Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

Spike (1989). I've always liked this song.

Here.

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Somebody explain to me (in detail) how Ted Cruz gets the Republican nomination. I read that he needs something like 90% of the remaining delegates in order to win the nomination on the first ballot. There are vanishingly few possible worlds in which that happens. If nobody has the requisite number of delegates at the convention, Cruz will be the 89th person on the establishment list (if that). So please explain why he's still in the race. I understand why the establishment wants him to stay in the race (to deny Donald Trump the delegates he needs and thereby throw the convention open for the likes of Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, or Paul Ryan), but I don't understand why Cruz stays in. Unless he wants an establishment candidate as the nominee, and I don't think he does, he needs to drop out immediately and get behind Donald, because at this point it's either Donald or someone chosen by the Republican power brokers.

Addendum: It's 80%, not 90%. See here. Trump has a big lead in the polls in California, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. See here. Cruz needs to get out. Now.

To the Editor:

In virtually every primary Gov. John Kasich is coming in last place in a three-man race, yet he seems to have an expectation of being nominated in a contested convention. Can somebody out there explain to me how someone who is getting so few votes in his party’s primaries can win a national election, and, more important, why he would even want to be nominated when clearly almost all of his party’s voters in every state except the one in which he is governor do not want him to be their candidate?

Is this one of the greatest examples of arrogance and self-serving blind ambition by a political candidate in history, or just the result of a culture that gives out trophies for last place? I find Mr. Kasich’s behavior in this primary more disturbing than all of the other shenanigans that I have seen in a very embarrassing and pathetic primary season.

I believe that I speak for millions of my fellow conservative voters when I say that I will not vote for John Kasich under any circumstances.

CHARLES MICHAEL SITERO

Ormond Beach, Fla.

Note from KBJ: He's staying in the race because he thinks he can beat Hillary.

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Katherine and I went to Opening Day yesterday at the Ballpark in Arlington. It was warm (86º) and sunny. The Texas Rangers fell behind early but fought back to beat the Seattle Mariners, 3-2. Felix Hernandez (0-1) gave up only one hit in six innings, but he walked five batters and gave up three runs (only one of them earned). The festivities included a large Texas flag on the "grassy knoll," a large United States flag on the field, a moving rendition of "God Bless America," and a military flyover that left me misty-eyed. The garlic fries hit the spot.

I'm one of the first people on campus in the morning. Today, to my surprise, I found many chalkings. Here is one of them (click to enlarge):

Here is another:

Later in the day, I noticed that someone had smudged the blue chalking. I'm glad to see students getting involved in politics.

Addendum: One of my smart-aleck friends (a former colleague), knowing of my support for Trump, asked me where I got the chalk. Ha!

To the Editor:

Re “Early Missteps Seen as a Drag on Sanders Bid” (front page, April 4):

So it seems that if Bernie Sanders loses the nomination to Hillary Clinton, it will be because he didn’t introduce himself earlier in the election cycle to those who didn’t know him, choosing instead to continue doing the job he was elected to do as a United States senator instead of campaigning 24/7. Or because he was reluctant to “go negative” by challenging his opponent on her large Wall Street speaking fees, the large donations from the oil and gas industries, and her use of a private email server.

Sorry, Bernie, if you lose it’s because you have integrity. What a sad commentary on the state of our democracy.

EILEEN WEST

Pleasantville, N.Y.