A Developer’s Dilemma (GOPBR Exclusive)

[ABX]

I have a bit of a problem.  I am in the process of developing a large office complex. It will be the biggest office complex in our city. Last year, I started a bidding contest and had several contractors submit bids.

One contractor won me over. Not only did he submit the best bid, but he promised an amazing building beyond my wildest dreams. He won the bid.

Three weeks later, we show up to the job site, the media in hand for our ground breaking. The contractor never shows up. Now, this contractor knew that construction had to start that day due to permits. He also knew that if he didn’t fulfill the terms he won the bid on, the second place bidder would get the contract.

So that’s what happened. The contractor who won the bid never actually showed up to do the job so we had to give the project to the next best bidder.

Now the first winning contractor is complaining he was cheated and saying the second bidding contractor is a crook and liar for stepping in. He even has some media with him saying the people of the city were robbed because he lost the bid for not showing up to complete the work.

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As you probably guessed, we aren’t actually talking about an office building here but the Republican caucus results in several States like Georgia, Colorado, and West Virginia.

When a candidate wins a primary or wins caucus slots in a State, that’s not the end of the process, that’s just the beginning. That’s when the work begins.
In our analogy above, Donald Trump was the first winning bidder.

Here is how it went down in many places.

Example- Trump wins WV Precinct 1 giving him 3 delegate spots. Three weeks later, Precinct 1 comes together to select the delegates based on the votes.

Trump has 3 delegate spots assigned to him. He has no one working in Precinct 1 completing paper work and filing people to be those delegates.

3 Trump delegate spots are empty. The next person in line, Cruz, won 2 spots and he did the ground work and he has people in Precinct 1 completing the proper paperwork and signing up to be delegates.

Therefore Precinct 1 now has 2 delegates on record for Cruz, 0 for Trump.

Trump and his media friends like Drudge cry foul and cheating.

When in reality, it was Trump's own failure as a candidate to do what is necessary as a candidate after he wins the votes. A contractor’s job isn’t done when he wins the bid for a project. That’s when the real work begins. If he doesn’t do the work, of course another contractor will be chosen.

It really is that simple.

[Frank Cannon]

Well written.

[geronl]

Trump has a very top-down campaign. He doesn't engage the grassroots, he talks to the "top people" in a state and tells them to get it done. Sometimes his people finally start when the deadline is looming (see California, Oregon, New York etc) where the Ted Cruz team has been laying the groundwork and building their infrastructure for several months. It can take months to find the delegates and alternates in California, it took Team Cruz 4 months, and here comes the Trump campaign finally picking a state leader with a month to go. It's much the same story in Oregon and even New York State. (I guess someone at Team Trump finally realized what happens in NY if he doesn't get 50%, they seemed to panic a couple weeks ago)

In the end many of the Trump bound delegates really want to vote for Ted Cruz. They know this might not be possible on the 1st and sometimes 2nd ballot (the rules vary). Trump's team has been demanding that Rule 40 or whatever its called not be changed. It requires a candidate to get the majority of delegates from 8 states to sign a petition to get them on the convention ballot. This might come back to bite them in the rear, they will have to convince their own delegates to sign a petition to get Trump on the convention ballot. Yet, many of Trump's delegates like Ted.(I wonder if they'll say no)

It's not likely at all, of course. Just something to think about.

[ArneFufkin]

Trump has a very top-down campaign. He doesn't engage the grassroots, he talks to the "top people" in a state and tells them to get it done. Sometimes his people finally start when the deadline is looming (see California, Oregon, New York etc) where the Ted Cruz team has been laying the groundwork and building their infrastructure for several months. It can take months to find the delegates and alternates in California, it took Team Cruz 4 months, and here comes the Trump campaign finally picking a state leader with a month to go. It's much the same story in Oregon and even New York State. (I guess someone at Team Trump finally realized what happens in NY if he doesn't get 50%, they seemed to panic a couple weeks ago)

In the end many of the Trump bound delegates really want to vote for Ted Cruz. They know this might not be possible on the 1st and sometimes 2nd ballot (the rules vary). Trump's team has been demanding that Rule 40 or whatever its called not be changed. It requires a candidate to get the majority of delegates from 8 states to sign a petition to get them on the convention ballot. This might come back to bite them in the rear, they will have to convince their own delegates to sign a petition to get Trump on the convention ballot. Yet, many of Trump's delegates like Ted.(I wonder if they'll say no)

It's not likely at all, of course. Just something to think about.

Trump just hired some tired old K-Street lobbyists to parachute into the various state delegate processes and presumably persuade these grassroots activists to change their support from Cruz to Trump.   

Trump is the epitome of a venal, crony insider who has traded financial donor support for political access and economic favors his entire career.   He's been dealing primarily with Democrat Party elites, but now that he's decided that it's time for the Trump Brand to stage a hostile takeover of the GOP, he's enlisted some of the true "GOPe" -  the entrenched old school DC lobbyist/consultant class - to manage his top down campaign.

Next time one of the really ineffectual Trump shills/trolls around here trot out their usual GOPe baloney it's important to keep in mind that it's their guy who is the darling and protector of the DC political class.   From both Democrat and Republican "establishment elites."

It's important to remember just who

[Smokin Joe]

I have a bit of a problem.  I am in the process of developing a large office complex. It will be the biggest office complex in our city. Last year, I started a bidding contest and had several contractors submit bids.

One contractor won me over. Not only did he submit the best bid, but he promised an amazing building beyond my wildest dreams. He won the bid.

Three weeks later, we show up to the job site, the media in hand for our ground breaking. The contractor never shows up. Now, this contractor knew that construction had to start that day due to permits. He also knew that if he didn’t fulfill the terms he won the bid on, the second place bidder would get the contract.

So that’s what happened. The contractor who won the bid never actually showed up to do the job so we had to give the project to the next best bidder.

Now the first winning contractor is complaining he was cheated and saying the second bidding contractor is a crook and liar for stepping in. He even has some media with him saying the people of the city were robbed because he lost the bid for not showing up to complete the work.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

As you probably guessed, we aren’t actually talking about an office building here but the Republican caucus results in several States like Georgia, Colorado, and West Virginia.

When a candidate wins a primary or wins caucus slots in a State, that’s not the end of the process, that’s just the beginning. That’s when the work begins.
In our analogy above, Donald Trump was the first winning bidder.

Here is how it went down in many places.

Example- Trump wins WV Precinct 1 giving him 3 delegate spots. Three weeks later, Precinct 1 comes together to select the delegates based on the votes.

Trump has 3 delegate spots assigned to him. He has no one working in Precinct 1 completing paper work and filing people to be those delegates.

3 Trump delegate spots are empty. The next person in line, Cruz, won 2 spots and he did the ground work and he has people in Precinct 1 completing the proper paperwork and signing up to be delegates.

Therefore Precinct 1 now has 2 delegates on record for Cruz, 0 for Trump.

Trump and his media friends like Drudge cry foul and cheating.

When in reality, it was Trump's own failure as a candidate to do what is necessary as a candidate after he wins the votes. A contractor’s job isn’t done when he wins the bid for a project. That’s when the real work begins. If he doesn’t do the work, of course another contractor will be chosen.

It really is that simple.

Thank You for an excellent and simple explanation of the situation.

Sadly, that won't roll back the tsunami of lies and distortions that surged ashore just ahead of the NY primary, which was the desired effect, (if not an accidental spin off) of delegate losses for Trump due to procedural nonfeasance. 

Ever the businessman, I would think Trump could get more mileage out of the unreasoned anger of those who perceived wrongdoing by the Cruz camp (goaded along by distortion and social media) which would result in a net profit, in terms of delegates, in contests in delegate heavy states. The benefits of sacrificing delegates in small markets to gain enmity against his opponent and an edge in larger sectors is a shrewd business tactic, but I question its long term value in politics. Eventually, those who are not pondering or wearing Trump tattoos yet will figure out that they have been played for suckers and that leaves a bitter taste, although many will predictably double down in denial.

Nor, I am afraid, will it convince any of those who are convinced, sans facts, that 'their guy' (and, with emotional attachments, they, themselves) is getting screwed, when, in fact, it was a self-inflicted wound.

Perhaps it is just my perception, but every successive wave of negatives against Cruz seems to be well timed to break just ahead of another round of primaries or caucuses, and it has been that way since Iowa. When the contest is over, the truth comes out, but the damage is done.

[BuckeyeTexan]

Sadly, that won't roll back the tsunami of lies and distortions that surged ashore just ahead of the NY primary

And what a tsunami it was! I have never seen my fellow conservatives so quick to succumb to such a total manipulation of the facts.

[Stosh]

Seems there were a lot of people (Trump included) that slept everyday in History & Civics class, they don't even understand the processes in their own home states.

[spacejunkie]

So....good article and point. I made a point similar at FR (btw, what the hell happened to that site?) about how DT couldn't just build a building without design and permitting in place (ie, the rules so to speak) and the same applies to this election. There is a structure. Maybe it's a bad one but it's in place and you change it form within, not without.

[Suppressed]

What puzzles me is why Sen. Cruz was unable to get this simple explanation out there, countering the "stealing the delegates" lie.

[Smokin Joe]

What puzzles me is why Sen. Cruz was unable to get this simple explanation out there, countering the "stealing the delegates" lie.

Getting a word in edgewise is tough to do when the other side is shouting, but even tougher when they have dubbed you "Lyin'...".

That single smear did more to hurt Cruz. I have yet to see where he lied.

[Sanguine]

And what a tsunami it was! I have never seen my fellow conservatives so quick to succumb to such a total manipulation of the facts.

Because DT was saying what they wanted to hear! 

[Smokin Joe]

Agreed.  It was effective.  Now he's calling Hillary "Corrupt."  She IS corrupt, but it helps draw attention away from Trump being corrupt just as it did his being a pathological liar.

Now for the really scary part. In tweets every person has some pejorative in front of their name. "Dopey" in front of a Saudi Prince, "Corrupt" Hillary, Carson drew one, as did Rubio, everyone he is opposed to gets tagged with some demeaning pejorative.
What person who is a Billionaire and a captain of their industry needs to resort to such grade school tactics? Something isn't right there, or they are trying to appeal to the limbic brain instead of higher cortical function. I suspect the latter, because the whole campaign has reeked of that emotional level appeal.