Blogger Candidate Forum: In A New York State Of Mind

Well, did you vote?
lohud.com

Hello Everyone:

Today is Wednesday, which means it is time for the weekly edition of the Blogger Candidate Forum and there is much to say.  The dust has settled on the New York state primaries and both parties's frontrunners have emerged with resounding victories.  Congratulations are in order for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump who both beat back challengers by wide margins.  Although, Blogger has to say that both Governor John Kasich (a very distant second) and Senator Ted Cruz (a more distant third) were virtually no match for the Trump machine.  Certainly, the Gentleman from Texas's snide comments about "New York values" did not help him much.  Senator, what do have to say about "Hollywood values?"  We, here in Los Angeles, are eagerly awaiting your pronouncement.  In the meantime, Senator Bernie Sanders has returned to his home state of Vermont to "recharge" (lick his wounds) and the Kasich campaign must be wondering how longer can they realistically continue.  The Gentleman from Ohio has not won a primary since winging his home state and still thinks he can seize the nomination from Mr. Trump.  Let us take a look at the results and ponder where do we go from here.

The remaining candidates
nbcnewyork.com 

Starting with the Republican contest or should yours truly say, an affirmation of Donald Trump's frontrunner's status, it was a lopsided victory.  Mr. Trump bested Gov. Kasich by a staggering 60.4% to 25.1% while Sen. Cruz picked up a paltry 14.5% of the vote with 95 delegates at stake. (Source: Associated Press)  The good news for the Governor is that he picked up four more delegates, bringing his total to 148.  Meanwhile, Mr. Trump adds another 89 delegates to raise his delegate count to 845.  Senator Cruz's sum stands at 559 delegates.  (Ibid)

Just looking at the numbers, it seems that both Sen. Cruz and Gov. Kasich have virtually no chance of winning the Republican nomination outright.  Even if it were to go to a contested convention, both gentlemen would be hard pressed to convince enough people swing their vote toward either one.  The issue is that both gentlemen are so far behind, that it would take literally an act of divine intervention for either one to catch up.  What made the difference for Mr. Trump, in this primary, was essentially refraining from vein-popping statements like his comments on abortion and playing up his New York-ness.  If Blogger knows anything about New Yorkers it is they are a very loyal crowd.

The front-page from the Daily News
politicsusa.com

Do you all remember being taught about not insulting yours host when you visit someone?  Apparently Senator Ted Cruz skipped that lesson because he quickly realized that bashing "New York values" did not earn him many friends or any delegates.  At a campaign event, last night in Philadelphia, Sen. Cruz wisely opted to address his supporters before the polls closed, thus sparring the embarrassment of acknowledging his third-place finish.  It was not like the Senator was actually expecting a good night but he figured if he could keep Mr. Trump to under 90 out of 95 delegates available, it would be a good night. (http://www.cnn.com; Date accessed 04/20/2016)

Governor John Kasich took a more low key but adorable approach, eating his way through the campaign.  His non-New York-ness showed when the Governor ate a slice of pizza, at Gino's Pizzeria, with a fork and knife.  Cute but a major faux pas.  Then proceeded to sample a pickle, soup, and apple strudel at PJ Bernstein's Deli before downing a massive sub sandwich at Mike's Deli.  Aside from the inevitable case of indigestion, the eat-your-way strategy helped the Governor to a distant second and snatch some delegates out of the Trump machine.  The Governor is hoping that next week's contests in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and other Mid-Atlantic states that are predominantly suburban and moderate will add to his minuscule delegate count. (Ibid)

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders before a debate
magazine.com

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton soundly bested Senator Bernie Sanders in the battle for Democratic New York.  Sec. Clinton resoundingly beat Sen. Sanders 58.0% to 42.0% of the vote (Source: Associated Press).  At stake were 247 delegates.  Sec. Clinton added 139 to her count while the Gentleman from Vermont claimed 106 delegates.  As things stand, Madame Secretary now has a total to 1,930 out of 2,383 delegates needed to win the nomination outright.  Lagging behind is the Senator with 1,189 delegates.  (Ibid)

The numbers alone tell us that Sen. Sanders's

Bernie Sanders shaking hands with strikers
blogs.wsj.com

social democratic message is finding ears but not always votes.  An indication of just how tough things are getting for the Sanders campaign, Sec. Clinton's win means that, realistically, Sen. Sanders would have to win every primary from now until June in order to catch up.  Senator Sanders was feeling quite confident about his chances of winning the Empire State.  However, as he was congratulating Madame Secretary on her win, in the same breath he was quick to blame the system.  New York is a closed primary state-meaning only registered Democrats/Republicans can vote for candidates from their own parties.  This limited the Gentleman from Vermont's ability to bring in the independent voters.  In what sounded like a case of sour grapes, at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, the Senator lambasted New York election laws.  There were also issues in Brooklyn, where 126,000 voters were dropped from the rolls. (http://www.cnn.com; Date accessed 04/20/2016)

Senator Sanders also continues to allege that Sec. Clinton is violating campaign finance laws through joint fundraising account with the Democratic National Committee, is concerned about the long-term damage to the party, and how it plays into Donald Trump's "Crooked Hillary" scenario.  Crooked Hillary?  Pot meet kettle.  However, Senator Sanders still has not addressed the fundamental flaw in his campaign, his inability to win over African-American voters.  Blogger has observed that the Gentleman from Vermont's core constituency is made up of young, white voters.  While the Senator has gone out of his way to release adds directed by Spike Lee, featuring Rosario Dawson and Danny Glover, aligning himself with the Working Families Party and the Transit Workers Union. both with strong African-American links.  Despite all this, if the Senator cannot improve on his polling numbers with New York African-Americans, it is doubtful he ever will. (Ibid)

Hillary Clinton addressing her supporters
democratandchronicle.com

Meanwhile, it was party time at the Clinton campaign headquarters.  Her commanding victory was just the antidote she needed to building on her delegate total and deny Senator Sanders a win that could have changed the dynamics of the contest.  Madame Secretary now has to keep winning, instead of the hiccups that followed her victory in Michigan.

New York once again demonstrated why the Senator cannot catch up.  Exit polls presented data showing Sec. Clinton doing better among voters 30 to 49-although the Senator out performed her with voters 18 to 29-and maintained her advantages among women and minority voters.  However, Sen. Sanders did well with younger, make, and Caucasian voters.  This looks good for Madame Secretary going into the next round of primaries through to California, not so much for the Senator.  (Ibid)

Although, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton claimed the end is neigh, yours truly is quick to remind them both that "it ain't over until the fat lady sings."  In short, do not start writing your nomination acceptance speeches just yet.  There are still a number of primary contests that have yet to be run, including the big prize, Blogger's home state of California.  California is one of the most multicultural states in the nation.  Learn to make friends and not just with celebrities.  Blogger believes that the primary contests will all come down to the Golden State.