Keep in mind Iowa and NH are leftist bastions, 27% of Iowans consider themselves socialist. All the camps will move further right in s couple of weeks.

Kasich is pretty much a whiner, his campaign can be summed up with 'all my buddies are dead, but I've done this before, I should be in charge'.. After NH, he's done when in a real conservative state / voter bloc that doesn't watch his old show on MSNBC.

I think the caribou Barbie hurts trump and republicans. She is kind of the dumb blind poster chile. Trump is the serious minded candidate and he should smile and distance himself from her or he will kill his political career

I doubt it, Marco would make more sense to shore up Florida/Texas/Arizona/Nevada and maybe even swing California. California waffles on our Governor's, we've had s long stretch with Moonbeam, I wouldn't rule out a victory here.

Black pastors are endorsing Trump, if he can secure a Latino caucus it would be over, the build a wall thing has turned them off though. My wife is Hispanic, hates illegals, but centering Mexico isn't the best approach, most of the violence and illegals are from further south.

The "best for the party" thinking has lost them 2 elections in a row. I was hoping Rand Paul would get the nomination but the establishment was able to squash him early.

What I think is particularly disturbing about the strategic vying in picking out people like Kasich (who has definitely been running for VP) is a complete divorcement of what the party organs want because it's "best for the party" versus the primary being about the people picking their representative for the highest office.

In discussing political endorsements, Ayn Rand would have used the term "second hander" in the discussion somewhere. ;)

I'm hoping Trump is more fiscally conservative than some of his past rhetoric suggests. The Republicans have nominated two moderates in a row and lost. His VP pick will be important. I'm guessing Kasich in order to try and secure Ohio.

Conservatism is worthless. Only being fully and consistently for freedom has value. Palin is irrelevant for that and Trump is certainly not particularly pro-freedom.

I think they kind of gave up in the generals because they were told they needed to in order to win, which obviously didn't work. But when they showed up in the midterms, the grassroots didn't stop the establishment anyway. So, it seems regardless conservatives lose, which seems to support, as you say, just taking the nominee to stop Hillary. A bitter pill.

...cheer leader?

Although I haven't heard it anywhere, yet, watching her with him, I got the clear impression of a paid political spokeswoman. She knows how to get paid in the reality show business. They made a "deal".

Her endorsement definitely helps Trump shore up conservatives and TEA party folks who may have been reluctant to support him. I don't think it guarantees him the nomination but it helps. As for the Conservative movement they have, to some extent, stayed on the sidelines in 08 and '12 which gave us two terms of Obama. Trump may not be their first choice but they better take whoever the party gives them this time or its President Hillary.

I hope so. I've never understood the competition for endorsements or why they're so coveted. It's one thing to discuss shared values and have a rational discussion and let people come to their own conclusions, but endorsements basically rely on force of personality as a voter rationale. Not a practice that should really hold any sway in a democratic society.

The effects of endorsements will be lower in this election than in any prior election. In fact, what little effect endorsements have may be negative.

May not phase. What way to prevent an endorser? Prevent her because of believing she'll hinder?Like she realizes it, secretly is against Donald, and endorses him before people believing her endorsement will interfere.May not phase like she's not deliberately making it more awkward toward him to win by endorsing him.She maybe believes he'll win. She maybe wants him to win.She maybe believes her endorsement will not interfere.Maybe she's not realizing the possibility her endorsement will interfere and various people believe it may. Maybe if she believes the possibility, it may be of various people believing her endorsement will interfere will not interfere.One believing she's bad may also believe she's with certain good.

Right, which is particularly discouraging I think. If the so-called "principled right" goes in for crony capitalism, there's no real anti-state influence in the government. It's just various strains of personal lobbying, which wouldn't be a problem, except it comes at the expense of individual interests.

"shuffle after Palin bleating contently like mindless sheep"
Proof that the author really understands GOP voters.
Only mindless sheep could have felt that Palin was anything but a politician.
Palin, a Conservative leader? Rubbish!

Thanks for posting it, krevello.

I think that you can link the endorsement to the theme of crony capitalism that she started to espouse toward the end of the aborted 2012 campaign. She has also been particularly interested in vet's since the beginning and Trump has made that a major plank -- possibly as protection for his stating that McCain wasn't a hero, but possibly honestly.

She has been pretty bitterly attacked by both the left and the Republican establishment so one can see her attracted to the most anti-establishment candidate she can find.