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TEXAS SENATOR TED Cruz scored a commanding victory over Donald Trump in Wisconsin’s presidential primary last night, putting the Republican frontrunner on notice that his march to the nomination is not a done deal.
Meanwhile the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton also crashed to defeat against upstart Senator Bernie Sanders. He has now won six of the last seven Democratic contests and can bolster his claim to be a viable alternative standard-bearer to the former secretary of state.
But the Wisconsin results are almost certainly more damaging for Trump, the brash billionaire who stormed to the fore last year but has suffered campaign trail setbacks in recent weeks with a series of controversial comments about abortion, NATO and nuclear weapons.
Cruz’s capturing of most of Wisconsin’s 42 Republican delegates now makes it far less likely that Trump will win the 1,237 delegates necessary to secure the nomination outright.
This raises the prospect of a contested convention in July when the delegates meet to choose the party nominee for the November presidential election.
“Turning point”
“Tonight is a turning point. It is a rallying cry,” Cruz told cheering supporters in Milwaukee after he received a hug from Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, one of several former 2016 presidential candidates who have endorsed Cruz.
It is a call from the hardworking men and women of Wisconsin to the people of America. We have a choice, a real choice.
Cruz and the anti-Trump movement had eyed Wisconsin, birthplace of the Republican Party, as a crucial firewall against the real estate tycoon’s march to become the GOP flag bearer. The Texas senator’s win in Wisconsin could well alter the trajectory of the Republican race.
“Trump needs every delegate to get to 1,237, and tonight was a significant setback,” veteran election analyst Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia told AFP.
“It’s not impossible for Trump to still get there, but the likelihood is that Trump will be a few dozen delegates short of a majority,” he added, meaning the likelihood of a contested convention has increased substantially.
Last night’s results cement Cruz’s status as the leading anti-Trump candidate, with Ohio Governor John Kasich far back in the nomination battle.
But Cruz kept his victory speech positive, highlighting his policy platforms and turning his attention toward a possible general election face-off with Clinton.
“Hillary, get ready. Here we come,” he said.
Cruz also predicted he could earn the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination.
That goal will be extremely difficult to reach; experts have projected Cruz would need to win 90 percent or more of remaining delegates to reach the magic number.
US networks called the race for Cruz and Sanders within half an hour of polls closing in the Midwestern state that borders Canada.
With three-quarters of precincts reporting, Cruz was ahead with 49% of the vote compared to 34% for billionaire Trump. Kasich was a distant third at 14%.
On the Democratic side, Vermont Senator Sanders led with 56% to 44% over Clinton.
“This campaign is giving energy and enthusiasm to millions of Americans,” Sanders told supporters in Wyoming, which holds a Democratic vote on Saturday.
Sanders said his momentum gives him an “excellent chance” to win California, Oregon and other states.
“We have a path toward victory, a path toward the White House,” he declared.
But Clinton, the one-time first lady who is aiming to become the nation’s first female commander in chief, has the delegate maths in her favour and can look forward with some confidence to the upcoming races.
She leads Sanders by double digits in New York, her adopted home state which votes on 19 April, and Pennsylvania, which casts ballots a week later.
Trump also leads handily in his home state of New York and in Pennsylvania.
Trump’s sour grapes
His campaign for months had appeared immune to criticism or self-implosion. Yet the brash billionaire went into yesterday’s vote having suffered a brutal week on the campaign trail, including comments expected to hurt him with women voters.
After the Wisconsin vote his team defiantly lashed out at Cruz, saying the senator had “the entire party apparatus behind him.”
“Ted Cruz is a puppet – he is a Trojan horse being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump,” said the campaign in a statement reported by MSNBC.
Trump had 740 delegates heading into Tuesday. Cruz had 474 and Kasich 145, according to CNN.
If none reaches the magic number of 1,237 before the Republican primary races wrap up on 7 June, the nominee could be decided at a contested convention where, after the first ballot, delegates will be free to vote according to personal preference instead of being bound by the primary results.
Clinton had secured 1,742 delegates prior to Tuesday – including 483 so-called “super-delegates” who are not bound by primary results – while Sanders has 1,051 total, according to a CNN tally.
A candidate needs 2,383 delegates to secure the Democratic nomination.
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looks like parents in the old days were on to something when they put babies in a drawer, couldn`t roll over on your tummy in them either.
@Motherofdivinejebus: Indeed, or slept with them in the bed!
Lidl also provide a baby boxs to new mothers, supervalue give out baby bags … Not sure how’re you suppose to get them to sleep in the bag though.
The use of Baby Boxes has been credited with helping reduce infant mortality rates in Finland, where they have been in use for over 75 years….We catch on fast!
@Conor Mac Manus: You are right that they contributed to reducing infant mortality rates there, as did the thousands of paediatricians trained by the that pioneering doctor Arvo Ylppö, who recommended giving babies more air and that they sleep with their mothers, in addition to emphasising the importance of a high standard of hygiene.
However, what really brought down infant mortality, especially perinatal mortality, more than anything else was the sauna.
Until the Second World War, most Finns lived in modest houses or cabins in rural area, but virtually every home had a separate sauna building, where there was a wood-fired boiler to produce hot water. That was where women went to give birth and the bare wooden boards in the sauna were guaranteed sterile, since they were immersed in steam for hours every week. Many Finns were literally born in the sauna, which is probably why they enjoy it so much.
My wife and I received two of those boxes in the early 1970s. The material they were made of is more a type of fibreboard than cardboard, and the pack also contained (and still contains) an enamel basin, soap and other toilet requisites as well as nappies, clothes, sheets and quilts.
It also contains a pack of six condoms. I wonder will they be putting any of those in the packs in Limerick?
No condoms in the Limerick box’s
@Conor Mac Manus: A lot of 75 year-olds in Finland are complaining about having to sleep in a box. A lot of them would prefer a bed.
@Padraic Reid: Does your Mammy know you’re at the computer again?
@Rotarua: You could just imagine Breda O’Brien’s next “column” in the IT if there were condoms in the boxes. LOL We’d probably hear few squeals from Gaynooth as well.
I assume there is air holes in the lid?
@Tweed Cap: LOL The lid is removed and becomes a second layer of insulation when the bottom of the actual box is inserted into it.
Nobody puts baby in a box…
Leaving hospital now will be like walking out of whackers pet shop with a rabbit under your arm.
Or in a box?
@Pauliebhoy: That thought is actually rather funny, but in reality the woman is not given the box when she leaves the hospital; it must be collected from a separate distribution centre, and this is done before she gives birth. If the woman is not collected from the hospital by someone, she is given a voucher to cover any taxi fare in excess of €10.
Here’s some more information on the boxes if you are interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternity_package
That’s lovely. Sure what harm is there in giving the essentials to a newborn just in case. You never know the circumstances of people’s lives. I’ve heard of this Finnish tradition and I think it’s a good idea.
https://youtu.be/tH59qf8uwG0
The Finnish seem to be very sensible people from what I gather.
http://www.businessinsider.com/finlands-education-system-best-in-world-2012-11?IR=T
@J.Hanley #IRExit: The boxes were originally given only to people of low means, but to everyone from 1949 onwards, irrespective of means. They are provided free by Kela (the Social Insurance Institution) and can not be bought. However, Kela gave one to Prince William and Kate when their first son was born. Not that William and Kate likely needed it because they were short of a few bob, but the Finns may one day be able to boast that a future king of England slept in a Finnish baby box for the first few months of his life.
@J. Hanley: The YouTube video you linked to is a promotion by a commercial company which sells the boxes.
This video shows a woman unpacking one of the boxes that Kela gives free to mothers. Women can opt for a €140 cash payment instead, but around 95% take the box, which is worth a good deal more.
@J.Hanley #IRExit: I spent 6 months studying in Finland. Their public services are second to none. As a student I lived in a glorious apartment, with a huge room with a desk. It also had two saunas and outside bbq’s, which to be fair were useless in winter, the temperatures during the day were -18 and -30 at night. For €25 I could get all public transport for a month, including buses until 4 in the morning. There are state subsidised cafes for students where I could get soup, bread, two drinks and salad for €2. For €2.60 I could change the soup to a meal. For €4 I could get the fanciest meal. Bread and salad were unlimited. And these cafes are not just on campus, there are located in the city centre. If you are not a student you could still eat there for a couple of euro more. Education is free to masters level for all. They give refunds on empty cans and bottles via a high tech machine in shopping centres. 15c on a can and 10 to 20c on a bottle. During festival times homeless people collect these for cash, meaning there is no litter and at least some way a poor unfortunate homeless person can get some kind of cash. It was also very handy after having a party, enough empties to buy a couple more slabs of beer. Really wonderful infrastructure there for the people. We could learn a lot from them.
Am I living in a box, am I living in a cardboard box…
https://youtu.be/svVaEWQaoSo
The thing is that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) was not called cot death before for nothing. It’s a shame they don’t go the whole hog and suggest that mothers have their babies close to them at night – most places in the world parents sleep with their babies. It has been found that the baby breathes in time with the mother when close to the mother’s body. Smothering or ‘overlying’ (except when the parent is drunk or drugged or very overweight) is NOT a significant factor in SIDS. I suppose at least with the small boxes, babies can be beside their parents’ bed, and so close to their parents, since a mother will likely awaken in the event of her baby stopping breathing – such is the bond.
We do know that breast-feeding is linked to SIDS, so that should also be high-lighted.
Breastfeeding is linked positively or negatively?
Got it from your other comments. Not clear in this one though
For clarification you meant to say breast feeding is linked to a 50% reduction of SIDS.
Your final statement reads like, Cancer is linked to smoking. You need to be clearer in what you say .
So it’s the BOXES! Nothing to do with advances in medicine, nutrition, hygiene, technology, information and education in the last 75 years. It’s the Boxes stupid!
@Margie Murph: Well, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is only related to one aspect you mention – and that is nutrition – since not breast-feeding makes it more likely.
@Margie Murph: No one has denied these advances, Margie. I think if you read the article again, you will see that the baby boxes are now acknowledged as ONE important contributory factor among numerous others. Another than I could mention is the fact that paid maternity leave is one year, and has been for decades. There is also paid paternity leave and the woman has the option of taking further leave at a lower per diem rate and is legally guaranteed the right to return to her job afterwards.
Bought two baby boxes last year for our newly born twins and I’d recommend them highly. Great strong box and come with loads of useful new born baby things (don’t ask me what was it them) Stayed in them until a few months ago.
So if the mother has triplets, do they call that a lunch box ?
A family box
@ Lucy… Hahahaha
It’s a great idea. You haven’t a friggin clue when you come home with a new born. There’s so much advertising thrown at you about all the new items to buy. Would have been good to go home with a medically recommended leaba
Ah come on David. You can’t just say “17 languages” in a story about Limerick and leave it there. Which 17?
@Ben McArthur: Well, I can testify that Tippish & Clareish is often spoken in Limerick but is usually met by bemusement by the locals.
Forget the box, use common sense!
how do I apply for a baby box
have your say