With no mathematical chance of winning the votes needed to become president -- why is Kasich staying in the race? Does he really want a victory that is unearned and handed to him in a contested convention? Where did all his "goodness" go? Fact is, he is a tool of the left-wing, who are financing his losing battle clear to the bitter end. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/03/29/despite-reports-george-soros-never-spent-money-on-john-kasich-but/
He is in it for himself. He wants to be a kingmaker at the convention and get something out of his 200 delegates (if he gets that many). VP perhaps or whatever else he might negotiate.
Bingo. And to the OP, yes, I think the outcome he would most prefer is an outright convention nomination as a "compromise candidate".
There's only two reasons I can see for him to stay in. One is to deny Trump wins where Kasich is strong. I haven't looked too closely, but I don't think there are many (or any) winner take all states where Kasich can win. BUT - big but - if Kasich stays in, he might be able to split the votes enough in states that are not winner take all, so as to deny Trump a majority (I think it's 1237 or something he needs). I haven't paid super close attention, but I found these two maps. First one shows how states allocate their delegates. The second one (not an image, so you'll have to go to the motherjones page to see it) shows which states have/haven't voted, and who won. There are only 5 winner take all states left: NJ, DE, NE, SD, and MT. Now there hasn't been a lot of state polling in these states, but I would guess that DE and NJ will go to Trump, and that SD, NE, and MT will go to Cruz. Cruz does well with the more rural and conservative states, Trump does well with the less rural states, especially in the northeast. So those two are a wash, probably, and the remaining states are proportional or hybrid (some have a hybrid, with a WTA trigger). Cruz will likely win Wisconsin tomorrow (latest poll here has him ahead of Trump by 6%, and Cruz usually does better in actual results than polling predicts - previous WI poll, just days prior had Cruz up a bit more). And the latest GOP national polls have show Trump hovering around 40, Cruz around 30, and Kasich around 20. So, what does this mean? In proportional states, Cruz and Kasich should, generally, be able to deny Trump a majority of state delegates. If they can do this, then they can keep Trump from reaching a majority, and force it to the convention. So no, I disagree with you OP. I don't see Kasich as really believing he has a chance to win the nomination - I think he sees himself as being able to deny Trump the nomination. And when you look at the Trump v Hillary polls (average 10.6pt lead for Clinton), it isn't much wonder why. While RCP has Clinton 10.6pts ahead of Trump, it has her only 2.8 ahead of Cruz, and Kasich ahead 6.2pts. So yeah, I think he's trying to push it to a convention. And I think he has a really, really good case to make for himself at the convention. And, in case any doubts that they can force it to convention, there are only 943 GOP delegates remaining, and Trump has 736. To get to 1237, he needs 501 of the 943 remaining delegates. That's more than a majority, and it is very possible for Kasich and Cruz to deny Trump that majority, especially with all the proportional states left. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/03/map-primary-results-road-white-house-democrats-republicans-states - - - Updated - - - On a sidenote I'd just like to add that I think it's pretty cool - from a political junkie standpoint - that both primaries are this tight. A drawn out GOP primary last time gave the Democrats an edge - the Democrats will probably still get that edge, but it'll be smaller this time.
I also believe he is in the race only to stop Trump. But then we have the most dishonest politician of all Rafael Cruz claiming that Kasich is undermining his campaign by staying in the race which creates further confusion. Cruz's claim that Kasich is spoiling it for him is abject nonsense. If it wasn't for Kasich, Trump would've won Ohio easily. Another 66 delegates. How is that undermining Cruz? Furthermore Kasich supporters and Cruz supporters have almost nothing in common. An average Kasich supporter is more likely to vote for Trump or simply stay at home. In conclusion, Kasich is still in the race mainly to stop Trump reaching a magical number of 1237. And of course, he is hoping to be rewarded for his loyal service to the party.
I'll use the example most non-Trump and non-Cruz people give. 1860 Republican National Convention Lincoln didn't win the nomination until the third vote. And from what I can tell most real Republicans/Conservatives prefer Kasich to Cruz. So he's only hoping he can stay in long enough to maybe take it. But that's how they do things, with delegates. Not voters.
In a brokered convention anyone still in the running can become the nominee. And Kasich has become known as the only sane Republican candidate left. My own opinion is that he's still a tool of the Dominionists like all the Republican candidates were this year, but as most Americans still don't even know what this greatest threat to America in the last 100 years is, he still might, God Forbid, win.
Well all Trump or Cruz have to do is get the necessary delegates before the convention.....oh wait, they can't even garner support from 50% of the GOP BTW, if you all hate the RNC rules don't be Republicans.
John Kasich is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and is as much a wall street shill as Hillary and the Canadian Cowboy Ted Cruz, he's just such a loser, the poor guys not worth any real Wall street investment, his job is to keep the Trump delegate count in New York to a minimum as possible. also note the 1237 number is just a temporarily rule, that can also be changed.
People like you wind up with the candidates you deserve, I guess, you just don't get it? you cannot squeeze water from a rock, the Country is built on a rigged economy, we need to change things while we still can.
You do know that the Republican party controls the rules and re-writes them with every convention, don't you? Rule 40 was put in place to prevent Ron Paul from gaining an advantage. That was its sole purpose. He's not in the race this time. Other rules can be made to prevent Cruz or Trump from gaining an advantage, just like what was done to Ron Paul. Frankly, why the Republican party would want to nominate Trump or Cruz is a mystery to me, but if that's who they want, then they can rig the rules to put one of them in the nominee seat… or not. Insanity seems rampant in the Republican nomination process and anything is still possible. I won't whine about the Republican nominee one way or another, being an independent. Don't whine if Paul Ryan is the nominee. It could happen.
Kasich expects to be the last man standing in the smoke filled room. He's been aiming in that direction since the primaries began. - - - Updated - - - They're not going to.
Yeah we need a man who sends his product lines overseas to get made, was a slum lord, doesn't even understand the workings of his own nomination process, and acts like a 4 year old on twiiter to fix the country. Sure thing, that will do the trick all right
unfortunately for now defunct ex Lehman Brothers executive John Kasick, the rules committee will be made up of mostly Trump/Cruz people due to delegates. and last time I checked Ryan did not win 8 States either?, wonder if Ted Cruz realizes Hillary is wall street's favorite shill?.
As of now, it's basically Trump voters vs the anti-Trump voters. And the anti-Trump voters take the form of the Cruz and Kasich voters; they might say they are for Cruz or Kasich, but they are really just against Trump. So if Kasich would drop out, it would be just that much fewer anti-Trump votes left; a benefit to Trump. And as this thread has aptly pointed out, there is no reason for Kasich to stay in the race other than to stop Trump from getting to 1237, and to somehow throw his weight around the convention; either tipping the scales to Cruz or himself. People like Kasich really bother me. I just don't like the man, and I think he should leave the Republican party and become a Democrat, the place where he belongs.
WTF, Ted Cruz is Canadian born for god's sake backed by a cross-eyed Wisconsin governor, Wall street, Big Pharma, and your concerned over a tie? Trump needs to take the gloves off from this point forward, enough with the 24/7 corporate network news, special interest super pac's and start fighting back already
I would agree with you about the rules committee being made mostly of Trump and Cruz people were it not for what is happening in Tennessee and other states that do not directly elect delegates in their primaries. In Tennessee, for example, Trump won, but the state Republican party isn't sending delegates loyal to Trump to the convention. They are, instead, sending delegates that are not loyal to Trump but will vote for Trump on the first ballot by primary rule. After that, they are "free agents" and few expect Trump to gain the nomination on the first ballot. Other states are doing the same thing. Trump is fighting it, but the party maintains control of the delegates they send, not the candidate, unless the state's primary has direct election of sworn delegates. Similarly, the party maintains control of the rules committee, not the candidates. In the end, they may keep the rules or they may change them. Either way, Trump nor Cruz will control that process.
If your right, then neither Trump or Cruz will be the nominee, why hold primaries in the first place? I can say for sure I'll never view primaries the same anymore, other then BS. I could care less who wins New York or whatever, I never knew the RNC primary system was so corrupt and crooked. I'm even surprised how bad it is, even through I knew it was bad to begin with.
I'd say that I am sorry to disillusion you, but politics has always been a dirty game played for power, and it's a good thing that you see it now. There is a process in selecting (not electing) the party nominee. Primaries are relatively new in the nomination process- starting in all 50 states in the 1970s, I think. Before that, the parties picked the nominee, then the people voted in the general election. You do have a vote in the general election and I would encourage you to vote, as many have died to ensure you have that right. That the party gives you a say in the primary is democracy in action, within in the party. Your candidate will get a first vote. After that, nothing is guaranteed. The only way to assure your candidate is the nominee, is for enough others to vote the same way and gain the majority of delegates before the convention. None of the candidates in either party has accomplished that yet. That being said, this election cycle is different from the norm, in that the Republican party is actively campaigning against the frontrunner. That doesn't mean that shenanigans never happened in elections before, because they always have. This is just an especially unusual election cycle. The parties have always controlled the nomination process. To think otherwise is to set yourself up for disappointment, if not disillusion with the process. It's still our country and we still do have a say in how it is run. Don't let your voice be silent. Americans can always say what they think, and that is what makes us so very different from many other countries.
The only thing Trump has taken the gloves off is to act like a child on Twitter. Other than that he can't even answer simple questions without having to back peddle when people get upset.
