Randy Levine on
GOP's Foul Ball: Rules Deny Voters' Will, Trump Wins, by Randy Levine
I have been an active Republican for over 30 years. I have served as principal associate deputy attorney general under President Reagan and deputy mayor and labor commissioner for Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
I have been on the finance committees for the three past Republican nominees: Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain and President George W Bush. Four years ago I served at the Republican Convention as an alternate delegate from New York.
Today, as I watch this nomination process unfold, I am in utter disbelief. Some of the same good people who have participated in Republican politics for many years are now actively trying to undermine the will of voters.
I live in the world of sports where scoreboards and standings tell the story. It should be the same in the world of politics.
If a candidate garners the greatest number of votes, he or she should get the majority of delegates. That's the way elections are supposed to work.
Thus far, Donald Trump has won over 20 primaries or caucuses; Sen. Ted Cruz, 10, and Gov. John Kasich, one.
Gov, Kasich has already been mathematically eliminated and soon, the same will happen to Sen. Cruz.
That said, Gov Kasich continues on, lingering in the race, hoping to win at the convention and claiming he should be selected because he believes the polls show that he does better against Democrats than his fellow Republican candidates.
This argument makes no sense. It would be as if one decided to substitute the winner of the American League pennant in the World Series with the team which came in third place because the third place team looks better on paper against the National League champion.
The real and fair world, whether it be with respect to sports or politics, simply should not work this way.
You win or lose on the field or at the ballot box. It is OK to play as a spoiler, as many teams do to effect the final standings, but if that is your goal you should acknowledge it.
The Republican National Committee and insiders argue that their rules are their rules. Therefore, it is OK to ignore the results on the field.
No, voters vote in good faith. They believe they are voting for candidates, not local delegates who can alter the real final score with their own personal preference.
Working party officials, much like coaches work referees is acceptable. Sen. Cruz is doing exactly this.
But once a state votes and the results are in, the candidate who wins the most votes should be awarded the most delegates. Even more important, voters should be allowed to participate in every manner throughout the process.
A situation like Colorado, where party officials changed the rules to exclude voting is akin to a rainout that was never rescheduled or played. A game in which the umpires, not the players, decide the result.
The reality is that what seems to be going on is that certain party insiders and the party establishment do not like the results they are watching unfold on the field.
They do not like what they see on the scoreboard, and they definitely do not like the standings. They do not like seeing Donald Trump on top. However, just as in the world of sports, a level playing field is required in the world of politics.
The winner should be decided on the field by the voters. Not by a flawed system that disenfranchises citizens.
Randy Levine is President for the New York Yankees. He previously served as deputy mayor of New York under Rudy Giuliani and at the Department of Justice under President Ronald Reagan. His comments here are his own and do not reflect those of the New York Yankees.
Comments
The GOP “Establishment” is at odds with the Republican
voters who voted for Trump in the Primaries.
Their failure to convince voters to support Jeb Bush prompted them to
switch to Rubio and then to Cruz. It is
happening in Georgia, where the GOP “Establishment Politicos” who participate
as GOP Delegates fight to keep their “club” exclusive and free from all
reformers and outsiders. They refuse to
admit that our Republican elected officials have failed to slow Obama’s destructive
actions. Us “Reformers” disagree. We agree with Trump.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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