Posted on 11/11/2015 8:01:17 AM PST by Isara
Ben Carson and Donald Trump still stand atop the polls, but Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are now the front-runners. Cruz and Rubio both debated brilliantly, and Jeb Bush failed to turn things around.
There's a trend here: The strong showing of fresh-faced first-term senators in their 40s shows a real readiness for change - a fact also evidenced by the poll dominance of outsiders Carson and Trump.
Rubio captures this spirit best, and packages it as an attack on Hillary Clinton, saying he'll make the general election a choice between the past and the future. Rubio, Cruz, and Fiorina all tap into newly receptive conservative veins by blasting crony capitalism.
Meanwhile, consider Bush's weak campaign, John Kasich's flailing debate performance, and the negligible candidacies of Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore and George Pataki. The theme is clear: the Republican Party of the 1990s and 2000s is no longer in demand.
Our power rankings are not echoes of the polls or statements of the odds, but a measure over who matters the most in the race. Among the GOP Establishment, attention is decidedly drifiting from Jeb to Marco. Among the conservative base, you'll see a consolidation on Cruz. For now, this race is about Cruz and Rubio.
Commonly known as a WEASEL
“Maybe a team?”
That would be unheard of in any other past election.
But this year is in new territory.
Prediction: post-Iowa and NH, three remain - Trump, Rubio, Cruz, dividing up the Carson, Paul, Christi, Fiorina, Bush vote.
That’s one GOPe vs conservatives, so an arrangement may happen.
I’m sorry, but I disagree with this vis a vis Cruz. As a Cruz lukewarmist, his biggest strength in my mind is that he’s able to passionately, forcefully, yet civilly, articulate conservatism in a way that no other non-establishment candidate can. He’s also an unmatched debator - you saw how quickly and skillfully he eviscerated Kasich with only a few well-placed questions - I chuckle when I think of what he could do to The Beast.
He and Rubio, as well as Carly, shine in the debate format, which is going to be important in the general. Cruz and Rubio, however, are also excellent on the stump. (Carly is TBD on this.) Trump’s problem is that his bombasticism, while great on the stump, doesn’t translate to the debate format - cascading superlatives and vaguery don’t resonate when you don’t have mobs of screaming people around you. He’s also very, very undisciplined as a candidate, which WILL catch up to him if he doesn’t gain control over it.
My biggest issued with Cruz is that he comes across as a bit...slimy (I guess is the best term) in one-on-one type interviews. Honestly he seems both inauthentic and unlikeable, which is too bad - he’s got great ideas and a great narrative going for him. If he gets he nomination I hope he can work on that.
As far as an all around candidate goes, I still feel the best by far is Rubio - he hits all three formats very, very well, and would be incredibly tough for the Clinton machine to counter. He just needs to do a better job on articulating what his positions on ILLEGAL immigration are.
What Trump said was:
“It’s amazing that people who come here to earn a master’s degree and who demonstrate wonderful skills are forced to wait on a very long line when they want to stay and contribute to this country. In fact, for a lot of them, their number may never be called. Bright young kids come here from all over the world to study in our colleges. They get the best education in the world. They graduate with honors and we hand them a diploma and a plane ticket. Their mistake is that when they are honest people-—they follow the law. They want to stay here, but we send them back to their countries and ultimately they use the knowledge they gained here to compete against us?
Crippled America Page 29.
Do you realize that “Ben Carson and Donald Trump still stand atop the polls, but Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are now the front-runners” makes no sense?
That has been my reaction to Carson in all of the previous debates, and last night as well, and yet he has risen in the polls. I don't have the foggiest idea of who the "Sleepy Ben" persona appeals to (to date, I have met only one Carson supporter), but it must be appealing to somebody...
It's nonsensical. I like Cruz and am undecided about Trump (like a lot of what he says, not everything, and not sure I trust him), but to say that he's not the frontrunner is crazy. I assume the author meant that he views Cruz and Rubio as the likely frontrunners/'finalists' once the field is narrowed and voting actually begins. That is a reasonable position to take, but is wholly different from calling them the "frontrunners" now.
Easy. I pick Cruz.
Rubio has a very nice smile. I don’t agree with him on some key issues.
Uhhhh, no. Total cave-in disaster
“Just more Praetorian Pravda Media Narrative that they think will shape public opinion.”
Precisely. Another idiot trying to set the narrative.
Rubio already made it clear with gang of eight and his telling the Spanish speaking station he would not repeal bambi’s amnesty immediately if at all. I donated and voted for him in his senate race and wrote him off with gang of 8. It amazes me one who is for really sealing the border and enforcing laws could be pro Rubio. The fact that he is now the GOPee candidate is further proof.
Our power rankings are not echoes of the polls or statements of the odds, but a measure over who matters the most in the race.
Pay no attention to the people! Listen to US!!!!
“Easy. I pick Cruz.”
Yes, Sir. Wouldn’t it be gratifying to be able to vote for the person we like the most instead of the one we dislike the least?
Ok, let’s see. I’ll take the guy with the most green dots.
Hope Trump detail on letting some back means those who benefit our country.
I will support the candidate that is the most pro-life populist/ true conservative with the fewest taints of Rinoism, GOPe, Corporatist stench.
LOL....
Notice the author’s name appears twice. Drugs can make you see and hear things that aren’t there.
Rubio was turned to quickly by mclame. I don’t trust him.
Rubio = gang of eight amnesty pimp = GOPe RINO traitor.
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