Reince Priebus showed off his true leadership skills Tuesday morning at a time of great division in the party, telling House Republicans that the nominee must secure 1,237 delegates. Them's the rules ... unless the rules are changed at the convention, he said. Don't believe him?
Priebus told lawmakers that they can review conventionfacts.gop if they have questions about how the 2016 nominee will be chosen.
Priebus' explanation of the party rules comes as front runner Donald Trump continually maligns the process as rigged. Priebus' comments seem, in part, designed to explain that, in fact, the rules have been in place for some time, and party leadership cannot change them.
Oh, sorry, not really "leadership" so much as a lesson in ducking for cover. Just a guess that Priebus may want to dust off that resumé, whichever way this thing goes.
If Donald Trump clinches the 1,237 delegates required to win the Republican nomination, he told the Washington Post that he’s not sure he’ll keep Reince Priebus as chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Said Trump: “I don’t know. I haven’t made the determination.”
Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell's "increasingly optimistic that there will actually be a second ballot" at the convention (i.e. that they can stop Trump!). In fact, if ever McConnell had a spiritual bone in his body, he's surely on bended knee every night. Because if Trump nabs the nomination, he's essentially promising to dismantle any part of the GOP establishment that gets in his way. Priebus might be sacrificed immediately in the public square as a cautionary tale for others.
On the other hand, if Trump fails, anyone who worked for him better change vocations ... or join the Democratic party.
According to interviews with more than a dozen operatives — including several who oppose Trump, some who support him and the leaders of some prominent D.C. political shops — some of those who go to work for Trump face an implicit, and occasionally overt, threat: Help Trump, and you’ll never work in this town again.
Oof. Tough times for GOP operatives.