GOP is rigged for the ones they want...but Florida backfired on the GOP!

Early in 2015 this was the headline when Florida was deciding that the winner of the state primary would be Bush or Rubio and how the change to take it all would make...or break the 2016 election.

First, it was about how it could hurt Bush...suddenly he was not doing to well.

www.tampabay.com...

In late 2014, GOP leaders in Florida were pretty certain of a couple of things: Marco Rubio would never run for president if his mentor, Jeb Bush, did; and if either ran, he would be a lock to win Florida's Republican presidential primary.
That's why, after Bush signaled he was likely to run, Republican legislative leaders set the 2016 Florida primary for March 15 — and made the primary winner-take-all, rather than a primary in which several candidates could divide the state's 100 or so delegates proportionally. It was a gift to Bush, to ensure he could count on winning a big pile of delegates in case he did not dominate earlier contests.

"Can we get that gift back?" Republican political consultant Ana Navarro, a zealous Bush advocate and ubiquitous TV pundit, quipped Thursday night while speaking at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg.

Contrary to the old conventional wisdom, Rubio did get into the race and another giant force emerged to threaten everybody's plans. His name is Donald Trump, and Navarro acknowledged her fear that Trump could win Florida's primary.

You see, in 2014 the GOP in Florida moved to make sure whoever won would take a majority. Man, did it backfire. Florida has always been a must win for the nominee and this year they were not expecting Trump.

nypost.com...

Donald Trump will be poised to cruise to the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday after he trounces Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on Rubio’s home turf to grab all 99 delegates in the winner-take-all Sunshine State, polls predicted Sunday. Trump holds a staggering 2-to-1 advantage among likely GOP voters over Rubio — 43 percent to 22 percent, followed by Ted Cruz at 21 percent and John Kasich at 9 percent, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released on Sunday. Moreover, a new CBS News Battleground Tracker poll also had Trump up hugely in Florida, leading 44 percent to Cruz’s 24 percent, followed by Rubio at 21 percent. Pressed to drop out of the race last week, Rubio declined and proclaimed that whoever wins Florida will win the nomination.

Trump won Florida. He is set to run the NE and it seems, now according to many in the MSM as well as the GOP power donors, he will have this wrapped up before the convention.

It may very well come down to June 7th but he will get the nomination.

fivethirtyeight.com...

I mean, if a Karl Rove Super PAC is throwing in the towel, well, it looks like Trump vs Clinton in November.

www.politico.com...

Karl Rove has publicly blasted Donald Trump as “a petty man consumed by resentment and bitterness” with little gravitas and almost no chance of beating Hillary Clinton. But privately, the super PAC conceived by Rove is suggesting to its donors that it can help Trump win the White House and save Republican senators whose reelection bids could be jeopardized by having Trump at the top of the ticket. Story Continued Below The apparent warming of the American Crossroads super PAC and its sister groups to Trump has become evident in its recent communications with donors, including a Tuesday afternoon “investor conference call,” according to multiple sources familiar with the outreach. The phone call — which featured Rove, Crossroads officials and a pollster — laid out swing state polling and electoral map analysis done by the group showing circumstances in which Trump could beat Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, in a general election, according to three sources briefed on the call. One source, a high-level operative with the Koch brothers’ conservative advocacy network, characterized the conversation as heralding “a softening of the anti-Trump position” within the big-money GOP establishment. The source added of Crossroads’ stance on Trump, “It's not that they support him, only that if he's the guy, we can do something to stop Hillary.” Read more: www.politico.com... Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook

They know he is the only one that can beat Hillary in November.

a reply to: matafuchs

Yes, and beat her in California and New York a first since Reagan.

a reply to: Granite

www.270towin.com...

This is a great app. Give him NY and CA and look what happens....

From go bernie to go bernie voters to stop killary ...looks like a trump win ....crazy stuff you got going on there USA

Trump is going to have perform better than he ever has to get to the magic number with the crazy way delegates are divided up in places like California and Pennsylvania. Right now he is projected to get 100 to 106 delegates in California, still not enough to get him where he needs if everything goes great everywhere else. And if it goes to a second round Cruz has tons of delegates lined up including all the ones from Florida. It is possible Trump could get enough delegates but, everything would have to go right and he would have to outperform what he has done so far. With Trumps field director resigning they clearly know this.

Whatever happens Trump and slightly less so Cruz are still polling as disasters in the national election. At record levels of bad for Trump. The big problem being there are very few undecided when it comes to Trump. People have made up their minds. And that is a very bad thing coming out of the primaries. Where as somebody like Kasich would have a decent chance in the national election because he does not have Trump or Cruz's reputations so people have yet to make up their mind about him. However, that would likely still not be enough for a win. It is just bad luck that the GOP top two candidates have had the least chance of winning the national election since the start of the primaries and yet they are the ones the GOP will likely be stuck with.

a reply to: MrSpad

Correct. At this point it doesn't matter whom the GOP throws out there. Kasich would have a good shot, but they will not give him the nod. Trump and Cruz are a losing bet all around.

It appears we will have a Clinton Presidency.

a reply to: introvert


I love when Democrat supporters and defenders say "Kasich should be the nominee for the Republicans".

He is running fourth in a three man race and cannot earn 9% of the Republican vote, but somehow he will beat Hillary.

I think O'Malley is the best candidate to run for the Democrats. He has the best chance to beat Trump. See how much sense it makes coming from the other side?

BTW, I'm not a Trump supporter. I just think their is enough dishonesty in politics without the citizens getting involved.

a reply to: 200Plus

You don't seem to understand. Even if Trump had 100% of the republican vote he would lose in a national election because less than 30% of registered voters are republican. It is that other 70% of the voters that will decide the election and most will note vote for him.

a reply to: Grimpachi


What I fail to understand and perhaps you can clarify for me:


If Kasich cannot win 10% of the vote of his own party, why would there be an expectation for him to win the majority of the vote needed in a general election?


An unelectable candidate is simply that. He won Ohio, where he is governor. End of list.

a reply to: 200Plus

Because Kasich is ageable across the electorate. It is pretty certain that Hillary will get the Dem nomination, but a lot of people do not like her and would switch to Kasich. They would never switch to Trump though.

BTW Kasich is polling around 21% in your party not 10%.

I am still going with Cruz gets the nomination. I think suck up gets the gift is still in play this presidential round.

originally posted by: roadgravel

I am still going with Cruz gets the nomination.

I agree with you. I think if Trump does not garner enough delegates prior to the convention he will lose on ballots during the convention.

a reply to: Grimpachi


I voted for Perot, Bush Jr, and nobody in the last elections I voted in. Not sure I have a party.


"Every body will like him" doesn't seem to hold water as an argument when he cannot carry his own party.


It seems rather disingenuous to recommend a known losing candidate to the opposition. Makes sense, just disingenuous.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

It's why all the talk of a contested convention started so early. The first play to swing support back to the hard line players. If that didn't work then it isn't a surprise when it happens. Part of the well oiled propaganda machine output.

It's also so that the hand full of people who get to make the decisions don't have to state, "We are going to do what we want to do so we have it our way".

a reply to: 200Plus

I love when Democrat supporters and defenders say "Kasich should be the nominee for the Republicans".

I'm not a democrat supporter. Thanks for assuming though.

He is running fourth in a three man race and cannot earn 9% of the Republican vote, but somehow he will beat Hillary.

The polls show he could beat Hillary. No other republican can. Take a look here: www.realclearpolitics.com...

I think O'Malley is the best candidate to run for the Democrats. He has the best chance to beat Trump. See how much sense it makes coming from the other side?

How does Omalley do in the polls? Can you support your claim as I did?

BTW, I'm not a Trump supporter. I just think their is enough dishonesty in politics without the citizens getting involved.

I made a claim and I backed-it up. No dishonesty needed.

Perhaps you should should educate yourself before you criticize others. That's dishonest.

Greetings- Y'all aren't under the impression that it matters what 'The Serfs' think do You? Haven't You read that both parties, Rep/Dem, have rules in place where it doesn't matter they can do/pick whomever they want; voters be damned (again) under "We don't want any grassroots type candidate..."

It makes more sense to worry about this:www.msn.com...

Same result..

namaste

a reply to: MrSpad

Good insight. Trump or Cruz will be beaten like gongs in November. Sad to say, but Clinton will win. I had better hopes for the US.

a reply to: introvert


Won't be the first time Realclear has fudged polls, ask McCain.

For not being a supporter you side with them a awful lot.

"I think" shouldn't require proof as it's opinion. Kasich being behind others that have dropped out (hence 4th in a 3 man race), proves he is a loser.


Pundits, posters, and even the media sycophants are the ones I meant by "citizens lying" not you. Besides, much like lawyers, when you educate yourself you have a fool for a teacher. It often simply leads to confirmation bias.

originally posted by: roadgravel
It's also so that the hand full of people who get to make the decisions don't have to state, "We are going to do what we want to do so we have it our way".

While that may be true that reality is that it is their private organization and their rules.

originally posted by: matafuchs
You see, in 2014 the GOP in Florida moved to make sure whoever won would take a majority. Man, did it backfire.

It's been a crazy ride watching the GOP implode over recent years, and amusing seeing their shady plans backfire, for once, in Florida.

Now if the Dems could just fracture off their own "Tea Party" equivalent, and continue to crumble after the exodus, we might actually have a chance at real third-party viability.