by simply saying (my policy) beats Hillary here here and here. Inevitably media will ask how that beats Trump policy and Cruz should co opt “Make America Great Again” by Cruz saying he agrees entirely with making America Great, making great deals etc, but those are GOP goals not Trump goals, and Cruz’ specific plans and policies will expedite and bring about these things this way. So when Trump simply says “Great Deals!, America Great! with no specifics, point out those are excellent goals, but without specifics its an empty promise.

    It’s easy to hit Hillary on deals because she’s made some of the worst deals of all time for the US, but has been great at selling herself out since 2000. The good deals she makes are selling speeches for $225K a pop and selling crony influence.
    Also she has done nothing to make America great. People who support Hillary still have trouble telling us anything of her accomplishments that go beyond narrow special interests (her widest category of vague accomplishment is she has been a woman all her life, her second place accomplishment is that she is with Bill)

    I’ve never understood why no one effectively said things to coopt Trump’s America. Saying you agree the American people want… and then reframe immigration, or fear of muslim terrorists infiltrating refugee populations, etc from Trump rhetoric into an intelligent policy.
    Cruz is supposed to be brilliant, so if he can’t do coopt Trump’s “Make America Great Again” then he will lose the primary… and that will not have been brilliant

    steveg (fed1c9)

  204. I’m sorry Dana, I now realize that a person should be able to put themselves in a position where something can happen and when it does happen, like they knew it could all along, suddenly they are the victim. Gotcha. I should have known better. Does that make me your victim?
    Hoagie,

    As far as I can tell, you believe a political presser is a risky work environment. Like everybody and their brother knows that, and Fields especially should have known. I just don’t happen to believe that it is a risky environment,either for women or men. If it were, we would have oodles of reported incidents from various pressers over the years under various administrations. But we don’t. So, your statement doesn’t seem accurate. And, in that it hasn’t been occurring at other candidates’ pressers (as far as we know), it leads me to believe that it is specific to Trump’s campaign.

    Your sarcasm and irritation with me is confusing given that we’ve been able to always maintain a polite and cordial manner with each other, no matter the disagreement. I have no intention of offending you, nor trying your patience. I am simply attempting to understand you. I don’t think you get my point. Which is funny because I suspect you may feel the same way.

    Nonetheless, I wish you well.

    Dana (0ee61a)

  205. and that is a bigger segment that has high negatives about Trump within the GOP and then head to head vs. Clinton.

    I think I’ve figured out what this was supposed to say, and if so you’re exactly backwards.

    Cruz not saying what you want him to hear is probably due to integrity, sorta a flip of Trump being willing to say what everyone wants to hear before the deals are reached and promises broken, time after time.

    Anyway, I care about my country and won’t help nominate a thug who calls for violence and then shrugs it off when it happens, or fights against freedom to keep property or freedom of speech. Principles matter to some of us.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  206. And meanwhile, in the District of Columbia, Ted Cruz gets the very best possible backhanded compliment, finishing fourth among the handful of Washington bureaucrats who, for whatever strange reason, decide to vote in a GOP caucus:

    Announced results gave Rubio 37.3 percent of the 2,839 votes cast. Kasich was close behind with 35.5 percent, a difference of less than two percentage points. That suggested that each might get nearly the same number of delegates.

    Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) trailed by substantial margins. Trump got 13.8 percent of the votes and Cruz 12.4 percent.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  207. Cruz has not been able to present his case to the public in a way that has won them over. There is a large segment of people that either don’t get, or don’t like Cruz

    A large part of that is purely visceral, the way most people respond either more positively or less positively towards a stranger based on the purely superficial, on his/her looks and demeanor.

    Cruz is ideologically the best (at least to me) among the Republicans, but when it comes to external qualities, he’s lacking. So he doesn’t get a bump among non-conservatives, centrists and certainly liberals (and also even a few staunch conservatives reacting emotionally, not philosophically) the way the current person in the White House got back in 2008 (or 2012, for that matter).

    Personally, I could never relate to the phenomenon of Republicans acting the way Peggy Noonan did in 2008, but it was there to behold, in all its stupefying glory.

    Mark (003427)

  208. Trump, on Meet the Press:

    “All I know is what’s on the Internet.”

    Twain:

    “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  209. Oh — and they had exactly one polling location:

    [T]he 2,839 voters amounted to only about half of the approximately 6,000 who, according to party leaders, cast ballots four years ago when voting was spread throughout the city’s precincts.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  210. once he said Newt would be his chief of staff, that’s the day when i figured out that yup, this Donald guy, we should all be so grateful to him for coming along as he has

    I’m going to assume that this is sarcasm of something, since neither Trump nor Newt has ever spoken of this.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  211. they had exactly one polling location

    This made it easier to photograph those few bureaucrats daring to vote GOP.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  212. Mea culpa, Dana. I was a bit sarcastic. I apologize. Again, I’m not saying it’s “risky” as in it happens all the time. I mean when you’re in large, emotionally charged crowds and you’re pushing and shoving to get a “scoop” crap happens and they should expect crap to happen. Being a woman is not an excuse for crap not to happen. We’re not that far apart, Dana, you’re a very nice person and I’m sorry I was short. I wish you well too. Spring’s coming, the clocks sprung ahead, what could go wrong?

    Rev. Hoagie ™ (eb7063)

  213. Steveg

    Cruz can lay out all the plans he wants but a lot of people figure that any policy is going to look different when it comes out of Congress.

    They either like Ted or they don’t. And quite a few don’t.

    pinandpuller (c16705)

  214. Really hasn’t anyone considered how stupid and too late the “back and to the left” discourse is? You can assume that there was a minimal “crime” – misunderstanding and unexpected roughness and still find Trump completely at fault for the graceless and flame-throwing reaction.

    There’s room between hoax and lady-punching, and if Trump had any sensible staff or was sensible himself, they should have framed it differently. If it was just an abrupt clearing of the way that any decent reporter has got to get used to, why did they jump to “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTbgsoHDc24”?

    SarahW (67599f)

  215. i like how combative the trump people are with the press it’s a nice change

    here’s an interesting new way for to make espressos without any electricity molecules involved

    if you like it you can hit the widger on the side to your right

    that would be SUPER cool to have for a road trip no?

    happyfeet (831175)

  216. “Just add hot water”

    SarahW (67599f)

  217. they also have this one where you use nespresso pods and is way easier to clean up

    happyfeet (831175)

  218. i’ve had good luck using these immersion heaters with pyrex measuring cups – they even make the kind that go in your cigarette lighter, but i guarantee you’d probably never actually use that

    happyfeet (831175)

  219. I don’t have a cig lighter but Flexxy has lots of 12 volts.

    SarahW (67599f)

  220. “i like how combative the trump people are with the press it’s a nice change”

    All the new romantics.

    We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town
    Beep-beep, beep-beep

    Listen to me, don’t listen to me
    Talk to me, don’t talk to me
    Dance with me, don’t dance with me, no
    Beep-beep

    SarahW (67599f)

  221. we ARE the goon squad and we’re from garbutt new york and we’re coming to town for to afflict the comfy ones

    we’ll take away their snuggies!

    we’ll make them watch E! every night!

    and eat hot dogs we got on sale at the super save!

    yes yes yes

    the ruling class needs to get knocked upside the head with a donald

    and “journalists” do indeed fancy themselves part of that class

    i have links

    happyfeet (831175)

  222. Apparently, there is no such thing as a bound delegate at the GOP Convention. Only one time — 1976 — did the rules require following the primary results, as Ford strived to hold off a challenge from Ronald Reagan.

    http://dailycaller.com/2016/03/13/rnc-rules-comm-member-every-delegate-at-gop-convention-not-bound-on-first-ballot/

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  223. Apparently, there is no such thing as a bound delegate at the GOP Convention. Only one time — 1976 — did the rules require following the primary results, as Ford strived to hold off a challenge from Ronald Reagan.

    Kevin M (25bbee) — 3/13/2016 @ 2:14 pm

    Given how Twilight Zone-ish this election has been, I could see no one coming to the convention with a majority of pledged delegates, then a bunch of Cruz delegates decide to vote for Trump and put him over the top on the first ballot.

    Gerald A (7c7ffb)

  224. DRJ wrote:

    I don’t think the GrabGate video shows Fields and Lewandowsi. I think it shows Fields and a security officer after the incident that she filed charges about.

    That is possible, but if that is the case, why haven’t Mt Lewandowski and the Trump campaign identified this security officer, and fired him?

    The Dana who doesn't believe Donald Trump or trust his campaign (1b79fa)

  225. I think I finally understand what Hoagie is saying. I think he believes that when reporters are trying to get stories, that often involves jostling and pushing for position to get the best quotes and photios. That’s probably true but what I understood Fields to say is that reporters don’t expect campaign staff, let alone managers, to be doing the manhandling. It comes from competing reporters, not the campaign staff, because the campaigns want good relationships with the media.

    In addition, Hoagie wants us to get a dose of reality and part of that reality is that Trump and Breitbart are friendly with each other. The last persons in that room who expected to be grabbed by Trump’s campaign manager were Fields and any other Breitbart reporters.

    DRJ (15874d)

  226. Dana,

    I was wrong and I corrected it in a later comment. I’m sorry to mislead everyone.

    DRJ (15874d)

  227. Skip to comment 157 and the following comments.

    DRJ (15874d)

  228. The Rt Rev Hoagie™ wrote:

    Being a woman is not an excuse for crap not to happen.

    I believe that you are looking at it incorrectly. That Miss Fields put herself in the same position with male reporters means that she should be treated the same as the male reporters. My problem is that Donald Trump is running a Real Man campaign, telling us how masculine he and his huge hands are, yet he is continuing to employ a campaign manager who is violating one of the first rules of masculinity: you don’t abuse women, you don’t assault women, you don’t lay your hands on women. I’ve met you, and I’m pretty sure that you would never, ever have done this yourself; at most, you might interpose yourself between Mr Trump and Miss Fields.

    That a woman might be in what used to be a “man’s” profession does not in any way nullify the obligation of a man to treat a woman like a lady.

    The Dana who disagrees (1b79fa)

  229. Thanks, Hoagie. Appreciate it. We’ll just have to see how this plays out.

    DRJ, remember that Fields claimed that it was Trump who approached every reporter there,including her:

    I wasn’t called upon to ask a question during the televised press conference, but afterwards Trump wandered around, stopping at every reporter to take their questions. When he approached me, I asked him about his view on an aspect of affirmative action.

    I’m sure other reporters can corroborate that he did indeed approach every report there. So it makes me wonder just how much jostling would have taken place, and if Lewandowski was the one who did the “jostling”, then it seems like that would stick out like a sore thumb given that we don’t expect the campaign manager to be dong that. Thus, wouldn’t any number of people have seen the action?

    Dana (0ee61a)

  230. the video doesn’t look at all like Mr. Trump approached her she’s totally lying about that

    you can see he’s just walking past her he doesn’t even glance at her or speak to her

    rather, it’s pipsywizzle what approached Mr. The Donals

    happyfeet (831175)

  231. Mr. The *Donald* i mean

    happyfeet (831175)

  232. That would make a difference, Dana, but I think reporters often have to jostle to get the right podition. Maybe not this time but in geberal, and perhaps that may be Hoagie’s perspective.

    Beldar, it appears the establishment is coming around to Cruz. Haley Barbours’ son said something similar last week. It doesn’t get any more establishment than Barbour and Rogers.

    DRJ (15874d)

  233. Having a Boosh working for you makes it an automatic team republican crap fest. Thanks, Ted.

    mg (31009b)

  234. wait I’m comfuzzled, I thought they were all for trump, the reality they don’t want either, or their disposable supporters,

    narciso (732bc0)

  235. hf–

    You are just trolling now. GO back and read what other people write instead of just throwing out trash talk.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  236. @ Kevin M (#223): I’ve been looking at that Daily Caller piece and the letter from the North Dakota committeeman to the RNC. They’re correct, I think, that the RNC rules don’t bind delegates on the first ballot, or on any later ones.

    But that’s because the RNC rules aren’t the relevant source of authority. Rather, my understanding is that is a matter of state statutes which vary from state to state.

    In Texas, for example, section 191.008 of the Texas Elections Code regarding the conduct of presidential primaries gives sweeping authority to each political party’s state executive committee to pass implementing rules. Significantly, section 191.008(c ) provides that such a “rule is enforceable by writ of mandamus in the same manner as if the rule were a statute.” That means if someone applies to a Texas court saying, “Hey, this Texas GOP executive committee rule is being broken by what this delegate is doing,” then the court can issue a formal written order, called a writ of mandamus, to make the delegate perform according to the rule. (Whether a Texas court can effectively and timely compel performance in Cleveland, or enlist the Ohio courts to help with that process, is another story, but let’s set aside “total scofflaw” scenarios for this discussion.)

    The current Texas GOP rules in turn provide as follows:

    Section 10. Pledge of Delegates and Alternates.

    a. Commitment to Candidate: By assenting to nomination on a Presidential candidate’s slate, each delegate and alternate representing a Presidential candidate becomes pledged to the Presidential candidate on whose slate the delegate and alternate is nominated in accordance with subsection b of this section.

    b. Length of Commitment: A person who is elected as a delegate or alternate to the National Convention on the slate of a Presidential candidate by the State Convention to represent that particular Presidential candidate at the National Convention and who does not resign from the position is pledged to support that Presidential candidate at the National Convention until the candidate is nominated or until the delegate or alternate is released from the pledges as follows:

    1. First (1st) nomination convention ballot: delegate or alternate shall be released from the pledge only in the event of death, withdrawal, or by decision of the candidate.

    2. Second (2nd) nominating convention ballot: delegate or alternate shall be released from the pledge if the candidate has failed to receive twenty percent (20%) or more of the total vote cast on the preceding ballot; or by the decision of the candidate;

    3. Third (3rd) and subsequent nominating convention ballots: delegates and alternates are released from any pledge.

    c. Uncommitted Delegates: Uncommitted delegates and alternates may vote as they choose on all questions and candidates presented at the National Convention.

    My understanding is that every state has some similar combination of statutes and state party organization rules which specify whether, how, and for how long delegates are legally bound to vote as originally pledged when they’re selected.

    I don’t think this North Dakota national committeeman understands any of this process, which is why he thinks he “discovered” something.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  237. @ DRJ (#233): Yes, I saw Rogers making comments to this same effect — basically just a clear-eyed survey of inescapable realities — a night or two ago.

    I believe the voters are ahead of the “opinion leaders” and GOP officeholders on this, and that that’s what accounts for results like Idaho’s. I’m optimistic about next Tuesday, actually.

    But I’m also very annoyed by spectacular and consistent misreporting in the press. FL is being painted, repeatedly, as the “biggest prize so far” with its winner-take-all results. But that’s demonstrably false: Cruz won more delegates in Texas than the total which Florida is about to award (although of course Trump and Rubio also won delegates here as well). The press — and certainly all of Trump’s supporters — want to paint this Tuesday as the last possible day that Trump can be stopped, and that’s simply counterfactual nonsense.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  238. Trump’s lead over Cruz in delegates has actually shrunk in the last week. How is that not news?

    OH … right, instead we’re talking about whether Trump is inciting riots while wrapping himself in the flag and the First Amendment.

    Step right this way, folks! Three rings, no waiting between acts, and the entire country is working without a safety net!

    Beldar (fa637a)

  239. Cruz/Jebby in the works?

    mg (31009b)

  240. Kevin #236…

    I think the last of this just about sums that person up.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efHCdKb5UWc

    Beldar, thanks for the updates. I guess I need a vacation, since I am smelling conspiracies these days. I do think the MSM wants Trump to be the nominee, because they will crush him with all the foolishness in his background.

    Patterico is probably right that Trump needs to win Florida in order to get Rubio out of the race.

    So Cruz needs to be careful and move carefully. The press is a viper, as always.

    Me, I want to see one on one debates between Cruz and Trump.

    Simon Jester (357f6d)

  241. @ mg (#240): Why on earth would Ted Cruz ever consider Jeb Bush as a running mate? I can’t think of a single reason. I don’t know whether Jeb’s considering an endorsement; more likely he’s just trying to jawbone some result that seems optimal to him given his view of what’s good for the party and the country. (Meaning he’s probably trying to convince Cruz & Rubio to stand aside for Kasich; but maybe, just maybe, he sees what brother Neil has apparently seen, and he’s urging Rubio & Kasich to stand aside for Cruz.) Regardless, he wouldn’t be a good addition to anyone ticket; and Ted Cruz’ base would feel profoundly dismayed if Cruz ever selected such a conventional, establishment running mate.

    @ Simon: I suspect Cruz is going to have to taunt and taunt Donald to get him back to a debate stage.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  242. Well, Beldar…if Trump is afraid

    Simon Jester (357f6d)

  243. Seriously, Beldar, who do you think would be a good choice for Cruz’ VP, if he gets the nomination?

    Simon Jester (357f6d)

  244. who’s up for s’mores

    happyfeet (831175)

  245. well the absorption of the medici’s entire finance team, in addition to neil, who is responsible for marketing the nclb template, plus his awkward personal situation,

    narciso (732bc0)

  246. Cruz does not move carefully, because he gets bad advice and doesn’t know what to do himself. He is not perceptive or savvy enough to make the most of opportunities and his obligations.

    He can’t even deal with the surface issues – Considering the way he schlumped down the runway at CPAC with bad posture and turned out in ill-fitting rumply gear including some blown-out at the knees spandex jeans, he seems to be unaware that he needs to make the most of his person out of respect for the position – a plain girl needs to dress well and keep her figure, so does a presidential candidate.

    SarahW (67599f)

  247. BEEP

    SarahW (67599f)

  248. Ann Coulter.

    ropelight (885d54)

  249. Am I the only one who has noticed how happyfeet keeps trying to deflect any criticism from Trump, kept trashing Carson then suddenly praises him after he endorses Trump etc. and keeps insisting he’s not a Trump supporter?

    My theory is that he prefers Trump being the nominee and losing to Hillary than any of the other Republicans winning, so the next SCOTUS will start eviscerating abortion laws etc.

    Gerald A (7c7ffb)

  250. oh my goodness

    when Sarah’s right she’s right

    happyfeet (831175)

  251. Gerald, I think Alfred Penniwise had it figured out.

    Simon Jester (357f6d)

  252. if it’s a women or a christian, pikachu goes into glycemic shock, if it’s both well…

    narciso (732bc0)

  253. i think Mr. Trump can beat hillary like a jaundiced incontinent geriatric hyena

    happyfeet (831175)

  254. #250

    Of course I should add that happyfeet keeps trashing every candidate other than Trump.

    Gerald A (7c7ffb)

  255. I think there is a good chance that Cruz might pick another outsider, like Fiorina, who I think is particularly well suited to take almost all of the remaining air out of Hillary’s First! Woman! President! schtick. The main problem with Carly is that, like Ted, she seems pretty stern, grim, and prosecutorial. Secondarily, she’s no state’s “favorite daughter,” i.e., she’s unlikely to turn California into a red state this cycle, and I gather she now lives with her husband in Virginia. But she certainly went through more practice and vetting this cycle than most non-politicians ever gain, and I think she’d actually play pretty well nationwide.

    I doubt that a VP-nominee Kasich could do any better or worse than sitting Gov. Kasich could do in trying to put Ohio into the GOP column, and there’s certainly no other reason to consider him. And I think Rubio has missed his chance for a unity ticket by going all Masada in FL. I think he’s in the final stages of committing political suicide.

    I suppose Cruz could try to get someone relatively new to the Senate, like Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), or a House GOP firebrand, but I think if he doesn’t go for a complete political outsider, he’s more likely to turn to a governor than anyone in DC. A year ago I’d have thought maybe Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker might be in the mix, but he fizzled so quickly and so hard that I’m not sure he’d make any sense. Plus that would be a terribly dull ticket. SC Gov. Nikki Haley would be a non-DC-insider choice that would also balance the ticket — she’s got a very “sunny” and optimistic temperament.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  256. i think Mr. Trump can beat hillary like a jaundiced incontinent geriatric hyena

    happyfeet (831175) — 3/13/2016 @ 5:11 pm

    Here we go again. The pathological liar makes another pro-Trump statement.

    According to the polls Trump will get beaten like a drum. It’s why CNN lets him talk twice as much as the other candidates at the debates.

    Gerald A (7c7ffb)

  257. Thank you, Beldar. I don’t know if I should be happy or you should be worried that we have reached similar conclusions.

    Simon Jester (357f6d)

  258. walker antagonizes the same labor thuggies what aren’t exactly smitten with the nasty incontinent old woman

    happyfeet (831175)

  259. I’m pleased, Simon, and thanks!

    Beldar (fa637a)

  260. you know beldar besides the obvious example, we should look at what they did to allen west.

    narciso (732bc0)

  261. how pajamas media, dismissed him based on dubious charges, not unlike the disregard they showed doctor carson,

    narciso (732bc0)

  262. If Pajamas Media can make a difference in a person’s life, he is not President material (and we can go down the list to dogcatcher, too).

    nk (dbc370)

  263. I was speaking of ‘narratives’ are conjured out of whole cloth, what sabato did to george allen, on the eve of the 2006 election, and was never called on it,

    narciso (732bc0)

  264. SarahW

    I’m not a football fan but “unexpected roughness” sounds like a great new penalty.

    pinandpuller (c16705)

  265. did you find out if your son is able to vote by mail,

    narciso (732bc0)

  266. According to the polls Trump will get beaten like a drum.

    What does that say about a large portion of the electorate more than it says about any Republican, including Trump? As flawed and unreliable as Trump is, Hillary is far worse. Yet she continues to have traction in spite of how disreputable she is.

    Moreover, she doesn’t have the advantage of tingly appeal, of what the person now in the White House elicited in certain people like Reagan’s former speech writer (Peggy Noonan) back in 2008. So devout liberalism welling forth from a major public figure (“I feel your pain”) must therefore also cause another form of tingles in that large segment of the electorate.

    That’s why any Republican who hopes to grab the presidency needs to have all his ducks in a row, including his level of likability or charisma. It’s also why so many people on the right often find themselves kneeling before the altar of political correctness (“I don’t want to look and sound like an old-fogey meanie!”).

    Mark (003427)

  267. the voter turnout doesn’t suggest that at this time,

    narciso (732bc0)

  268. Mr Jester asked:

    Seriously, Beldar, who do you think would be a good choice for Cruz’ VP, if he gets the nomination?

    I’m guessing Carly Fiorina. It would make sense for a lot of reasons, and she’s actively campaigning for him right now.

    The Dana who donated to her campaign, twice (1b79fa)

  269. What about Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval?

    DRJ (15874d)

  270. If Cruz takes the nom and it isn’t seen as him having “stolen” it, the VP choice is merely tangential. Cruz will mop the floor with HRC. He’ll be free to go as conservative as he pleases.

    I could see where he deals at the convention by naming Rubio in exchange for Marco’s delegates to get the nom.

    If Ted won’t go with a Sasse or an Amash, Fiorina would be my preference.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  271. Sandoval is pro-choice. Ain’t gonna fly.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  272. Glenn Reynolds for Supreme Court?

    DRJ (15874d)

  273. Fiorina makes a ton of sense. She’s a great attacker versus Hillary.

    I still like Walker for VP. Sets the party up for the future.

    Dustin (2a8be7)

  274. Mike Lee?

    DRJ (15874d)

  275. Ted would need Lee in the Senate to challenge the lying liar Majority Leader.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  276. *Need him as a voting Senator and not the President of the Senate who has significant other duties.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  277. I know Rubio is fading but he has a lot to offer, and I doubt his negatives — like immigration/amnesty — will hurt if he’s the VP on the ticket.

    DRJ (15874d)

  278. DRJ, the main thing Rubio would have to offer, at this point, would be his supporters and his delegates. He doesn’t directly control the delegates, though; depending on each delegation’s state laws, his releasing them might or might not actually be effective, but once released they’re likely free to vote their respective consciences rather than someone he endorses. I think his supporters who are capable of migrating to Cruz will migrate to Cruz anyway after Tuesday. He now has not only the Gang of Eight baggage, but he has picked up some additional baggage during the race — including some self-inflicted wounds (robot Mario, Trump’s small hands). Other states — not so much Texas — saw tons of negative ads run against Rubio, mostly by Jeb Bush. I’m not sure anyone can “guarantee” Florida’s electoral votes, but the latest polling suggests Cruz is doing about as well there as Rubio is; another Cuban-American junior senator from a Gulf Coast state doesn’t add any balance.

    He is a talented retail politician, and a much more personable figure than Cruz, but I personally think he’s already missed his shot. And I frankly have to question his judgment now. A unity ticket with him behind Cruz would have made spectacularly good sense a month or six weeks ago. He & Cruz have mostly stopped throwing brickbats at each other, but I can’t imagine Marco Rubio is a very popular figure at Cruz campaign HQ right now.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  279. Mike Lee has shown he has guts to go with the principled conservatism that has won him a lot of fans. I think he & Cruz are certainly compatible. And Sen. Lee, by contrast to Sen. Rubio, must be pretty close to the most popular GOP elected official at Cruz HQ after Cruz himself. And he’s not considered part of, but rather an opponent of, the “GOP establishment” broadly defined — albeit a less sharp-elbowed one than Cruz.

    But I don’t think Sen. Lee is yet well known nationally, other than among politics junkies; he’s from an already reliably red state; and he’s another pasty white guy. Worst of all, from the standpoint of trying to rally a fragmented GOP in a year when only outsiders have done reliably well, he’s another senator.

    It’s hard for me to even begin to guess at what kind of Veep nominee could be most effective in consolidating everyone a newly nominated Ted Cruz would need to consolidate. If he picks an insider, that’s going to turn off everyone who’s been backing Trump; if he picks someone too weird, he’ll spook the establishment-types who finally got behind him to stop Trump.

    Part of the reason Fiorina seems especially plausible to me as a Cruz Veep pick is because I think she could argue — with some actual substance — that “America needs to be run in a more competent and businesslike fashion” that some Trump supporters (mistakenly) think he could or would deliver. Yet the fact that she has been a respected CEO — and not a fringe, marginal, frequently failed and unsavory businessman like Trump — might go a long way toward attracting some of the establishment-types, especially outside the south & west (where Cruz would be strongest on his own).

    Beldar (fa637a)

  280. 256.I think there is a good chance that Cruz might pick another outsider, like Fiorina, who I think is particularly well suited to take almost all of the remaining air out of Hillary’s First! Woman! President! schtick. The main problem with Carly is that, like Ted, she seems pretty stern, grim, and prosecutorial. Secondarily, she’s no state’s “favorite daughter,” i.e., she’s unlikely to turn California into a red state this cycle, and I gather she now lives with her husband in Virginia. But she certainly went through more practice and vetting this cycle than most non-politicians ever gain, and I think she’d actually play pretty well nationwide.

    I think Fiorina would be a bad choice. Her main asset seems to be that she is a woman and people who care about that are going to vote for HRC.

    James B. Shearer (0f56fb)

  281. 282 …Yet the fact that she has been a respected CEO …

    Respected by who? A lot of people think she was a failure as head of HP. Maybe you don’t agree but it is easy to attack her as a failure and I expect such attacks would be effective.

    James B. Shearer (0f56fb)

  282. No, I don’t agree, Mr. Shearer, nor am I interested in arguing this — or anything else — with you, ever again.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  283. ohnoes pipsywizzle is out of a job

    happyfeet (831175)

  284. 240 – Beldar, I have a bad feeling Cruz has been kidnapped by team rino.

    mg (31009b)

  285. @ mg (#287): I think Cruz is better situated to resist the temptation than anyone else I know. He has a much, much deeper grounding as a movement conservative than George W. Bush ever imagined having, for example.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  286. I hope you are correct, Beldar. It is difficult for me to trust anyone in the republican party. Cruz is my last hope from team hackerama.

    mg (31009b)

  287. When Ted Cruz says – flatly – that he will abolish the IRS – without giving any explanation – as to how this would work, and what he would put in its place (besides putting a sample postcard tax return on his website) – I can’t trust him.

    His public career is littered with declarations, both as to underlying facts and as to predictions or political assessments, that I do not believe that he believes.

    Even when there is some truth in what he is saying, he carries it further than it deserves to go.

    And saying some things in short, staccato bursts, doesn’t make those assertions credible.

    Sammy Finkelman (344836)

  288. Now that it appears Trump will win Florida, what happens to Marco now? I think he will drop out but what then?

    DRJ (15874d)


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