The Republican primary race is one Red Wedding away from Game of Thrones levels of mistrust, backstabbing, and … front-stabbing. For months, Republican insiders have been urging the non-Trumps to join together to take down The Donald, leading to instances of coordinated debate name-calling. However, the level of mistrust, distrust, and outright hatred among the various giant egos shoving pieces around the primary map has made those moments of cooperation short-lived. Now, the forest of debate podiums has been clear cut to a sparse three, and Cruz and Kasich are gathering their meager forces for a final stand.
Ted Cruz and John Kasich are joining forces in a last-ditch effort to deny Donald Trump the Republican presidential nomination.
Within minutes of each other, the pair issued statements late Sunday saying they will divide their efforts in upcoming contests with Cruz focusing on Indiana and Kasich devoting his efforts to Oregon and New Mexico. The strategy -- something the two campaigns have been working on for weeks -- is aimed at blocking Trump from gaining the 1,237 delegates necessary to claim the GOP nomination this summer.
As Trump looks over the landscape of tomorrow’s primaries, the latest polls give him a mere five-point edge in Indiana, so perhaps letting Lyin’ … I mean Senator Ted Cruz gather his banners in that state makes sense. And Ted is coming off a crushing victory that came without involving the peasants voters by grabbing at least 65 out of 94 delegates up for grabs over the weekend.
The Texas senator has so thoroughly dominated the fight to send loyalists to the national convention that if front-runner Donald Trump fails to clinch the nomination on the first ballot, Cruz is well-positioned to surpass him — and perhaps even snag the nomination for himself — when delegates are free in subsequent convention rounds to vote for whomever they want.
Of course, Trump has spent half the campaign talking about how the establishment is out to get him, so these latest maneuvers haven't gone unnoticed.
"It is sad that two grown politicians have to collude against one person who has only been a politician for ten months in order to try and stop that person from getting the Republican nomination," Trump said in a statement released early Monday morning.
That’s right! Trump is only a baby politician. You shouldn’t be picking on him, you weak losers.
In any case, Kasich and Cruz are still keeping a knife in their free hands, as they’ve made no deal that lasts beyond the primaries on Tuesday. And even this deal seems just a leeetle bit shaky.
Wait. Are the musicians playing Rains of Castamere? Run, Ted, run!