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Thanks to the Republican Civil War, Every Scenario Ends With Hillary Clinton Winning the Election

What is the worst possible outcome for the presidential election of 2016? Assuming that an election will actually take place, that is an easy question to answer – Hillary Rodham Clinton as the next president of the United States. She is truly evil in every sense of the word, and the implications of what four (or eight) years of Hillary would mean for our nation are almost too terrible to imagine. That is why it is so depressing watching what is happening to the Republican Party right now. The civil war in the Republican Party is ripping it to shreds, and as a result of all this warfare every plausible scenario for what will happen the rest of the way ends with Hillary Clinton winning the 2016 election.

According to the Associated Press, here is how the Republican delegate count stands as of right now…

Donald Trump: 384

Ted Cruz: 300

Marco Rubio: 151

John Kasich: 37

Ted Cruz looks like he is within shooting distance of Trump, but that is an illusion. The early part of the schedule was full of states where Cruz was expected to do well, but now the map is going to work very much against him.

At this point, the only candidate that looks like he may be able to accumulate 1,237 delegates before the convention is Trump, and that is far from guaranteed. So far, Trump has won approximately 44 percent of the delegates during the caucuses and primaries. By the time it is all said and done, he will need to have slightly more than 60 percent of all the delegates awarded during the caucuses and primaries to guarantee himself the nomination before the Republican convention. That is because there are hundreds of delegates that are not awarded during the caucuses and the primaries, and almost all of those delegates are members of the Republican establishment.

Trump can still get there by racking up large delegate totals in winner-take-all states such as California, but it will be a challenge. The entire Republican Party establishment, Fox News, Glenn Beck and a significant number of other prominent conservative voices have all declared war on Trump. In fact, there are super PACs that are going to spend tens of millions of dollars doing nothing but trying to destroy Trump.

If the Republican Party actually wanted to beat Hillary Clinton in November, they should be rallying around Trump and trying to help him, because he would definitely need a lot of help to win the general election.

According to Real Clear Politics, the latest three polls all have Trump losing to Clinton by at least 5 points. In key states such as Michigan, the numbers are quite a bit more dismal. Over the next few months, those numbers are likely to get even worse as Trump is savagely assaulted by the Republican establishment and relentlessly bombarded by tens of millions of dollars of negative attack ads. Meanwhile, Clinton is cruising along virtually unscathed.

Of course in a just world Hillary Clinton would have already been arrested and put in prison. There is no possible way that she should be running for president of the United States. Unfortunately, we live in a deeply corrupt society, and this is the way that things work.

If by some miracle he does survive to become the nominee, a significantly weakened Trump would then have to face the full power of the Clinton political machine. It is estimated that a billion dollars could be spent on the Democratic side this time around, and Trump does not have the resources to match that. Normally big Republican donors rally around the nominee, but in this case the big money is fighting like crazy to defeat Trump. In a general election matchup, it really would be David vs. Goliath, and Trump would not be Goliath.

If Donald Trump does not accumulate 1,237 delegates before the convention, then we would be headed for what is known as a “brokered convention“. The rules are very complicated, but the key thing to remember is that the delegates are only bound for the first vote. After that, they can vote for whoever they want.

And it is very important to note that the campaigns don’t pick their delegates. Becoming a delegate is a long and tedious process in most states, and most of them are party loyalists.

In the end, a “brokered convention” would almost certainly result in an establishment candidate being chosen as the nominee. Needless to say, the names “Trump” and “Cruz” would not be on that list.

Have you noticed that Mitt Romney has started to put himself out there lately? His verbal attacks on Trump have been absolutely scathing, and he told Fox News that he would not say no if he was “drafted” to become the nominee at the Republican convention…

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and the Republicans’ 2012 presidential nominee, repeated remarks from last week, telling “Fox News Sunday” that he wouldn’t launch an eleventh-hour campaign for president. But he declined to reject being “drafted” at the GOP convention in July to be the party’s general election candidate.

“It would be absurd to say that if I were drafted I’d say no,” Romney said.

Behind the scenes, much more is going on. In fact, CNN is reporting that Romney’s team is actively working on a plan to steal the nomination from Trump at the convention…

Mitt Romney has instructed his closest advisers to explore the possibility of stopping Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention, a source close to Romney’s inner circle says.

The 2012 GOP nominee’s advisers are examining what a fight at the convention might look like and what rules might need revising.

“It sounds like the plan is to lock the convention,” said the source.

If Romney does emerge as the nominee, does anyone actually believe that he will defeat Clinton?

Of course not. Trump’s millions of supporters will be absolutely infuriated, and many of them would absolutely refuse to cast a vote for Romney in the general election.

In the end, it would be the same result – a victory for Hillary Clinton.

The next few weeks are going to be very interesting. If Trump wins Florida and Ohio, there is going to be a lot of pressure on Marco Rubio and John Kasich to get out of the race, and the path to 1,237 delegates would appear to be clear.

However, Mitt Romney could attempt to derail the Trump bandwagon by jumping in the race after March 15th. Romney’s goal would be to capture enough delegates in winner-take-all states such as California to keep Trump from getting to the magic number of 1,237. If Romney could do that, he knows that he would likely come out of a brokered convention as the nominee.

But no matter what happens on the Republican side from this point forward, it is going to take a miracle of epic proportions to keep Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency. Every plausible scenario ends with her in the White House, and that is a truly horrible thing to imagine. (For more from the author of “Thanks to the Republican Civil War, Every Scenario Ends With Hillary Clinton Winning the Election” please click HERE)

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Trump Stays in Front as Cruz Raises Pressure With Split Decision

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz got a split decision from Republican voters in four states Saturday that didn’t dramatically change the nomination race but did expose unrest among party conservatives who want an alternative to the celebrity real estate mogul as their presidential nominee.

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, scored an overwhelming win over Bernie Sanders in Louisiana’s delegate-rich primary that lets her maintain a solid lead for the Democratic nomination even as the Vermont senator won caucuses in Kansas and Nebraska.

Trump defeated Cruz in the Louisiana primary by 41 percent to 38 percent and in the Kentucky caucuses by 36 percent to 32 percent, according to the Associated Press. Cruz prevailed in caucuses in Kansas by 48 percent to 23 percent and in Maine by 46 percent to 33 percent. Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich finished third or fourth in the states, prompting Trump to call for Rubio to drop out of the race.

The results of Saturday’s voting for both parties raises the stakes for Trump’s and Clinton’s challengers to make a stand in the next round of contests on Tuesday and the slate of five state primaries on March 15 . . .

While Trump held on to his front-runner status in the Republican race, Cruz’s wins show that he may be able to rally support from some conservatives who’ve been pushing back against Trump over his rhetoric and changing positions, said Ron Bonjean, a Republican political consultant who’s not aligned with any of the campaigns. (Read more from “Trump Stays in Front as Cruz Raises Pressure With Split Decision” HERE)

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America’s Biggest Conservative Conference Just Announced Winner of Annual Presidential Straw Poll

Ted Cruz won the 22nd annual presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday.

Cruz’s win marks the first time in four years that Kentucky Senator Rand Paul did not win the straw poll.

Paul, along with his father Ron, has long been considered a darling among the CPAC faithful. The two libertarians have collectively won five of the last six straw polls conducted, as well as several other polls at similar conferences. (Read more from “America’s Biggest Conservative Conference Just Announced Winner of Annual Presidential Straw Poll” HERE)

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Schwarzenegger Endorses Candidate for President

At a time when Ohio Gov. John Kasich is lagging far behind in the GOP primaries, he received a powerful boost from actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

As Kasich rallied voters in his home state, Schwarzenegger endorsed Kasich during a campaign rally in Columbus on Sunday, telling supporters Kasich “kicked some serious butt” during his time in Congress . . .

Schwarzenegger has business interests in Ohio, notably the three-day “Arnold’s Sports Festival,” which he started in 1989 and is held annually in Columbus. He also invested in a shopping mall. Schwarzenegger said he was first introduced to the Ohio governor when Kasich was first running for Congress in the 1980s.

“This is the land of opportunity; it is the greatest nation in the world, no matter what anyone says out there,” Schwarzenegger said. “And we need John Kasich to now take charge and be at the White House.”

Schwarzenegger’s endorsement comes just in advance of Ohio’s winner-take-all primary held on March 15. The vote is critical to Kasich as well as to efforts by Republican leaders to derail the candidacy of Donald J. Trump. (Read more from “Schwarzenegger Endorses Candidate for President” HERE)

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Voters Have Noticed Something Very off About the Ohio Primary Ballot [+video]

iVoters.com, a self-proclaimed “non-partisan, independent” website posted a video Thursday in which they showcase a glaring problem with the Ohio Republican primary ballot.

While the Democratic ballot is simple and easy to understand, the Republican ballot is dangerously confusing.

(Read more from “Voters Have Noticed Something Very off About the Ohio Primary Ballot” HERE)

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Wow: Look Who Was Just Officially ‘Drafted’ for President – It’s NOT Who You’re Thinking

By Gerry Urbanek. The suspension of the Jeb Bush campaign last month, along with the poor performance of Sen. Marco Rubio on Super Tuesday, has caused panic amongst those who fear a Donald Trump nomination . . .

The newly created super-PAC, the “Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan,” officially filed its paperwork Thursday with the Federal Election Commission. The only information associated with the PAC is that David Satterfield is the organization’s founder, though more information is expected to be released soon.

As the name implies, the super-PAC will seek to draft current Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to run against Trump for the Republican nomination. Speaker Ryan, however, says he has no intention of doing this and has repeatedly declined requests to announce a candidacy.

In response to the creation of this new super-PAC, Ashlee Strong, a spokeswoman for the Speaker, said: “He is flattered, but not interested.”

Satterfield was previously the treasurer for the late Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, who served as both a Democrat and a Republican during his time in office. Satterfield has also operated a super-PAC with ties to Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, in an effort to oppose President Obama. (Read more from “Wow: Look Who Was Just Officially ‘Drafted’ for President – It’s NOT Who You’re Thinking” HERE)

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Republicans in Tailspin, Group Forms to Draft Ryan for US President

By Doina Chiacu and Megan Cassella. With U.S. Republicans sharply split over a front-runner they cannot unite behind, a new group is trying to push the country’s top elected Republican, Paul Ryan, into the White House race.

The Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan filed papers as a Super PAC with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, adding to the groups of mainstream Republican leaders and donors with a shared goal: stopping Trump.

Ryan, the House of Representatives speaker who spoke out against Trump for not quickly rejecting white supremacist support, did not appear ready to take on the role.

“He is flattered, but not interested,” Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said in an email on Friday. (Read more from “Republicans in Tailspin, Group Forms to Draft Ryan for US President” HERE)

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Listen: Leaked Audio Reveals Sinister Plan to Take Nomination From Trump

New audio has emerged revealing Sen. Marco Rubio’s campaign manager pushing a “brokered convention” in order to take away any chance Donald Trump will be named the GOP nominee for president.

With the Trump train appearing to roll full-speed ahead, many Republicans — some in the establishment, others outside of it — are looking for a way to derail him. The specter of the “brokered convention” is on the lips of anti-Trumpers everywhere — especially those on Team Rubio.

Rubio has been running far back in third place for much of this primary season, but with their eyes still fixed on the nomination prize, some Rubio insiders are looking for a way to win — even if they’ve lost right up to the GOP convention in Cleveland in July.

Appearing before a room of big-dollar donors in New York City, Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan is heard regaling them on how Rubio can ultimately be the nominee through a brokered convention instead of at primary ballot boxes.

In the audio, released by Breitbart News, Sullivan is heard giving a full PowerPoint presentation on how to run the table at a brokered convention.

“That is – I know if you watch the cable shows, they’re pretty breathless right about now that this is it, nothing is stopping Donald Trump,” Sullivan is heard telling the donors. “He can’t be stopped. He has got more momentum, this is it. It is over.” (Read more from “Listen: Leaked Audio Reveals Sinister Plan to Take Nomination From Trump” HERE)

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GOP Candidate Announces Suspension of His Campaign at CPAC

A day after skipping the Republican presidential debate, Dr. Ben Carson addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday with some news about his struggling campaign.

Confirming he is “leaving the campaign trail,” the retired neurosurgeon enjoyed an extended standing ovation of support from the CPAC audience.

“I will still continue to be heavily involved in trying to save our nation,” he promised, including work with “My Faith Votes, which is an organization that is going to try to help the faith community to recognize how important their vote is.”

Recalling the 2012 presidential election, Carson said 25 million evangelical Christians stayed at home . . .

Many Christians, he said, believe they do not need to concern themselves with politics because “God’s got it under control,” Carson explained.

In any case, he urged Americans not to look at each other as the enemy just because they may disagree, concluding that such infighting “makes it excessively easy for those who really are our enemies.” (Read more from “GOP Candidate Announces Suspension of His Campaign at CPAC” HERE)

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Presidential Candidate Stuns by Effectively Dropping out of the Race While Romney Hints About Getting In

(For story about Romney, see below) By Jack Davis. Republican presidential Ben Carson responded on Wednesday to a dismal showing on Super Tuesday with an announcement that he will not attend Thursday’s Republican presidential debate in Detroit.

In the statement posted on his Facebook page, Carson said, “I do not see a political path forward” for his campaign. Carson said he will address his political future during a speech on Friday at CPAC in the Washington area.

“Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America,” Carson said on Facebook, noting the Super Tuesday 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,” he posted.

“I appreciate the support, financial and otherwise, from all corners of America. Gratefully, my campaign decisions are not constrained by finances; rather by what is in the best interests of the American people,” he posted.

Carson’s supporters left messages of gratitude for his efforts. (Read more from “Presidential Candidate Stuns by Effectively Dropping out of the Race” HERE)

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Mitt Romney to Deliver Speech on the Presidential Race

By Leigh Ann Caldwell. Mitt Romney, the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2012, will deliver an address Thursday on “the state of the 2016 presidential race.”

In a news release sent to press, no further details on what he will say were provided. But aides to the former Massachusetts governor say they expect him to speak out against Donald Trump, and praise Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich. Romney’s comments will be focused on “the state of the race,” likely echoing past criticism of Trump for failing to release his tax returns, and not decisively distancing himself from the Klu Klux Klan.

Romney has been inserting himself into presidential politics recently. He has taken to Twitter to challenge Trump to release his taxes, saying that the returns will contain “a bombshell.”

(Read more from “Mitt Romney to Deliver Speech on the Presidential Race” HERE)

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Good Luck Getting Into Detroit’s GOP Debate

The Michigan Republican Party received more than 21,000 ticket requests for Thursday’s presidential debate in Detroit but will only be giving out about 50 tickets to the public.

The Republican National Committee allocated 400 tickets to the state party, which is expected to give roughly 350 to elected officials, state committee members and grassroots activists, said Michigan GOP spokeswoman Sarah Anderson.

This leaves 50 tickets for the public. The tickets will be randomly awarded to some of the 21,000 people who filled out an online form on the state party website.

“If we have people that are turning them down among our elected officials, then we’ll add that number,” Anderson said. “We want to give out as many as we can. We know that people are excited and want to be there.”

The debate is scheduled to feature GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Ohio Gov. John Kasich as well as Detroit native and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. (Read more from “Good Luck Getting Into Detroit’s GOP Debate” HERE)

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