By Dan Calabrese ——Bio and Archives--April 25, 2016
American Politics, News | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
Strategically it makes perfect sense. Neither Cruz nor Kasich can get to 1,237 via the primaries and caucuses, but if they can make sure Trump falls short too, then anyone could conceivably become the nominee in a contested convention. I'm a little surprised they're actually announcing it, but here we are:
Within minutes of each other, the pair issued statements late Sunday saying they will divide their efforts in upcoming contests with Cruz focusing on Indiana and Kasich devoting his efforts to Oregon and New Mexico. The strategy -- something the two campaigns have been working on for weeks -- is aimed at blocking Trump from gaining the 1,237 delegates necessary to claim to GOP nomination this summer.
The extraordinary moves reflect the national strength Trump has shown and the inability of Republicans who oppose the New York billionaire to come together to stop him. Dividing up some of the remaining primary states by putting forward one strong alternative to Trump in each could be enough to take away delegates and curb Trump's run to the nomination.The story goes on to say they've been discussing such an alliance since all the way back to the Ohio primary:
Initial overtures started about a week after Kasich won the Ohio primary but were initially met with silence, according to a senior Kasich official. But talks -- primarily between Weaver and Roe -- started in earnest during the following weeks, as both campaigns saw a need to work something out, even before Trump's big win in the New York primary, the source said. Sunday's move is what many in the GOP have urged on for a while -- a combined "Never Trump" strategy. Both campaigns have each sought to be the one that denies Trump a first-ballot win at the Republican convention. Each has offered their own rationales for why GOP delegates would then turn to them as the party standard-bearer.
But these strategies by Kasich and Cruz have fallen short as Trump has proved a nearly unstoppable force in the Republican primary season. Kasich has won only his home state of Ohio, more than a month ago, and is far back in the delegate chase.It seems a little late to going this route, but at this point it scarcely matters who finishes second and who finishes third. What matters if you don't want Trump to be the nominee is for Trump to come in under 1,237. Then the fight begins anew for delegates, and that might also include former candidates like Rubio (who still has more than Kasich) or people who weren't even running. Trump, of course, says they're desperate losers and should just get out of the way. But if that's the case, the strategy should be easy to defeat, right?
Support Canada Free Press
View Comments
Dan Calabrese’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain
Follow all of Dan’s work, including his series of Christian spiritual warfare novels, by liking his page on Facebook.