REPUBLICANS ABANDON TRUMP: The Official Thread

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Mary Matalin, Republican Strategist and Pundit, Changes Political Parties

Mary Matalin, a high-profile political pundit and veteran strategist for the Republican Party, changed her party registration to Libertarian from Republican, she said on Thursday.

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Paul Ryan, House Speaker

Paul Ryan: 'I'm just not ready' to back Donald Trump

Washington (CNN)House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday he cannot yet support presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

"I'm just not ready to do that at this point. I'm not there right now," the Wisconsin Republican told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" in an interview.
Ryan's position makes him the highest-level GOP official to reject Trump since the real estate mogul became the last candidate standing in the party's nominating contest. His move gives down-ballot Republicans cover to hold off on supporting Trump. It could also keep his agenda in the House from being overtaken by Trump's policy positions.
Ryan said he hopes to eventually back Trump and "to be a part of this unifying process." The first moves, though, must come from Trump, he said.
Ryan said he wants Trump to unify "all wings of the Republican Party and the conservative movement" and then run a campaign that will allow Americans to "have something that they're proud to support and proud to be a part of."
"And we've got a ways to go from here to there," Ryan said.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/05/politics/paul-ryan-donald-trump-gop-nominee/

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George W. and George H.W. Bush to skip GOP convention

Both former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush will not attend this summer's Republican National Convention, spokesmen confirmed to The Hill.  

The younger George Bush's spokesman, Freddy Ford, told The Hill in an email that the most recent Republican president "does not intend to attend" the convention in Cleveland.

Ford also told The Associated Press that Bush does "not plan to participate in or comment on" the presidential race.
 
George H.W. Bush's spokesman confirmed that the former president would not be attending either, citing his age.
 
Neither Bush attended the 2012 Republican convention. Many speculated the younger Bush chose not to appear at that convention to avoid links with nominee Mitt Romney, as Bush's favorability rating had not yet recovered from his time in office.  
 
But now Bush is looked upon more fondly by Americans, topping President Obama's favorability rating in 2015.
 
The former president returned to the political stage during this presidential cycle in support of his brother, Jeb, and his presidential campaign. He attended fundraisers and spoke at a campaign rally in South Carolina.

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Now That Trump Is The Nominee, These Republicans Say They’re Voting For Hillary

Ted Cruz went nuclear on Donald Trump on Tuesday, but it didn’t do him any good. While the Indiana primary results are still rolling in at press time, it appears there’s a real shot that Donald Trump has won all of the Hoosier State’s 57 delegates. Before all the votes were even counted, Cruz announced he’s suspending his campaign.

Trump’s latest triumph makes it more likely than ever that he will obtain the 1,237 delegates needed to avoid a contested convention. In fact, his Indiana victory, combined with a five-for-five performance in last week’s primaries, means he no longer even has to win the majority of California’s delegates next month to hit the magic number.

In short, the #NeverTrump movement has failed. And as that failure became abjectly clear Tuesday night, some Republicans announced they’ll be supporting Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton should she continue down the path toward her party’s nomination.
Mark Salter, a former top aide to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), suggested in a tweet that he’ll be breaking with his party and supporting Clinton come November.

List of them up at http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/05/03/3775104/never-trump-has-failed-republican-party/

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'Lot of fence mending to do': Rep. Charlie Dent not sold on Trump

Dent in February endorsed Trump competitor John Kasich as the GOP nominee for 2016.

Word came Wednesday that Kasich decided to drop out of the contest, after his lone primary win came in Ohio, where he is governor. The other challenger to Trump as the new face of the party was U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and the Texan ended his run Tuesday after a poor showing in Indiana.

"I want to thank Governor Kasich for his hopeful, forward-looking message and the positive campaign he ran," Dent, a Republican whose 15th Congressional District covers Lehigh and parts of Northampton County, said in a statement Wednesday.

"With the Republican nomination now secured for Donald Trump, he has a great deal of work to do to convince many Americans, myself included, that he is prepared and able to lead this great nation."


http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/elections/index.ssf/2016/05/lot_of_fence_mending_to_do_kas.html

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27 Republicans who won’t back Trump as nominee

List of Republicans who won't back Trump

Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.)

Gov. Charlie Baker (Mass.)

Glenn Beck, conservative host

Jay Caruso, RedState

Eliot Cohen, former George W. Bush official

Rep. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.)

Steve Deace, conservative radio host

Rep. Bob Dold (Ill.)

Erick Erickson, conservative writer

Rep. Richard Hanna (N.Y.)

Doug Heye, former RNC communications director

Former Rep. Bob Inglis (S.C.)

Matt Kibbe, former Freedom Works CEO

Bill Kristol, The Weekly Standard editor

Kevin Madden, former Mitt Romney aide

Former RNC Chairman Mel Martínez (Fla.)

Liz Mair, GOP strategist

Former Gov. George Pataki (N.Y.)

Former Rep. Ron Paul (Texas)

Rep. Reid Ribble (Wis.)

Former Gov. Tom Ridge (Pa.)

Rep. Scott Rigell (Va.)

Rep. Mark Sanford (S.C.)

Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.)

Former Rep. J.C. Watts (Okla.)

Peter Wehner, conservative New York Times contributor

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/271578-22-republicans-who-wont-back-trump-as-nominee

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Mitt Romney says he'll skip 2016 Republican National Convention in protest of Donald Trump

The entire 2012 Republican ticket won't support Donald Trump in 2016.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, will skip the Republican National Convention this summer, according to a bombshell report Thursday, while 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said he wasn't "ready" to support the bombastic billionaire.

The remarks are the latest sign that much of the GOP establishment is turning its back on presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

Romney won't attend the party's nominating summit in July in Cleveland, representatives for the former Massachusetts governor told The Washington Post, highlighting the deepening rift between party elders and the brash billionaire.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/mitt-romney-skip-2016-rnc-protest-donald-trump-article-1.2626165

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Gov. Bruce Rauner won't attend GOP convention or endorse Trump for president

Gov. Bruce Rauner won't attend the Republican National Convention or formally endorse Donald Trump for president as fallout from the controversial presumptive nominee reverberates throughout the Illinois GOP.

Aides to the first-term Republican governor said Rauner, who declined to back a candidate in what was once a crowded GOP presidential field, would remain focused on Illinois' troubled finances.

Rauner joins U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk in bypassing the July convention in Cleveland as Illinois' two highest-ranking Republicans seek to avoid the political minefield created by Trump, the real estate mogul and former reality TV show star.

Unlike Rauner, Kirk faces a high-stakes re-election contest in November against Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth. But Rauner does have some skin in the game on the fall ballot as he seeks to erode Democratic supermajorities in the legislature. The dispute between Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan has left the state politically stalemated without an operating budget for more than 10 months.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-donald-trump-bruce-rauner-illinois-republicans-met-0506-20160505-story.html

[SOMEPARTS]

All of the relics of the party holding out for favors....be gone.

[Straw Man]

It's bizarre that none of these Republicans have the balls to talk about the elephant in the room.  Of course I'm referring to the obvious fact that Trump is a puppet planted by Bill Clinton to help Hillary.    

Trump being the Republican nominee is the biggest story of the year yet it would be DWARFED by the "plant" story yet no has the courage to talk about it.

If they really want to stop Trump then this is obviously the way to go.  Get Bill and Hillary on the news to explain how they made Trump their puppet or get Trump on the news explaining this selfless act of devotion to Hillary

It's so blatantly obvious that it's really hard to understand why no one is talking about it.   Everything that Trump has done to this point is exactly what he would have done if he were a Clinton Plant

Case in point, yesterday he was photographed eating a Taco Bowl on Cinco de Mayo.  This is right of the Clinton playbook and EVERYBODY knows this (I feel silly even having to point it out).   If Trump were actually a serious candidate intent on winning the White House he would have been photographed eating a Burrito Supreme from Taco Bell.  

These are the kind of hard facts that I can't believe people are ignoring.

According to political scholars like 240, the Ted Cruz campaign was torpedoed by sex scandal stories that had far less proof than the Trump "plant" story.   Why would Republicans who oppose Trump not be all over this.  It just makes no sense....unless of course the entire Republican establishment is also Bill Clinton plant.  That would explain why they would be ignoring this.   Holy Shit, just realized the entire media must also be a Bill Clinton plant as well. 

[240 is Back]

It's bizarre that none of these Republicans have the balls to talk about the elephant in the room.  Of course I'm referring to the obvious fact that Trump is a puppet planted by Bill Clinton to help Hillary.   

"Maybe Donald negotiated a deal with his buddy Hillary Clinton," Mr Bush tweeted this week

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35066940

[Straw Man]

"Maybe Donald negotiated a deal with his buddy Hillary Clinton," Mr Bush tweeted this week

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35066940

excellent job 240

A Bush tweet from December of 2015 musing that Trump made a deal with Clinton

This is EXACTLY the iron clad proof I was referring to earlier

how can the media continue to ignore this?

even more importantly how can the growing chorus of Republicans who oppose Trump continue to ignore this

What more do they need to see this is a fact

It's baffling

[GigantorX]

excellent job 240

A Bush tweet from December of 2015 musing that Trump made a deal with Clinton

This is EXACTLY the iron clad proof I was referring to earlier

how can the media continue to ignore this?

even more importantly how can the growing chorus of Republicans who oppose Trump continue to ignore this

What more do they need to see this is a fact

It's baffling

The video about this is all over the place, O'Reilly already went over it.

[Grape Ape]

As an independent, all I can say all these republicans should blame themselves for being such a shitty party that Trump handed them their asses.

HRC is despised, represents the same old shit we've seen for the past 20 years, and has myriad of faults.  Easily defeated by a party with it's shit together.

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As an independent, all I can say all these republicans should blame themselves for being such a shitty party that Trump handed them their asses.

HRC is despised, represents the same old shit we've seen for the past 20 years, and has myriad of faults.  Easily defeated by a party with it's shit together.

obama was polling lower than any sitting president that won re-election.  Worse than carter.  Historically, he SHOULD have been beat.  Romney was just that bad.

[Straw Man]

The video about this is all over the place, O'Reilly already went over it.

I'm sure Bush or one/many of his surrogates will be all over the media very soon to reveal this incredible story. 

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Jeb bush just announced he will NOT be voting trump

[Straw Man]

Jeb bush just announced he will NOT be voting trump

Weird that while he was making that announcement that he didnt mention that Trump was planted by Bill Clinton to aid Hillary.  

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Weird that while he was making that announcement that he didnt mention that Trump was planted by Bill Clinton to aid Hillary. 

you really want me to be wrong about this.  Sorry, but Trump is in this race to give it to hilary.  You may never admit it, but when everyone sees how artfully he won the GOP nomination - then clumsily handed the race to hilary - everyone else will step back and wonder.  lifelong friends, both living in NY, golfing and wedding together, all that...

Trump's legacy is that he will ensure no republican gets in hilary's way.  he wrecks every repub, RINO to tea party... now it's been 3 days and he's fumbling nonstop in the general-aimed race.  That's no coincidence

[Straw Man]

you really want me to be wrong about this.  Sorry, but Trump is in this race to give it to hilary.  You may never admit it, but when everyone sees how artfully he won the GOP nomination - then clumsily handed the race to hilary - everyone else will step back and wonder.  lifelong friends, both living in NY, golfing and wedding together, all that...

Trump's legacy is that he will ensure no republican gets in hilary's way.  he wrecks every repub, RINO to tea party... now it's been 3 days and he's fumbling nonstop in the general-aimed race.  That's no coincidence

once again you're 100% wrong

I would absolutely love it if this story were true

the problem is that there is zero evidence and less than zero logic behind it

If you truly believe it's true then you're sole proponent of the biggest story of this century

So why are you wasting your time on this board. 

You should be creating websites, calling  into Beck, Drudge, Limbaugh,etc..

This story is worth millions to the genius who brings it to the public (remember Drudge started out peddling gossip from the CBS gift shop)

So gather your evidence (well, find some first) and then go out and make us all proud

[mazrim]

This is a bad thing? A bunch of repubs that have done nothing for us? Looks like another plus.

[polychronopolous]

I don't want to pigeonhole everybody because I know for a fact there are some decent men and women out there but a large portion of the Republican Party is absolutely useless.

[TheShape.]

All the ones that are shitheads aren't supporting him, and that's a bad thing? We don't want Jeb! or Mittens. They can fuck right off.

[polychronopolous]

All the ones that are shitheads aren't supporting him, and that's a bad thing? We don't want Jeb! or Mittens. They can fuck right off.

Let me guess.... the white liberal media was "terrified" that he was eating a taco bowl on cinco de mayo?

[TheShape.]

Let me guess.... the white liberal media was "terrified" that he was eating a taco bowl on cinco de mayo?

They thought it was racist!  He did it on purpose because he knows he would just get more free airtime. Chess vs. Checkers!