Yes, The Real The New Awesome Primary Thread

I cannot answer for Percy. He has his reasons. Ask him. Money can only keep you in the game if enough people buy what you're selling. Without it, though, you cannot even compete. In Jeb's case, for all the money he spent, he came across as a wimp-assed psudo-conservative the Republican right did not like. You already cited Jeb Bush, so not totally. But keep in mind that advertising does work in this society else Madison Avenue would not exist.On a national presidential level there is plenty of $$$ to go around. What are required are a candidate with some appeal to the party faithful and the effective use of that money to buy attention.Trump has appeal to the lowest dregs of the Republican right, which turns out to be quite a larger share of the Republican base than anyone expected, while his bombast, posturing and inflammatory rhetoric have generated the attention of the national news media as a surrogate for paid Ads. Well, that's what politics is so...Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.

Trump staff alleges the real fake in this campaign has been The Donald himself, that he's really not the bigoted buffoon he purposefully has portrayed to the public. He's been selling snake oil to the Republican dupes all this time and now they are going to change his persona to better fit a general election campaign. sourceReally?Bullshit!If he's that much of a weasel then he doesn't belong anywhere near the Oval Office.

The Cruz and Kasich campaigns have agreed to not compete against each other in several states in order to give each a "clear field" to take on Trump. Kasich will not campaign in Indiana leaving it open for a Cruz push while the Cruz campaign will leave Oregon and New Mexico to Kasich. The plan is to bring the anti-Trump votes together in those states rather than have them split between Cruz and Kasich thus narrowing the gap with Trump and, maybe with a major push by a single campaign, deny Trump outright victories, thus the lion's share of delegates, in those states. sourceIndiana awards delegates by congressional district and over all state vote. Cruz may be able to pickup some districts where a split vote (Cruz/Kasich) would have left the district to Trump by a plurality. Poll analysis indicates that without Kasich Trump's lead over Cruz is cut to 2%, well within striking range for Cruz to push for an outright victory.As noted earlier, Trump's delegate capture rate is right on the edge of a first ballot nomination at the convention. Every delegate denied Trump lessens that prospect.Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but, as far as I can tell LaRouche is not running for president this year.I would like to keep this thread centered on the present campaigns, please.

Because they are Republicans.In this country a liberal is one concerned with social justice issues, enlightened regard for people's welfare and a tolerance of the differences in the human condition. A conservative is a religio-facist bigot. Ted Cruz is on the extreme side of the latter.

Oh. My bad.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled topic.4-27-16, 1 AM EasternBig night for Trump and Clinton. Note that 54 Pennsylvania delegates will remain unpledged going into the Republican convention. The delegate count as of 4-26: Trump picked up 105 pledged delegates leaving him 287 short of first ballot nomination with 502 pledged delegates yet to be selected in the remaining primaries. His present capture rate still leaves him just short of a first ballot victory, though California and New Jersey could push him to the magic number. However, with all the machinations going on to siphon off would-be Trump delegates, expect Trump to go to Cleveland with 1190-1210 pledged delegates. This one is razor close.On the Democrat side, if 519 super delegates do support Clinton as expected, she now has 2159 of the delegates necessary to capture the nomination. With 1206 delegates yet to be selected, and Clinton's present capture rate, the nomination is hers with ease. This one is over.Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.

Bullshit.Cruz got the delegates because he had a ground game that got his supporters to the caucuses where the delegates were chosen. Trump did not. Everyone knew the rules for delegate selection last year. Trump ignored them. You don't pay attention to the rules, you don't get the prize.Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.

Not going to happen. First, the whole e-mail thing turns out to be a nothing and is now just a made up scandal-wannabe pushed by the Republicans. Second, the FBI cannot indict anyone for anything. The Attorney General does that and she's not a Republican. Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.

No, Dumbledunce. What I'm saying is that the Cruz people organized their supporters while the Trump people ignored theirs.

I can understand what you are getting at but the characterization is way off base.Caucuses and the ground organization are true grassroots politics at its democratic best. You talk up your neighbors and friends, even going door-to-door to meet and greet. Then you invite like supporters over to your house for a Saturday afternoon BBQ and talk about the candidates and the issues. Figure out who can go to the caucus next Tuesday night, how y’all can get there, plan meeting at Olive Garden for dinner before then let’s go out for a beer after.This is done in every neighborhood in the precinct. On caucus night, if you’re really good, you have 30-40 people attend. You discuss the candidates and the issues and you pass some resolutions then you select which 5 of you are going to go as your representatives to the district caucus. Since your organization was more better than the other guys you have more votes at this little precinct caucus and your 5 people get selected to go to district. Then you go drink beer.This happens over and over for each precinct in the district where, depending on the party rules, you directly select a few delegates to the national convention as well as select your district’s reps to the state convention where the other state-wide delegates will be determined.He with the most effective ground organization will prevail in the resulting delegate selections. He who ignores the grassroots ends up bitching about how unfair, how rigged, the process is. Bullshit.To me, this far more effective and representative of a political party’s supporters and the philosophy it extends. These are plain ordinary motivated people willing to spend the time, and their dinner and beer money, getting engaged in the process of selecting their leaders rather than just standing in queue waiting to pull a lever because you like the idea of a big fence.Edited by AZPaul3, : No reason given.

LaRouche was, and is, a nothing in the Democratic Party because the party, meaning the grassroots and the leadership, couldn't stand the "bizarre and dangerous extremist" (as Adlai Stevenson called him) twerp.Besides, the Democrats instituted the Super Delegate in response to the disastrous 1968 convention in Chicago. Had nothing whatsoever to do with LaRouche.Get off this LaRouche fetish. He ain't running. Take it to another thread.

Carly Fiorina? Are you kidding me?Desperate times call for desperate measures for sure, but, this early and this person?

In response to 1968 the Democrats changed the delegate selection process with disastrous results. In 1984 the party redid the selection process and made super delegates so the party, those that have to work with the results in congress, had more influence in the process.Remember, a political party is NOT a democratic governmental organization. It is a private concern with the intent of putting forward for election by the public those people and ideas that reflect the philosophy and the issues of the leadership, themselves elected to that position by the party base.The Democrats learned, the hard way, what loose control does to the party. It loses its identity and flirts with all manner of crazy. It loses elections. The Republicans are learning that now.

No, Big_Twit. If you were any candidate’s supporter I wouldn’t want you anywhere near the campaign because you are a trolling dunderhead who would piss everyone off with your insults and conspiracy tripe and lose us the good people that would otherwise support us. Instead I would want you to stay at home and watch your brood grow up to be just as disagreeable as are you and eat those canaps you never planned to make anyway. And what the hell do you think you’re doing abandoning three kids to go off and visit neighbors? You nuts? And cleanup your house, already. It’s a mess!