Thread: SC Joins State Parties Seeking to Complicate Trump's Run

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/0...un-2016-121725

S.C. joins state parties seeking to complicate Trump's run

By Alex Isenstadt

08/25/15, 01:26 PM EDT

The South Carolina Republican Party is joining the push to tie Donald Trump’s hands.

The state party announced on Tuesday that for presidential candidates to qualify for the South Carolina primary, they must pledge to support the Republican presidential nominee — and not run as a third-party candidate — in the general election.

The move comes as two other state parties, North Carolina and Virginia, ponder similar loyalty pledges. It’s an offensive that is implicitly aimed at Trump, who has repeatedly refused to rule out a third-party run.

It comes amid mounting frustration in Republican establishment circles over Trump’s candidacy. Despite coming under a hail of criticism in recent weeks, Trump has gained strength in the contest, holding steady atop state and national polls.

To qualify for the South Carolina primary — a critical early-state contest that has traditionally played a key role in shaping the Republican nomination battle — Republican candidates are being asked to sign a pledge saying they “hereby affirm that” they “generally believe in and intend to support the nominees and platform of the Republican Party in the November 8, 2016 general election.”

Republican presidential candidate former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a town hall meeting on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

The state party said that four candidates — Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, John Kasich and Jeb Bush — have signed the pledge, and that three others — Scott Walker, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham — are expected to in the coming days.

On Tuesday morning, Roger Stone, a longtime Trump strategist who parted ways with the campaign earlier this month, wrote on Twitter that the state party effort would backfire. “The kind of thing that could make @realDonaldTrump bolt the GOP and run 3rd party or Indy,” he said.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/0...#ixzz3kBTrT8Ad

To qualify for the South Carolina primary — a critical early-state contest that has traditionally played a key role in shaping the Republican nomination battle — Republican candidates are being asked to sign a pledge saying they “hereby affirm that” they “generally believe in and intend to support the nominees and platform of the Republican Party in the November 8, 2016 general election.”

How can any candidate with any integrity agree to sign such a pledge when candidates vary from support for free trade agreements to opposing them, who support amnesty for illegal aliens to opposing it, who support the income tax to opposing it, who vary on almost all fundamental issues of the 2016 elections, including raising the debt ceiling to repealing or tweeking Obama Care?

Furthermore, the National Republican Platform of 2016 that this silly pledge is asking our candidates to "affirm", hasn't even been written and voted on by the Convention, because this doesn't happen until the Convention.

People need to investigate who is actually behind this crap. And I believe it will be a guy named James Bopp, a "volunteer" non-paid consultant hired by the General Counsel of the RNC. He's no longer a paid hack in the RNC, because several years ago, I pointed out to the RNC that due to his thriving pro-life legal business, he was operating under a conflict of interest exploiting our party for his own personal gain and that of his clients.

Shortly after, he was removed, but I thought I'll google and check on him a few weeks ago to see what he's up to, and HE'S BACK, but not paid. Unfortunately, that doesn't "cure" his conflict of interest, because he's paid by the clients who benefit from his hacking the RNC, which means hacking the Republican Party and all its members. I'd bet my last dollar he's the one behind this.

Virginia GOP Loyalty Oath: Trump Targeted By Republican Pledge?

By Sarah Berger @sarahberger0408 s.berger@ibtimes.com on August 26 2015 4:37 PM EDT

Republican leaders in Virginia and North Carolina are considering requiring loyalty oaths from presidential primary contenders, Politico reported Tuesday. The move could be troublesome for Donald Trump, who said he was open to a third-party run in the first Republican debate earlier this month.

Virginia and North Carolina party leaders might require candidates entering their respective Republican primaries to pledge their support to the eventual Republican presidential nominee. The new requirement would ensure that any candidate who does not receive the nomination does not run as a third-party candidate in the general election.

“Anybody who wants to seek the Republican nomination should have to commit to supporting the ultimate Republican nominee,” said Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s former attorney general and 2013 gubernatorial nominee, Politico reported.

Cuccinelli later clarified his remarks regarding Trump in a follow-up e-mail, the Washington Post reported.

"Donald Trump is an important candidate in the race for the White House and I don’t think he or anyone else should be blocked from running as a Republican,” said Cuccinelli in the e-mail. "But once the primary is over, that’s it. I support the Virginia sore-loser law that prevents candidates that lose a primary from running third-party."

As Trump continues to pick up speed in the primary contest, party leaders in Virginia and North Carolina said they hope the ballot proposals will help convince the business mogul to fully commit to the Republican party, Fox News reported. Many Republicans think that a win in Virginia, a key swing state, is necessary in order to take the White House, and Trump’s looming threat of possibly running as a third-party candidate has made some party leaders nervous.

“You can’t win the White House without Virginia; you can’t win Virginia without all the Republicans in Virginia; and you can’t get the Republicans to turn out unless the hundreds of thousands of volunteers next year work their tails off,” said John Whitbeck, chairman of the Virginia GOP, the Washington Post reported. “What they’re asking before they commit to you as a candidate: Commit to them. Be part of the team.”

Whitbeck said the requirement is not meant to target Trump specifically. North Carolina party leaders are considering a similar move and said they are talking with lawyers about how to implement it, Politico reported.

As Republican leaders try to get Trump to commit to their party, some said they should proceed with caution. In the past, Trump warned that he would leave the GOP if party leaders treated him unfairly.

“Donald Trump is like this menacing alien presence approaching Earth. Every time you shoot at him, he just keeps getting bigger and stronger — it doesn’t affect him,” said Steve Albertson, a member of the Virginia GOP’s governing board, the Washington Post reported. “There’s some risk if we do something like this, some of the folks aiming directly at Trump may regret it.”

A loyalty pledge is not new to GOP politics. South Carolina has required every Republican candidate of the past 30 years to sign a basic pledge, said Matt Moore, chairman of the South Carolina GOP, the Washington Post reported.

Primary requirements must be submitted to the Republican National Committee by Oct. 1.

“Ballot access usually is regarded as a party function,” said former RNC Chief Counsel Tom Josefiak, Politico reported. “It definitely would be left up to the state party to decide how it’s going to operate.”

http://www.ibtimes.com/virginia-gop-...pledge-2070044

I don't think this is the right thing for the GOP to be doing. This just isn't right on any level. It's not that candidates are "sore losers", that is just an inaccurate representation of why candidates move to third parties. It's because for whatever reason, right or wrong, they want to continue to push their version of a plan to a vote by all voters of the US, something I think every primary candidate has the right to do and as Republicans we shouldn't work to stop that. We shouldn't use our party to block access to candidate by voters in the General Election.

Our country is in a mess and so far, lets be honest, Republicans haven't fix a thing. Sure, some are trying very hard, but too many others aren't trying at all. Right now, we're on the uptick, thanks largely to Donald Trump. He's been the voice and authority we might have expected from our existing party leadership, that hasn't spoken, hasn't acted, and thus hasn't performed. Sure, we need a few more votes in the US Senate to get legislation to the President, but those should have been negotiated, that is if we have party leadership that knew how to do that.

Well, my opinion on this is it's the wrong tactic for state GOP leaders to take. It's wrong from a liberty and freedom standpoint, it's stupid from a political standpoint, it's wrong for voters, it's UnAmerican, and it's a sign of extreme weakness.

The RNC is just as corrupt as the DNC and folks are fed up with both of them. JMO

Originally Posted by Newmexican

The RNC is just as corrupt as the DNC and folks are fed up with both of them. JMO

I totally agree.

While I agree with Judy that every American has at least an implied right to the presidency and should be able to do so within MINIMAL rules, South Carolina is far surpassing minimal rules. They are insisting, the party or you cannot run for president. South Carolina, that is as un-American as you can become, but it is not surprising to be coming from the republican party. I invite South and North Carolina with Virginia to secede since you do not agree that fair and honest is better governing that dictatorial governing. We do not need any of you if even your citizens will not rise to stop this ridiculous proposal! Dictatorial parties not allowed!

Turning the coin over, is this a republican ploy to force Trump to going third party early believing that not having a recognized political banner will weaken his support?

I really think it is a flag of surrender, without him is the only way they know to get a traditional republican nominee. If those other candidates are that weak they are also too weak to handle executive duties of President of the United States of America!! Republican voters, PLEASE remember that the republican party is giving up without any fight. Is it any wonder that America has become what it is becoming when those in charge lay down instead of standing up.(We do not need any more of those in Congress either.) May I never be allowed to forget this lesson of today!!

Originally Posted by kevinssdad

While I agree with Judy that every American has at least an implied right to the presidency and should be able to do so within MINIMAL rules, South Carolina is far surpassing minimal rules. They are insisting, the party or you cannot run for president. South Carolina, that is as un-American as you can become, but it is not surprising to be coming from the republican party. I invite South and North Carolina with Virginia to secede since you do not agree that fair and honest is better governing that dictatorial governing. We do not need any of you if even your citizens will not rise to stop this ridiculous proposal! Dictatorial parties not allowed!

Turning the coin over, is this a republican ploy to force Trump to going third party early believing that not having a recognized political banner will weaken his support?

I really think it is a flag of surrender, without him is the only way they know to get a traditional republican nominee. If those other candidates are that weak they are also too weak to handle executive duties of President of the United States of America!! Republican voters, PLEASE remember that the republican party is giving up without any fight. Is it any wonder that America has become what it is becoming when those in charge lay down instead of standing up.(We do not need any more of those in Congress either.) May I never be allowed to forget this lesson of today!!

Great post. There is definitely something very sinister behind it, and I bet it's James Bopp. These states are being exploited by the RNC and James Bopp has so far been behind all these so-called "pledges", that's why I know it's him. Fellow Republicans need to revolt against this type of manipulation of their primary processes.

Of course the RNC is going to rile up the state GOP organizations, and then hide like reptiles under the rocks. But no doubt in my mind, they are behind it and James Bopp is the one driving the RNC into this absurd and dangerous tactic.

Originally Posted by Judy

Great post. There is definitely something very sinister behind it, and I bet it's James Bopp. These states are being exploited by the RNC and James Bopp has so far been behind all these so-called "pledges", that's why I know it's him. Fellow Republicans need to revolt against this type of manipulation of their primary processes.

Of course the RNC is going to rile up the state GOP organizations, and then hide like reptiles under the rocks. But no doubt in my mind, they are behind it and James Bopp is the one driving the RNC into this absurd and dangerous tactic.

Thanks, Judy! Yes, this proposed action alone displays so much truth in what DJT has already exposed verbally. American politicians DO NOT know how to negotiate and constantly give away the store. They are not negotiating with the strongest of a field of 17 candidate, either. That shouts weakness! Strong people perplex republicans, stymie their imagination. It even says that what is America today is what the party wants to maintain, as evidenced by the indirect endorsement of Obama's amnesties. They are not even thoughtful enough to see that they set themselves up for my criticisms of them today, and I am/will not be the only one to recognize it.

Being manipulative is what they hope for since it is so obvious they cannot beat one man without an organization. Do we want or need someone from that unimaginative and unthoughtful party negotiating America's future with Putin, Iran, China or a host of others such as North Korea, ISIS, and Mexico? This voter of 50+ years prays loudly that we will not have one of them!

Ive made some calls today. Time for us to find out which Jeb Bush worshipers here in NC are floating this crap behind the scenes. Our NC Republican Party Chairman has put out a release officially stating that the GOP is not calling for this.

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Ive made some calls today. Time for us to find out which Jeb Bush worshipers here in NC are floating this crap behind the scenes. Our NC Republican Party Chairman has put out a release officially stating that the GOP is not calling for this.

W

Wow! Great news, and yes we do need to find out who is doing this in NC, VA and SC. I'm pretty sure Bopp is behind it.

Can someone down in SC find out what in the heck is going on there, because it's been reported that the State GOP of SC has already made this pledge requirement official. Maybe that's a lie too?

Trump needs to be very careful. The safest position is NO PLEDGE, KEEP THE LEVERAGE.