2016 is the fight we've been waiting for...
Posted on 02/13/2016 1:07:23 PM PST by smoothsailing
February 13, 2016
by sundance
2016 is the fight we've been waiting for...
The debate moderator is CBS News political director John Dickerson. He will be joined by CBS News White House correspondent Major Garrett, and to provide the Rupert Murdoch influence, The Wall Street Journal's Kimberley Strassel. The debate will air live on CBS from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST tonight.
Fox News has already positioned their optics and narrative front-man John Roberts on the ground in/around Greenville. The Roberts production team is one of the key follows for anyone interested in discovering where Fox News executives are directing the public's attention.
South Carolina has been hosting the evangelical-dominated Faith and Values conference in advance of the debate tonight. The audience has been carefully selected from conference attendees and professional republican party insiders.
Given the absolute need for young Marco Rubio to regain his viable candidate footing, every possible lean and party indulgence will be apportioned to provide maximum benefit. Knowing also that Roberts production staff is on the ground at the venue, The Peace Center, we can remain confident Murdoch is leveraging furiously on behalf of his preferred candidate, Rubio.
Governor Jeb Bush can be easily be expected to continue trying to make his attack approach personal upon the GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Acutely rehearsed and poll-tested sound bites aimed at defining Donald Trump's temperament, gruff persona, and generally vulgarian nature.
Jeb will be well aware of the audience, any arrows thrown in the direction of Rubio will be nerf darts to avoid the rehearsed, quick-worded and lane clearing retort. Bush doesn't have Christie to defend his honor in Greenville.
Rubio will attempt to leverage his freshman senatorial studies, and continue advancing the proposition only he possesses foreign policy experience. Trump would be wise to remind the audience that a weakened America makes concerns of a Syrian invasion force several notches "less than" on the scale of importance.
After all, either we have a country, or we don't and nation building in Libya is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things if more Boeing's move to China.
Rubio will most certainly be advised to go on offense against Trump, because, as unbelievably as it might seem to most, young Marco needs to remove the optic of Jeb as *cough* strongman against the Donald.
Important to note the polling angle here. A successful forward pathway for Rubio goes through Trump, not Cruz. However, the pathway for Cruz gets harder if Rubio falls, because it makes Trump stronger. So don't expect to see Cruz go after Rubio, that job will have to be left to Jeb Bush and Donald Trump.
Ted Cruz is at his maximum support threshold, and the current polling internals show that Rubio is #1 if you remove Donald Trump. It benefits Ted Cruz to keep Marco Rubio in his current place.
Hopefully, there will be an opportunity for Trump to leverage the missing Chris Christie and emphasize the remaining memory of Rubio's 25 second DC talking-point rehearsal which plays well for the Sunday talks but does little to solve any significant crisis. Despite the Nikki Haley pearl-clutching annoyance conveyed within the truth - it still remains truthful to point it out.
Governor John Kasich has quadrupled down on the nice-uncle John strategy, and continued throughout the week to say his heart will lead his building tender-sensibilities coalition. Prior banker status and angry-man role not withstanding. Dear John has assured a national audience of his intent to listen more to the suffering masses and internalize their anxieties. A new era of 'super-duper-participation-trophies-for-all' a possible platform plank, no splinters of course.
Of course senator Baal Cruz will evoke passages of the constitution, decry a borderless country he previously supported, generally reverse all of his prior positions, and challenge Marco Rubio to a contest of who can bomb North Korea or Syria the fastest.
Sitting on the edge of the stage playing with the kids is a great optic during commercials, and helps avoid the fact none of his "My Dear Friends" on the stage wants to be anywhere near the guy. Juan is the loneliest number….
The attacks on candidate Trump are transparent: "Heartless Eminent Domain" and mean businessman stuff from Bush. "Abortion and other constitutionally important social issues" from Cruz. Claims of "Single-Payer" healthcare advocacy from both.
All of which can be swatted away with a blend of policy and linguistic kill-shots.
Only one person can arrive at the White House without any IOU's waiting on the oval office desk. Only one candidate can claim their SuperPAC is the American people. Only one candidate can point out the Crony Capitalism of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the flaws with Trans Pacific Trade, shipping jobs and manufacturing overseas etc.
Only one candidate can successfully talk about the border wall being paid by Mexico who are now, more than ever, dependent on U.S. dollar remittances ($25B) than their entire energy sector including oil development ($23.5B). Yeah, Mexico will pay for the wall, those recently released statistics provide just the leverage Trump was talking about.
Only one candidate can talk about saving Social Security and Medicare through expansive domestic economic growth, and a change in the U.S. economic model to take advantage of our keen innovation, entrepreneurship and domestic resource development.
Only one remaining candidate has actually created anything, built anything, or even employed anyone. Only one candidate has put his own money, created wealth, on the line to succeed or fail, and not spent his life dependent on exploiting the money of the U.S. taxpayer.
There are many endorsements entirely dependent on this debate outcome. Either supporting Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, who gets them depends on who does best.
It will be stacked against Trump in all ways. I won’t be watching because I have to work a BB game... I doubt I will miss anything.
You’ll be able to catch the reruns later. Have fun at the BBall game!
I think we'll have to wait and see. There has been so much drama. Cruz has been unkind to Rubio and Dr. Carson. What if Rubio, Carson, and Trump decide that they've had enough of Cruz?
This is INSANE. The campaign has been just about the only good TV drama this year!
Pray for this good man!
So, it’s stacked against Trump in all ways with the Rupert Murdoch influence...so what about WSJ moderator Kimberely
Strassel?
This will be interesting! Will she attack Ted Cruz, or only help Marco? Will Donald Trump be able to resist saying something about her face? Definitely a two barrel of popcorn night! ;-)
BTW, I love your Toons! Thanks very much for all your work on them over the years.
Well, like every other time the GOPe, the media and their cohorts have gone after Trump, it has backfired big time...
it will again if they think they Have “stacked the deck” against him...
It becomes so obvious and the American people have caught on to it...
The more they try to slander and degrade Trump, the more his message comes through...
Thanks, SubMareener...much appreciated. I hope I don’t end up throwing up my popcorn...
Doesn’t Murdoch own the Wall Street Journal?
He’s opposed to Trump and Cruz. He supports GOPe candidates.
Yep, they’re stacking the deck again. Trump will be lucky to get enough tickets to get his family in.
I don’t really think their heads will really explode, but it is sort of like watching NASCAR. ;-)
Audience is stacked with Jeb supporters.
Where the heck did they ever find that many? This is the guy that draws 10s of people to his events.
Last debate Trump supporters got about 10 tickets. Perhaps the GOPe will have one for only Trump himself.
Well that all sounds great but the reality will more likely be Cruz getting mired down in a three way with Rubio and Bush. Kasich will be flailing his arms and talking about how great his second place showing in NH was. Bush can say anything he wants about Trump and nobody is going to care. Trump will stay above the fray and look presidential while the kids fight amongst themselves. That’s my prediction.
One of my favorites from yesterday's pookietoons! 8^)
Carson will snooze, Trump will cruise, Jeb’s turtle will bite him, Rubio will repeat himself, Rubio will repeat himself, and Cruz will TRIUMPH!
I agree with you. Trump can talk policy and take humorous shots at the rigged audience and the GOPe.
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