STAND, CONSERVATIVES! Fighting beyond the frustration and digust...there's no other choice

Donald Trump is not a conservative, just ask his supporters; he is a populist, centrist, and an iron fisted guy. Trump has moved within the Republican Party to get his populist agenda across. Meanwhile, Ted Cruz, the only conservative candidate, is caught in the middle of Trump and the Establishment and conservatives are being shut out of the process. Conservatives need to get smart and not pretend that either of those camps represents them. They shouldn’t dabble with either side but need to get behind the only conservative candidate in the race. In addition, Donald Trump has the highest disapproval ratings of any candidate. Even Hillary Clinton’s approval ratings are above Trump’s. ~ Mark Levin, 3/15/16

Another Tuesday, another election, more disappointment (Ohio and Florida we knew, but what the hell happened to North Carolina, Illinois and Missouri?!). After last night's frustration and disgust with the failings of a Republican electorate as it's duped once again by a con-man, it's understandable why some would say enough or simply "I'm Done." However, it's not quite over yet, but the difficulty level has absolutely increased.

This election is ripe for the return of virtue and principle, yet conservatives find themselves caught in a vice between the aging establishment and a less-old-but-resurrected populism.

Now, while there is still encouragement to keep calm and keep Cruzing...

Cruz is playing a strategic chess game. By competing just enough to force Rubio out, he eliminated his closest and most antagonistic rival for the anti-Trump vote. Kasich's win in Ohio, kept Trump from running the table. Now it's Cruz v Trump. Most polls show that Cruz can consolidate the opposition and dominate Trump head to head.

The stark reality is that even Trump risks falling short of the delegate count for the nomination, so the chance of this going to a contested convention has also increased...

TheHill: Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has secured more than half of the delegates needed to win the nomination, but he will need to pick up his pace to clinch 1,237 delegates and avoid a contested convention.

Trump’s strong performance in the Tuesday night primaries will make it tough for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to catch him.

He has secured 621 delegates, according to The Associated Press's projections as of 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, compared to 396 for Cruz and 138 for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Updated delegate count as of Wednesday afternoon:

Those three men are now the only active GOP candidates. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) suspended his campaign on Tuesday after losing Florida. He has 167 delegates.

About 60 percent of the 2,472 GOP delegates have been awarded, and Trump has won about 47 percent of them.

If he continues to win at that same clip, he’d fall more than 100 delegates short of 1,237, which would set up a contested convention.

That's the result Kasich is hoping for, since the Ohio governor has no chance of getting to 1,237 himself and little realistic chance of overtaking Trump.

Cruz believes he can still take the delegate lead from Trump, but he would have a better chance with Kasich out of the race and only two men to divide up the rest of the delegates.

Even that road would be tough for Cruz, however, who would need a win in Arizona's winner-take-all primary next week as well as a victory in Wisconsin's April 5 contest.

For Trump to get to 1,237, he needs to win more than about 60 percent of the remaining delegates.

It's unlikely that either, Cruz more so than Trump, can reach the magic 1,237 delegates needed, and if that comes to fruition, the Republican Party is definitely set for a contested convention. This could go either way, good or bad. Frankly, I'm not confident in the party or its delegates choosing the conservative path after watching how duped its electorate has been this primary cycle. There's still a chance, but it's difficult not to feel extremely cynical.

And it's easy to get cynical, particularly with the modern media three-ring Barnum & Bailey act, both liberal mainstream press and 'alternative' (conservative) sources, reminiscent of the Roman bread & circuses to be quite honest. The greater disappointment has been with the latter though, where either too many waited too long to coalesce behind the obvious consistent conservative in the race (Cruz), or they utterly abandoned their espoused conservative principles and backed the populist (Trump), who's never displayed a consistent ounce of conservatism.

To fully understand how and why the “conservative” (I use that term loosely) media willingly enabled this hostile takeover of the Republican Party, you primarily need to comprehend what a fraud the entire industry is. In short, the vast majority of “conservative” media is simply just a business cynically disguised as a cause.

Related link: Let’s Remember The Cowardly Conservative Leaders Who Betrayed Us For Trump

There are of course the exceptions (which I attempt to levitate towards, but can be fooled from time to time); nonetheless, whether mainstream or alternative, here's all the proof you need to understand how a collective media has pushed a Trump nomination all along:

Whether positive, negative or having nothing to do with the state of our disunion, but rather a circus sideshow, Big Media is aiding and abetting the Trumplodytes in foisting the Donald onto the Republican ticket. A perfect setup for failure, because here's the stark FACTS, folks: Trump is not a conservative and will be defeated in an embarrassing fashion in November.

TheResurgent: In 2008, Republicans lost the presidential election because a weak, establishment candidate won the GOP nomination and “hope and change” swept the nation. People were absolutely enamored with the young charismatic senator from Illinois and as a result, the GOP was soundly defeated.

In 2012, Democrats did not win the election; the Romney campaign simply lost it. Between Romney’s horrific second presidential debate performance, the failed Romney data collection system called ORCA and the failure of the Romney campaign to show Romney’s soft side (as was done on Netflix after the election), President Obama was simply handed a second term.

Notice whose fault the previous 2 losses were not: Conservatives. All of that could change very soon. If consolidation does not begin around Ted Cruz, Trump will be the nominee and he will lose. More importantly than that, conservatives will be blamed. The history books will read “in 2016 conservatives got their gun loving, abortion hating, wall building nominee and were soundly defeated”, thus totally discrediting the Tea Party movement.

The facts are simple. Trump is not a conservative and will be defeated in an embarrassing fashion in November. Because of this, any politician that claims to be conservative and supports Trump must be blacklisted by conservatives. They should be shunned, rejected, mocked and scorned because of the damage they have done. Ban them from CPAC; fail them on conservative scorecards; make them politically radioactive. When President Hillary Clinton gets 3 supreme court nominees, blame the blacklist. When President Hillary Clinton restricts second amendments rights and expands abortion rights, blame the blacklist. When President Hillary Clinton appoints radicals to every federal agency, blame the blacklist. We must purge them from conservative circles to make sure this never happens again. #NeverTrump

Related links: I Get It, But Tell Me Who You’re For
Cruz’s Camp Needs to Focus
A Third Party if Necessary and The Defense of a Third Party

So, CONSERVATIVES, keep FIGHTING! There is simply no other choice...because here's the positive of a contested convention:

NR: There is no sugar-coating tonight’s results. Even the one, small bright spot — John Kasich denying Donald Trump Ohio’s delegates — may end up presenting the conservative movement with a classic case of winning a battle but losing the war. Kasich is going to soldier on, doing his dead-level-best to sail into the convention as some sort of kingmaker/power-broker. In the meantime, however, he’ll split the anti-Trump vote even further, allowing Trump to continue to win contest after contest with a plurality of voters. It’s self-serving, it’s vain, and it’s Kasich.

And while I like and respect Marco Rubio, his futile decision to stay in the race to swing for the fences in Florida certainly cost Ted Cruz victories in both North Carolina and Missouri (at least if Trump’s narrow lead in Missouri holds overnight).

Any normal race would be over. But this is not a normal election. We’ve gone from a race where the political wing of the conservative movement is at stake, to a contest where America finds itself teetering on the edge of political violence not seen since 1968. In such circumstances, patriots simply do not give up, and they especially don’t give up while there are still glimmers of hope.

Trump is presently not on pace to accumulate a majority of delegates before the GOP convention, and he will face one — and perhaps two — losses next week in the Utah caucuses and the Arizona primaries. Mormon Utah will obliterate Trump (serving a heaping helping of humble pie to squishy Evangelicals), and Cruz should be competitive in Arizona. Any victory going forward will increase the chances of a contested convention.

The only defeat that #NeverTrump should acknowledge is final defeat in November, and even then conservatives should immediately plot their comeback. Our crisis cannot compare with the crisis faced by American patriots in 1776, but Thomas Paine’s words resonate still:

These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

Stand now. No matter the odds. There is no other choice.

No more debates. It's time to #StandWithCruz #DefendTheConstitution #DumpTrump #TrusTED #ChooseCruz #4America!

ADDENDUM: Welcome aboard!

USAConservativeToday: After this super thursday Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate, Cruz will benefit most from Rubio’s exit from the presidential race, according to new Morning Consult polling.

Among 412 Rubio supporters polled, 47 percent support Cruz as a second choice. Morning Consult interviewed 8,732 registered voters from March 11 to 15, including 3,372 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.

But what of his delegates? Guess we'll find out soon enough.

Related links: Rubio aide urges support for Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz SLAMS Trump for skipping debate, calls out media for airing a Trump telethon
Ted Cruz's 51% path to first-ballot nomination

Cruz calls into Levin before Tuesday's winner-take-all states

Ted Cruz called into Levin's Monday evening program for one more substantive discussion before Tuesday's winner-take-all primaries. Florida, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri (and even N. Mariana Island), this is especially for you...choose wisely, choose Cruz!

"What we've done the last seven years isn't working. The Obama/Clinton economy is a disaster. If I'm elected president, we're gonna repeal every word of Obamacare, we're gonna pass a simple flat tax and abolish the IRS, we're gonna reign in the EPA and all the federal regulators that are killing small businesses, and we're gonna stop amnesty, secure the border, end sanctuary cities and end welfare benefits for those here illegally. And the combination of all of that together, the result of that, is gonna be millions upon millions of high paying jobs, is gonna be wages going up for everybody, it's gonna be young people coming out of school with two, three, four, five job offers. That's going to be the priority going forward, bringing back jobs to America, raising wages, taking power out of Washington, and taking the boot of the federal government off the back of the neck of small businesses."

MUCH MORE here:

"Tomorrow is election day, and if you're in North Carolina, if you're in Missouri, if you're in Illinois, if you're in Ohio, if you're in Florida, come out and vote, and vote for me. I need your support. The campaign has demonstrated we are the only campaign that has repeatedly, over and over, beaten Donald Trump, not once, not twice, not three times, but in nine different states all over the country. And tomorrow is a pivotal day, so please come out and vote. Bring your friends, bring your family, and if we stand together -- we are neck-in-neck in several of these states right now, essentially tied with Donald Trump -- if we stand together, we're gonna beat Donald Trump for the nomination, and we're gonna beat Hillary Clinton for the general election, and we bring back jobs and economic growth and defend our constitutional rights and keep this country safe."

#TrusTED

Klavan: I'm angry! So I'm voting for Donald Trump?

This one's just too SPOT ON to pass up! Folks, come on...it's time to be honest with ourselves. Let's use our senses that the Good Lord gave us...

DailyWire: Donald Trump has captured the anger and frustrations of millions of Americans. Why are they so angry? Because they have spent the last seven years watching the lawless Obama Administration trample their rights while the Republican elites play failure theater and feign outrage. But does that make voting Trump a good decision?

"...so I'm voting for Donald Trump, because, because I'm angry! And I don't make very good decisions when I'm angry, so maybe I should calm down and vote for someone else who would be, like, a better president, and not such a schmuck."

Related links: NEW AD featuring Donald Trump’s OWN WORDS about women is BRUTAL…
Trump told me he doesn’t REALLY BELIEVE some of the things he says – Ben Carson
Trump's Nomination Would Represent a Paradigm Shift
Trump supporter ADMITS: “I don’t support Trump because I like his ideas…”

ADDENDUM: Klavan mentioned Trump's 'politically incorrect' comments about women. Well, OurPrinciplesPAC released a new ad on Monday that runs through a litany of those...real Trump quotes read by women...

Related links: Ben Shapiro: Donald Trump Is A Liar
Seven Things Trump Supporters Are No Longer Allowed to Complain About

Cruz stayin' alive with conservative coalescence

Well, much has happened since that last post. Though I've been on a much needed family vacation over the past week, I've still managed to keep a watchful eye on the campaign trail, and what I've seen is what we've been waiting (and praying) for in the form of a conservative coalescence around Ted Cruz!

Ted has racked up a number of states since then: Kansas and Maine two Saturdays ago, Idaho this past Tuesday (with strong #2 spots in Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii), Wyoming this Saturday, as well as Guam, and it appears Cruz is closing in on the number one spot in Illinois! Cruz's delegate count has steadily risen, and he's very much Stayin' Alive, folks. (Thanks Be To GOD!).

Preceding the Wyoming win, Ted earned some incredible endorsements, among which notably included former Republican presidential competitor Carly Fiorina, our generation's Great Communicator of conservatism Mark Levin, and his first senatorial endorsement, close friend and colleague in battle Sen. Mike Lee. On Wednesday, the Black Conservative Fund PAC, the country's most powerful black conservative group, endorsed Cruz, and on Friday, the Buckley-founded, returning-to-conservatism publication NationalReview also endorsed the Texan.

Cruz also had a phenomenal debate Thursday evening in the CNN/Salem debate from beginning to end with many powerful moments in between...

"Hillary Clinton says she'll cut waste, fraud and abuse, if only we had smarter people in Washington, that would fix the problem. You know what? That is the statement of a liberal who doesn't understand government is the problem. Here's my philosophy: The less government, the more freedom; the fewer bureaucrats, the more prosperity. And there are bureaucrats in Washington right now who are killing jobs, and I'll tell you I know who they are. I will find them, and I will fire them."

Related links: Ted Cruz SCHOOLS Trump: We have to get past CHINA BAD and actually SOLVE THE PROBLEM
Cruz hits Trump on crony capitalism, Trump hits Cruz with a bunch of LIES!
ANOTHER Trump FLIP FLOP!! Donald NOW says we MUST send troops on the ground against ISIS!
Trump says being in a parade PROVES he’s more pro-Israel than anyone!!
Trump just called the 1989 protest in Tiananmen Square a RIOT, just like the Chinese government!
Watch the FAVORITE Ted Cruz moment of the debate from Frank Luntz focus group
‘Trump’s been DOING everything they’re ANGRY about!’ – Cruz dings Donald after the #GOPdebate

One thing's for certain: TED CRUZ is the ONLY answer against the Republican nomination falling to a self-absorbed liberal con-man. There is no other. Now is the time to UNITE, to coalesce around this young constitutional conservative, even if the remaining contenders refuse to see the writing on the wall...

ABCNews: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said it will be a "disaster" for Republicans -- and the country -- if Donald Trump becomes the party's presidential nominee.

"I think it’s a disaster for the country because if Donald is the nominee, it makes it much, much more likely that Hillary Clinton wins the general," Cruz said in an interview on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

The Texas senator said the answer to beating Trump isn't a brokered convention, but instead to "beat him at the ballot box."

Cruz said his campaign is "on a path to beating Donald Trump," after defeating the Republican front-runner in contests in seven different states, and recently securing endorsements from former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, radio talk show host Mike Levin, and conservative magazine National Review.

"We’re seeing Republicans uniting behind our campaign because we are the only candidate that is in position to beat Donald Trump, to earn 1,237 delegates and become the Republican nomination— nominee," Cruz said.

Cruz then spoke directly to Republicans supporting Marco Rubio and John Kasich, and urged them to unite behind his campaign in order to defeat Trump.

"I like and respect both of them, but neither one of them have any possibility of beating Donald Trump. It’s mathematically impossible," Cruz said. "I would say if you’re thinking of supporting one of them, we would welcome you to our team. If you don’t want to see Donald Trump as the nominee, if you don’t want to see Hillary Clinton as the president, then come join us."

#TrusTed

Related links: Saving the GOP Might Mean Backing the Guy You Don’t Love (and I’m Not Talking about Kasich)
TED CRUZ FOR PRESIDENT, FREEDOM & LIBERTY FOR ALL PEOPLE

Levin, Cruz ROCKED CPAC...Trump cancelled?

Levin, with his recent bouts of bronchitis, not only made it to CPAC, but gave a rousing speech this morning on how the conservative movement has saved this country in the past and how we are on the precipice of the conservative movement doing it again...

I liked how Levin took a few shots at Trump (not by name) when talking about Reagan during the speech. Some in the crowd booed him when he suggested everyone get behind the most conservative candidate (again not by name). They all knew he was talking about Ted Cruz. ~ TRS

Later in the afternoon, The TEDNADO went on to give another fantastic CPAC speech in what felt like a victory lap following last night's great GOP debate performance...

Cruz ripped into Donald Trump at the beginning, saying, “I think somebody told him Megyn Kelly was gonna be here!” referring to his last minute decision to skip the conference. He later mocks Trump’s “flexibility” that he touted during the debate. The video also includes the question and answer period at the end. ~ TRS

...and speaking of the Chumpster, he DUMPED CPAC at the last minute!

The Donald [CANCELLED] going to appear at CPAC after a YUGE uproar over his apparent purchasing of a speaking spot to the tune of a $50,000 to the CPAC organization.

Very disappointed @realDonaldTrump has decided at the last minute to drop out of #CPAC -- his choice sends a clear message to conservatives.

— CPAC (@CPAC) March 4, 2016

After attempting to buy CPAC's silence, Trump bailed at the last minute? And Donald's the conservative we can depend on? No...no. That'd be the consistent, constitutional conservative that showed up!

#TRUSTED #CRUZ2016

CRUZnado sweeps Detroit!

Extraordinary night for Cruz! Out of the gate, rolling right through the applause lines, the substance poureth...

RedState: Tonight’s big winner was clearly and indisputably Ted Cruz. Cruz showed the most substance and had the strongest answers.

His line about charging Snowden with treason, like his answers on ethanol before the Iowa caucus, showed he’s able to give tough, definitive answers to questions that are controversial even within the party.

His touting of his Supreme Court credentials was not only a great case but a timely one.

Related links: Donald Trump funded Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi
Donald Trump Has Repeatedly Hired Illegal Workers

Also in the night was the moment of potential unity that has been discussed as the only way to effectively defeat Trump in this race. It came in the course of exposing Trump University...starting with Rubio (and Kelly) softening him up, then Cruz HAMMERING away and handling him like the petulant child that he is...

"Is this the debate you want playing out in the general election?"

"count to ten, Donald, count to ten."

Related link: Was This Debate The Beginning Of A Cruz-Rubio Unity Ticket?

And if once wasn't enough, a second moment of Cruz shutting up Trump came after he knocked it out of the park on a question about Second Amendment restrictions, which then led into SCOTUS nominees...

"breathe, breathe, breathe — you can do it, I know it's hard."

I think he’s figured out the secret to shutting up the Donald – you just have to treat him like the spoiled brat he is! ~ TRS

Unforgettably, Cruz had a magnanimous moment of the night when responding to the question of 'What's happened to Detroit?'

TRS: This may have been one of Cruz’s best moments of the night. He was asked about Detroit and completely nailed it, blaming the demise of Detroit on 50 years of failed left-wing Democratic policies. It was fantastic!

"Detroit is a great city with a magnificent legacy that has been utterly decimated by 60 years of failed left-wing policies."

Ted's final words of the night went out to ALL the men and women of this country (and their families) who serve and protect America...

"I will have your back."

Related links: We need a Commander in Chief that will rebuild the military
We need a strong Commander in Chief devoted to keeping this country safe

All in all, Cruz handily WON this debate with quality atop quantity. This is the substance, class and charisma that is missing with Trump, folks. We can't afford to get this so wrong when the consistent conservative standing before you is so RIGHT! Our time for choosing is NOW!

#TrusTed #Cruz2016

Related links: Twitter LOVED Ted Cruz tonight, said he WON THE DEBATE
WATCH: Ted Cruz BLASTS brokered convention talk as NONSENSE

Sowell: Last chance for America?

Within the conservative/libertarian circles (a far cry from the Washington establishment), the come-together sentiment extends its reach to the great econ-philosopher Thomas Sowell in a Part II continuum that explains why Ted Cruz may be the GOP's only hope to defeat the third-party national-populist from within, the Donald...

Townhall: The worst political blunder of all time, according to scientist Freeman Dyson, was the decision of the emperor of China in 1433 to cut off his country from the outside world. In the wake of that decision, China lost its position in the forefront of human achievements and fell behind, over the centuries, to become a Third World country.

Before the end of this month, the United States of America may break that record for the worst political blunder of all time. Professor Dyson attributed the Chinese emperor's blunder to "powerful people pursuing partisan squabbles and neglecting the long-range interests of the empire." That can be our path to disaster as well.

After the results of "Super Tuesday," we find ourselves with front-runners in their respective parties who each could, as President of the United States, take the decline of America under the Obama administration, even further down, to a point of no return.

As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton was in charge of the foreign policy that destroyed governments in Egypt and Libya that were no threat to America's interests or allies, and plunged both countries into a turmoil from which only Egypt managed to rescue itself, while Libya has become another hotbed of terrorist activity.

Yet Secretary Clinton is running on her "experience" -- even though it is an experience of unmitigated disasters for America, around the world. Her e-mail scandals and lies are important mainly as symptoms of her utter disregard of anything other than her own financial and political interests.

While Hillary Clinton seems, for all practical purposes, to be unstoppable in her quest for the Democrats' nomination, Donald Trump is by no means inevitable on the Republican side. But he may become unstoppable after the next round of primaries, especially if he wins in winner-take-all states.

Most of Trump's wins in various state primaries have been achieved without winning a majority of the votes. Yet these wins can create an impression of great victories, even when most Republican voters voted against Trump. The fracturing of the majority vote among numerous other candidates is the key.

What prevents the anti-Trump majority from coming together in support of one candidate who can defeat Trump? Only the kinds of narrow political squabbles that ruined China.

Senator Ted Cruz has the best track record against Trump, having beaten him in three states [now four], even with the majority vote split among several candidates. But the Republican establishment would prefer Senator Marco Rubio, who has won only one state and is trailing in the polls in his home state of Florida.

Perhaps most important of all, there are signs that -- if push comes to shove -- the Republican establishment would prefer Trump himself to Ted Cruz.

Why? Because, despite Trump's reckless rhetoric and shallow reasoning, he is a deal-maker who will not let principles stand in the way of anything that promotes the ego of Donald Trump.

Senator Cruz, on the other hand, has repeatedly defied the Republican leadership in the Senate. Whatever the merits or lack of merits of his actions in particular cases, he has clearly shown himself not to be one of those who go along to get along.

Former president Jimmy Carter has criticized Senator Cruz for not being "malleable." No one was more "malleable" in the face of America's enemies than Jimmy Carter, both when he was president and after he left office, and cozied up to Communist dictators in Cuba and North Korea. We don't need that kind of malleability in a President of the United States.

Even if we accept the criticism of Senator Cruz's political enemies and critics that he is "opportunistic," that charge loses some of its sting if he becomes President of the United States. What greater opportunity is there for him at that point? Becoming a great president, which is certainly what this country needs.

Perhaps a political near-death experience thus far will sober up both Cruz and his opponents into a realization that their cooperation is the only thing that makes sense for the country.

But politicians do not always do things that make sense for the country, whether in 15th century China or 21st century America. But we will know the answer to that question by the end of this month. And generations yet unborn may have to live with the consequences of that answer.

Sowell is not known to be an alarmist, quite the contrary, but the reasonable mind can comprehend his genuine concern here. There must be a coalescence, else we're stuck...and America may have just missed its last chance, in party and republic, the whole kit-and-caboodle.

Related links: Last Chance for America?
Thomas Sowell: How GOP Can Avoid The Worst Blunder Of All Time
THOMAS SOWELL: Trump could spell “the point of no return.”

Theory: Open primaries favor Trump, Closed favor Cruz...and the calendar is shifting towards more Closed primaries

Another great piece from TRS yesterday gave everyone a glimpse at the upcoming elections and delegates that are at stake from now until March 15th. I'd highly recommend taking a look at that, with particular notice paid towards how many Closed Primaries are coming up. A recent WaPo piece pointed out that so far, Trump wins open primaries and Cruz wins closed...and the calendar is starting to change towards more closed primaries.

Following the South Carolina primary, an interesting article by Michael Harrington went around Facebook that speculated that Donald Trump’s victory in the South Carolina primary was attributable to Democrats voting in the Republican (open) primary. One of the good things about Harrington’s article is that he put out a testable hypothesis — that turnout in the Democratic primary a few days later would be less than 390,000. In fact, it was 367,000. Harrington concludes that had South Carolina had a closed primary, Ted Cruz would have won the primary there. I don’t know him and the author seems to be anti-Trump based on other things he has written — but the fact that his prediction was borne out adds some independent verification to his thesis. So that got me to thinking.

If true, why does this matter? Because so far the primary calendar has been heavily tilted toward open primaries. But there have been four closed elections: the Iowa caucus, the Nevada caucus, and Super Tuesday’s Oklahoma primary and Alaska caucus. Ted Cruz won three of those four closed elections.

So here’s where it potentially gets interesting. Although the media are looking forward to March 15, this Saturday (March 5) there are four Republican primaries/caucuses: Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Maine. All are closed.

Then, once the winner-takes-all states begin, a large number of those are closed primaries and caucuses as well (including Florida, for what it’s worth).

That suggests at least two things.

First, the fact that South Carolina and most of the SEC primaries were open primaries may very well explain why those states did not turn out to be Ted Cruz’s firewall or launch states as he had predicted. Oklahoma did perform as expected, being a fairly comfortable win for Cruz. The timeless Pauline Kael quote that has been back in circulation lately may not necessarily be incorrect among actual Republicans.

Second, the four closed primaries and caucuses this Saturday could be very interesting to watch, particularly to see whether Trump can maintain his momentum in closed primary states where he will have to appeal to the traditional Republican base. I haven’t gone through the remainder of the states to calculate in detail how many delegates will be selected through this series of closed primaries and whether those are enough to win. Trump also might start winning closed primaries and caucuses. But this has been his Achilles heel so far.

We'll see how this theory holds up very soon! Also, an interesting aside...

As an aside, it seems sort of peculiar that open primaries play such a disproportionately large role at the outset of the Republican nomination process. I understand the historical reasons for why Southern states have open primaries and why they are at the beginning of the campaign process. And I’m not saying that it is necessarily wrong to have so many open primaries at the beginning of the process. But it just seems peculiar to have so many open primaries front-end loaded and the closed ones disproportionately later in the process, given the importance of the early primaries in culling the field. I’m not sure whether the Republican National Committee would have intended that had it thought of it.

That's a good way to have your nominee steered by the opposition towards the weaker candidate, RNC. Dummies. This is why ALL primaries, Republican or Democratic, should be closed to party affiliates only during the selection process.

Related links: Here are the Trump Democrats that Donald is using to win states
Only One Top GOP Candidate is Losing to Hillary in the Polls for November
What to look for in the Saturday closed primaries & caucuses. ‘Caucusi?’

'Evil trumping Good': Romney calls out 'phony, con man' Trump

I swear this has been the most bizarre primary cycle in my voting lifetime. Leave it to Trump to bring both sides of the Republican Party together!

TRS: Mitt Romney gave a big speech today in Utah, eviscerating Donald Trump and explaining why he should not be the chosen nominee for the Republican Party.

Like Ronald Reagan, Romney said we are at another time for choosing with the prospects for our future looking great. But suggested that a Trump presidency would not bring that great future to a realization.

Romney said Trump is not the huge business success he claims to be and that he’s not a business genius. He hammered Trump on both domestic and foreign policy and said Trump’s imagination should not be married to real power.

He called Trump a phony and a fraud and said his promises are as phony as a degree from Trump University.

Right message...agree with much of it. But wrong person to deliver it. Though some may listen, this will undoubtedly fuel the ire of the Trumpeteers. After all, this was the guy who likely caused many of today's Trump supporters to stay home in 2012 (and ironically they now demand we vote for Trump if he's the nominee?!).

Where was this Romney in 2012 against Obama? And as many are pointing out, primarily to disqualify the message, he's certainly changed his tune (inarguably for the better). But he ought to know all about Trump's establishment ties, after all, Trump helped fund Romney!

"Let me put it very plainly: If we Republicans choose Donald Trump as our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished. ... Frankly, the only serious policy proposals that deal with a broad range of national challenges that we confront today come from Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich. One of these men should be our nominee."

"Watch by the way how he responds to my speech today. Will he talk about our policy differences, or will he attack me with every imaginable, low road insult? This may tell you what you need to know about his temperament, his stability, and his suitability to be president."

See: Trump makes VULGAR joke about Mitt Romney – [VIDEO]

Such a message might be more effective if a Mike Lee or a Ben Sasse delivered it, or even a Limbaugh or Levin. Also, there was an endorsement opportunity missed here to encourage more unification of the party behind the strongest competitor (as hard as it is for the establishment to admit it, that'd be the conservative Cruz). Nonetheless, the substance is there, and the message still rings true. So what will the public make of it?

Here's the message/delivery hurdle to get around: We've had a serious problem with the establishment wing of the Republican Party for far too long now. We've repeatedly sought conservative means of rectifying those issues, continually being restricted and blocked from pursuing such ends through person and policy alike. And perhaps the argument can be made that now the pendulum has swung the other way towards the antithesis of what the Republican Party stands for, and now the establishment has lost so much credibility in fighting conservatism, that it can't restrain the other, less Republican, less conservative, less principled. But that mentality couldn't come at a more debilitating time than now, when we've finally ushered a constitutional conservative stalwart into the arena! (I'll say it again, that would be Ted Cruz!)

Now, Romney (along with Graham and the Establishment) still don't completely comprehend what they've caused, but instead have perhaps begun to finally feel it. And as much as they don't want to admit it, it is far better for the party to go conservative and survive than to slide further into a hodged-podged abyss of wreckage and irrelevancy. As Mark Levin described the other day, Trump is leading a third party run from within the Republican Party. And where it leads, no one knows for certain, but that uncertainty is looking more dangerous by the day, and even a guy as cloudy as Romney can see it.

Related link: How Ted and Marco Can Save the GOP and the Country

CRUZ upon SuperTuesday WINS: 'It's time for Republicans to UNITE to defeat Donald Trump'

AP ~ 'Ted Cruz is emerging as the candidate who could STOP TRUMP'

Winning, not once, not twice, three times...and now four! THANK YOU, Texas, Oklahoma and late night in Alaska for standing on conservative principles. And Thank You GOD ALMIGHTY for moving these patriotic Americans to do so for the sake of the nation and the hope of our future.

And the most decisive message of the SuperTuesday evening came from Ted Cruz:

"Tomorrow morning, we have a choice. So long as the field remains divided, Donald Trump’s path to the nomination remains more likely, and that would be a disaster for Republicans, for conservatives, and for the nation. And after tonight, we have seen that our campaign is the only campaign that has beaten, that can beat, and that will beat Donald Trump. ... We are the only campaign that has beaten Donald Trump once, twice, three times! ... We are the only campaign that has beaten Donald trump once, twice, three times. Republicans, together we have a choice. We are blessed with a deep, talented, honorable field. For the candidates who have not yet won a state… I ask you to prayerfully consider our coming together, uniting. For those who have supported other candidates, we welcome you on our team standing united as one. That is the only way to beat Donald Trump."

Across the board, the consensus is that it's time for conservatives, constitutionalists, libertarians, liberty-seeking Americans to UNITE NOW and there's one way to do that...

CR: Members of the conservative intelligentsia are all pulling their hair out over Donald Trump. For the entire week, they lectured us on the need to save the Republic and stop Donald Trump from destroying it. They told us that whoever comes in third place tonight must drop out so the second place winner can have a shot at consolidating support to beat Trump. It is clear that anyone who held that view coming into tonight’s election desiring to retain a shred of intellectual honesty must call on Rubio to drop out.

First, let’s say off the bat that Trump was still the clear winner tonight – both in states and delegates. No matter what happens he will be tough to beat. Name ID matters and Trump has gotten an incalculable degree of media coverage over the past year.

However, there are signs of vulnerability. In almost every state, according to exit polls, the late deciders broke against Trump. In Oklahoma, a closed primary state where Democrats can’t vote and where Cruz actually spent some time and money getting his message out, Trump was beaten pretty uniformly across the state. If Trump continues to deflate and someone goes up against him mano-a-mano, the Donald can at least be challenged for his plurality in the delegate lead going into the convention.

What is also clear is that, while it will be hard for anyone to beat Trump, there is zero chance of him being beaten with Rubio and Cruz splitting the opposition. Of the two, who should be the person tasked with taking down Trump? ...

Bottom line: there is no way someone can seriously contend that Trump must be defeated at all costs and still refuse to call upon the others to leave the race. In addition to winning states and having the second most delegates, Cruz is the only one who can win back enough of the conservative voters Trump is winning, as witnessed by Oklahoma and as demonstrated by Cruz’s speech tonight. ...

So at this point, the Florida Senator is just siphoning off votes from Cruz without winning a significant amount of delegates. ... Cruz has amassed a tremendous amount of money to go one-on-one with Trump in the long-run and a two-man race would change the entire narrative of the race. Trump could no longer standout as the only man tapping into the outrage relative to a crowded field of “politicians.”

Tomorrow morning we will find out whether our conservative friends in the media really want to defeat Trump or whether they care more about perpetuating the status quo. It will be a time for choosing.

Tomorrow is today, America. And it's a time for choosing. The narrative is now reset: Cruz is the only one who can beat Trump and everyone else should unite behind him. Finally, a narrative that makes sense!

Here's what it all boils down to, folks...

"Our President should make us all proud, should inspire hope in all of us. We can nominate a Washington deal-maker, profane and vulgar, who has a lifelong pattern of using government power for personal gain, or we can nominate a proven conservative, who has fought consistently for working men and women and to defend the Constitution."

We can accomplish this united, and we must UNITE NOW.

Related links: A Time for Conservatives to Unite
An Open Letter to Marco Rubio
Bill Kristol says there’s only ONE way to stop Trump!
WATCH: Lindsey Graham says it may be time to RALLY BEHIND TED CRUZ to stop Donald Trump
Cruz: GOP needs to ‘come together’ to beat Trump
So far, Trump wins open primaries and Cruz wins closed … and the calendar is starting to change toward more closed primaries