Posts Tagged ‘Elections’
Tuesday, March 15th, 2016
Another big primary day, with Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina voters going to the polls today.
Polls show that Hillary crushes Trump in the general. “Donald Trump is detested by the general electorate.”
Hell, Trump even loses to Bernie Sanders. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
So how did Republicans get Trump foisted upon us?
“‘Lending” the Republican Party to Trump for the next six months might mean you never get it back.” (Hat tip: Ed Driscoll at Instapundit.)
“The GOP has required that its nominees receive a majority of the vote from its delegates for 160 years now. And this requirement has been consequential: Along the way, multiple candidates have received a plurality of the vote, yet failed to become the nominee.”
“Ted Cruz’s campaign is pouring another half a million dollars into television and digital ad buys slated to run in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina ahead of the contests in those states on Tuesday.” (Hat tip: Conservatives 4 Ted Cruz.)
“I’ve got nothing in particular against Rubio except that he let Chuck Schumer snooker him on immigration, but I keep hearing what a great candidate he is, and he keeps sucking in the actual votes.”
Florida Tea Party supporters who voted for Rubio in 2010 are itching for a chance to help defeat him tonight:
Floridians for Immigration Enforcement, a group that opposes illegal immigration, supported Rubio in his campaign for Senate that election cycle, in part due to an hourlong-conversation they had with him on that fateful day in 2009. During that meeting, Oliver said, Rubio pledged never to support “amnesty or legalization of people” in the United States without documentation.
“He ran for president as a graceful way to exit. He would have lost the Senate seat if he had run for reelection.”
The money behind John Kasich? George Soros. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Elections, Florida, George Soros, Hillary Clinton, Illinois, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Republicans, Ted Cruz
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Sunday, March 13th, 2016
Ted Cruz has won the Wyoming Caucuses with 66.3% of the vote, picking up 11 delegates. Marco Rubio finished a distant second (or as he calls it, Rubio Gold™) with 19.5% of the vote, while Donald Trump came in third with 7.2%, each of them picking one one delegate.
An additional 14 delegates will be selected at Wyoming’s state Republican convention, and I would expect Cruz to do very well there as well.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Donald Trump, Elections, Marco Rubio, Republicans, Ted Cruz, Wyoming
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Friday, March 11th, 2016
Not a surprise, but now it’s official:
Conservatives have had difficulty choosing a champion in the presidential race in part because it has featured so many candidates with very good claims on our support. As their number has dwindled, the right choice has become clear: Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.
We supported Cruz’s campaign in 2012 because we saw in him what conservatives nationwide have come to see as well. Cruz is a brilliant and articulate exponent of our views on the full spectrum of issues. Other Republicans say we should protect the Constitution. Cruz has actually done it; indeed, it has been the animating passion of his career. He is a strong believer in the liberating power of free markets, including free trade (notwithstanding the usual rhetorical hedges). His skepticism about “comprehensive immigration reform” is leading him to a realism about the impact of immigration that has been missing from our policymaking and debate. He favors a foreign policy based on a hard-headed assessment of American interests, one that seeks to strengthen our power but is mindful of its limits. He forthrightly defends religious liberty, the right to life of unborn children, and the role of marriage in connecting children to their parents — causes that reduce too many other Republicans to mumbling.
That forthrightness is worth emphasizing. Conservatism should not be merely combative; but especially in our political culture, it must be willing to be controversial. Too many Republicans shrink from this implication of our creed. Not Cruz. And this virtue is connected to others that primary voters should keep in mind. Conservatives need not worry that Cruz will be tripped up by an interview question, or answer it with mindless conventional wisdom when a better answer is available. We need rarely worry, either, that his stumbling words will have to be recast by aides and supporters later. Neither of those things could be said about a lot of Republican nominees over the years.
Not sure it moves the needle much, since National Review has made its preference for Cruz over Donald Trump clear over the last year, but maybe it will help some of Marco Rubio’s wavering backers push him more strongly to get out of the race.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Donald Trump, Elections, Marco Rubio, Media Watch, National Review, Republicans, Ted Cruz
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Thursday, March 10th, 2016
Busy working on other stuff, so consider this an “instead of a real update” update:
If Marco Rubio and John Kasich had dropped out last week, Ted Cruz would already be ahead of Donald Trump. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
“Cruz has a vastly better chance of defeating Hillary Clinton than Trump.” (Hat tip: Conservatives 4 Ted Cruz.)
Nate Silver: “Even if Trump wins both Ohio and Florida, Cruz might run relatively well against him in a one-on-one race from that point forward.” (Hat tip: Conservatives 4 Ted Cruz.)
Guy who voted for Rubio says the best way he can serve his country is getting out of the race.
Dear GOP: Unite behind Ted Cruz or Deserve Your Fate.
Camille Paglia praises Trump’s candor.
Trump rally T-shirts spelling out “Make America White Again” debunked.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Camille Paglia, Donald Trump, Elections, Hillary Clinton, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Republicans, Ted Cruz
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Wednesday, March 9th, 2016
If you haven’t heard, Cruz is going all-in to deny Marco Rubio a victory in Florida…even if it hands the winner-take-all state to Trump.
Ace of Spades HQ makes a compelling case that this is the right call:
However, let’s look at the flip side — what happens if Rubio and Kasich win? In that case, both men will declare victory — obviously — and then say this proves what they’ve been saying all along, that America is now ready to embrace them, that the map looks better from them starting with Guam, that they’re going to take it all the way to the convention.
And then we continue on with the field unwinnowed, and Trump continuing to win more delegates than Cruz by 43% to 36% margins. Not huge margins — but they’ll get you there, and if you’re not gaining on Trump, you’re losing to Trump.
Thus, the way I see it, the downside to Cruz of delivering Florida and Ohio to Trump is less down than the downside of letting Rubio and Kasich get their stupid fucking Participation Trophy and their excuse (and financial backing) to continue dicking around in a race that neither man can win. Neither of these guys can win more delegates than Trump now; both are hoping just to have a contested convention, and then hope that the Establishment reaches past the 1st and 2nd place finishers to deliver the win to the third or fourth place “winner” — Rubio Gold come literally true, in other words.
This makes no sense from Cruz’s perspective.
It’s time to take them both out, and then take his chances one-on-one with Trump.
Snip.
if Rubio and Kasich stay in, and continue kneecapping Cruz from winning (or winning these crucial Winner Take Alls by 50% – Cruz would be ahead of Trump if Rubio hadn’t played in Texas or Idaho), then there is no shot to get Cruz anywhere near Trump’s tally — and Trump wins the nomination.
So tell me the Truth, guys: Is #NeverTrump a real thing, or is it just a quick dash of new paint on the #Rubio4Ever thing you’ve had going for a year now?
If you want to stop Trump, you need to end these Rubio fantasies and let the only guy with an actual chance of stopping him start getting into two man races with him.
Otherwise, your #NeverTrump slogan is a lie — you’re perfectly fine with Trump. You just are using that as another pretext to lobby for Rubio.
So yeah, from Cruz’s point of view, and frankly from any sane Republican’s point of view (that is, apart from the Rubio and Kasich diehards) — it’s time to cash these two guys out. Out.
These guys are throwing the race to Trump.
And their supporters will not give up on their fantasies until those fantasies are violently torn from their hands, set on fire, and then buried under a swamp.
Clowntime is over. The time for Rubio Fantasy Love Scenarios is over. It’s time for real, tough decisions to be made, or to be made on behalf of those who just can’t get over it.
Cruz won Idaho and was second to Trump everywhere else last night.
It’s past time for Rubio and Kasich to exit the race, but for either ego or strategic leverage at the convention both refuse to do so. So Cruz doing whatever he needs to in order to boot them off the stage is the right call.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Donald Trump, Elections, Florida, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Ohio, Republicans, Ted Cruz
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Tuesday, March 8th, 2016
Heard about this election day, but Philip Bump in the Washington Post provides more details: Donald Trump won early voting, but Ted Cruz’s percentage of the vote soared on election day:
One of two things happened in Louisiana. We know that the margins between the top three candidates in the state shifted dramatically between votes cast by absentee ballot and those cast on Saturday, the day of the election. That means that either that: 1) A candidate had a very strong get-out-the-vote effort, or 2) There was a broad shift in attitudes about the candidates.
When we looked at this Saturday night, it wasn’t clear which was the case. Now, we have a better sense.
If we look at the votes in counties* for which we have data (culled from the AP’s initial and final vote tallies), you can see that Ted Cruz gained strength after the absentee vote.
Snip.
this looks like the state of Louisiana bailed on Marco Rubio in favor of Ted Cruz. Which could explain why Cruz is targeting Florida all of a sudden. On Saturday night, Donald Trump called for Rubio to drop out of the race. If he can repeat what he did in Louisiana in Florida in just over a week, Cruz will take Rubio out himself.
This pattern mirrors what Cruz did in the 2012 Texas Senate race. Dewhurst beat Cruz by 18% in early voting, but only 3% on primary day, a massive momentum shift that turned into a Cruz victory in the runoff.
Cruz is a smart, disciplined, relentless campaigner, and after Trump’s early successes in open primaries, we’re finally seeing Trump hit his ceiling and Cruz surge ahead as the superior candidate, especially in closed primary and caucus states.
That momentum, and the widespread distaste for Trump, is why many in the Republican establishment are finally, reluctantly, turning to Cruz as the only way to stop Trump.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, David Dewhurst, Donald Trump, Elections, Louisiana, Marco Rubio, Republicans, Ted Cruz, Texas Senate Race, Washington Post
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Saturday, March 5th, 2016
Ted Cruz has won the Kansas Caucuses with 50% of the vote. Donald Trump is a distant second with a 25.8%, and Marco Rubio an even more distant third with 13.6%.
Cruz is also winning the Maine caucuses with just under 50% of the vote.
I wonder if this news will boost Cruz’s chances in closed primary states that are still voting…
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Donald Trump, Elections, Kansas, Maine, Marco Rubio, Republicans, Ted Cruz
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Friday, March 4th, 2016
Enjoy another Friday LinkSwarm!
Justice Department grants immunity to former state department staffer who ran Hillary’s email. Hmmm…
The four laws Hillary broke in her email scandal. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
Being a Democrat means never having to apologize for statutory rape. (Hat tip: Robert Stacy McCain.)
Ace of Spades reviews the latest Republican debate: “John Kasich: Continued playing to his core supporters of artisinal bong craftsmen and elderly public masturbators.” Donald Trump: “Added some substance to his foreign policy platform by declaring that he would force American soldiers to break the law and murder children. On other issues, he was less reassuring.” You’ll just have to go over and read the extended “clowns and burning blind children” metaphor for yourself…
Rich Lowry: “Cruz had a terrific night. He was strong and in command in his exchanges with Trump, and drew blood on Trump’s Hillary donations, his participation in the political influence game and the New York Times transcript.”
Why the Republican establishment had Trump coming:
Republicans promised to build a wall along the Mexican border, fix illegal immigration, balance the budget, rein in the IRS, cut waste and fraud, defund Obama’s illegal executive orders. But every time they’re handed the controls of government, they invent some new excuse for not delivering.
The last budget that Republicans in the House and Senate passed did the opposite of everything the GOP leaders pledged when trying to get these people’s votes. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seemed to be sending out an email to every Republican voter: Sorry, we lied.
Moe Lane takes a look at this Saturday’s closed primaries.
Da Tech Guy further notes that Cruz was behind Trump in polling for the closed primaries in Iowa, Oklahoma and Alaska, but won all three. “Of the next 9 contests Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Maine (March 5th) Puerto Rico (March 6th), Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi (March 8th), all but Puerto Rico & Mississippi are closed primaries.” (Hat tip: Conservatives 4 Ted Cruz.)
“How the P.C. Police Propelled Donald Trump: By assailing sensible conservatives as sexists, racists, and imbeciles, they paved the way for a jackass who embodies their worst fears.” Oh, now you get it? Now, when it’s no longer convenient to ignore the truth for political gain? (Hat tip: Ed Driscoll at Instapundit.
“Racial justice is cool mainly when there’s something in it for the white liberal activist.”
If you didn’t notice on Tuesday, former senate candidate and International Man of Mystery Grady Yarbrough made the Railroad Commissioner runoff on the Democratic side along with Cody Garrett (who seems to tout how many unions he’s joined as a major achievement), and Wayne Christian and Gary Gates on the Republican side.
I see that Spotlight won the Oscar. Consider the source and take this piece with several grains of salt, but it suggests that the movie got the story all wrong and that some innocent priests were swept up in the same moral panic and “repressed memories” junk science that defined the McMartin Preschool case, with an added dollop of greedy trial lawyers on top.
My review of Hail, Caesar!
Newly discovered Mozart-Salieri Score.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Ace of Spades, Border Controls, Cody Garrett, Crime, Democrats, Elections, Grady Yarbrough, John Kasich, LinkSwarm, Moe Lane, movies, Neil Goldschmidt, pedophilia, Railroad Commission, rape, Republicans, Rich Lowry, Social Justice Warriors, Ted Cruz
Posted in Border Control, Crime, Democrats, Elections, Republicans, Social Justice Warriors, Texas | No Comments »
Thursday, March 3rd, 2016
More post-Super Tuesday results and election tidbits.
“Cruz is the only one who can beat Trump and everyone else should unite behind him.”
Looking at delegates, Super Tuesday’s race between Cruz and Trump was closer than it appeared. (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
“The GOP must stop Trump to stop Hillary. There is no other option. And, Cruz, objectively looking at the delegate counts, is the best vehicle to do that.” (Hat tip: Director Blue.)
“It is time for Rubio to accept he will not be the nominee.”
Conservatives need to rally around Cruz. (Hat tip: Conservatves For Ted Cruz.)
Ted Cruz raised $12 million in February.
James Lileks is on the #NeverTrump bandwagon, even though he doesn’t think it will work. “His supporters are impervious to this argument.”
Heh: “His were the eyes of a man who has gazed into the abyss, and the abyss gazed back, and then he endorsed the abyss.” (Hat tip: Virginia Postrel on Instapundit.)
Tuesday was very kind to Texas incumbents. “No congressional incumbent who wanted another term was defeated…Three incumbents seeking re-election to the Texas Supreme Court held their ground against serious challengers. Two judges on the state’s highest criminal court emerged from their primaries unscathed. No state senator who sought another term was defeated.”
Voters to Ferdinand Frank Fischer III (AKA Trey Martinez Fischer): No you can’t have a state senate seat. Not yours.
In Dallas, indicted Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price wins nomination for his eighth term. “Price’s federal indictment actually helped him because it fed the perception that Price was angering the right people – Dallas’ white establishment.”
Voting oddity one: As a commenter on yesterday’s thread noted, here in Williamson County, GOP Presidential choices spanned two pages, with longshot Elizabeth Gray on the second page all by herself. Result: she won 3.57% of the county vote.
Voting oddity two: Long-gone longshot Gilmore was reported to have have won the most votes in Chelsea, Massachusetts. That was a computer counting glitch that has since been corrected. He actually got 2 votes.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Chris Christie, Dallas, Donald Trump, Elections, Elizabeth Gray, James Lileks, Jim Gilmore, John Wiley Price, Marco Rubio, Massachusetts, Ted Cruz, Texas, Trey Martinez-Fischer, Williamson County
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Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016
So read the tea leaves:
Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who briefly led the Republican presidential race before his campaign began an extended public implosion, will tell his supporters in a statement Wednesday afternoon that he does not see a “path forward” and will not attend Thursday’s debate in Detroit, according to two Republicans familiar with his plans.
Carson, however, will not formally suspend his campaign. Instead, the Republicans said, he has decided to make a speech about his political future on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, just outside of Washington.
Carson is a fine man who had no business running for President.
Tags:2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Ben Carson, CPAC, Elections, Republicans
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