Trump, Clinton the likely nominees, but many reservations about both

We’re about eight weeks into the party primary election calendar, with fewer than 20 states left. But the last primaries aren’t until early June.

The Republican National Convention is July 18-21 in Cleveland.

The Democrats meet July 25-28 in Philadelphia.

Donald Trump has the Republicans in a stir, and the contest might go all the way to the convention floor.

Do you believe Trump will be the GOP nominee?

Hillary Clinton has a strong lead over Bernie Sanders, but the Bern has a devoted following.

Will Hillary be nominated?

I imagine that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will be the two major candidates in November.

Hillary has a lot of baggage. And Trump, well, he is Trump. I’d really prefer to see either Bernie Sanders or a Green Party candidate be our next president.

Trump will be the GOP nominee. He has the skills to make America great again, and the GOP needs to unite behind him.

Clinton has the resume and wherewithal to get the Democratic nomination. The campaigns of Clinton and Sanders center on real issues in lieu of the bellicose rhetoric in the GOP.

Clinton’s qualifications and her readiness to lead the country will be her godsend for the Democratic nomination.

I’ve spent a lot of time researching Trump, including reading his book The Art of the Deal. Page 65 says his father’s influence taught him toughness, motivating people, learning about competence and efficiency: “Get in, get it done right and get out.”

Our country needs a leader, a businessman, not another lawyer/politician.

If Trump can continue to endure the bad publicity, mudslinging, and now the violence that is breaking out wherever he goes, I think he’ll be a very strong president, exactly what our country needs.

The election will be between Trump and Clinton.

When “Mr. Bombastic” and “Mrs. Teflon” start engaging in their presidential battle, it will be the dirtiest, nastiest, most contentious election this country has ever witnessed!

My frustration is that if these two candidates are the best we can put forward, it is a sad day for America!

The GOP nominee will be Trump, because the Republican establishment can’t figure out how to deny him the nomination without alienating his supporters.

The Democratic nominee will be Clinton, because there aren’t enough millennials yet to nominate Bernie Sanders.

The Republicans have no one but themselves to blame. The Main Street/country club branch and the Christian Coalition/sovereign citizen branch canceled each other out and let a sideshow freak capture the party.

Trump was recently asked by MSNBC Morning Joe moderators whom he would consult on foreign policy. His response was characteristically Trumpian: “I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things.”

Sadly, Trump’s ego marches before him by a quarter of an hour, just like Cyrano DeBergerac’s nose. But Cyrano was fully aware that he had a “nose problem.” Trump doesn’t understand that he has a “knowledge problem.”

Trump is pushing for strict immigration laws. I’m a legal immigrant from Belgium, and proud to be a U.S. citizen.

But I wonder whether, if the Native Americans had strict immigration laws, they would have turned away the Mayflower in 1620? Just a thought.

The Donald can look calm, sensible and presidential when not attacked.

But hurt his pride during a debate and Trump turns into a child. He becomes narcissistic, insecure and petulant, and Hillary can successfully attack those character flaws.

Trump, however, does appeal to the white working class, and if that voter bloc turns out in the numbers needed, then a victory over Clinton is possible.

Also, Clinton may be making a fatal move by trying to reassemble the Obama coalition because people are just tired of the past seven years and may stay home Nov. 2.

Finally, she lacks any semblance of charisma or honesty and will forever be linked to Benghazi, and I won’t even bring up her emails.

To many of us, the U.S. presidency stands for many things, not the least of which is the distinction as the leader of the free world. Trump’s demeanor, insensitivity, ego and grade-school-bully-style of leadership fall dismally short of that ideal.

To have the world see him in the Oval Office should make us hang our heads in shame.

Trump’s supporters claim to be the “silent majority.” I’ve seen the rallies, and they’re anything but silent.

As to that “majority” delusion: Roughly 50 percent of all eligible voters do not vote. So far, a whopping 3 percent of the nation’s total eligible voters have voted for Trump.

If you call that a majority, you need to go back to school, shut up and pay attention this time.

If Vice President Joe Biden were running for president, Trump would be crying like a baby. Where is a solid Democrat to cut him down to size?

On the Republican side, we have an unnatural-born candidate and a confirmed draft dodger.

On the Democratic side, we have a socialist and a member of one of our royal families.

It’s ironic to see so many people comparing Trump to Hitler. It’s his leftist critics who are trying to shut down free speech and disrupt (otherwise) peaceful assemblies.

They oppose free speech for anyone who disagrees with them, and their attacks on Trump are the same that they’ve done and will do to anyone who doesn’t conform.

I voted against Trump once and will do so again. But he’s not nearly the threat to this country as these left-wing hooligans, who act more like fascists than Trump ever has.

No one would argue that the leading GOP candidate for president is the personification of a narcissist. Other terms often connected with him are sociopath, hubris, hypocrite, liar and demagogue.

It’s time to swat down this caricature of a candidate before it’s too late.

Trump is almost certain to be nominated. But if he were denied the nomination, even though he has a plurality, he could run as a third party candidate and split the GOP vote. Bad news for the Republicans.

Don’t count Bernie out. Now that the South is finished voting, he is in much more favorable territory, culminating in California with more than 500 delegates.

Do you know of anything that could possibly be worse than electing a lying, climate-denying, torture-loving, immigrant-hating, narcissistic, bigoted bully to become president?

The integrity of the GOP is at hand. Do not allow the establishment to disregard the voters.

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Trump, Clinton the likely nominees, but many reservations about both."