Winning four-of-five primaries March 15 in Florida, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri, 69-year-old real estate tycoon Donald Trump put an explanation point on his march to the GOP nomination. Winning his first primary in his home state of Ohio, Gov. John Kasich insisted it’s whole new ballgame going ahead with only 143 delegates to Trump’s 673, but, more revealing, 23 less than Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) who dropped out yesterday. Without any chance of winning the nomination, Kasich stayed in the race to play spoiler for the Republican Party establishment. With Rubio out, Kasich remains the last GOP insider with no chance of winning but serves the nefarious purpose of keeping Trump from hitting the magic number of 1,237. Asked about the GOP “contested convention” strategy, Trump said disenfranchising millions of GOP primary voters would cause “riots.”
Touting his 11% win against Trump in Ohio, Kasich insisted, after losing 32 previous contests, things have somehow changed. Looking at the remaining primaries in the Northeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and West Coast, Kasich has nearly zero chance of winning another primary. Kasich’s only objective now is trying to prevent Trump from reaching the GOP’s magic number. Even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who’s won eight primaries totaling 411 delegates, has little chance of winning primaries in delegate-rich states going forward. While Cruz, not Kasich, will pick up a few delegates in less populated states, he also has no mathematical path to the nomination. “I think we’ll win before getting to the convention,” said Trump, dismissing Kasich’s underhanded strategy of staying in the race for the only purpose of denying Trump his magic number of 1, 237 delegates.
Showing how GOP insiders have gone off-the-rails, former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) wants to pick someone fresh at the convention. “If we don’t have a nominee who can win on the first ballot, I’m for none of the above,” said Boehner at a conference in Boca Raton, showing why he’s retired. “They all had a chance to win. None of them won. So I’m for none of the above. I’m for Paul Ryan to be our nominee,” showing how he’s willing to disenfranchise millions of GOP primary voters. After reluctantly accepting House Speaker Oct. 29, 2015, Ryan expressed no interest president, whether running or named at the convention. “I’m not running for president. I made that decision, consciously, not to. I don’t see that happening. I’m not thinking about it. I’m happy where I am. So no,” said Ryan in response to calls from Boehner and other conservatives to draft him.
Trying the bypass the primary process, Party insiders can’t stomach the fact that an outsider like Trump has taken the GOP by storm. GOP Party officials can’t accept that the 2016 presidential election is about rejecting a failed Congress, too busy fighting with Democrats to get anything done for the people. “I’m representing a tremendous, many, many millions of people, in many cases, first-time voters,” Trump reminded the GOP.about his national movement that has energized the Republican primaries. Talk by Boehner, 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney and other GOP insiders about a “brokered” convention, especially irks Trump and Cruz. Calling a “brokered convention” intriguing, Kasich has no shot of winning anything, let alone getting picked in July at the Cleveland GOP Convention. With 19 primaries and over 1,100 delegates left, it’s still possible for Trump to hit the magic number.
Whether Trump gets to the magic number or not, he’s right that the GOP would be torn apart picking someone other than the main vote-getter. “I intend to win. I hope to win,” said Trump. “If I do, we’re going to make American great again . . “ not sure what to do to get GOP insiders to get behind his candidacy. “The problem is, and we’ve been say for some time, he has to make the turn,” said MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, urging Trump to reach out to GOP officials. After GOP-backed Super PACs spent millions in ad buys trying to defeat Trump’s campaign, Scarborough urges Trump to bury the hatchet and make overtures to Reince Priebus and the Republican National Committee. Known for the “Art of the Deal,” Trump needs to tone down the rhetoric about the GOP establishment and mainstream media. Getting a GOP insider on his side would help Trump close the deal.
Showing he’s the GOP’s best hope for November, it’s time for Trump to show he can make amends with the Party establishment. If he wants the Party’s nomination, it’s time for Trump to pivot away from the vitriol and throw an olive branch to Party officials. Already making his case with voters, it’s time for Trump to make overtures to the GOP establishment. Reaching out to someone like former Secretary of State James A. Baker III would be a positive step in convincing GOP officials the time has come to support Trump’s nomination. Baker has the clout—and credibility—to bring Trump into the GOP fold. Known for litigating Bush v. Gore in 2000, Baker’s just the right guy to get Trump’s foot-in-the-door. No one doubts Trump can compete with Democratic front-runner former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Before that happens, Trump needs make amends with the Party.
