Courtesy of ZeroHedge. View original post here.
Amid the maelstrom of Sunday's political show machinations over Trump's rallies, one awkward fact remains – The Donald's lead increases. The latest NBC/Marist polls show Trump 'swamping' Rubio in his home state of Florida (43% to 21%), a solid lead in Illinois (34% to Cruz's 25%), and is closing the gap on Kasich in Ohio (33% to Kasich's 39%). However, as Reuters reports, despite the growing social unrest, The Donald shows no sign of toning down his rhetoric, theatening to send his supporters to the campaign rallies of "Communist friend" Bernie Sanders and hammering Kasich's "Ohio recovery" narrative.
After being blamed by establishment-ists from the left and right for this weekend's 'trouble', Trump continues to march forward, taking swings at everyone. As Reuters reports,
Trump, appeared unchastened after simmering discord between his supporters and protesters angry over his positions on immigration and Muslims turned into a palpable threat on Friday, forcing him to cancel a Chicago rally and shadowing his campaign appearances on Saturday.
Trump blamed supporters of Democratic candidate Sanders for the incidents in Chicago, where scuffles broke out between protesters and backers of the real estate magnate. He called the U.S. senator from Vermont "our communist friend".
On Sunday, he went a step further in an early morning post on Twitter:
Bernie Sanders is lying when he says his disruptors aren't told to go to my events. Be careful Bernie, or my supporters will go to yours!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2016
The scenes in Chicago followed several weeks of violence at Trump rallies, in which protesters and journalists have been punched, tackled and hustled out of venues, raising concerns about security leading into the Nov. 8 presidential election to replace Democratic President Barack Obama.
The disturbances continued on Saturday at a Trump rally in Dayton, Ohio, where Secret Service officers scrambled to surround the candidate after a man charged the stage.
Trump scheduled rallies on Sunday in Illinois, Ohio and Florida before the next five presidential nominating contests on Tuesday, which could cement his lead over Republican rivals U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich.
Trump, who has harnessed the discontent of white, working class voters angry over international trade deals that cost them jobs, has made his opposition to the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement and proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership a centerpiece of his campaign.
He has hammered Kasich on the issue before Tuesday's vote.
Ohio Gov.Kasich voted for NAFTA, from which Ohio has never recovered. Now he wants TPP, which will be even worse. Ohio steel and coal dying!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2016
But as Politico reports, Donald Trump is swamping Sen. Marco Rubio in his home state of Florida, while John Kasich is holding onto a lead in Ohio, according to new NBC/Marist polls released Sunday morning.
Trump is winning 43 percent of the vote in Florida, compared to just 22 percent for Rubio.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is essentially tied with Rubio, earning 21 percent, while Kasich brings up the rear with a mere 9 percent. Florida is winner-take-all and awards 99 delegates.
Kasich has a significant lead in Ohio, earning 39 percent of the vote to 33 percent for Trump. Cruz has 19 percent and Rubio has just six percent. Kasich's campaign has long pegged Ohio as a must-win on the governor's Midwestern-centric path to the nomination. Ohio, like Florida, is winner-take-all.
Trump also leads in Illinois with 34 percent of the vote to Cruz's 25 percent. Kasich has 21 percent and Rubio has 16 percent.
All three states vote Tuesday, along with the states of Missouri and North Carolina. Establishment Republicans have said denying Trump a win there is crucial to preventing him from earning a majority of delegates at the Republican National Convention.
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Earlier, ZeroHedge commented here:
Sometimes, less is more, and in infamous “Black Swan” philosopher Nassim Taleb’s case, summing up the chaos that is enveloping America, and its forthcoming election was as simple as the following:
“The *establishment* composed of journos, BS-Vending talking heads with well-formulated verbs, bureaucrato-cronies, lobbyists-in training, New Yorker-reading semi-intellectuals, image-conscious empty suits, Washington rent-seekers and other “well thinking” members of the vocal elites are not getting the point about what is happening and the sterility of their arguments.”
To which he appended the following 17 perfectly succinct words:
“People are not voting for Trump (or Sanders). People are just voting, finally, to destroy the establishment.”
