[Granny Bear]

^^Just pointing out the inescapably obvious.

I think you have chosen to ignore the real threat of a contested convention... Paul Ryan or somebody like him. If the establishment gives Cruz any support, it is meant only to deny Trump the nomination at the convention and create the chaos needed to shroud their true intentions. They, the Rove-esque puppet masters, would love to parachute in their fav in the person of Paul Ryan and in that you and they are evidently on the same page. Because Cruz might not have the oomph to win, even on an (unclear how many) number of ballots, they may feel they'd have to make up a plausible cover to look justified. I believe they think they can just run over those who support Trump, so no apologies necessary, but in Cruz's case, who even though he would have much more work to do than Trump in delegate wrangling, it seems that they think they'll need the cover.

Unlike Charlie Sykes, Erick Erickson, Rich Lowry, and the rest of the sky-is-falling #NeverTrumpsters, I chose the non-hysteria route to the Republican nomination. One guy (Trump) came out speaking the truth plainly and he is the only one to have done so since Reagan. And in so doing shaped to no small degree, the campaigns of his opponents. Of course, Trump is the only one threatening to upset the media's lucrative apple carts, so it's not hard to see why they've had so much in the way of criticism for Mr Trump. But all the character assassinating perpetrated against Trump on both sides, has been horrific. An outcome I predicted with clarity when he announced. To give honor where it is due however, Reagan was slammed mercilessly too. One of his notable predecessors JFK, was no slouch in the area of truth telling either and received his own ample share of incoming. Oh for a few of those noble politicians in our time. But there is one glaring point to all this, and though I have asked, nobody has ventured to come forth with the explanation. Where were all the clairvoyants mentioned above, and unmentioned, who are leading the present charge against Trump when Obama was rising? I don't get it. All of a sudden those who can see into the future with precise clarity woke up as the result of the strong medicine of ObamaCare, or what happened? I think they all had it wrong in Obama's case, and in in poetic irony, they're attempting to lay the criticisms applicable to the amateur hour muppets of this administration at the feet of Mr Trump, whose only vice to date, has been a strong desire to right the ship. The whole thing looks like a political reenactment of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors.

By all reports Wisconsin was an outlier, and posed a unique challenge that Trump will not see again this election season. None the less, there are 879 remaining delegates to be had on the Republican side. Cruz having amassed 520 would need to win 717 of them to reach 1237. To say that is not likely is a bit of an understatement. On the other hand Trump with 743, only needs to win 494 more to reach 1237. Taking into account the likely Trump wins in New York and California, which total 267, Trump's total without Pennsylvania or the New England area will leave him only 227 delegates short. It's just an easier path and the polls, scientific or not, show it.

Perhaps one day before I die, I will be able to speak as eloquently as you, Hoot and WideRight. I can think of things, but cannot relate it in the written word.

We have no one but ourselves to blame for Trump and his political position of today. The last 8 years have been unbelievable, and Americans have sat back on their laurels and done nothing to prevent the chaos that is present day politics. The middle class has had its' back broken working to support the agendas of the upper class and/or politicians and the agendas of most of the lower class who refuse to work. And why SHOULD they work? They are rewarded with everything from free healthcare to real time support and all for doing nothing. It's beyond shameful!!!

You want to know why the candidate Donald Trump is so popular with all of his faults and issues??? Hmmmm....where can I begin? How about a $2M beer summit? That may or may not be an accurate sum, but I will accept it. After all, when the budge deficit is a few thousand trillion, what's another couple of million? Chicken feed. We can go on to allowing Obama and his administration to decimate our military, and end with Hillary watching as the Benghazi tragedy unfolds before her lying eyes. Oh, and she doesn't worry at all about being caught up in her lies...she blames a preacher making a video in Florida!!!! Yes..most of us have forgotten about THAT excuse, but I never will. And she gets away with it! SHE GETS AWAY WITH IT!!! Just exactly like she will get away with the email server controversy. She lies, she waits, she distracts, she gets away with it.

So you have a buffoon like Trump enter this race. He is plain spoken and isn't monetarily indebted to anyone. He may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but compare him to other "accepted" candidates, he's a genius. Rubio and Cruz jumped on his bandwagon, BUT Trump was the only candidate with the balls to say the things first that we were all thinking. He slashed the "sanctuary cities", then Cruz slashed them; he ridiculed the border crossings, then Rubio ridiculed them. And wonder of wonders, he is still fighting.

The media can do nothing but try and undermine him from his character to anything else they can find. This may be the first time in recent history that the Democratic National Party and the Republican National Party agree on ANYTHING. They must stop him...but how?? Nobody is funding him!! So the bottom line is, the RNP will do anything it can to keep him from getting the nomination. To hell with what the public wants or votes for...Evidently the voters don't have enough sense to vote anymore.

So, bottom line...why bother? The good ole boys' club is going to manipulate, strangulate and get elected just whomever they want.

It's not that I'm a big Trump supporter, but he sure has got a lot of people thinking.

Personally, if I was younger, I would be thinking about moving to Texas or Idaho or any other state that was considering succeeding from the USA. For the first time in my lifetime, I am ashamed of where this country is going.