Ted Cruz Looking to Scoop up More Colorado Delegates

[Valin]

ABC/AP:

Nicholas Riccardi, associated press

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Apr 9, 2016

 

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has locked up the support of 21 Colorado delegates and may scoop up even more Saturday.

 

Slates loyal to Cruz won every assembly in the state's seven congressional districts, which began April 2 and culminated Friday with 12 delegates selected.

 

The Texas senator is well-positioned to pad his total Saturday, when 13 more delegates were to be chosen at the party's state convention.

 

According to an Associated Press count, Trump has 743 delegates, Cruz has 532 and Ohio Gov. John Kasich has 143. It takes 1,237 to clinch the nomination, though there's a real chance no candidate will reach that mark by the national convention in Cleveland in July.

 

Of Cruz's Colorado delegates so far, only 17 were formally pledged to him, and in theory the other four could change their vote in Cleveland. But they were all included on the senator's slates and are largely state party officials who said they were barred from signing a formal pledge for Cruz but have promised to back him in balloting at the convention.

 

(Snip)

[Draggingtree]

This is the week that Ted Cruz won the Republican nomination

 

Home runs in Wisconsin, Colorado and winning the 'delegate race' adds up to Trump falling short and Cruz victorious

 

By: Freedoms Truth (Diary) | April 10th, 2016 at 12:49 AM

 

Just over a month ago, after Trump’s big win in Nevada and after Cruz’s SEC state southern strategy fell short amidst the Trump tidal wave across the south, it looked like Trump had the momentum to prevail against a fractured field. Trump thought it was over, and was confident enough to hold unifying post-primary press conference events like a President. As more March contests took place however, the persistent overperformance of Cruz (in places like Kansas, Wyoming and Maine) and underperformance of Rubio led finally to Rubio’s withdrawal after Florida. Despite Kasich staying in, the race winnowed and clarified to the point where Cruz was finally given his chance to go toe to toe with Trump.

As of right now, The Greenpapers has soft pledged total at:

http://www.redstate.com/diary/WOSG/2016/04/10/week-ted-cruz-won-republican-nomination/

[Valin]

Cruz getting the jump on delegates in Indiana too?
Ed Morrissey
April 9, 2016

(Snip)

Hardly anyone has paid attention to Indiana, which holds its primary on May 3rd and has 57 Republican delegates up for grabs. Pollsters have done no work in Indiana at all, at least according to the curation at Real Clear Politics. Given its Rust Belt identity and blue-collar composition, Trump and John Kasich should both have some resonance, but Cruz may pre-empt them both if the convention goes to a second ballot. Politico’s Kyle Cheney asserts that Trump is “getting trounced,” at least in the 27 delegates chosen at the caucuses today, and almost certainly in the other 27 chosen by the state Republican committee a week later:

 

Indiana GOP insiders are working to engineer slates of delegates — three from each of nine congressional districts — that will turn their backs on Trump at a contested convention in July. Another 27 will be elected at a state committee meeting next week.

Indiana’s delegates will be bound to the results of the state’s May 3 primary on the first vote in Cleveland, and Trump is expected to be competitive in that contest. (There is no current public polling of the state, but several GOP leaders suggested he’d be competitive in at least a couple of the state’s nine Congressional districts.) But if Trump fails to clinch the nomination, they’ll be free to vote their conscience — and that means a rapid rejection of Trump. The state’s Republican national committeeman, John Hammond, has vocally called to reject Trump as well.

That would mark just another blow to Trump’s chances, should the convention go to a second ballot as expected.................(Snip)

 

(Snip)

[Valin]

From the Colorado GOP convention
Scott Johnson
April 10, 2016

John Fund calls the Colorado GOP convention the scene of a political revolution. A Power Line reader writes with this first-hand report:

I thought you might be interested in a report on the Colorado state Republican convention. I attended the convention as a floor delegate from my local precinct in Arvada, Colorado. My wife and I also attended the dinner and VIP fundraiser the night before.

At the dinner/reception I was able to talk to several Republican legislators, including a couple of Congressmen. Of course most of the conversation was on the Cruz/Trump battle. One congressman in particular told me in no uncertain terms that Trump had a zero chance of getting the nomination. I don’t know for sure if meant that the “party” was not going to allow it or that he could not get to the necessary votes. However, the consensus was that he was not going to get to 1237 and that unless he made it on the first ballot, he stood no chance.

The other problem most of the politicians observed was the lack of grassroots organization within Trump’s campaign. This was almost as much a negative for Trump as any of his policy positions (if you could define any). I pretty much found that first-ballot sentiment at the convention as well. The one positive for Trump was that almost all of the Cruz supporters admitted that if Trump were the nominee they would eventually vote for him, but that they would probably not work and/or support him nearly as much as they would have for Cruz.

 

(Snip)

[Valin]

The Trump Campaign Belatedly Realizes How Colorado Picks Its Delegates
Jim Geraghty
April 11, 2016

The headlines on Drudge this morning:

SHOCK: Republicans cancel presidential election in CO…

Voters burn registrations in protest…

TRUMP: How is it possible people of the state never got to vote?

’This will not be allowed!’

1 MILLION REPUBLICANS SIDELINED…

PAPER: GOP made big mistake abandoning presidential tally…

The Colorado Republican Party made the decision to not hold a straw poll back in August, with very little objection at the time from Donald Trump or anyone else outside Colorado. And this is not much of a change from the previous cycles.

 

Colorado had primaries until 2003, when Gov. Bill Owens and bipartisan majority in the state legislature eliminated them in presidential contests, contending it was a waste of money and that state parties should pay for them, not taxpayers. The state shifted to a caucus format, and Republicans didn’t pay much attention to the change in 2004, when George W. Bush was running with no major primary opposition. Then, as it was described in 2008, “each of the 46 delegates Colorado will send to the Republican National Convention will be unpledged, but the state caucus and straw poll here was viewed as an important indicator of momentum in this diverse state.”

 

(Snip)

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

What we are seeing here now is the difference between an amateur and a professional politician, and how they run their campaigns. One understands you need a ground game and the other only understands it when it is to late to do anything other than scream and holler.

[nickydog]

I don't know what to think anymore.

[pollyannaish]

What a #%?@&$ mess.

[SrWoodchuck]

It's not a mess. At least not in Colorado. We have been "Californicated" over the years. So much so, that my little area of conservative thought has been "flag-pole" redistricted to swim with a much larger urban Progressive area. They essentially gutted our vote in the state legislature (held by Progressives for the last few election cycles.) I quit being a Republican about halfway through 43's 2nd term...and became Unaffiliated Independent. Under Colorado law, I cannot switch last minute, to vote in the primary. Not that it would matter. There is a groundswell of conservatism bubbling below the surface of our "Purple" state. From @Valin:

The other problem most of the politicians observed was the lack of grassroots organization within Trump’s campaign. This was almost as much a negative for Trump as any of his policy positions (if you could define any). I pretty much found that first-ballot sentiment at the convention as well.

 

 

This is Trump's "self-financed" egoist campaign failure. He thinks that he can pull the illiterate & angry from any state and win the nomination...but is unwilling to do the work needed at the local & state level to get his delegates. This was Colorado (and maybe Indiana) responding to a good conservative campaign & the hard, personal work of the Cruz staff on the ground. It makes me glad to see that not all Republicans have rolled over & given up...and that they are thinking rationally again.

[Geee]

It's not a mess. At least not in Colorado. We have been "Californicated" over the years. So much so, that my little area of conservative thought has been "flag-pole" redistricted to swim with a much larger urban Progressive area. They essentially gutted our vote in the state legislature (held by Progressives for the last few election cycles.) I quit being a Republican about halfway through 43's 2nd term...and became Unaffiliated Independent. Under Colorado law, I cannot switch last minute, to vote in the primary. Not that it would matter. There is a groundswell of conservatism bubbling below the surface of our "Purple" state. From @Valin:

The other problem most of the politicians observed was the lack of grassroots organization within Trump’s campaign. This was almost as much a negative for Trump as any of his policy positions (if you could define any). I pretty much found that first-ballot sentiment at the convention as well.

 

 

This is Trump's "self-financed" egoist campaign failure. He thinks that he can pull the illiterate & angry from any state and win the nomination...but is unwilling to do the work needed at the local & state level to get his delegates. This was Colorado (and maybe Indiana) responding to a good conservative campaign & the hard, personal work of the Cruz staff on the ground. It makes me glad to see that not all Republicans have rolled over & given up...and that they are thinking rationally again.

 

Interesting!! We do not have to declare in Wisconsin. I think there would have been a bigger crossover vote except the progressive were more eager to vote for Bernie than to try to get a Trump vs Hillary.

[SrWoodchuck]

 

It's not a mess. At least not in Colorado. We have been "Californicated" over the years. So much so, that my little area of conservative thought has been "flag-pole" redistricted to swim with a much larger urban Progressive area. They essentially gutted our vote in the state legislature (held by Progressives for the last few election cycles.) I quit being a Republican about halfway through 43's 2nd term...and became Unaffiliated Independent. Under Colorado law, I cannot switch last minute, to vote in the primary. Not that it would matter. There is a groundswell of conservatism bubbling below the surface of our "Purple" state. From @Valin:

The other problem most of the politicians observed was the lack of grassroots organization within Trump’s campaign. This was almost as much a negative for Trump as any of his policy positions (if you could define any). I pretty much found that first-ballot sentiment at the convention as well.

 

 

This is Trump's "self-financed" egoist campaign failure. He thinks that he can pull the illiterate & angry from any state and win the nomination...but is unwilling to do the work needed at the local & state level to get his delegates. This was Colorado (and maybe Indiana) responding to a good conservative campaign & the hard, personal work of the Cruz staff on the ground. It makes me glad to see that not all Republicans have rolled over & given up...and that they are thinking rationally again.

 

Interesting!! We do not have to declare in Wisconsin. I think there would have been a bigger crossover vote except the progressive were more eager to vote for Bernie than to try to get a Trump vs Hillary.

 

 

Sweet @Geee!

 

That's interesting, too. Killary is so disliked/feared by Wisconsin Dem's that they'd Bern her? Maybe she's not far enough left?

 

Primary crossover voting is effective if you want to sink a greater threat from the Right, by "directing" their preferred opposing candidate; but maybe they've decided that Killary would be a greater threat for elect-ability, than having Trump win. Possible indictment jitters? They have to know that Cruz is being torpedoed by a combination of Soros/Prog donors & the GOPe.

[SrWoodchuck]

Colorado GOP Launches Investigation After Official ‘NeverTrump’ Tweet Infuriates Trump Supporters http://injo.com/2016/04/581297-colorado-gop-deletes-tweet/

 

 

The Colorado Republican Party pledged an investigation into a tweet claiming victory over presidential candidate Donald Trump in the wake of his delegate losses at the state convention Saturday.

 

The tweet, that was immediately deleted, said: “We did it. #NeverTrump.”

 

Colorado GOP Chairman Steve House insisted the tweet was not posted by any party officials with access to the account, telling Politico “There’s no way we tweeted that.”

 

After failing to organize and cultivate a network of supporters and grassroots activism in Colorado, Trump lost the series of caucuses, resulting in Cruz wins across the board.

The ‘Never Trump” movement has created a substantial rift within the Republican Party, and crept into whoever managed to get a hold of the Colorado GOP’s Twitter account.

 

IndependentJournal via MyEmail

 

Edited to add comment from link:

 

Michael Adams · Lewis University

 

Wilbor C Gavin , if you are not from Colorado then you are spouting off from ignorance. Here in Colorado we choose our delegates on the local and state levels. If you are a registered republican then you could have been running as a delegate yourself. You attend your local convention to choose the delegates from your district, and if you want to participate in the state convention, you can. I know and trust the delegates from my district, can you say the same? Cruz worked the grassroots, Trump did not care to even understand the system. He had plenty of time to learn, but did not care. And don't try to tell us that we are part of the "establishment". We are not afraid of recall elections when the establishment sneaks in, can you say the same?
Like · Reply · 2 · 1 hr

 

Edited April 11, 2016 by SrWoodchuck

[Geee]

@SrWoodchuck - Milwaukee and Madison are the Dem strongholds. they are full of gimmee people. Bern is gimme #1. Hillary is not promising enough freebees. I may be mistaken but I do believe that Wisconsin is the birth place of the US Socialist Party. Another interesting fact is that this was our first election with voter ID. Demi are still kicking a screaming about it, but this is the first election that I did not hear about Dems running busloads of people from the Illinois boarder to Milwaukee.

[Valin]

@SrWoodchuck - Milwaukee and Madison are the Dem strongholds. they are full of gimmee people. Bern is gimme #1. Hillary is not promising enough freebees. I may be mistaken but I do believe that Wisconsin is the birth place of the US Socialist Party. Another interesting fact is that this was our first election with voter ID. Demi are still kicking a screaming about it, but this is the first election that I did not hear about Dems running busloads of people from the Illinois boarder to Milwaukee.

 

The problem with Hillary is she id just not a very good campaigner.

[Valin]

@SrWoodchuck

 

Well Said Michael!!!

[Valin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjOCFZiJaaE

[SrWoodchuck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjOCFZiJaaE

 

@Valin! I couldn't find the Gestapo one...and that would end the thread....

[SrWoodchuck]

The Curious Case of the Missing Colorado Delegate http://www.goodfellowllc.com/free-stock-market-content/curious-case-missing-colorado-delegate

 

by Crista Huff

 

On Saturday, April 9, 2016, a man named Larry from Douglas County, CO slandered Douglas County (CO) Republicans on Facebook. In that Facebook post, Larry claimed that he went to his neighborhood caucus meeting on March 1st, at which a precinct captain named Jan Morgan had threatened him about being a Trump supporter, with the implication that Trump supporters would not be allowed to be delegates to the April 9th State Republican Assembly.

Larry then claimed that he indeed had attempted to attend the State Republican Assembly on April 9th, but was cheated out of his delegate position. Hundreds of people initially read his story, which then quickly spread across America.

Larry was my Facebook “friend”, although I knew very little about him, other than the details of an aggressive encounter he’d recently posted about. After quizzing him about his delegate problem, and offering to assist, and doing research, here is the response I sent to him, via a private Facebook message:

 

Larry, I looked into your delegate problem today. I spoke at length with somebody knowledgeable on this topic.

In fact, you did not check in with your District 3 Captain at any point during County Assembly, nor did you sit with the District 3 delegates. (While it is technically possible that you might have checked in at the front desk — we will have that evidence in a few days — it is clear that you never attempted to sit with the delegates from your District, because they did not know that you were in attendance.)

I learned that this “Jan Morgan” person is not a precinct person in District 3, and might not exist at all. That explains why I could not find her on the Douglas County Central Committee list.

I learned that you were not present at the point, during County Assembly, when District 3 delegates gathered to elect delegates to go to the State Assembly. I learned that everybody from District 3 who wanted to go to the State Assembly was successfully elected as a delegate; and that there were no alternates, because there was not an abundance of people interested in going.

I spoke directly with the woman who supervised that election and filled out the subsequent paperwork. You were not present. What’s more, in keeping with normal County Assembly procedures, nobody was required to announce their favorite POTUS candidate.

In addition, I asked you to give me a factual written testimony, so that I could help you get to the bottom of this problem, and hold somebody accountable. You did not do so, which tells me that you are far more interested in drama than you are interested in problem-solving.

I frankly do not believe your story.

I will be unfriending you now. I’m sure you found it amusing to slander Douglas County Republicans today. It’s unfortunate that you did that, but I am confident that what goes around comes around. I will not, therefore, worry about this any further.

Larry’s March 1st Facebook post portrays a man who attended his March 1st neighborhood caucus and felt triumphant at the positive response he generated for Presidential candidate Donald Trump. At caucus, he was elected as a delegate to the Douglas County Assembly, which would take place on March 19th. Larry subsequently failed to attend the Douglas County Assembly.

Larry’s brief political hobby began and ended on March 1st, of his own volition. He squandered his elected position as a delegate to the Douglas County Assembly, and he squandered his opportunity to be elected as a delegate to the State Republican Assembly.

Not only is his entire story apparently false, but by accepting a delegate position at caucus, then failing to fulfill his delegate responsibilities at the Douglas County Assembly, Larry prevented other people at his caucus from winning that coveted delegate position and fulfilling their personal goals of being voting delegates during the 2016 Presidential campaign season in Colorado.

[Geee]

THE DRUDGE DISTRACTION

 

“Fury as Colorado has no primary or caucus!” shrieked a scandalized Drudge Report on Monday morning. That would be news to the roughly 60,000 Republicans who caucused across the state on March 1, many of whom attended Saturday’s GOP State Assembly.

 

Matt Drudge was channeling the phony indignation of his chosen candidate as Donald Trump spent the evening on Twitter and the morning on Fox News complaining that Colorado’s delegate selection process was “a crooked deal.” (If it strikes you as odd that a “news” site has an obvious bias toward a particular candidate, you might not be alone.)

 

The real crooked deal, and perhaps the reason that Trump and friends are so frenzied in waving around the shiny object of faux corruption, is Donald Trump’s so-called charity: According to an analysis by the Washington Post released Sunday night, 2,900 of the 4,844 reported charitable contributions by Mr. Trump from 2009 through 2014 were free rounds of golf at his golf courses. Others were such things as “175 free hotel stays, 165 free meals and 11 gift certificates to spas.”

 

Higher-valued “charity” included conservation easements granted on property he owned — likely to have been conditions of receiving permits for land development. According to the Post, not a single item of charity in the “93-page document compiled by the Trump campaign” is a “cash gift from Trump himself.”

 

http://spectator.org/articles/66022/drudge-distraction

[Geee]

Trump’s Delegate Problems Don’t Say Much About His Leadership Skills

 

Elections: Donald Trump has been on a tirade about Colorado’s delegate selection rules this year, saying that voters there were cheated. But Trump never complained when other states’ rules worked in his favor.

 

Trump’s complaint was that Colorado didn’t hold a “preference” vote this year for candidates as part of its delegate selection process.

 

But the state GOP didn’t hold such a vote until 2008, and in the past two election cycles the vote was totally nonbinding. Delegates were later chosen in a separate process that might or might not reflect the popular vote. In fact, Colorado decided to drop its preference vote this year after the RNC announced that the vote totals would be binding.

 

Ted Cruz went on to win the backing of all 34 of Colorado’s delegates under the state’s rather elaborate process. Was Colorado right to cancel its straw poll? Who knows? That’s for state party officials to decide.

 

But the party announced its rules last August, so everyone running had plenty of time to figure out how to win Colorado’s delegates. And while, by all accounts, Cruz conducted an energetic and disciplined effort to do so, Trump didn’t.

 

http://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/trump-whines-about-unfairness-while-benefiting-from-it/

[Valin]

The Curious Case of the Missing Colorado Delegate http://www.goodfellowllc.com/free-stock-market-content/curious-case-missing-colorado-delegate

 

 

 

But other than that...it's the Truth!

 

 

[Valin]

 

@SrWoodchuck - Milwaukee and Madison are the Dem strongholds. they are full of gimmee people. Bern is gimme #1. Hillary is not promising enough freebees. I may be mistaken but I do believe that Wisconsin is the birth place of the US Socialist Party. Another interesting fact is that this was our first election with voter ID. Demi are still kicking a screaming about it, but this is the first election that I did not hear about Dems running busloads of people from the Illinois boarder to Milwaukee.

 

The problem with Hillary is she id just not a very good campaigner.