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.