Well, this is fun! Donald Trump is pitching a fit because he's never really understood how the nomination process works.
“Our Republican system is absolutely rigged. It’s a phony deal,” he said, accusing party leaders of maneuvering to cut his supporters out of the process. “They wanted to keep people out. This is a dirty trick.” […]
His effort to sow doubt about the system plays into the suspicions and anxieties that many of his most ardent backers have about a political process they believe has intentionally disenfranchised them. And it allows Mr. Trump to divert attention from his recent losses in delegate races occurring all over the country.
And, boy howdy, how well is that working? State Republican officials everywhere are reporting that they're getting death threats—"including threats that describe death by hanging," threats to their families, threats of doxxing or actual doxxing—from rabid Trump supporters who think their guy is getting cheated out of the nomination. Tom John, a GOP district chair in Indiana, told TMP that there "have been a few [messages] for myself and others that have referenced personal things, things you've said on social media, references to our families, references to our houses, things like that that feel a little bit more ominous."
Which is fascinating, because who has made this happen: Ted Cruz. Cruz, who had been the upstart renegade tea party guy when he got to the Senate is now the establishment guy working the system to steal the election from the outsider. You really can't make this shit up.
How establishment is Cruz now? He's courting Wall Street with help from his wife, currently on leave from Goldman Sachs. They're having a big shindig next week with Wall Street big leaguers to replenish depleted campaign coffers. "Event chairs for the Harvard Club gathering must collect $25,000 each for Cruz. Members of the host committee must commit to bringing in $10,800. Those who donate $2,700 will get to schmooze with the Cruzes at a VIP reception." There's no report on how much donors have to spend to not have to schmooze with the Cruzes. Considering how virulently Cruz has attacked Wall Street in the past, and just because he's Ted Cruz, most of those folks would just as soon send a check without having to come face-to-face with the guy.
The best part of all of this is now we're not just seeing a Republican civil war between establishment and tea party, we're seeing the tea party splinter between their guy who hates President Obama so much he made the House shut down government over Obamacare and their guy who hates President Obama so much he kept the whole birther movement alive. Perfect.
