Kasich to Play Spoiler for Trump’s VP Slot?
Check out this pair of tweets I wrote back on March 5, wayyyyy back when Marco Rubio was still in the race and had starry eyes about winning Florida:
I have not done the math. If Kasich wins Ohio, is it realistic to think he could throw Trump the delegates he needs for a majority?
— Patterico (@Patterico) March 5, 2016
@clarkr3000 I am taking about Kasich throwing Trump delegates in return for a VP spot. If he wins Ohio, and Trump lacks a majority, likely.
— Patterico (@Patterico) March 5, 2016
That’s starting to look rather prescient, isn’t it? People are starting to wake up to the possibility:
Trump will be close enough to 1237 that Kasich could make him nominee by asking his delegates to support Trump in exchange for VP
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) March 17, 2016
Oddly enough, John Kasich, who has whined about not getting enough time in debates (even though he interrupts everybody and talks past the buzzer every single time), has rejected the notion of participating in the Salt Lake City Fox News debate now that Trump has backed out. (Recall that the last Fox News debate was devastating for Trump.) Hmmmm. This both legitimizes Trump’s decision and deprives Ted Cruz of a chance to use the time to embarrass Trump. Hmmmm.
And Kasich is making ad buys in Utah, where Cruz is certain to win . . . but the only question is whether Cruz can gain a majority and sweep the delegates. Hmmmm.
And, in case you weren’t aware: as of Tuesday, Kasich has been mathematically eliminated from clinching the nomination. If he takes 100% of the remaining delegates, he still falls short of 1237.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Put it all together and the conclusion is obvious.
Whether by design or through stupidity, Kasich is going to hand the nomination to Trump. And there’s really nothing Cruz can do.
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) March 17, 2016
If that’s not enough, there are other reasons to despair, if that’s the path you choose. I’ve taken a look at the upcoming primary map, and a big part of the problem is that there are a lot of states with a large proportion of people likely to vote in a stupid manner. I’m looking to Arizona next Tuesday. Trump is outpolling Cruz, but Cruz tends to outperform his polls. If Cruz can take Arizona, I think he’s got a chance. If he can’t, I’ll continue to advocate Cruz and hope . . . but frankly, I’ll probably prepare myself for the worst.
Bottom line: with Kasich continuing to play spoiler, it’s going to take a surprising event for Cruz to overtake Trump. And even if he does, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Kasich throw his support to Trump instead of Cruz. Oh yeah, I said it. Mark it down.
Trump/Kasich is your likely ticket this year.
But it won’t be mine.
