PAUL RYAN FINALLY ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP FOR 2016 (VOTERS WIN)

@PaulRyan

HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN FINALLY ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP:

GOP ESTABLISHMENT IS SLOWLY BEGINNING TO SIDE WITH VOTERS.

IT'S ABOUT TIME.

Sources: AP, NBC News, YouTube

***** House Speaker Paul Ryan Says He Will Vote for Donald Trump

Nearly a month after being named the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, Donald Trump has finally earned the vote of House Speaker Paul Ryan. 

Far from a wholehearted embrace of his party's 2016 standard-bearer's policies and temperament, Ryan's announcement on Thursday mainly emphasized that Trump would be a better ally to advance Ryan's policy goals than likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. 

The announcement, published in a column in his home town newspaper the GazetteXtra, failed to include the word "endorsement," instead indicating only that the Wisconsin lawmaker will cast his vote for Trump at the ballot box. Ryan wrote that he came to his decision after several conversations with Trump. 

"I feel confident he would help us turn the ideas ... into laws to help improve people's lives," he wrote.

NBC News had proclaimed Trump the presumptive nominee 29 days ago on May 4, after Trump's final GOP rivals exited the race. But Ryan withheld his support at the time, instead publicizing his concerns with the likely nominee. 

Ryan suggested then that it was up to Trump to unify the party after a primary that resulted in a nominee that many establishment Republicans did not prefer. 

"I think the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee," Ryan said last month. "I'm not there right now. And I hope to though, and I want to. But I think what is required is that we unify this party." 

In the column published Thursday, Ryan did not sugarcoat his continuing disagreements with Trump.

"It's no secret that he and I have our differences. I won't pretend otherwise. And when I feel the need to, I'll continue to speak my mind," Ryan wrote. "To enact (Republican) ideas, we need a Republican president willing to sign them into law. That's why, when he sealed the nomination, I could not offer my support for Donald Trump before discussing policies and basic principles." 

While it's hardly a glowing recommendation, Ryan's willingness to support Trump presents yet another obstacle to the "Stop Trump" movement as establishment Republicans are slowly lining up behind their nominee, albeit reluctantly.

A primary reason for that unification is Republicans' common enemy in Hillary Clinton, a fact not lost on Ryan in his announcement Thursday. 

"One person who we know won't support it is Hillary Clinton. A Clinton White House would mean four more years of liberal cronyism and a government more out for itself than the people it serves. Quite simply, she represents all that our agenda aims to fix," Ryan wrote.

Ryan was slow to the Trump train after expressing concerns over some of Trump's comments and positions. The two met twice in May, after Trump was deemed the presumptive nominee, but an endorsement wasn't immediate after the meetings. 

Trump said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on May 8 that he was "blindsided" by Ryan's lack of an endorsement. 

"But (I) have a nice relationship with him. And then all of a sudden, he gets on and he does this number. So I'm not exactly sure what he has in mind. But that's okay," Trump added. 

In Ryan's column Thursday, he said Trump can "help us" move forward on their policy domestic and foreign policy priories. 

"As I said from the start, my goal has been to unite the party so we can win in the fall. And if we're going to unite, it has to be over ideas," Ryan said, seeming to get behind him for the sake of the party and not his satisfaction with the person. 

HILLARY CLINTON LEADS TRUMP BY ONLY TWO POINTS IN POLLS (IS SHE LOSING??)

@Polls

HILLARY CLINTON LEADS TRUMP BY ONLY TWO POINTS IN POLLS:

DONALD J TRUMP PERSUADED MANY DEMS TO SWITCH PARTIES.

THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WILL BE VERY CLOSE.

HOWEVER TRUMP WILL MOST LIKELY PREVAIL IN NOVEMBER.

Sources: USA Today, Quinnipiac University Poll, Young Turks, CNN, Youtube

***** Poll: Clinton barely ahead of Trump nationally

Hillary Clinton holds just a slight advantage over Donald Trump nationally, but her lead grew tighter when third-party candidates are added into the race.

A Quinnipiac University Poll out Wednesday found that when Clinton and Trump were one-on-one in a national general election matchup, she held a 4-point lead over the billionaire, 45% to 41%.

That number tightens even more when Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein were added. When all four candidates were factored in, the former secretary of State had 40%, Trump had 38%, Johnson had 5% and Stein got 3%.

The Trump-Clinton matchup had a noticeable gender gap. Fifty-one percent of men went Republican, while 35% of men went Democratic. Meanwhile, 54% of women surveyed backed Clinton, while 30% supported Trump.

There is some good news for Bernie Sanders in the survey. The Vermont senator led Trump in a general election matchup 48% to 39%.

However, with Democrats he lagged behind Clinton 53% to 39%. In the Democratic delegate race, Sanders is hundreds of delegates behind Clinton when superdelegates (party leaders and elected officials) are included.

The Quinnipiac poll of 1,561 registered U.S. voters was conducted May 24-30. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 points.

The poll of Democrats included 678 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 points.

TRUMP SECURES REQUIRED DELEGATES, RNC STILL WON'T CLOSE THE DEAL (THE COUP)

TRUMP SECURES REQUIRED DELEGATES, RNC STILL WON'T CLOSE THE DEAL

AFTER TRUMP COLLECTED MORE THAN 1237 DELEGATES, RNC & GOP ESTABLISHMENT LEADERS STILL PLAY HARDBALL.

Sources: CBS News, Fox News, Youtube

It's Official people!

Billionaire Business Mogul Donald J. Trump has finally secured the required 1237 delegates to be officially crowned as the 2016 GOP Presidential nominee. Actually Trump garnered more than 1237 delegates.

However RNC officials and GOP Establishment leaders have yet to agree with Voters that Trump is IT!

When GOP party leaders catch up with the Voters who elected them into public office?

Are RNC and GOP party officials still planning a Coup this July at the RNC convention in Cleveland?

Stay tuned.

***** Mister 1,237: North Dakota delegate puts Trump over the top

John Trandem wanted to be the delegate who would put Donald Trump over the top, giving him enough delegates to clinch the Republican presidential nomination.

But when he was contacted by an Associated Press reporter, the AP delegate count stood at 1,235 — two delegates short.

"I'm happy to be No. 1,237," said Trandem, a small business owner from North Dakota. "But I won't commit until you're at 1,236."

Trandem is an unbound delegate, meaning he is free to support the candidate of his choice. All 28 Republican delegates in North Dakota are unbound because the state party declined to have a primary or caucus.

Trandem, who lives north of Fargo, was reached on his wife's mobile phone. He was on his way to an event where he and other North Dakota delegates would meet Trump, giving the billionaire businessman enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

Wanting to break the story first, reporters were calling and emailing unbound delegates across the country.

Trandem was for Trump, but he didn't want to say so unless he was Mister 1,237.

No problem, he had a solution. He handed the phone to another delegate, state Rep. Ben Koppleman, who was riding with him.

After Koppleman confirmed he was committed to Trump, Trandem took the phone back.

"Are you at 1,236?" he asked.

Yes, he was told. "Then I'm the one!"

Minutes later the AP declared that Trump had secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

Later on Thursday, both men shook hands with Trump before sharing a stage with him during a news conference in Bismarck, North Dakota.

TRUMP vs PAUL RYAN: TRUMP WINS (THE MEETING)

TRUMP vs PAUL RYAN: TRUMP WINS

TRUMP & RYAN ARE PLANNING TO TALK OUT DIFFERENCES.

IS PAUL RYAN BEING BLACKMAILED?

Sources: ABC,  Fox News, CNN, WSJ, Talking Points Memo, YouTube

US House Speaker and staunch Republican Paul Ryan publicly denounces his support for presumptive 2016 GOP Presidential Candidate Donald J Trump, yet no one thinks this is strange or out of character for Ryan.

Both Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney publicly state they would rather support Hillary Clinton than Trump and yet no one questions these unusual, out of character remarks from these two GOP Giants?

Could it be that the NSA has collected dirt on Ryan and Romney and they are being Blackmailed by the Democrats?

Trump and Ryan are planning to meet in the near future to discuss their ideological differences.

Stay Tuned.

***** Mr. Trump Goes to Washington: Inside His Capitol Hill Meetings

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump will travel to Washington, D.C., Thursday for a series of meetings with top Republican leaders in an effort to bring the party together after a messy and divisive primary race.

Trump has at least three meetings planned with GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who largely spurned his presidential campaign during the GOP primary.

He'll first meet with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, and Republican National CommitteeChairman Reince Priebus at the RNC at 9 a.m. Trump will then meet with Ryan and the other members on his leadership team: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Washington, and Deputy Majority Whip Patrick McHenry, R-North Carolina.

Ryan and McMorris-Rodgers have not yet endorsed Trump's campaign, while McCarthy and Scalise have said they will support the Republican nominee.

Later Thursday morning, Trump will meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, along with his leadership team: Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, and John Thune, R-South Dakota. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee -- Senate Republicans' campaign arm -- will also attend the meeting at the NRSC headquarters.

One person Trump won't be meeting? His former rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who told reporters today that Trump has not been in touch with him. "There are no plans for us to meet," Cruz said.

TRUMP IS 2016 GOP NOMINEE: KASICH & CRUZ CONCEDE (I TOLD YOU SO)

TRUMP IS 2016 GOP NOMINEE: KASICH & CRUZ CONCEDE (I TOLD YOU SO)

WHO IS LAUGHING NOW??

Sources:  CNN,  WSJ, BBC, Youtube

In August of 2015 (not May) I uploaded my first video in support of Donald J Trump's presidential candidacy.

A year ago the media and key democrats mocked Trump's bid for US President.

A year ago the media and key democrats also mocked me when I predicted Trump would be the 2016 GOP nominee.

Who is laughing now?

I told you so!

****** GOP wakes up to Trump victory -- and plenty of questions

A once unthinkable idea is now the Republican Party's new political reality: Donald Trump is its presumptive presidential nominee. 

Ted Cruz's sudden exit from the 2016 race Tuesday night following a devastating loss in Indiana all but brought to a halt the hard-fough battle for the GOP nomination, virtually ensuring Trump will garner the 1,237 delegates needed before the Republican convention this summer. 

Now, a party fractured by more than a year of campaigning, personal insults and threats of third-party runs has to figure out how to move forward.

From congressional leaders to top donors to veteran strategists, the GOP establishment has been deeply skeptical of Trump's candidacy and motives. As Trump began to amass delegates and gain momentum, his feud with his GOP rivals grew increasingly acrimonious and the "Never Trump" campaign -- a rare inter-party movement aimed at stopping its own front-runner -- failed. 

Here are five questions facing Republicans as they absorb Trump's victory:

Can #NeverTrump Republicans back Trump?

Moments after Trump was projected the winner in Indiana, the chairman of the Republican National Committee sent out a telling message. 

".@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton," Reince Priebus tweeted, using the hashtage "#NeverClinton."

But bringing the party together will be easier said than done.

Even after Trump had solidified his position as the party's clear front-runner, prominent Republicans openly revolted against the billionaire, vowing to never endorse his candidacy. Top Republicans have said they will sit out of the Republican convention if Trump is the party's nominee, and some major GOP donors are expected to keep their wallets shut if Trump is at the top of the party's ticket.

Our Principles PAC, an anti-Trump super PAC, said Tuesday that its efforts will continue until a candidate has won the support of a majority of delegates in Cleveland. 

Tim Miller, a former spokesman for Jeb Bush's campaign who has been working on the "Never Trump" campaign, tweeted Tuesday night: "Never ever ever Trump. Simple as that."

One looming question is whether Cruz will ultimately endorse Trump. Just hours before bowing out of the race, the senator lashed out at Trump, calling him a "pathological liar" and "narcissist."

Trump on Tuesday had rare complimentary words about his rival Tuesday night, as he repeated in his victory speech that he was surprised to see Cruz drop out of the race. He also called on the party to come together.

"What Ted did is really a brave thing to do. And a great thing to do because we want to bring unity to the Republican Party," Trump said. "We have to bring unity. It's so much easier if we have it." 

Has Trump permanently damaged the party's relationship with minority voters?

From Day 1, Trump stirred up controversy with the Hispanic community. 

As he launched his White House bid last summer in the lobby of Manhattan's Trump Tower, the first-time political candidate vented about the importance of securing U.S. borders. To prove his point, he lamented the kinds of Mexican people who were entering the country. 

"They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists," Trump said -- explosive comments that he stood by in the weeks and months to come.

Those remarks were troubling for Republican leaders, whose party has urgently worked to broaden its base and court minority voters, including Hispanics, in recent years. The concerns only intensified as Trump showed surprising endurance in the 2016 race and started to train his fire on other ethnic groups, such as Muslim-Americans.

In a victory speech Tuesday night at the same midtown skyscraper, Trump said that he would work to win over minorities. 

"We're going to have unbelievable great relationships with the Hispanics. The Hispanics have been so incredible to me. They want jobs," Trump said. "The African-Americans want jobs."

But he will have to show how he can do this before GOP insiders believe it.

And what about women?

Another huge constituency that Republicans worry about with Trump at the top of the ticket: Women. 

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump has been repeatedly criticized for his controversial statements about women, including public figures like Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina. 

There's no escaping the role gender will play in a general election between Trump and Hillary Clinton, who is vying to become the country's first female president. Trump has ratcheted up his attacks against Clinton by accusing her of playing the "woman card" for political expediency, saying last week that the former secretary of state would be polling terribly if she were not a woman.

Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she would get 5% of the vote. And the beautiful thing is, women don't like her," Trump said. 

Trump could try to use members of his family to boost his credentials with female voters as he gears up for the general election. On the campaign trail, his wife, Melania, and daughter, Ivanka, have defended Trump's record with women.

exuded nothing but confidence on Tuesday night as he spoke about winning women voters. 

"I won with women," he said. "I love winning with women."

Chaos in Cleveland?

Trump likes to boast about the thousands of supporters who turn up at his campaign rallies. 

But his events also frequently attract other impassioned voters: protesters. 

With his penchant for inflammatory comments and tough rhetoric about immigrants, Trump has emerged one of the most polarizing presidential candidates in recent history.

What began earlier on in the campaign as protesters yelling at the GOP front-runner escalated in recent months to violent clashes between Trump supporters and detractors, as well as riots where protesters have collided with police. Last week, hundreds of protesters gathered outside a Trump speech in California, forcing the candidate and his entourage to exit their motorcade and walk to a back entrance to gain access to the event. 

Republican leaders fear that some of the recent violence and protests will play out at the Republican National Convention, to be held in Cleveland, in July. 

As a part of its efforts to prepare for the convention, Cleveland is looking to buy riot gear, according to one local report. 

Who will Trump choose as his VP?

Trump has one critical decision to make ahead of Cleveland: choosing his running mate. 

His campaign is likely to face pressure from party leaders to choose someone who can broaden the candidate's appeal -- perhaps a woman or a person of color -- as he gets ready to go up against Clinton. 

Senior Trump officials said Tuesday that an official search for a running mate has not yet begun. But the GOP-frontrunner has previously said he wants to pick a political insider as his partner, particularly someone who understands the ins and outs of Congress. 

"I do want somebody that's political, because I want to get lots of great legislation we all want passed," Trump saidin February.

TRUMP TAKES EAST COAST; WINS FIVE STATES (TRUMP IS 2016 GOP NOMINEE)

@realDonaldTrump

THE EAST COAST LOVES TRUMP. HE WINS FIVE STATES:

MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, CONNETICUT, DELAWARE & RHODE ISLAND.

TIME FOR TRUMP TO CHOOSE CHRIS CHRISTIE AS HIS VP PICK.

TRUMP IS 2016 GOP NOMINEE. HE'LL DEFEAT HILLARY UNLESS OBAMA USES MORE DIRTY POLITICS.

Sources: Fox News, Youtube

****** Trump completes 5-state sweep; Clinton beats Sanders in most Super Tuesday III contests

Donald Trump completed a five-state sweep in Tuesday’s Republican presidential primaries, strengthening his shot at avoiding a contested convention – while Hillary Clinton scored convincing victories but was denied the same bragging rights of a primary sweep by a surprise Bernie Sanders win in Rhode Island.

Of the two front-runners, Clinton – who won four states Tuesday – remains closer to clinching the nomination. She now has nearly 90 percent of the delegates needed to secure the party nod, even as Sanders vows to keep fighting.

On the Republican side, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich still can potentially hold Trump under the 1,237 delegates he needs. But the billionaire businessman’s Super Tuesday III run-of-the-table reinforces his aura of invincibility going into the next round.

“I consider myself the presumptive nominee,” Trump said at Trump Tower, with ex-candidate and now-supporter New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie standing behind him. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.”

Trump said he has no plans to change his approach right now.

In their victory speeches, both Trump and Clinton clearly were looking ahead to a general election contest each expects will involve the other.

“We will beat Hillary so easily,” Trump said, nicknaming the Democratic front-runner “crooked Hillary” and declaring “the only card she has is the woman’s card.” He continued to taunt his GOP rivals, blasting their alleged “collusion” and asking of Kasich: “Why is he here?”

Clinton likewise kept her remarks Tuesday focused on a general election audience, vowing to “unify our party,” drawing sharp contrasts with Republicans, and taking on Trump.

“The other day, Mr. Trump accused me of playing the quote woman card,” she said in Philadelphia, which hosts the Democratic convention. “Well, if fighting for women’s health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in.” 

When the dust settled on Tuesday’s contests, Trump was declared the winner in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island, on the heels of his victory in New York state a week ago. His dominant showing in the Northeast gives him significant momentum heading into next week’s primary in Indiana. And he’s on track to win over 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s contests, a feat he has only achieved once before, in New York.

Meanwhile, Kasich was shaping up as the second pick of Northeast Republicans so far, projected to place second in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland and Delaware – leaving Cruz to finish third.

Clinton, meanwhile, was the projected winner in Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware – while Sanders won Rhode Island.

Overall, Democrats were competing for 384 delegates in Tuesday's contests, while Republicans had 118 up for grabs (not counting 54 unbound delegates in Pennsylvania). 

With his five victories Tuesday, Trump will win at least 105 of the 118 delegates. And he has a chance to win a lot more. In Pennsylvania, Trump collected 17 delegates for winning the state. An additional 54 are elected directly by voters -- three in each congressional district. However, their names are listed on the ballot with no information about which presidential candidate they support.

Trump suggested they have a “moral obligation” to back him, though Cruz had worked hard to get allies elected in that group. 

Primary front-runners Clinton and Trump both were looking to Tuesday’s contests to bring them closer to clinching the respective nominations, or at least dispiriting the remaining competition. 

As of early Wednesday, Clinton had 2,141 delegates to Sanders’ 1,321; it takes 2,383 to win. The total includes so-called “superdelegates” who are not bound to primary results. On the GOP side, Trump had 950 delegates, followed by Cruz at 560 and Kasich at 153.

But on the GOP side, an energized Cruz held out hope that he and Kasich can still hold Trump back from the nomination. Speaking to supporters in Indiana, Cruz claimed the campaign was moving “to more favorable terrain” while calling Trump the media’s “chosen” candidate.

"Donald and Hillary, they are flip-sides of the same coin,” Cruz said. 

Kasich’s campaign also vowed to keep going, appealing for donations online and declaring on Twitter: “John Kasich will continue making his supporters proud.”

Whether Cruz and Kasich can prevent Trump from clinching the nomination remains to be seen. Both were also on defense after teaming up to try and hold Trump under that magic number. Kasich agreed to stand aside in Indiana to help Cruz, while Cruz agreed to stand aside in Oregon and New Mexico to help Kasich.

As Trump accused the two of “collusion,” Cruz countered in a radio interview that what they’re doing is “actually coalition-building.”

Still, Kasich appeared Monday to undercut their arrangement by urging voters in Indiana to support him anyway. And the campaign stumbled on a procedural issue in Oregon, missing the March deadline to submit information for a voter pamphlet the state distributes ahead of the May primary.

Kasich spokesman Chris Schrimpf stressed that Kasich nevertheless is on the ballot in Oregon.

Cruz’s best chances to undercut Trump might be in Indiana, which votes next week, and California, which votes in June.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., cast doubt Tuesday on whether a Cruz-Kasich alliance would do much good in his home state. Asked about their partnership, McCarthy told reporters he’s “not convinced” it will help in California.

On the Democratic side, Sanders also vowed Tuesday nightto keep fighting, casting himself as the candidate best-positioned to take on Trump or any Republican rival.

“This campaign is doing as well as it is with the extraordinary energy and enthusiasm we are generating across the country,” Sanders told a crowd in West Virginia, which votes May 10.

CRUZ ENDORSED BY GOV SCOTT WALKER AFTER VOWING TO LET HILLARY WIN

CRUZ ENDORSED BY GOV SCOTT WALKER AFTER VOWING TO LET HILLARY WIN

Sources: CNN, MSNBC, Youtube

Tuesday night, March 29, 2016 during a Townhall meeting in Wisconsin with local voters, US Senator Ted Cruz (who was born in Canada) stated he would rescind his pledge to support Donald Trump if he is elected to become the GOP Presidential nominee.

Cruz stated he would instead rather let Hillary Clinton win than to support his fellow Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Despite Ted Cruz's position Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker still chose to publicly endorse Ted Cruz for the 2016 race.

I never thought I would see members of the GOP establishment implode their own political party.

All I can say is WOW!

SANDERS KEEPS WINNING DELEGATES TO ASSURE HILLARY'S 2016 VICTORY (DELEGATE COUNTDOWN)

BERNIE SANDERS KEEPS WINNING DELEGATES TO ASSURE HILLARY'S 2016 VICTORY

I TOLD YOU SO.

Sources: CNN, Fox News, YouTube

For months I have been saying that U.S. Senator (I-Vt) is not a real challenger to 2016 Democrat party presidential front runner Hillary Clinton.

Anyone with half a brain can easily determine that Sanders was obviously recruited by key party leaders to help attract and fire up Undecided voters who aren't really feeling Hillary.

Thus regardless of the number of states Sanders wins, all Delegates are awarded to Hillary.

In essence, a vote for Bernie is actually a vote for Hillary.

I told you so!

**** Is Sanders doing Clinton a favor?

Story highlights

• Sanders is keeping it competitive, but even if he loses, he will have a powerful effect in November, writes Julian Zelizer
• He says Sanders has forced Clinton to adopt stances that will appeal more broadly to the Democratic base

Bernie Sanders' campaign gained new momentum with three commanding victories this weekend in Washington, Hawaii and Alaska. While Hillary Clinton maintains a comfortable lead in the delegate count, it looks as though it's going to be a long time before she can close this race. Sanders continues to excite, to inspire and, most importantly, to win. 

A key test will be the April 19 primary in New York, a state with a large population of minority voters, a group that has favored Clinton in other big contests.

The success of Sanders has been a huge surprise and disappointment to Clinton and her supporters. The once inevitable nominee has been forced to run in an extremely competitive primary against a challenger who has exposed many of her flaws and weaknesses.

Still, in the long run, Sanders may turn out to have been one of the best things to have happened to Clinton's campaign.

Assuming that she does win the nomination, Clinton will emerge as a much stronger candidate and her campaign operation will be in a better position for the fall, thanks to Sanders' insurgency. Unlike divisive primaries that hurt a political party -- such as Sen. Ted Kennedy's challenge to President Jimmy Carter in 1980 or, most likely, the internecine battle that is ravaging the GOP this year -- the Democrats will benefit as a result of the past few months.

How has Sanders helped? How could it be that the constant attacks on Clinton's domestic record, her connections to Wall Street and her judgment as a leader leave her in better shape than when she started? How can the sweeping wins in the West be anything but bad for the front-runner?

Economy and inequality are front and center

Thanks to Sanders, economic issues are now front and center in this campaign. While Sanders may be a single-issue candidate focused on inequality, it's a really big issue that he has dealt with. And it's one which, as the campaign in both parties has revealed, really resonates at this moment in history. Americans are tired of, and scared by, the growing economic divisions in our society as well as the insecurity that faces middle-class families.

In response to Sanders, Clinton has taken a stronger stand on these economic issues and worked harder to demonstrate her commitment to addressing these challenges if she should be elected president. Sanders has created room for Clinton, who has been a centrist Democrat, to be more unabashedly liberal in response to this problem, and this will help her.

Economic security is an issue that Democrats have historically done well with. This issue was at the heart of the New Deal, the formative period for the modern party.

Clinton has also responded to Sanders by clarifying other kinds of issues that will be central to her presidency. In her effort to distinguish herself from the senator, she has spoken much more about other issue areas that she would address, including the central questions of racial and gender inequality. Even if the government addressed economic inequality, she said, "we would still have racism holding people back. We would still have sexism preventing women from getting equal pay. We would still have LGBT people who get married on Saturday and fired on Monday." 

She has slowly crafted a set of arguments around a potential presidency that would address the multiple sources of division within this country. Doing so offers a path toward building a broad and diverse political coalition.

Building on Obama's gains

While Sanders offers a much more coherent political vision, Clinton has slowly developed an argument about her belief in pragmatic liberalism, which will hold considerable appeal to voters who are seeking real gains in the coming four years. With Sanders offering bold ideas like single-payer health insurance, Clinton has positioned herself as a liberal Democrat who understands that she will have to operate in a very conservative political world. 

This has pushed her to champion an argument about the ways that she would solidify and expand the gains that have been made under President Obama and move into new policy areas with specified and realistic measures. For many constituencies that are desperate to keep the programs that Obama achieved and hoping for more assistance, this argument can resonate.

For instance, Clinton proposes strengthening Obamacare with measures like a $5,000 per family tax credit to reduce the amount that Americans have to pay for premiums and out-of-pocket charges. She also would like to ensure that Americans could have three sick visits every year to their doctors without having to meet a deductible. She would also continue Obama's policy of providing federal money to match the spending of states which expand Medicaid, while investing in outreach programs to help individuals enroll.

Sanders took the high road

One of Sanders' biggest decisions was to keep the debate focused on policy rather than personality and character. Although some of his supporters have been frustrated that he has not gone after issues like the Clinton email scandal, the net result was to elevate the quality of the discourse within the Democratic Party. 

With the GOP embroiled in a low-level discussion that has even degenerated into comparing the photographs of spouses and the size of a candidate's hands, the Democrats have appeared as the adults in the room (even if not as much fun to watch) with a series of debates over policy. Democrats debate whether the regulatory approach of the Affordable Care Act or a single-payer health care system is more effective, at the same time that Donald Trump and his rivals engage in debates that are as far from presidential as they can be.

The ability of the Sanders campaign to mobilize Americans who have been alienated from politics can have very positive ramifications in the fall. He has inspired the progressive coalition of the Democratic Party -- which is a powerful, mobilized and motivated group that Democratic candidates have too often ignored in recent decades.

Key test for Clinton

If Clinton can find a way to sustain the support of the movement that Sanders has built, and if Sanders is willing to join forces with Clinton in the fall, this can be an extraordinarily effective electoral tool, particularly in swing states like Ohio and Florida. In 2008, Obama showed just how powerful new voices could be in determining the outcome of an election. If Clinton and Sanders can prevent voters, like younger Americans, from leaving the system once again, they could become part of a winning coalition in November.

This won't be easy. Clinton will have to work hard, reaching out to Sanders supporters and working with the senator himself to avoid squandering this opportunity. Through her vice presidential selection and word of potential cabinet picks, as well as concessions in the party platform, she will have to convince his followers that her appeals to his issues are more than campaign rhetoric. 

Finally the Sanders campaign was an early wake-up call for the Clinton team which, as in 2008, was running an incredibly sloppy and unstructured operation that was counting on Clinton's experience and intellectual skill to be enough to win the race. 

TRUMP WINS HAWAII, MICHIGAN & MISSISSIPPI (GOP NOMINEE)

TRUMP WINS HAWAII, MICHIGAN & MISSISSIPPI:

SANDERS TAKES MICHIGAN FOR HILLARY.
WILL RUBIO CONCEDE?

Sources:  NY Times, Young Turks, YouTube

**** Donald Trump Takes 3; Bernie Sanders Wins Michigan; 

Donald J. Trump easily dispatched his Republican rivals in the Michigan and Mississippi presidential primaries Tuesday and won the Hawaii caucuses, regaining momentum in the face of intensifying resistance to his campaign among party leaders.

Senator Bernie Sanders scored an upset win in the Michigan Democratic primary, threatening to prolong a Democratic campaign that Hillary Clinton appeared to have all but locked up last week.

Mrs. Clinton lost badly in Michigan among independents, showed continued weakness with working-class white Democrats, and was unable to count on as much of an advantage with black voters as she had in the South
.

Addressing reporters in Miami while the votes in Michigan were still being counted, Mr. Sanders said that his powerful showing indicated that “the political revolution that we’re talking about is strong in every part of the country.”

“And frankly,” he added, “we believe that our strongest areas are yet to happen.”

While bolstering Mr. Sanders’s hand as the race turns to a series of large states next week, his victory in Michigan did not dent Mrs. Clinton’s delegate lead as she won overwhelmingly in Mississippi, crushing Mr. Sanders among African-American voters, and netted more delegates over all.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas handily won the Idaho Republican primary, somewhat mitigating his second-place finishes in Michigan and Mississippi.

After losing to Senator Ted Cruz on Saturday in Kansas and Maine, Mr. Trump needed one of his best performances of the campaign to tamp down doubts about his candidacy after a week of gaffes, missteps and questions about the strength of his political organization.

And he got one, demonstrating his appeal with working-class white voters in Michigan, a state Mr. Trump has claimed he could win in the general election, while beating back especially stiff challenges from Gov. John Kasich of Ohio there and from Mr. Cruz in Mississippi.

Mr. Trump, plugging several of his business interests in a victory speech that seemed straight out of QVC, crowed about having prevailed despite what he called millions of dollars’ worth of “horrible lies” in negative ads from his rivals.

“There’s only one person who did well tonight: Donald Trump,” he said in Jupiter, Fla., at one of his golf resorts. He also mocked Mr. Cruz. “He’s always saying, ‘I’m the only one that can beat Trump,’ ” Mr. Trump said, imitating his rival, but adding: “He rarely beats me.”

Mrs. Clinton, addressing supporters in Cleveland, did not mention the Mississippi or Michigan results, instead alluding to the vitriol in the Republican field. “As the rhetoric keeps sinking lower, the stakes in this election keep rising higher,” she said. Running for president, she said, “shouldn’t be about delivering insults; it should be about delivering results.”

But none of the major cable news networks carried her remarks, which came as Mr. Trump was speaking.

The emphatic victories by Mr. Trump were a sharp turnabout from his difficult weekend and suggested that his stumbles in recent days had not done substantial damage to his campaign. He continued his dominance among low-income voters in Michigan and Mississippi but, in a foreboding sign for Mr. Cruz, also narrowly won among white evangelicals in both states.

If Tuesday offered a reminder of Mr. Trump’s enduring appeal, it was nothing short of devastating for Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. After slipping to third or fourth place in the states that voted Saturday, Mr. Rubio collapsed on Tuesday, finishing well behind his three rivals in Michigan and Mississippi — he came away with no delegates in either state — and calling into question how much longer he will be able to stay in the race.

Mrs. Clinton’s victory in Mississippi was the latest in a string across the South fueled by her overwhelming black support. But she had hoped that a win in Michigan would demoralize Mr. Sanders heading into the coming Rust Belt primaries and relegate him to a protest candidate rather than a real threat. Instead, Mr. Sanders can march into Illinois, Ohio and Missouri next Tuesday newly emboldened to lash Mrs. Clinton over her past support for free trade agreements, which he says have wiped out thousands of industrial jobs.

Mr. Sanders badly needed a victory heading into Ohio and Illinois next week, and to demonstrate that he is still viable even though he has fallen far behind Mrs. Clinton in the race to amass the 2,323 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.

Mr. Sanders’s Michigan triumph also offered much-needed proof that he could win over voters in the populous, racially diverse swing states where the eventual Democratic nominee will need victories in November.

Mr. Trump’s clear victories Tuesday, meanwhile, showed that he remains the Republican favorite for the nomination and enjoys a fiercely loyal core of support. His success in Michigan, which he won by 12 percent, was especially striking: not only did he easily carry Macomb County, original home of the fabled Reagan Democrats, he also won the more upscale Detroit suburbs of Oakland County.