Posted on 02/02/2016 11:29:52 AM PST by conservativejoy
Let's get back to basics here and wake up from fever dreams.
Ted Cruz won Iowa and did it impressively. The final turnout was 186,289, of which Cruz received 27.72 percent, or 51,646 votes. If the turnout had been lower, say 135,000, a number that Decision Desk founder Brandon Finnigan was more comfortable with, Cruz would have had over 30 percent of the vote.
In any case, Iowa Republicans smashed their 2012 caucus attendance record to smithereens, besting it by 64,000 voters. The models and polls (including the vaunted Ann Selzer) all showed Trump winning big in that scenario. In fact, Cruz beat Trump by 6,238 votes, and most of the undecideds who showed up in the cities Trump needed to carry broke for Rubio instead.
But Cruz dominated. He won 56 of 99 counties: Nearly 57 percent. He finished second behind Rubio in Polk (Des Moines), where Trump didn't do nearly as well as he needed to.
Even more basic: Cruz has never lost an election of any kind. He won his Senate primary in Texas; he won the general election in Texas, both against significant and well-funded opposition.
Now Cruz faces another well-funded, establishment-backed candidate-two if you include Rubio-but I'm referring to Trump.
Donald Trump has never won an election of any kind* (at least a public election). Those who now tout the fact that Reagan lost Iowa before winning the nomination in 1980 need to face the fact that Reagan was a seasoned campaigner. He had run for office since 1966 (that's 14 years for the math-challenged), winning the nomination for governor with over 64 percent of the vote, and beating incumbent Democrat Pat Brown by a million votes in the general election.
Reagan ran for president, as a Republican, never as a third party, three times before he won the office. Whoever is thinking Donald Trump is another Ronald Reagan is delusional.
And now Ted Cruz is a winner, and Donald Trump is the thing he hates most in the entire universe: a loser. Until just about an hour ago, the last tweet on Trump's Twitter timeline is over 12 hours old. It's dead silence from The Donald. Undoubtedly, Trump expected this loss could happen, and he's prepared for it. But you're never really prepared to accept a loss (believe me, I've worked enough losing campaigns).
From this point on, we know two important things. Ted Cruz can win, and a media-fueled demagogue is not unstoppable. Now that we know the boogeyman is not hiding under the bed, let's go forward without all the fear and nail biting, and take America back for conservatives.
*Wikipedia notes that Trump won two Reform Party primaries in 2000. I dispute this. The Reform Party wasn't organized enough to run primaries, and in any case, Trump withdrew early after the party started to disintegrate.
The difference between winner and whiner?
The letter ‘h’ and Donald Trump.
Trump supporters are poll worshippers .... except for the polls that consistently show Cruz beating Hillary and Trump losing to her.
Cruz might very well do that ... hold fire on Trump.
Trump is psychologically incapable of doing that. His whole history is one of lashing out, getting even and dirty tricks.
Cruz did win Iowa, give him credit. But Iowa is hardly an indicator of how well he will do winning the Republican nomination. The money markets moved Marco Rubio up to 54% probability of winning the nomination and the presidency. Cruz was down graded to 4%. And, they have been a much better predictor of success than Iowa. Trump moved down to 24%.
I just can’t see Rubio (AKA Mr. Amnesty) winning the general election. He’s got a weak personality and speaks in platitudes just like the last several Republican RINOS to win the nomination. Is there a real difference between him, Romney, McCain, Dole or one of the Bushes? I just don’t see him as a conservative. The liberals and MSM will turn on him like rabid dogs during the general - they’ll tear him to shreds.
Yep Cruz is no Reagan. And Reagan lost the Iowa caucus twice. In 1976 and 1980.
Cruz got about the same percentage he’s been getting lately- around 27%.
What would it have been MINUS those Carson votes that Cruz/ King/ campaign ops snookered the Carson supporters out of? Wasn’t the Carson reduction about 3%?
Had Carson received those votes, Cruz would have had fewer votes. Cruz might have been even with Trump or Trump actually might have won Iowa.
Cruz’s dirty tactics skewed the whole GOP outcome.
Regardless, Cruz got 27%. Trump + Rubio 47%.
Cruz is still a loser. After the last couple of weeks, he’s a scumbag AND a loser.
Agree 100 percent. And worse, a 40 minute sermon for all to sit though. If that doesn’t lose him the nomination, I don’t know what will.
Really really disagree. I think he learned from his gang of eight debacle, I really do. And he will play in the general much better than any of the other candidates, so of which I like better personally. He is no McCain or Romney. He will draw the younger vote as well as the Hispanics. Because many of us can stand what he did on immigration actually helps him in the general. I am an anyone but Hillary voter. I do think he has the best shot. My kids like him and they are democrats. I know, I know what you think of that. LOL. However cross over votes, independents and moderates are important to win any general election. I have never bought into the theory that our candidates have not been conservative enough. I am as conservative as it gets and even I think that is suspect.
I haven’t watched it yet- & may not. My beautiful mind & all that.
All I can say is Thank God for my pastor & the ones before him.
If I’d been subjected to that kind of hucksterism, I don’t know where I’d be. (probably NOT in church.)
UGH.
Cruz is a hybrid of Mr. Haney and Elmer Gantry. Reagan? Please.
I didn’t expect Trump to win Iowa. Not after seeing their voting records for 2008 and 2012. They go fo the Sunday School teacher types - not true leadership.
What are you? Some kind of anti-Christian bigot?
LOL, you picked it like a dirty nose.
That is my hope as well.The two together would be unstoppable. Rufee-o is the worst.
The fact that Trump has no background as a politician
makes his 2nd place finish in Iowa all the more impressive.
Trump is an Eisenhower in that Eisenhower was a great manager of his “Company” namely SHAEF. As President Eisenhower had a more pragmatic presidency. I believe Trump would do the same. It was Eisenhower who sent troops to force integration and also Used the government to get rid of the illegal population.
That too, was my hope and belief....
Their relationship took a bad turn.
I don't know if the bridges can be repaired
or if their egos can be reconciled.
Polls showed Trump winning Iowa too.
His non NBC status makes it impossible for me to do.
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