Cruz, Kasich Announce Strategy To Deny Trump Delegates

Wash. Post: Kasich And Cruz “Divvy Up Three States” In “An Unusual And Urgent Arrangement” To Stop Trump From Reaching 1,237 Delegates. According to an April 25 Washington Post article, Sen. Cruz and Gov. Kasich will “clear the way” for each other in certain upcoming primary states to deny Donald Trump the delegate majority needed to win on the first ballot at the GOP convention. The Post reported that the move “sparked swift condemnation” from Donald Trump, “who accused his rivals of ‘collusion in order to stay alive.’” [The Washington Post, 4/25/16]

Conservative Media Condemn “Unreal” Anti-Trump Strategy

CNN’s Jeffrey Lord: “This Is The Equivalent Of A Republican Munich” On the April 25 edition of CNN’s New Day, CNN political commentator and pro-Trump advocate Jeffrey Lord said he was “astonished” that Ted Cruz had “sold out suddenly to the Washington cartel,” likening the move to “a Republican Munich.” Lord defended his remarks that Cruz “signed up with the establishment," claiming “sellout is not too strong a word”:

ALISYN CAMEROTA (HOST): So Jeffrey, as a Trump supporter, what do you make of this? 

JEFFREY LORD: Yeah. I have to say, I really am astonished at this. I like Senator Cruz, said a lot of good things. Thought he should be on a Trump ticket. But in essence what's happened here, he has, to use his phrase about the Washington cartel, he has sold out suddenly to the Washington cartel. This is the equivalent of a Republican Munich in this kind of thing.

CAMEROTA: So why did he do it?

LORD: He and Donald Trump have repeatedly gotten, you know, 60, 70, 80 percent of vote in this anti-establishment wave that's going on here and suddenly Senator Cruz has signed up with the establishment. I am astonished. Apparently he's turning from being pro-Ted Cruz to, you know, pro-establishment. And this is baffling to me, but I think it's going to backfire and not a good thing for him to do.

[...]

LORD: The real target here is Hillary [Clinton]. And Ted Cruz, respectfully, if he wins this nomination, he's only managed to get 14 percent of the Republican vote in New York. I'm here in Pennsylvania. He's about to get clobbered here in Pennsylvania. This is real a weakness as a candidate. But again I am just astonished at what he's done here. Sellout is not too strong a word. [CNN, New Day, 4/25/16]

Breitbart News: “The Establishment Is Pinning Its Hopes On Indiana” An April 24 post on Breitbart News reported that “instead of trying to actually win the primary on May 3, Team Kasich is clearing a path for Cruz” to challenge Trump directly. Breitbart noted that “the Establishment is pinning its hopes on Indiana,” warning that should Cruz lose Indiana, “Bill Kristol … will re-focus on his plan to put up a third-party independent candidate”:

Kasich campaign manager John Weaver acknowledged that he is basically teaming up with Cruz in order to keep Trump below 1,237 delegates. A Trump victory in the winner-take-all state of Indiana would give Trump 57 delegates. The Kasich campaign has already been working the Indiana delegates on a potential second ballot, and claims that it has locked up the support of more than half of them.So instead of trying to actually win the primary on May 3, Team Kasich is clearing a path for Cruz to go up against Trump one-on-one.

[...]

The Establishment is pinning its hopes on Indiana. If the Establishment can’t stop Trump in Indiana, Bill Kristol has already declared that he will re-focus on his plan to put up a third-party independent candidate in November. That plan has already been condemned by the Republican National Committee as “helping to elect Hillary Clinton.” [Breitbart News, 4/24/16]

Fox’s Steve Doocy: It Looks Like “These Party Insiders” Are Trying To “Rig The System.” On the April 25 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy criticized the plan by Cruz and Kasich, claiming it will “backfire” because “it looks to people like these party insiders are getting together behind the scenes to try to rig the system.”

STEVE DOOCY (HOST): I'm checking our email machine, Bret, and there are a number of people who feel like this, the fact that they have teamed up, neither one of them mathematically can get the number on the first ballot. It's going to backfire because it looks to people like these party insiders are getting together behind the scenes to try to rig the system. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/25/16]

Fox's Jeanine Pirro: “Shame On Them.”

Cruz and kasich joining against @realDonaldTrump shame on them

— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) April 25, 2016

[Twitter, 4/25/16]

The Gateway Pundit: Cooperation By Cruz And Kasich “Unreal.” An April 24 post on the Gateway Pundit by right-wing blogger Jim Hoft claimed that efforts by Cruz and Kasich to stop Trump are “unreal”:

Both of the contenders are coordinating efforts to stop Donald Trump.

And the Republican party elites support this.

Unreal. [The Gateway Pundit, 4/24/16]