Ted Cruz' dog whistle to the left/liberal consensus, insinuates Trump supporters give him the "Sieg, Heil!"

A new low for Cruz.

From the transcript of the Miami debate last night, here:

CRUZ: ... You know, at Donald's rallies recently, he's taken to asking people in the crowd to raise their hand and pledge their support to him.

Now, I got to say to me, I think that's exactly backwards. This is a job interview. We are here pledging our support to you, not the other way around.

Trump causes a disturbance in the Ministry of Plenty, where "Intel" isn't just a partner but a conjunction

Trump is smart to ask Republicans to embrace the new voters he's bringing in to the process

He opened the debate with that sentiment, and closed it the same way.

I hope the Republican Establishment is listening.

Trump made a good point about delegates

Getting half, 1,237, to get the nomination is entirely arbitrary.

The primary/caucus system is messy, inconsistent and hardly a level playing field in some respects.

Trump's dim view of gridlock isn't encouraging

Gridlock is built in: It's called the separation of powers.

Ted Cruz is a disgusting liar about Trump rally pledges

Trump doesn't ask people to pledge "to him" but "to vote for him" at the primary.

CNN's asking softball Cuba questions to help boost Rubio

Rubio has the right attitude toward Cuba.

The Miami audience ate it up.

So Ted Cruz is for boots on the ground in Syria against ISIS, too

So the only one of the four who hasn't been for this is Donald Trump, but now he says he will send them in.

Very disappointing.

Previously he was for letting the Russians carry the load.

John Kasich shouldn't speak French if he can't pronounce it

rapprochement |ˌrapˌrōSHˈmäN, -ˌrôSH-|

Ted Cruz is a doctrinaire free-trader who won't punish trade malefactors

He has no solution for the mercantilist war on America waged by China et alia. Meanwhile America will continue to bleed jobs.

John Kasich is in the black in Ohio because he gets an extra $2.5 billion a year in Medicaid from the feds

Because he signed up for Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, contrary to what his legislature wanted.

Social Security tax rates have been raised 20 times since 1937, they can be raised again and the world won't end

John Kasich just said he wants to legalize people here illegally

This is unfair to everyone who came here legally, people who obeyed our law.

Trump is right. They have to go.

Cruz has momentum? He needs 61% of remaining delegates, up from 59% on Monday

Trump needs 54% of remaining delegates, unchanged from Monday (the difference is a rounding error).

Cruz' momentum has slowed by 3.4%.

Conservatives don't realize how much Ted Cruz owes to George W. Bush because talk radio never mentions it

How is it that Rush Limbaugh's closest thing to Reagan is a Bushie, hm?

Reported here:

The Bush-Cruz connection is clear. Ted was George W.’s brain when he ran for president. A top policy adviser, Ted maneuvered for Solicitor General in Bush World but settled for a plum at the Federal Trade Commission. Ted’s a Bush man with deep ties to the political and financial establishment.  Ted and wife Heidi brag about being the first “Bush marriage” – they met as Bush staffers. Cruz was an adviser on legal affairs while Heidi was an adviser on economic policy and eventually director for the Western Hemisphere on the National Security Council under Condoleezza Rice. Condi helped give us the phony war in Iraq. Heidi then went to the Bush U.S. Trade Representative as a top deputy to U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Zoellick, who wired Heidi’s membership in the Council on Foreign Relations and job at Goldman Sachs. The bailed-out bank then loaned Cruz $1 million secretly to finance his Senate race. Cruz would also borrow an undisclosed $1 million loan from Citicorp.

Camille Paglia likes Trump's swaggering retro machismo, is repelled by Cruz' weirdly womanish face

Here:

Cruz’s lugubrious, weirdly womanish face, with its prim, tight smile and mawkishly appealing puppy-dog eyebrows, is like a waxen mask, always on the verge of melting.

Carly Fiorina, call your office.

Ted Cruz is a numbskull: He should try to co-opt Trump's voters, not insult them

Ted Cruz, quoted here:

“Donald does well with voters who have relatively low information, who are not that engaged and who are angry and they see him as an angry voice," Cruz told The Brody File on Wednesday.

Trump now needs 54% of the remaining delegates to get to 1237

That's 779 delegates needed.

901 of the remaining 1442 delegates available are in 17 "winner take all" contests.

But Colorado (37) and Wyoming (29) delegates, still unallocated, are still in play at their respective state conventions, to be concluded by mid-April.

Plus delegates for Carson (8) are in play because he withdrew.

Ohio surplus due to Medicaid expansion, not to John Kasich's special skills

The Toledo Blade reported here . . . a year ago:

COLUMBUS — The infusion of billions in federal funds to pay for expanded Medicaid coverage in Ohio has had the side effect of dramatically increasing the state’s ability to put away money for a rainy day, as well as its power to borrow.

Ohio expects to finish the current fiscal year with a surplus of $970.4 million. It will transfer more than half of that amount at the last minute to help pay for proposed income tax cuts, unemployment compensation interest payments to the federal government, a proposed student debt reduction program, and other items.

But the remaining $374 million would be transferred to the state’s so-called rainy-day fund, budgetary reserves capped by law at no more than 5 percent of the general revenue fund. That would bring the balance in the fund to just under $1.9 billion, well above the current balance of roughly $1.5 billion.

John Kasich's Ohio miracle is totally phony and depended entirely on federal money through Medicaid expansion under Obamacare

No wonder John Kasich took the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare.

John Kasich has been bad for Ohioans, is already poison for the presidential race, and will be terrible for the country if allowed anywhere near the Oval.

From the story here:

Wal-Mart is a perennial leader, and at the time had nearly 18,000 Ohio employees covered by Medicaid, followed by McDonald’s with over 14,000 jobs. Next in line, respectively, came Kroger, Wendy’s and Bob Evans with a combined 17,000 plus workers using Medicaid.

So when Gov. Kasich went around his very right-wing legislature, which didn’t want to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, he was thinking about more than the normal people “living in the shadows.” He saw $2.5 billion a year in federal money and knew he could both shed state expenses and give aid and support to a few of Ohio’s biggest corporations, which are too cheap to pay their workers a living wage, defined by enough income to pay their expenses without being “dependent” on government safety net programs like Medicaid. John Kasich loves to talk about personal responsibility for individuals, but has nothing to say about the same responsibility to the biggest, richest corporations.

This observation on what Gov. Kasich was doing came from a progressive economic think tank that gets little attention at the legislature. Zach Schiller, a spokesman for Policy Matters Ohio, said Ohio’s safety-net services, including Medicaid, food stamps and cash assistance, “shouldn’t have to be used in significant ways by multimillion-dollar companies getting tax breaks. They should be able to adequately pay their employees.”

Carly Fiorina endorses Cruz in incoherent rant against Trump, ineffectively equating him with Hillary Clinton

Here:

"The truth is that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are two sides of the same coin," Fiorina said Wednesday, ripping the GOP front-runner.  "They aren't going to reform the system. They are the system."

Fiorina noted that many in the Republican Party are "horrified by Donald Trump. I'm one of them," she added, describing Cruz as "the only guy who can beat Donald Trump."

"Ted Cruz has always been a constitutional conservative," Fiorina said, adding that he "didn’t care if he got invited to the cocktail parties in D.C. ... It is time now to unite behind the one man who can beat Donald Trump, who can beat Hillary Clinton, who can beat the D.C. cartel. It is time to unite behind Ted Cruz," Fiorina said to roaring cheers.

I thought everybody in "the system" hated Trump, indeed is "horrified by" him to the extent of the #NeverTrump movement among Republicans, unlike Clinton who is the darling of her political party, the host of the cocktail parties, and the queen of Wall Street cash.

Carly should check out the concept of synonyms: The system = the cartel = The Establishment.

It's hard to imagine two things more deadly to "the system" than enforcing immigration laws and rewriting "free-trade" agreements to benefit American workers instead of American corporations.

You know. Like Hewlett-Packard. 

Did that ARG poll in Michigan showing Kasich +2 over Trump turn out to be total BS or what?

Democrat turnout in Michigan's presidential primary was up 97% over 2008, so how is Donald Trump's big win here caused by Democrat cross-over votes?

The big story in Michigan is that Democrats turned out in force in the closely fought race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. It was a two point race that went down to the wire, won by Bernie by 20,000 votes out of 1.18 million cast.

But the conventional wisdom among Republicans is we're supposed to believe that there were enough large numbers of Democrats left who were energized to cross over and vote for Donald Trump to take him to victory over "real" Republicans like Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Marco Rubio.

This has to be the kookiest theory yet promoted by The Stupid Party.

I think Trump was chosen here by heretofore inactive Republican-leaning voters, not by Democrats.

God knows there's millions out there who never participate in elections. In Michigan we typically have trouble getting turnout to 20% of the voting age population. In presidential election years it averages 18.32%.

Turnout yesterday broke records going back before 1980, at 34%.  

Republican turnout was up over 30% from 2012, and over 50% from 2008, but Democrat turnout was up a whopping 97% over 2008 when Hillary and Obama famously duked it out.

A total of 601,219 votes were cast in the 2008 Democrat Primary, but in 2016 1.18 million. (There was no Democrat primary here in 2012. It was a pro-forma caucus in which 195,058 votes were cast, the vast majority for the incumbent president Barack Obama.)

Democrats were too preoccupied yesterday fighting over Hillary and Bernie to care much about Donald Trump.

That's the good news for Trump supporters, and the bad news for his Republican opponents. Donald Trump is remaking the Republican Party with support from people who appreciate his issues and strong leadership instead of theirs: manufacturing jobs, illegal immigration and trade.

Yesterday they came out of the woodwork to vote for him.

Tampa Bay Times eviscerates Marco Rubio's long accomplishment-free record

"Throughout his political career, Rubio has focused on promoting himself and preparing for his next move rather than providing leadership to effectively address the challenges of the moment. Relying on a charming personality and a smooth speaking style, he has been more talk than action, more gimmick than substance, more opportunist than committed public servant. The result is a thin resume, a reputation for failing to pay attention to detail and a tendency to bend when the political winds shift. ... Let's remember that Rubio's single term in the U.S. Senate has been devoid of a single significant accomplishment ... A vote for Rubio may be a protest vote — but it won't be a vote for someone who is prepared to be president."

Read the whole thing here.

Trump drives Republican turnout 52% above 2008, 32% above 2012 in Michigan primary

Michigan Republican primary 2008: 869,169 votes cast (Romney: 338,316)

Michigan Republican primary 2012: 996,499 (Romney: 409,522)

Michigan Republican primary 2016: 1,318,297 (99% reporting, Trump: 481,296)

Trump 2016 creams Romney 2012 and McCain 2008 in Michigan Republican presidential primary

Donald Trump 2016: 481,296

Mitt Romney 2012:   409,522

John McCain 2008:   257,985

With just four still in the race, The Stupid Party in Michigan wastes 45,470 votes on 9 former candidates

In denial of Trump sweep of Michigan counties, Rubio supporter Rep. Bill Huizenga of Zeeland maintains West Michigan will never vote for Trump

On the Steve Gruber Show in the last segment.

Rubio didn't win a single county.

Donald Trump's little known involvement as a material, early supporter of Ronald Reagan

The UK Daily Mail reported here in May 2015:

'Donald Trump was on the Reagan Finance Committee in 1979-80 when most of the New York financial elite were for George Bush or John Connally,' the former campaign aide told Daily Mail Online, on condition of anonymity.

Trump and his father Fred were in the room when Reagan announced his candidacy in New York City in 1980, he explained, adding that without Trump the 40th president might have been dead in the water.

'When the phone company said it would be 30 to 60 days before they could install our phones at the Reagan for President headquarters on 52nd street,' he recalled, 'I called Donald Trump. They installed the phones the next day.'

'Donald also let us use his helicopter to fly our delegate petitions to Albany, where we filed 15 minutes before closing at the board of elections.'

And Fred Trump 'loaned the campaign some space in a building he owned in Queens,' the Reagan veteran said. 'Donald got us space on 52nd street. They were among a handful of Reagan's earliest New York Supporters.'

Mayor Rudy Giuliani endorses Trump, but oh, sorry Schatzi, with no "Sieg, Heil!"

Rubio NOT surging in Florida: only 300 show for rally

Kiss of Death: Romney does robocalls for Rubio and Kasich, but not for Cruz

In other words, for establishment-acceptable candidates only.

Story here.

Rush is right: With President Trump Democrats will be talking impeachment on Day Two

Hooah.

Outlier poll in Florida tries to shape opinion pro-Rubio, not measure it

Outlier poll in Michigan tries to shape opinion for Kasich, not measure it

Poster Boys for Prophylactics

John Kasich

Marco Rubio

Laugh of the Day: Talk radio in Michigan this morning gets no calls from Democrats because they're not up yet

Just now on The Steve Gruber Show.

Trump is deliberately not countering opposition TV ads on TV, using Facebook and Twitter instead: Huge mistake?

He's also using ads during conservative talk radio programs, but overall his is a very risky strategy which may already explain why Trump is not farther ahead than he should be.

This may spell big trouble, dead ahead.

Facebook and Twitter require active participation. Television is passive and reaches more people. Facebook is ubiquitous but the irony is the owner is the big player behind the amnesty enemy. And Twitter is a sewer dominated by the thug left. They'll never vote for him anyway. At best he communicates effectively only with those who already support him.

Trump is proud of winning on a dime against losers like Bush who spent millions, but I don't think the strategy is sustainable.

This is crunch time, and Trump's not crunching.  

Trump still has a big problem on H-1B flip-flop, appearance on Savage Nation today did nothing to assuage fears he's just telling people what they want to hear

Sympathetic critics like Laura Ingraham are exactly right that the time has long since passed for Trump to stop winging it, show more discipline, and spend some money on TV ads.

We're voting for him in Michigan tomorrow, but I predict Trump is going to disappoint us going forward even more than he already has.

It's almost as if he's prepared to hand this thing over to Ted Cruz, who doesn't give a fig for anything but himself.

One way or another, we're going to get the government we deserve, good and hard.

From the story here:

"Furious supporters of Donald Trump . . . are now FORMER supporters of Trump".

Mark Steyn gives Kathy Shaidle a mention on the Rush Limbaugh Show

Quotes her hoping that Trump doesn't turn out like that other Austrian . . ..

WaPo graphic shows Trump did best in Texas at the border with Mexico

Here.

The remaining candidates' wives

Jeanette Rubio

Karen Kasich

Heidi Cruz

Melania Trump

Jane O'Meara Sanders

Mr. Hillary Clinton

Does Mark Steyn actually oppose Donald Trump?

It seems so.

He just said in the opener today that Trump needs 58% of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination, which to Steyn appears to be too difficult to accomplish.

This just isn't so.

Trump needs 53.6% of the remaining, the least of all the candidates and close to his level of support through Super Tuesday.

That's 853 delegates, after Rubio won Puerto Rico yesterday, out of 1592 remaining.

Cruz needs 937, which is 58.9% of the remaining.

Steyn appears to have Cruz mixed up with Trump.

Was that on purpose?

Michigan Republicans boo Romney the "loser", call for his deportation

Byron York reports here:

Trump instinctively sensed that he could bash Romney in Romney's home state with no consequences at all. "This guy Romney came out yesterday," Trump began, which brought on lots and lots of boos. "The hatred he has, the jealousy, the hatred, it's hard to believe."

More boos. "You guys should like him, right?" Trump said. Still more boos.

'Deport Romney!" yelled a man in the crowd.

"Thank you," said Trump.

"Loser," yelled a woman near me.

The anger and frustration did not stop with political figures. A number of people complained to me about conservative media, which they believe hasn't treated Trump fairly. "I'm a National Review reader," said a man who walked up to me during Trump's speech. "I can't even look at the site anymore. It looks like Salon. Nine stories tearing [Trump] apart, man. I don't get it."

Ted Cruz: The sleaziest dirty tricks campaigner of modern American history

So says Conrad Black here.

And Conrad Black knows a thing or two about that.

Turnout in Republican primaries is nearly 49% higher than in Democrat contests to date

Popular votes for Republicans are running at 10.1 million vs. 6.8 million for Democrats, unless you count Rubio and Kasich as Democrats, in which case Democrats are winning by 35%.

Unify the party you poster boys for prophylactics.

Mitt Romney is Democrats best friend in 2016

Trump popular vote in LA, KS, ME and KY yesterday beat both Romney in 2012 and McCain in 2008

Trump garnered 230,443 votes in Louisiana, Kansas, Maine and Kentucky yesterday, beating Romney's total in 2012 (north of 174,000) and McCain's total in 2008 (north of 214,000). Ted Cruz received 230,209 popular votes.

In Kentucky neither Trump nor Cruz beat Romney or McCain but together the first and second place finishers yesterday garnered north of 154,000 votes, beating Romney's 117,000 in 2012 and McCain's 142,000 in 2008, both late May contests in those years unlike in 2016.

Turnout in Kentucky in 2016 exceeded 225,000, eclipsing the previous contests significantly. In 2012 turnout was only 176,000, even weaker than 2008's 185,000. Enthusiasm for Romney in 2012 had also been down in Louisiana, where McCain previously in 2008 had mustered 18,000 more votes than Romney did four years later.

In Louisiana, Kansas and Maine Trump beat Romney 2.6:1 and McCain 2:1 despite losing Kansas and Maine to Cruz yesterday, who himself obliterated Romney in Kansas 5.8:1 and McCain 8.75:1. In Maine Cruz crushed Romney 4:1 and McCain 8:1. Cruz yesterday beat the former GOP candidates for president 2.75:1 and 2.2:1 in Louisiana, Kansas and Maine combined.

Despite Trump winning the popular vote yesterday by 234 votes in the four contests, Cruz won 16 more delegates than Trump.

Ted Cruz is a "me too" wall builder and is soft on illegal immigration: Trump's central ideas in June 2015 speech predate Cruz' by five months

Noted here:

Cruz unveiled his immigration plan in November, the first plank of which is to "build a wall that works" — a suggestion that his call for more border agents, surveillance and biometric entry-exit tracking is simply a more sophisticated version of Trump's blunt-force proposals. "The unsecured border with Mexico invites illegal immigrants, criminals, and terrorists to tread on American soil. I will complete the wall," the plan says in yet another nod to Trump.

Not only did it take five months for Cruz to copy Trump's ideas, the only wall Ted Cruz ever mentioned in his own speech announcing his run for president in March 2015 was the Berlin Wall.

Securing the border is just a one-liner in the speech among many other one-liners, and unlike Trump Cruz emphasized legal immigration in the speech, a nod to his long-suspected softness on the issue:

(APPLAUSE)

Imagine abolishing the IRS.

(APPLAUSE)

Instead of the lawlessness and the president’s unconstitutional executive amnesty, imagine a president that finally, finally, finally secures the borders.

(APPLAUSE)

And imagine a legal immigration system that welcomes and celebrates those who come to achieve the American dream.

(APPLAUSE)

Instead of a federal government that wages an assault on our religious liberty, that goes after Hobby Lobby, that goes after . . ..

Peter Beinart notes leftists are upset with liberals who won't "undo systemic justice"

Leave the typo as it is, Peter. You got it right the first time.