Christie, Fiorina drop out of Republican presidential race

Rubio: This notion that Barak Obama doesn't know what he's doing know what he's doing is just not true, he knows exactly what he's doing. (for the 3rd time and 2 more times to follow)

Chrisitie: There it is! There it is! The memorized 25 second speech!

Priceless. Probably the only thing I'll remember a year from now about what anybody said during this whole campaign. Christie should try stand up comedy.

From what I have seen about him, I wonder what Christie was doing in the Republican race anyway. He clearly belongs to the other party. He should be honest and join them.

Clinton has a long history of support for civil rights.

I'll never forget those television pictures of Hillary walking out of the Barry Goldwater campaign headquarters back in the 1960's onto that bridge where she was attacked by police dogs and sprayed by fire hoses. Yep her fight goes way back.

From what I have seen about him, I wonder what Christie was doing in the Republican race anyway. He clearly belongs to the other party. He should be honest and join them.

He's definitely republican - he holds very republican views. But he's not an extremist, so from the extreme right it's not surprising that he appears to be to the left.

Civil rights in the 1960s? Now if I point out the policy of Trump's father to never rent to black people, that gets excused as 'it was a long time ago.' So tell us what the Donald was up to in the '60s besides dipping into his inheritance from dad.

Maybe she can edit videos for Planned Parenthood for her next career.

A brokered convention is looking more likely for the GOP. Trump will likely continue polling in the mid-30s, and the other four have no reason to drop out - except Kasich, who lacks funds, but he'll likely at least continue until the mid-March Ohio primary (and remember that the GOP convention will be held in Ohio this year). At any rate, we're promised at least a full month of entertainment from now.

Brokered convention? Not quite there yet. Trump, by maintaining a solid 30-40% voting bloc in the GOP primaries and caucuses (provided he can do it) will win, win, and win a majority of said elections.

Why? Because of the stubborn refusal of Cruz, Kasich, Bush and Rubio to leave the race in favor of rallying around a single "establishment" candidate who gets all the money and who can focus his attacks not on other also-rans, but on the big-cheese, Trump. And Cruz, simply by being an anti-establishment Tea Party candidate, is not who the establishment want to rally around. Yet. (Even though he's the only other winner so far.)

The results in NH guarantee that at least three of these four guys will stay in the race until after Super Tuesday in March, where 49% of all GOP delegates will be up for grabs. Remember, majorities of 50% plus are unnecessary to end up with victories in the primaries, as evidenced by 2012 where the eventual winner Romney only secured real majority victories in 3 out of the 10 states up for grabs during that election cycle (the rest being "victories" in Trump's 30-45% range.)

With around 40% of the vote, you can in fact get enough delegates to win an outright nomination, but you do need to come in first place, a lot. Trump will do that, barring some unforeseen catastrophe.

Also, unfortunately for Rubio and Bush, in 2016 Florida doesn't vote early (it comes later on March 14, two weeks after S.T.), so neither have a chance to claim a campaign-revitalizing Florida victory over Trump before Super Tuesday. What's more, neighboring South Carolina looks set to go not to Floridians Rubio/Bush but to Trump, thus stealing any claim to the mantle of "southern vote-getter" on the part of these also-rans.

So If Trump can maintain the above averages (and he seems able to do so), Trump should be able to win big in South Carolina and Nevada first, before going on to "win" a majority of the 13 states involved (many of which are presently polling strong for Trump.) Will Rubio, Bush or Kasich manage to win any state at all? Can Cruz beat Trump in his home state, Texas? And will it matter, or will the split between the other four (even if each wins one or two states each) push things beyond the point of no return, since Trump under this hypothesis would have perhaps 9 to 10 double-digit victories post Super Tuesday??

Trump winning the White House, once seen as an extremely long shot, improved significantly...

Amazing. The guy is a hilarious entertainer. But he's also a crazy idea. First, he will destroy the republican party. Some may smile at that but it's ultimately not a good idea. I think the conservatives, notice the small "c," are in trouble since the southern strategy finally comes home to roost. Trump is for Trump. Those are his principles. But he knows how to rally a bunch of enraged know-nothings. Cruz is worse. He's like cult leader. He's not funny at all.

Sanders, 74...having breakfast with civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton...

Ugh! I like Sanders but, having grown up in New York, hate Al Sharpton. That guy should have been shamed out of relevance a long time ago. I doubt Sanders can pull it out. He's real old, first of all. We're going to end up with Clinton? The status quo? Clinton = amateur hour, a traveling circus, big banks and Wall Street. Oh well. It's better than the republican alternative when you think of the Supreme Court.

Thanks for an interesting post, BNIightened.

I agree that we're not necessarily facing a brokered convention, and that Trump could well win a solid 30-40% voting bloc in the GOP primaries and caucuses. However, winning the nomination does not require a plurality but a majority; thus, delegates needed to win the nomination (50%+1) is 1,236 (which may rise due to certain factors. This is kinda informative: http://time.com/4059030/republican-primary-calendar-2016-nomination-convention/

To further complicate matters, the RNC has the ability to alter its rules if it so wants - and it may so want if the leader at the convention lacks a majority and is deemed a threat to the party. More here: http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/can-gop-party-bosses-rig-rules-keep-trump-winning-you-bet

A couple things are clear: that the RNC does not want to be seeing rigging the results and in fact would prefer not to do so, but also that this is such an unprecedented situation that even the party bosses have no clear idea how it the primaries will play out and how they will subsequently respond. I'm not singling out the RNC here; the DNC's rules are equally opaque and arcane. Welcome to "democracy," American-style.

They say you don't stop campaigning for president, you just run out of money.

"Trump’s remaining opponents, most of them mainstream Republicans, will likely benefit from their departures"

Or maybe Trump will benefit from their departures.

When is that smarmy Ted Cruz going to drop out?

SerranoFEB. 11, 2016 - 06:34PM JST When is that smarmy Ted Cruz going to drop out?

Hopefully his ego will demand he stay right to the end inflicting maximum damage to the other front-running ego super maniac the Donald.

Are you endorsing anyone yet?

Or maybe Trump will benefit from their departures.

I don't think so. I've been saying this from the start - Trump already has most of the supporters he's going to get. Being so divisive, people either love him or hate him. Those that love him already love him, and the rest, who hate him, aren't going to switch to him as their options decrease.

That said, he's proven most people wrong one way or another on this campaign, so I could be proven wrong. But I don't think I am.

The Establishment puppetmasters will ensure their approved candidate gets the party nomination regardless of the voter choices.

@Madverts

"Hopefully his ego will demand he stay right to the end inflicting maximum damage to the other front-running ego super maniac the Donald."

You do know The Donald was against going into Iraq, right? What about the other front-running ego super maniac Hillary Clinton?

I was going to endorse Chris Christie but looks like he's going to drop out. I'm starting to like this Sanders fella, but he would never get his liberal wealth redistribution plan pushed through Congress...

SerranoFEB. 11, 2016 - 10:18PM JST You do know The Donald was against going into Iraq, right?

Sounds like you took the Trump lie-bait hook line and sinker. Don't forget, 77% of Trump's campaign claims are proven absolute lies.

Trump said on Fox News during the weekend after the invasion: “I think the market’s going to go up like a rocket!”

On April 1, 2003, the New York Post wrote of a “glitzy dinner” and a Paul Anka concert that Trump hosted at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Anka dedicated his concert to Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and American soldiers, and at one point received “thunderous applause” when he asked the crowd of 500 “well-heeled” guests: “Isn’t George W. doing a marvelous job?”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/10/21/donald-trumps-baseless-claim-that-the-bush-white-house-tried-to-silence-his-iraq-war-opposition-in-2003/

I was going to endorse Chris Christie but looks like he's going to drop out. I'm starting to like this Sanders fella, but he would never get his liberal wealth redistribution plan pushed through Congress...

If you of all people are supporting Sanders then perhaps there really is going to be a revolution. I wasn't expecting you to sat that...

One rode outta town on a school bus, the other, on a witch's broom.

Christie was doomed when he left those kids trapped on the school buses and Fiorina when she tanked HP then publicly endorsed AWOL's wars.

Now the Republican'ts are stuck with cuckoo bird, bubbles and big pants leading the parade to self destruction. Sad part, the increasingly disturbing picture of Americans the GOP ShiaTea is creating.

As each candidate drops out, the voters for that former candidate will move to ANYONE but Trump. Trump has his supporters but he's not likely to gain any more from the other candidate's departures. His is a niche voter base. Should he somehow win the nomination, I daresay you would see a bunch of registered Republicans voting Democratic (or at least Independent) in November.

"Don't forget, 77% of Trump's campaign claims are proven absolute lies."

That may be false. Do you have any proof of that? lol