Pollster and political strategist Pat Caddell, a mainstay of the “Political Insiders” roundtable on Fox Report Sunday, joined SiriusXM host Stephen K. Bannon on Thursday’s edition of Breitbart News Daily to talk about the state of the Republican primary race and the hopes of the GOP establishment for an eventual nominee other than the current candidates running in Wisconsin.
Caddell didn’t like the intensity of the personal attacks between the Trump and Cruz camps, especially since the looming possibility of a brokered convention would make it difficult to unite the party for the general election under the best of circumstances. Party unity after an ugly, personal brawl between Trump and Cruz will be even harder, especially if the Republican Establishment is still plotting to brush both of them aside, and insert an entirely different candidate after the first round of voting at the convention.
On that subject, Caddell speculated that many of the delegates Donald Trump has won during the state primary races have been set up as “faux delegates” who will abandon him after the first round of voting, possibly allowing the Party to introduce an entirely new candidate, such as current Speaker of the House and 2012 vice-presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)56% .
Caddell said he believes the GOP Establishment is “using Cruz as a cats-paw.”
“Look, you don’t really think that Jeb Bush, and Lindsay Graham, and some of those who have endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)79% … you don’t really think they want Ted Cruz, do you?” Caddell asked. “They’re using him to stop Trump.”
This strategy will face a crucial test in Wisconsin’s primary on Tuesday, where Caddell noted the generally reliable Marquette poll was showing “a huge surge for Cruz.” He found such a surge believable, given that Governor Scott Walker and other potent political forces in the state have aligned behind the senator from Texas, while Trump has been “off-balance” in Wisconsin.
“I think the odds are the Trump is the decided underdog right now,” said Caddell, predicting that a big Cruz win in Wisconsin would make it “very difficult” for Trump to collect the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the first round of balloting at the Republican National Convention. Also, a loss in Wisconsin will “energize” those who wish to block Trump from winning the nomination.
“It depends on how he recovers, and how the electorate that’s been pushing him recovers,” said Caddell. “There’s a Quinnipiac poll out this morning that shows him with 56% of the vote in New York. He’s never been higher than 30 in Wisconsin, but he’s going back to his home territory. New Jersey is winner-take-all. California is a big campaign.”
If Trump can’t recover and get the delegates he needs, Caddell thought Senator Cruz would likely find himself discarded after the first ballot at the convention, his usefulness to the Party bosses at an end.
“If they can stop Trump, then Cruz will pick up some more on the second ballot… but I don’t think they’re gonna nominate him,” he explained. “I think they will then move to nominate, to try to nominate an Establishment figure, someone who hasn’t run. I think that will blow the Republican Party up.”
Caddell said the GOP Establishment is “terrified of Trump,” and also opposed to Cruz, because “they are worried about their arrangements being broken up, their power.”
He said these Establishment politicians would “absolutely” rather lose the 2016 election to Hillary Clinton than win with Trump or Cruz. Conversely, the voters who have propelled Trump and Cruz to victory over a platoon of more Establishment-approved candidates are unlikely to “reconcile” themselves to an Establishment pick inserted at the Republican National Convention.
So many of us have been saying this all along! They're using Ted Cruz, who CANNOT POSSIBLY get the needed delegates to win, to prevent Donald Trump from reaching that goal, so they can put their own candidate on the ballot. And it WON'T BE TED CRUZ!!! And right now it looks like they're grooming Paul Ryan. Either that or John Kasich. TM
******* “We cannot continue to allow ourselves to be influenced and molded by the political class and by the media. That is going to destroy us," he said, remarking that it's "kind of sad" that the press is the only business protected by the Constitution "because they were supposed to be the allies of the people." Dr. Ben Carson
iWsconsin Becomes Ground Zero in Advanced Political / Media Warfare… Posted on March 30, 2016 by sundance
For decades as the UniParty ranks have swollen – and with them the advanced political machinations to retain power and keep control over the electorate….
Depending on the battle-space, national, regional or state voters have historically been viewed by those within the Machiavellian consort as sheeple masses, pawns to be shifted from here to there depending on need. The professional political class and the professional corporate media class working hand-in-hand to further their own self-interested agenda.
However, with the advent of rapid, engaging and transportable communication their grip on information has diminished severely. It is no longer necessary to take to the streets just to identify there are more of us than them.
Understandably, this is a source of much consternation – and as a direct consequence the owners of the social media communication platforms have been enlisted, many corrupted, to aid the modern usurp.
Everyone would be wise to remember, from the perspective of those in power, information is used to manipulate behavior. Polls are tools, we have continually warned of “agenda polls”, “push polls’ and polling done by Political Public Relations firms on behalf of the people who pay for them.
Quote: truthkeeper wrote in post #4I really wish Trump would hire Pat Caddell in some capacity.
He's got more natural smarts than the whole lot of them put together.
Caddell...and bring back Roger Stone (but listen to him this time). Yeah, that's the ticket.
He is the salt of the earth! I agree!! DO IT DONALD!!!
He has been a critic and a prophet for what's wrong with America and the political elite especially...
******* “We cannot continue to allow ourselves to be influenced and molded by the political class and by the media. That is going to destroy us," he said, remarking that it's "kind of sad" that the press is the only business protected by the Constitution "because they were supposed to be the allies of the people." Dr. Ben Carson