RUSH: Here’s Dave in Binghamton in New York. Great to have you on the program, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Yes, hello, Rush, thanks for the many years of wisdom. I really appreciate it.

RUSH: Thank you, sir, very much.

CALLER: Look, I have a comment on the so-called rigged delegate system here. If you are allowed to go into a state and woo delegates after they are selected, that’s fine. But if you’re allowed to go into a state and be part of the process and actually have input on who is selected as a delegate, that’s rigged, sorry to say. And I’m asking you: Do you know, are they allowed to do that?

RUSH: Yes, they are. I’ve just had another moment of enlightenment here. I can’t thank you enough, Dave, for helping me to understand. We had a caller yesterday that opened my eyes about something. You’ve done so, too. Just to make sure I understand what your point is, your point is that they have a primary, the primary comes and goes, but then later — weeks or a month later — the convention comes, where at the convention the actual delegates are chosen, you think candidates should stay out of that process until the delegates are chosen and then go in and woo them?

CALLER: Correct, sir. I mean, he is the senator of Texas. He is not part of Colorado. He is not part of Wyoming. He shouldn’t be able to be involved in that process. It should be a state thing, and then he should be allowed and go and talk to whoever he wants. That would be fair.

RUSH: See, they are. Contrary to what the Trumpists are saying, these are elections. Not every delegate’s — some are appointed. But of the delegates that are elected, they are elected at conventions and they campaign, and it is not illegal for candidates to go in there and try to see to it that people supportive of their candidacy get chosen as delegates. It’s perfectly legal, it’s smart, and it’s exactly how it has always been done.

Remember, now, this is second and third ballot delegates. For the most part, it’s not the case in every state, of course, but in most cases these delegates are pledged to vote the way the people voted in the primary on the first ballot. So this is simply trying to marshal as much support for your candidacy — I mean, this is a presidential campaign. These delegates are being chosen to go to a national convention.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: And Cruz is a candidate for the presidency. All the other candidates are free to go in there and try to get as many of their supporters to get elected as delegates as they want, too. But, anyway, you have helped me to understand why the Trumpists are mad and why they think this is cheating. Because you think that the election’s being tampered with by virtue of Cruz going in there trying to influence the outcome. It’s no different than Cruz campaigning in New York trying to win the New York primary. It’s just that the people he’s campaigning with are delegates rather than voters, but they end up being voters.

But I now see how many people on Trump’s side think this is cheating, that you should wait for the state convention to choose the delegates. At every state convention, you’re gonna have people for Trump and for Cruz and for Kasich. And you might have some still for Rubio or what have you. And they’re within their own convention. Don’t think for a moment that there isn’t any electioneering going on at these party conventions. The people that run the Republican Party, from the establishment, for example, at these state conventions, are doing everything they can, I guarantee you, they have delegates chosen that are not for Trump. ‘Cause they don’t want any part of Trump.

So Cruz is in there trying to take advantage of that. There’s all kinds of electioneering going on at every one of these state conventions. Everybody wants as many delegates as they can get. But we’re talking second and third ballot. The first ballot, with rare exceptions, the delegates have to vote the way the people voted in the primary, which is why everybody’s saying there’s no violation of the democrat process taking place here, even in Colorado, no matter how you slice it.