The clock is ticking, time is running out. Personally I think it’s time for Rubio, Carson, and Kasich to step aside and throw their support to Cruz. I’m not saying it’s right that they have no chance, just that they have no chance. The longer they drag it out, the further away Trump get’s from the field. When you add the “anybody but Trump” numbers together you see there is a chance for someone to beat Trump. But only if they get solidly behind a single someone, like yesterday. Divided, there’s no chance.
So any chance Marco, Ben, and Kasich are willing to do so, for the sake of the party, and the country? I’m doubtin’ it.
Aj: You’re right – at this point, it’s the right thing to do, but so far they don’t seem willing… perhaps if one would have the courage to step down, it would encourage the others.
I’m quite shocked that so many Evangelicals are going for Trump (esp. in the SEC states).
I think Michelle and Donna made a valid point. How do we really know that the Evangelicals behind Trump are really that. I voted for Cruz yesterday. I have state before there is something about him I don’t like—like that he looks like a televangelist. He “emotes” just a little too much, but I was in the ANYBODY BUT TRUMP camp and he looked like the best choice.
I was VERY disappointed in my state yesterday. First we renewed our 1 mil property tax that supports schools but we didn’t renew the 3 mil tax—These were taxes that have been in place since the early 1980’s and due to pure stupidity last year we lost them. This was our chance to get them back. It wasn’t a NEW tax it was a renewal of one we desperately need. THEN of all things we voted for Trump.
I was thinking this morning that if the Republican Party could hold a back room meeting and get Cruz and Rubio to flip a coin over which one would be President and which one Vice President we MIGHT have a snowball’s chance.While they are at it they could promise Carson and Kasich something. I am almost to the point that I will vote for the Other Liar for President rather than Trump.
It’s a little too late for that “consolidation” I’m afraid. I think the only hope now is that the non-Trump candidates can accumulate enough delegates to deny Trump a first-ballot win. Then all you-know-what breaks loose.
There’s no good way this is going to end for the nomination at this point. Unfortunately, none of the other candidates ever quite rose to the point of an agreed-upon Trump alternative, so it all remains pretty much fractured.
It’s one for the books, that’s for sure. And there will be plenty of books written about it.
In retrospect, considering the state of the nation that is so divided, I guess we shouldn’t have gone into this thinking it would be politics as usual.
It’s either Donald Trump or a contested convention. Such is the reality facing the Republican party today. Its leaders are now staring down two scenarios they long dismissed as fantasy, after a slew of Super Tuesday contests demonstrated once again both the breadth of Trump’s support and the difficulty in unifying his opposition.
Trump didn’t win a clean sweep on Tuesday, as many predicted. But he carried a majority of the states that voted and widened his overall delegate lead, thanks in no small part to a still-fractured field that shows no sign of winnowing.
Ted Cruz bounced back behind a powerhouse performance in Texas, stacking up three more wins and an impressive number of delegates. Marco Rubio and John Kasich, meanwhile, struggled to break through and may have prevented each other from toppling Trump in two separate elections.
All of the Trump-chasers, even Ben Carson, are now girding for what they see as a long slog to a contested convention. Their hope is that they can collectively deny Trump the victories he needs in upcoming winner-take-all states, stopping him short of the 1,237 delegates required to clinch the nomination and throwing the July convention into chaos.
Yet another outcome is just as likely — that some combination of Cruz, Rubio, Kasich, and Carson swipe so many votes from one another that Trump keeps notching victories with pluralities of somewhere between 30 and 40 percent, coasting to Cleveland as the party’s standard-bearer.
…. There’s a long road ahead to 1,237 delegates, but Trump has every reason to be confident. It’s true that he has a ceiling, with exit polls in several states on Tuesday showing that a majority of voters would be dissatisfied with his nomination. But it’s also true that, despite his ceiling, Trump continues to attract new voters, redefine political boundaries, and steamroll a splintered field with a broad coalition that cuts across ideological, demographic, and geographic lines. …
… It may still be possible to prevent Trump from securing 1,237 delegates. But it’s now impossible to envision anyone else arriving in Cleveland as the Republican nominee.
________________________________________
… Since dropping out, Huckabee hasn’t officially endorsed Trump, but that’s mainly because doing so would complicate his efforts to get a new contract at Fox News, according to two sources familiar with the situation. The conservative network, where Huckabee hosted a weekly talk show for several years before leaving to run for president, strongly disapproves of on-air talent supporting political candidates, and Fox’s relationship with Trump has been especially combative this campaign season. (Huckabee declined to comment on his negotiations with Fox.)
In the meantime, Huckabee has spent recent weeks routinely using his pundit perch to defend and champion the billionaire — a task not known for its dignity. On Monday, he went on Morning Joe to defend Trump against the bipartisan onslaught of criticism over his refusal to disavow the Ku Klux Klan during a televised CNN interview. …
… When Trump boycotted the final debate before last month’s Iowa caucuses and announced that he would host a fundraiser for veterans instead, he invited other candidates to join him. Two showed up: Rick Santorum and Huckabee.
When Santorum came to the onstage podium — which prominently displayed a Trump campaign placard — he stood a couple feet away and leaned in to the microphone.
“Not to be offensive, but I’ll stand a little bit over here so I’m not photographed with the Trump sign,” he said, joking, “I’m supporting another candidate for president.”
Huckabee showed no such qualms about the photo op when it was his turn at the mic.
“I figure you’re gonna get the photo anyway, I might as well just stand here and be done with it,” Huckabee said.
And I suspect Trump already has a fair number of disaffected Democrat and Independent supporters.
While I think Hillary would win in a national matchup with Trump, I’m not all that sure of it … And either outcome would be, in Trump’s dialect, so bad, SO bad.
Hillary vs. Donald is a rare case of there being no “lesser” of two evils in my mind, which is almost unbelievable to me.
I don’t know, maybe Trump’s ‘novelty’ brand will wear off in time. But of course we’ve all been saying that since summer. Any day now, people will wake up …
Donna, I can’t stand Trump but he had already disavowed the David Duke endorsement. Plus Santorum and Huckabee. were not invited to the debate so why not go raise money for vets. Trump is bad enough with out taking things out of context. It was that first remark about Mexicans that was taken out of context that started the whole Trump momentum.
Election observers had long thought the effort to squash a Trump nomination required a consolidation of the non-Trump field. And there are arguments to be made for that, as those resistant to Trump’s rhetoric are showing some resolve. But it’s also true that there’s a complex brew of factors that might mean everyone can stay in to their own benefit, and the benefit of the efforts to stop Trump.
Cruz and Rubio have shown strength in states with closed primaries, where Democrats can’t switch over to vote for Trump.
First off, who would get out? Rubio won Minnesota but Cruz has won in Iowa, Texas, and Oklahoma. Sure, Kasich may have cost Rubio the win in Virginia, but Kasich’s also the best option for winning his state of Ohio, an important winner-take-all contest.
And while Cruz has previously shown much strength, many of the upcoming primaries are in states with demographics more like Minnesota than Texas or Oklahoma. Cruz and Rubio have shown strength in states with closed primaries, where Democrats can’t switch over to vote for Trump.
Trump is dominating and on path to the nomination. No one else has a good path, except if they all keep fighting to keep Trump from getting the delegates he needs. Expect much more discussion about whether people need to get out or stay in. …
…. (A) friend said, “There’s revolution afoot,” saying that passionate and fed-up Trump supporters are going with the French Revolution approach while the principled conservatives are going the American Revolution approach. This is what makes this election so exciting, and precipitous.
__________________________________
KBells,Trump seems to give (different) answers for the moment (Bush lied, well, maybe he didn’t, I don’t know if he lied … ); but I agree it’s perhaps time to move on from the KKK mess he got himself into, there’s nothing truthful to be gleaned from pressing him any more about it now.
Watch the tap-dance performed by this State Department spokesman (2nd video). Listen carefully to his response to the question of how implausible it was for something to be classified today and not at the time it was sent. Best question to be asked, and weakest answer, although actually the only answer available to hide the truth.
It isn’t necessary to vote for the lesser of two evils. It may even be wrong and counter-productive. I believe it’s both. In no particular order,
Scripture establishes requirements for political leaders. We should only vote for people who, to the best of our judgement, will uphold those requirements, which are summed up in the Psalm 2 command for all rulers of earth to “kiss the Son” and give homage to Him in their roles.
As with all our actions, we should vote (or not) based on whether we believe it will glorify Christ and whether He would be pleased with it. God is a capable God. Our withholding our vote isn’t going to restrain His hand.
We may not know all God’s reasons for doing what He does, or for giving or retaining blessings on a land, but it *could* be that, among other things, He is waiting for His people to express faith *in HIM* and not political outcomes (or lessers of evils) to bless America. *This* should be the real pragmatic concern. When we say an Obama or Hillary will get in and cause more damage if we don’t vote, **WE CAN’T KNOW THAT.** We Christians cast votes for people who do not know and love God, then wonder why our nation does not enjoy blessings? We cast those votes for people who hate God, then rebuke Christians who don’t? Does not compute!
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, gets any kind of “conservative” message when we continue to vote for the lesser of evils. How do we know this? Because look where we are after trying that strategy for decades!
We can still vote for other candidates and on other issues and work on political causes and try to persuade people, etc., but we don’t HAVE TO vote for ungodly men because we judge them to be less evil than others.
The Washington Post says Carson “told his supporters in a statement Wednesday afternoon that he does not see a ‘path forward’ and will not attend Thursday’s debate in Detroit.
“Carson, however, did not formally suspend his campaign. Instead, he said in the statement that has decided to make a speech about his political future on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, just outside of Washington.”
He would make a great President. But the people don’t want that. The people want their ears tickled. He is retired, He does not need a job. He was simply looking to serve.
Official Statement by Dr. Ben Carson
March 2, 2016
I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit. Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America. I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results. However, this grassroots movement on behalf of “We the People” will continue. Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to Saving America for Future Generations. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation.
Is it possible, should he not be elected, that Dr. Carson would accept a position somewhere. Possibly. He has some excellent ideas for getting the country back on track. It is possible that God will direct him to a different venue for attempting to put his policies in play. It is possible that he will get on with his private life and continue to work through writing or speaking or whatever. Ben Carson for President.
“We have a tendency to underestimate non-traditional candidates,” said a Democratic strategist who does work for the DNC but not the Clinton campaign. “Jesse Ventura got elected governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger got elected governor. These were non-political figures that had a resonant political message at a certain time in history and they found an audience.”
He’s waiting until Friday for a reason. At that time I believe you will see him officially throw his support to one of two people, Cruz or Rubio. He will ask his supporters to then support whoever he names. I see this as going one of two ways. Here they are.
The first choice, and in my opinion, the right one, is Ted Cruz. I think this makes the most sense. I say this because I believe Dr. Carson is a man of genuine integrity that seeks to return this country to it’s founders ideals and laws. In that regard, Cruz would be the obvious choice. I also believe he views the establishment as a large part of the problem. In this area, again Cruz makes the most sense. He’s actually been in the fight his time in Congress, unlike Rubio. No one hates Cruz more than the RINO’s that run the establishment. He actually fights Obama’s agenda instead of seeking to rubber stamp the president overstepping his authority. Rubio has done little in this fight as well. I believe the choice to Carson is clear at this point. I believe him to be a principled man of his word who will stick to the choice most closely aligned with his views, and that’s Cruz.
Now, that being said, the more cynical side of me sees another possible outcome here. One I dislike greatly. The second choice….. Rubio. The boy wonder. As in, I wonder what he’s been doing his time in office? Accomplishments? Anyone? Other than being what’s called “most electable in the general election” guy, what’s he done? As for his electability? Two words for ya’. Romney. McCain. He’s just the next myth. He’s done very little, unless you count the Gang of Eight Amnesty fiasco an accomplishment. I wouldn’t.
Anyway, it’s no secret that Carson has been offered backing for whatever he seeks, be it a Senate run or whatnot, should he back Rubio. He said so himself. The cynical side of me says if politics are in his future, he’d cave and take this deal. It would seriously affect my opinion of Dr. Carson. He’d simply be no better than the rest.
But I’m going with option one, because I believe Dr. Carson is what he says he is. If he is, the choice here is easy.
“Some, like Liberty University’s Jerry Falwell Jr., have revealed their reasons. But for the overall “evangelical vote,” the only clear trend is that it’s not a clear-cut voting bloc.
One problem: Most polls are based only on self-identification, instead of what people do or believe. Even Russell Moore is throwing in the towel on defending what the word evangelical means this election season.
Recent surveys have found that Trump is a “yuge loser” among Protestant pastors, and that evangelical leaders are solidly split on presidential picks. Reuters and others have found that church attendance distinctly decreases evangelical support for Trump, who has the least-religious supporters among the GOP candidates. . .
Overall, far more evangelicals view Trump as “very unfavorable” than “very favorable,” a new Barna Group survey reports. Researchers found a 38 percentage point difference between the extreme ends of Trump’s favorability spectrum.”
True, it’s obvious nobody *has to* vote for anyone (although check yesterday’s thread). My point is, voting for the lesser of two evils is harmful, and even two-kingdom theology can’t redeem that fact.
Yep. But even the truly well-meaning liberals in my community can’t stand the choices. That gives me hope some people see this is absurd and things need to change.
Let’s start with our attitudes.
Hey, isn’t Cruz a Latino name? Why isn’t he pushing that for the Democratic stronghold voters who have a heritage like his?
Out here in California, we just sit back and drink our juice. It’ll get around to us later.
It seems to me brokering it all out at the convention not only is too late but will smack of non-transparency. And we know what a big deal that is for some voters.
Kind of funny to see the satire going around over Christie’s hostage-video face from last night.
Gotta laugh at sone point.
This whole election process is a mess that won’t get worked anytime real soon. And I certainly don’t have The Answer. So I think I’m going to try to let it all go. For now. And go watch another sold-my-soul-to-the-devil Christie video.
God is in control. He puts in the leaders He wants. We do what we are called to do. He does what He does. It works. We may be able to empathize better with refugees in third world countries soon.
Wandering Views 
OK, so what now?
The clock is ticking, time is running out. Personally I think it’s time for Rubio, Carson, and Kasich to step aside and throw their support to Cruz. I’m not saying it’s right that they have no chance, just that they have no chance. The longer they drag it out, the further away Trump get’s from the field. When you add the “anybody but Trump” numbers together you see there is a chance for someone to beat Trump. But only if they get solidly behind a single someone, like yesterday. Divided, there’s no chance.
So any chance Marco, Ben, and Kasich are willing to do so, for the sake of the party, and the country? I’m doubtin’ it.
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Aj: You’re right – at this point, it’s the right thing to do, but so far they don’t seem willing… perhaps if one would have the courage to step down, it would encourage the others.
I’m quite shocked that so many Evangelicals are going for Trump (esp. in the SEC states).
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Ben is staying in for the sake of the country. If they cared about the country, all of them, including Trump, would be supporting him.
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Now why do you suppose the other candidates are too busy to RSVP? It would be good if they would attend and have a discussion.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/03/02/see-just-how-many-gop-presidential-candidates-have-rsvpd-to-carsons-private-meeting-request/
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Tychicus, Evangelicals also have morons.
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I think Michelle and Donna made a valid point. How do we really know that the Evangelicals behind Trump are really that. I voted for Cruz yesterday. I have state before there is something about him I don’t like—like that he looks like a televangelist. He “emotes” just a little too much, but I was in the ANYBODY BUT TRUMP camp and he looked like the best choice.
I was VERY disappointed in my state yesterday. First we renewed our 1 mil property tax that supports schools but we didn’t renew the 3 mil tax—These were taxes that have been in place since the early 1980’s and due to pure stupidity last year we lost them. This was our chance to get them back. It wasn’t a NEW tax it was a renewal of one we desperately need. THEN of all things we voted for Trump.
I was thinking this morning that if the Republican Party could hold a back room meeting and get Cruz and Rubio to flip a coin over which one would be President and which one Vice President we MIGHT have a snowball’s chance.While they are at it they could promise Carson and Kasich something. I am almost to the point that I will vote for the Other Liar for President rather than Trump.
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It’s a little too late for that “consolidation” I’m afraid. I think the only hope now is that the non-Trump candidates can accumulate enough delegates to deny Trump a first-ballot win. Then all you-know-what breaks loose.
There’s no good way this is going to end for the nomination at this point. Unfortunately, none of the other candidates ever quite rose to the point of an agreed-upon Trump alternative, so it all remains pretty much fractured.
It’s one for the books, that’s for sure. And there will be plenty of books written about it.
In retrospect, considering the state of the nation that is so divided, I guess we shouldn’t have gone into this thinking it would be politics as usual.
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The time to winnow the field was at least 1-2 months ago. It’s too little too late now.
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At this stage, it actually just goes to the convention, I’m afraid.
Pop some corn.
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From National Review:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/432204/super-tuesday-donald-trump-nomination-contested-convention
________________________________
It’s either Donald Trump or a contested convention. Such is the reality facing the Republican party today. Its leaders are now staring down two scenarios they long dismissed as fantasy, after a slew of Super Tuesday contests demonstrated once again both the breadth of Trump’s support and the difficulty in unifying his opposition.
Trump didn’t win a clean sweep on Tuesday, as many predicted. But he carried a majority of the states that voted and widened his overall delegate lead, thanks in no small part to a still-fractured field that shows no sign of winnowing.
Ted Cruz bounced back behind a powerhouse performance in Texas, stacking up three more wins and an impressive number of delegates. Marco Rubio and John Kasich, meanwhile, struggled to break through and may have prevented each other from toppling Trump in two separate elections.
All of the Trump-chasers, even Ben Carson, are now girding for what they see as a long slog to a contested convention. Their hope is that they can collectively deny Trump the victories he needs in upcoming winner-take-all states, stopping him short of the 1,237 delegates required to clinch the nomination and throwing the July convention into chaos.
Yet another outcome is just as likely — that some combination of Cruz, Rubio, Kasich, and Carson swipe so many votes from one another that Trump keeps notching victories with pluralities of somewhere between 30 and 40 percent, coasting to Cleveland as the party’s standard-bearer.
…. There’s a long road ahead to 1,237 delegates, but Trump has every reason to be confident. It’s true that he has a ceiling, with exit polls in several states on Tuesday showing that a majority of voters would be dissatisfied with his nomination. But it’s also true that, despite his ceiling, Trump continues to attract new voters, redefine political boundaries, and steamroll a splintered field with a broad coalition that cuts across ideological, demographic, and geographic lines. …
… It may still be possible to prevent Trump from securing 1,237 delegates. But it’s now impossible to envision anyone else arriving in Cleveland as the Republican nominee.
________________________________________
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Keep an eye on Huckabee:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/huckabee-hearts-trump#.knLnoeVdm
_________________________________
… Since dropping out, Huckabee hasn’t officially endorsed Trump, but that’s mainly because doing so would complicate his efforts to get a new contract at Fox News, according to two sources familiar with the situation. The conservative network, where Huckabee hosted a weekly talk show for several years before leaving to run for president, strongly disapproves of on-air talent supporting political candidates, and Fox’s relationship with Trump has been especially combative this campaign season. (Huckabee declined to comment on his negotiations with Fox.)
In the meantime, Huckabee has spent recent weeks routinely using his pundit perch to defend and champion the billionaire — a task not known for its dignity. On Monday, he went on Morning Joe to defend Trump against the bipartisan onslaught of criticism over his refusal to disavow the Ku Klux Klan during a televised CNN interview. …
… When Trump boycotted the final debate before last month’s Iowa caucuses and announced that he would host a fundraiser for veterans instead, he invited other candidates to join him. Two showed up: Rick Santorum and Huckabee.
When Santorum came to the onstage podium — which prominently displayed a Trump campaign placard — he stood a couple feet away and leaned in to the microphone.
“Not to be offensive, but I’ll stand a little bit over here so I’m not photographed with the Trump sign,” he said, joking, “I’m supporting another candidate for president.”
Huckabee showed no such qualms about the photo op when it was his turn at the mic.
“I figure you’re gonna get the photo anyway, I might as well just stand here and be done with it,” Huckabee said.
Trump, standing nearby, grinned.
_______________________________________
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Trump will run.
Either as a Republican or challenger.
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And I suspect Trump already has a fair number of disaffected Democrat and Independent supporters.
While I think Hillary would win in a national matchup with Trump, I’m not all that sure of it … And either outcome would be, in Trump’s dialect, so bad, SO bad.
Hillary vs. Donald is a rare case of there being no “lesser” of two evils in my mind, which is almost unbelievable to me.
I don’t know, maybe Trump’s ‘novelty’ brand will wear off in time. But of course we’ve all been saying that since summer. Any day now, people will wake up …
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Donna, I can’t stand Trump but he had already disavowed the David Duke endorsement. Plus Santorum and Huckabee. were not invited to the debate so why not go raise money for vets. Trump is bad enough with out taking things out of context. It was that first remark about Mexicans that was taken out of context that started the whole Trump momentum.
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Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist:
http://thefederalist.com/2016/03/02/7-quick-takeaways-from-super-tuesday-primary-results/
______________________________
Split Or Consolidate The Vote?
Election observers had long thought the effort to squash a Trump nomination required a consolidation of the non-Trump field. And there are arguments to be made for that, as those resistant to Trump’s rhetoric are showing some resolve. But it’s also true that there’s a complex brew of factors that might mean everyone can stay in to their own benefit, and the benefit of the efforts to stop Trump.
Cruz and Rubio have shown strength in states with closed primaries, where Democrats can’t switch over to vote for Trump.
First off, who would get out? Rubio won Minnesota but Cruz has won in Iowa, Texas, and Oklahoma. Sure, Kasich may have cost Rubio the win in Virginia, but Kasich’s also the best option for winning his state of Ohio, an important winner-take-all contest.
And while Cruz has previously shown much strength, many of the upcoming primaries are in states with demographics more like Minnesota than Texas or Oklahoma. Cruz and Rubio have shown strength in states with closed primaries, where Democrats can’t switch over to vote for Trump.
Trump is dominating and on path to the nomination. No one else has a good path, except if they all keep fighting to keep Trump from getting the delegates he needs. Expect much more discussion about whether people need to get out or stay in. …
…. (A) friend said, “There’s revolution afoot,” saying that passionate and fed-up Trump supporters are going with the French Revolution approach while the principled conservatives are going the American Revolution approach. This is what makes this election so exciting, and precipitous.
__________________________________
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KBells,Trump seems to give (different) answers for the moment (Bush lied, well, maybe he didn’t, I don’t know if he lied … ); but I agree it’s perhaps time to move on from the KKK mess he got himself into, there’s nothing truthful to be gleaned from pressing him any more about it now.
Sigh.
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Bob Woodward Compares Hillary Scandal to Watergate:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/429526/hillarys-e-mail-scandal-grows-latest-batch-shows-she-broke-rules-again
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Some good questions to ponder…
https://www.thefederalistpapers.org/us/the-latest-on-hillarys-email-scandal-you-wont-believe-this
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Watch the tap-dance performed by this State Department spokesman (2nd video). Listen carefully to his response to the question of how implausible it was for something to be classified today and not at the time it was sent. Best question to be asked, and weakest answer, although actually the only answer available to hide the truth.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-10-months-thousands-pages-final-clinton-emails-be-released-n528286
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Not stating anything new here, but…
It isn’t necessary to vote for the lesser of two evils. It may even be wrong and counter-productive. I believe it’s both. In no particular order,
Scripture establishes requirements for political leaders. We should only vote for people who, to the best of our judgement, will uphold those requirements, which are summed up in the Psalm 2 command for all rulers of earth to “kiss the Son” and give homage to Him in their roles.
As with all our actions, we should vote (or not) based on whether we believe it will glorify Christ and whether He would be pleased with it. God is a capable God. Our withholding our vote isn’t going to restrain His hand.
We may not know all God’s reasons for doing what He does, or for giving or retaining blessings on a land, but it *could* be that, among other things, He is waiting for His people to express faith *in HIM* and not political outcomes (or lessers of evils) to bless America. *This* should be the real pragmatic concern. When we say an Obama or Hillary will get in and cause more damage if we don’t vote, **WE CAN’T KNOW THAT.** We Christians cast votes for people who do not know and love God, then wonder why our nation does not enjoy blessings? We cast those votes for people who hate God, then rebuke Christians who don’t? Does not compute!
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, gets any kind of “conservative” message when we continue to vote for the lesser of evils. How do we know this? Because look where we are after trying that strategy for decades!
We can still vote for other candidates and on other issues and work on political causes and try to persuade people, etc., but we don’t HAVE TO vote for ungodly men because we judge them to be less evil than others.
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No one *has* to vote for anyone, obviously. 😉
Two kingdoms. And God is sovereign over both, amen?
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Fox Business says Ben Carson dropped out.
Sorry Mumsee. He was my third choice after
Scott Walker
Ted Cruz
Ben Carson.
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Amen.
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The Washington Post says Carson “told his supporters in a statement Wednesday afternoon that he does not see a ‘path forward’ and will not attend Thursday’s debate in Detroit.
“Carson, however, did not formally suspend his campaign. Instead, he said in the statement that has decided to make a speech about his political future on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, just outside of Washington.”
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Mumsee, I think Carson is the better man of all of them. I just don’t think he can win. He’d make a Surgeon General
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He would make a great President. But the people don’t want that. The people want their ears tickled. He is retired, He does not need a job. He was simply looking to serve.
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Here is the statement from his site:
Featured News
Official Statement by Dr. Ben Carson
March 2, 2016
I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit. Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America. I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results. However, this grassroots movement on behalf of “We the People” will continue. Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to Saving America for Future Generations. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation.
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Is it possible, should he not be elected, that Dr. Carson would accept a position somewhere. Possibly. He has some excellent ideas for getting the country back on track. It is possible that God will direct him to a different venue for attempting to put his policies in play. It is possible that he will get on with his private life and continue to work through writing or speaking or whatever. Ben Carson for President.
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That should be: It is possible….
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Trump doesn’t want the job either.
He wants power.
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True. And people did not learn from last time, they are willing to believe his assurances.
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Interesting assessment of a general election matchup between Clinton & Trump:
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/democrats-on-donald-trump-threat-220118#ixzz41mNp6AQB
__________________________________
“We have a tendency to underestimate non-traditional candidates,” said a Democratic strategist who does work for the DNC but not the Clinton campaign. “Jesse Ventura got elected governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger got elected governor. These were non-political figures that had a resonant political message at a certain time in history and they found an audience.”
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Here’s my take on the Carson deal…….
He’s waiting until Friday for a reason. At that time I believe you will see him officially throw his support to one of two people, Cruz or Rubio. He will ask his supporters to then support whoever he names. I see this as going one of two ways. Here they are.
The first choice, and in my opinion, the right one, is Ted Cruz. I think this makes the most sense. I say this because I believe Dr. Carson is a man of genuine integrity that seeks to return this country to it’s founders ideals and laws. In that regard, Cruz would be the obvious choice. I also believe he views the establishment as a large part of the problem. In this area, again Cruz makes the most sense. He’s actually been in the fight his time in Congress, unlike Rubio. No one hates Cruz more than the RINO’s that run the establishment. He actually fights Obama’s agenda instead of seeking to rubber stamp the president overstepping his authority. Rubio has done little in this fight as well. I believe the choice to Carson is clear at this point. I believe him to be a principled man of his word who will stick to the choice most closely aligned with his views, and that’s Cruz.
Now, that being said, the more cynical side of me sees another possible outcome here. One I dislike greatly. The second choice….. Rubio. The boy wonder. As in, I wonder what he’s been doing his time in office? Accomplishments? Anyone? Other than being what’s called “most electable in the general election” guy, what’s he done? As for his electability? Two words for ya’. Romney. McCain. He’s just the next myth. He’s done very little, unless you count the Gang of Eight Amnesty fiasco an accomplishment. I wouldn’t.
Anyway, it’s no secret that Carson has been offered backing for whatever he seeks, be it a Senate run or whatnot, should he back Rubio. He said so himself. The cynical side of me says if politics are in his future, he’d cave and take this deal. It would seriously affect my opinion of Dr. Carson. He’d simply be no better than the rest.
But I’m going with option one, because I believe Dr. Carson is what he says he is. If he is, the choice here is easy.
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If Carson does option one, I will look into it. Otherwise, I will probably vote my conscience and write in Carson.
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The final score in national security violations: Hillary 1, the American citizen 0.
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2016/03/02/hillary-emails-final-score-n2126822
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“Some, like Liberty University’s Jerry Falwell Jr., have revealed their reasons. But for the overall “evangelical vote,” the only clear trend is that it’s not a clear-cut voting bloc.
One problem: Most polls are based only on self-identification, instead of what people do or believe. Even Russell Moore is throwing in the towel on defending what the word evangelical means this election season.
Recent surveys have found that Trump is a “yuge loser” among Protestant pastors, and that evangelical leaders are solidly split on presidential picks. Reuters and others have found that church attendance distinctly decreases evangelical support for Trump, who has the least-religious supporters among the GOP candidates. . .
Overall, far more evangelicals view Trump as “very unfavorable” than “very favorable,” a new Barna Group survey reports. Researchers found a 38 percentage point difference between the extreme ends of Trump’s favorability spectrum.”
http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2016/february/8-charts-evangelicals-vote-donald-trump-super-tuesday.html
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True, it’s obvious nobody *has to* vote for anyone (although check yesterday’s thread). My point is, voting for the lesser of two evils is harmful, and even two-kingdom theology can’t redeem that fact.
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Yep. But even the truly well-meaning liberals in my community can’t stand the choices. That gives me hope some people see this is absurd and things need to change.
Let’s start with our attitudes.
Hey, isn’t Cruz a Latino name? Why isn’t he pushing that for the Democratic stronghold voters who have a heritage like his?
Out here in California, we just sit back and drink our juice. It’ll get around to us later.
It seems to me brokering it all out at the convention not only is too late but will smack of non-transparency. And we know what a big deal that is for some voters.
Don’t we? 😦
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Kind of funny to see the satire going around over Christie’s hostage-video face from last night.
Gotta laugh at sone point.
This whole election process is a mess that won’t get worked anytime real soon. And I certainly don’t have The Answer. So I think I’m going to try to let it all go. For now. And go watch another sold-my-soul-to-the-devil Christie video.
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Pass the juice, michelle.
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God is in control. He puts in the leaders He wants. We do what we are called to do. He does what He does. It works. We may be able to empathize better with refugees in third world countries soon.
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