Trump/Clinton campaign begins now!

TRUMP CAN NOW NEGOTIATE FROM STRENGTH

TRUMP WINS INDIANA AND NOMINATION

RANK AND FILE TAKE CHARGE OF PRIMARY

Rank and file republican voters have taken control of the republican primaries.  They have made it clear - no contested convention! No chaos in Cleveland! No more "Never Trump." While many of the voters in the last 6 primaries were not especially Donald Trump supporters they stepped up and showed the leadership the necessity of ending a destructive trend that the supposed leadership of the party was embracing. The so-called establishment now has a window of opportunity to get on board or become irrelevant. This is the best chance that the party has to win in November. Ted Cruz ran a strong campaign, but was hurt by deals with the "Never Trumps" and perceived delegate stripping. Trump made a strong overture last night, but I am sure it will take some time to get over a brutal campaign.

Trump will begin the 2016 presidential campaign on Thursday in West Virginia. He will then proceed to all the remaining primary states, but his adversary will now be Hillary Clinton. By Ted Cruz doing the right thing at this point, he has given Trump a head start on Hillary. Trump has pledged to raise money for republican candidates. I can expect they will test the waters before they start bringing him in to campaign for them. While Trump has high negatives, it is interesting to note that many Trump voters will give him high negatives and still vote for him. This may also be the case in the general election. Do we need to like or love every candidate we vote for?

Trump now has some months to heal the fractures in the party and this will be a test of his leadership. He also has extra time to appeal to women and Hispanic voters. Hispanic voters should be republican voters - they believe in strong families, are hard working, and are proud. Many are self-employed and have businesses in the trades. Trump can appeal to mothers who don't want illegal gang members recruiting their children. Do all legal Hispanics want uncontrolled borders? We will have to see if Trump can improve his standing with this group who have the same hopes as all Americans. Trump 's image as a strong leader should appeal to many. 

The hardest group to get on board will be the republican consultant class. A Trump candidacy may very well bankrupt many of these people. Trump has a new approach to campaigning.  The foreign policy wonks who have advised republicans and democrats for decades will also be replaced with those that support Trump's view of foreign policy. They most likely will continue to snipe for the foreseeable future. He will also find resistance to changes in our trade policies which are making many people very rich. I believe the American people in general are open to those changes in trade and foreign policy.

Expect to see Chris Christie, Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich, and Jeff Sessions in a Trump administration.  Ed Rollins has taken charge of a pro-Trump super pack. He ran the last Reagan campaign.

While Trump is now clear to prepare for the convention and general campaign, Hillary will have to endure Bernie Sanders for some time to come. There will probably be lots of pressure put on him to withdraw, but after winning in Indiana he will continue on as long as he is still winning.

This general campaign will be a hard fought brutal campaign - it will cost near $3 billion combined. The time will come when the candidates and  most Americans will be exhausted by the coming battle.