Starting his kick to the finish line, 69-year-old real estate tycoon Donald Trump looks poised to win the May 3 Indiana primary, putting an explanation point on his claim as the presumptive GOP nominee. Picking 61-year-old former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina April 27. 45-year-old Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) watched his desperate move backfire with a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showing Trump pulling away in Indiana with 41% to his 33%. Before picking Fiorina, the race looked competitive. Pressing to close the GOP nomination, Trump told the California GOP convention April 28 that it was time for the Party to unite. Trump’s landslide wins in New York April 19 and the I-95 corridor states April 26 gave him unstoppable momentum heading into Indiana. Backed by the “Stop Trump” campaign led by former GOP candidate Jeb Bush and others, Cruz watched his campaign fizzle out.
Indiana voters look poised to send a loud message to the GOP: It’s time to rally behind Trump to beat Hillary in November. Jeb, 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, former GOP candidate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former GOP candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and 2008 GOP nominee Sen. John McCain need to let go of their vendetta against Trump and heed the will of GOP voters. Unlike Cruz who beats the conservative dead horse, Party ideology won’t return the GOP to the White House. Trump’s “smart” brand of conservatism is a long time overdue, focused on key economic and foreign policy issues, not bogged down with extraneous social conservative issues. Former Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight said it best April 29 telling Trump backers at the Indiana Fairgrounds that, “he doesn’t give a damn about Republicans or Democrats.”
Knight spoke the truth about the mood of 2016 voters that Washington’s partisan divide must stop. Only Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) mirror the public’s disgust with Washington’s dysfunction, too mired in partisan squabbles to get anything done. Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton’s about to find out that voters want something different in 2016. Even when she officially beats Bernie, his supporter won’t automatically fall in line, seeking anything but the status quo. Hillary promises to improve the economy and income inequality but faces, like President Barack Obama, a Republican House and Senate. When Hillary admitted to moderator Anderson Cooper in a CNN debate Oct. 14, 2015 that Republicans were her “enemies,” she admitted that a Hillary White House would face stiff opposition from the GOP.
Facing the music in Indiana, Cruz is about to find out that he can’t buck Trump’s national trend to boot out the bums in Congress. With a Congressional approval rating of 11%, it’s no wonder 2016 voters seek change. Voting for Hillary guarantees the same gridlock faced by Obama over the last eight years. Voting for Trump or Sanders is a vote for change in 2016. Called “Lucifer in the flesh” by former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) April 28 mirrors GOP misgivings about Cruz. While Jeb’s “Stop Turmp” crowd anointed Cruz the “establishment” candidate, no one believed it or forgot about Cruz’s extreme right wing views. Since coming to the Senate Jan. 3, 2013, Cruz has done nothing but annoy fellow Republicans. When he called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a “liar” July 24, 2015 regarding his attempt to filibuster Obamacare, Cruz alienated his Senate colleagues.
Picking former GOP candidate Carly Fiorina April 28 as his running mate prompted strong criticism from Trump. Without any path other than some dubious “brokered convention” in July, Cruz can’t win the nomination. Naming Fiorina showed desperation, antagonizing Indiana voters. Letting Carly do the talking when she bombed out of the 2016 race with only 4% of the vote the day after the New Hampshire primary Feb. 10 makes no sense. Already a GOP dropout, Carly was bound to hurt Cruz’s campaign, despite appealing to a small percent of GOP voters. Like former candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) who dropped out March 15 after losing the Florida primary, Cruz insists he’s “in-it-to-win-it,” denying that he has no chance of beating Trump. Cruz continues to blow smoke despite knowing he has been mathematically eliminated from winning the GOP race.
Indiana voters plan to send a loud message to the country: Enough is enough when it comes to the GOP primaries. Voting to end the GOP presidential sweepstakes, Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) face elimination after the May 3 Indiana primary. While some voters want closure, the vast majority wants to end the GOP primary race and line up behind Trump. Trump’s no doubt antagonized many groups before taking the GOP nomination, facing endless GOP attack political ads. No one has faced more opposition and negative ads than Trump. It’s no conspiracy that GOP Party insiders led by Jeb have practically stood on their heads to defeat Trump. Egos aside, the GOP can’t stomach the idea that voters want change in 2016. Indiana’s about to send a loud message that the time for Party unity. Trump offers the best shot at the White House in November.
