Cruz and Trump, Sanders and Clinton

Cruz can still win nomination

California Republicans who are following Donald Trump, please research and think about your support. You are being conned on a scale not seen since 2008. Don’t fall for Trump’s straight talk. Don’t fall for the vague promises of making “fantastic deals.”

We make America great again by restoring our freedoms of choice and our liberties, by getting government out of our daily lives, by adhering to our Constitution and the limits it places on our government. And don’t pay attention to media pundits who say Sen. Ted Cruz has dropped out of the race. He has just suspended his campaign. Cruz retains his delegates and he remains on state ballots, including California’s.

It is up to us to drive a contested convention and nominate Cruz. California has 172 delegates that can have an impact on the nomination.

What is the true delegate count?

Re “Thousands rally for Sanders” (Page 1A, May 10): The reporters say Hillary Clinton’s advantage in the delegate count “is nearly insurmountable.” However, recent counts indicate that Sen. Bernie Sanders is actually trailing Clinton by 290 delegates, not counting superdelegates.

Please stop deceiving the public about where this contest stands. California voters have until May 23 to register for the primary. Anything could happen.

Looking past Clinton’s facade

Re “Clinton and Kasich are best in California primary” (Editorials, May 4): After Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich threw in the towel for their campaigns, chaos ensued over the idea of Donald Trump being the presidential nominee.

My concern is not with the current Republican hopeful, but with the massive endorsements that Hillary Clinton is receiving from major publications. Clinton’s experience in politics does not automatically make her the most fit presidential candidate. Also, being further to the left of many Democratic voters does not disqualify Sen. Bernie Sanders.

I urge major publications and voters to consider Clinton’s list of shady deals and history of flipping views when determining who is to be trusted in the Oval Office.

Sanders’ health care plan failed

Re “Sanders can fix what ails health care system” (Viewpoints, May 10): Bernie Sanders has no real policy, other than his unrealistic single-payer health system, which he claims would lead to more affordable and comprehensive medical coverage for all citizens. His home state of Vermont enacted a first single-payer health care system. But financial reports showed the cost of the program would nearly double the size of the state’s budget and require large tax increases for residents and businesses. So it got shelved.

The single-payer proposal is a better campaign slogan than it is a realistic panacea for the nation’s health care problems. It can’t escape the stubborn dilemma as to how can we control spending. The costs would be staggering and involve huge tax increases, and not really solve the health care problems.

Speak up 100% of the time

Re “No one agrees 100% of the time” (Letters, May 10): In her response to Marco Breton’s column, Jerilyn Barkema is correct to say that in most cases, we will not agree with a candidate 100 percent of the time; and if we do vote for them, it doesn’t mean we are in 100 percent agreement.

While this is true, it is a distraction from the bigger issue of Donald Trump – he is an abomination to this country, a racist, xenophobe and demagogue.

Although you don’t have to disagree with Trump 100 percent of the time, I do strongly feel that you need to reject and speak up against his harmful rhetoric 100 percent of the time.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Cruz and Trump, Sanders and Clinton."