New NBC Poll Shows Ted Cruz at No. 2, But the Sunday Shows Stiffed Him

Benweingarten.com ^ | 8/9/2015 | Ben Weingarten

[fredericbastiat1]

As a general matter, presidential poll numbers this far before an election, especially with a field as large as the current Republican one, do not tell us much.

But the NBC News poll out this evening following the first 2016 Republican presidential debates — notably showing Sen. Ted Cruz surging to the number two spot in the field with 13 percent support among likely Republican primary voters — may reveal something worthy of interest.

If you watch the Sunday shows as I do not just for Twitter fodder, but as a proxy for how the (bipartisanly progressive) political establishment sees the world, and seeks to craft narratives to ensure that its vision remains preeminent, you will note that Sen. Ted Cruz was among the only Republican presidential hopefuls not appearing on any of this morning’s programs.

[DaxtonBrown]

Wall Street Journal completely snubbed Cruz on debate reporting. At this point, I believe it is deliberate.

[nathanbedford]

As I predicted in the vanity before the debate Trump's Ponzi Bubble :

The upcoming debates might expose Trump to be a shallow opportunist who has diagnosed the problem but who has failed to rigorously think through his soundbite solutions. Most likely, the upcoming debates will not derail Trump's circus, it is still too early in the media cycle bubble, but it will begin the process.

I have also many times conjectured (rather than predicted) that Trump's numbers might continue to ascend but at a decelerating rate signaling that they were approaching a topping. These numbers indicate that that might well be the case.

CYA: one poll ain't enough to make clear judgments. We want to see a trend to do that. So far it looks like Trump is at best horizontal and perhaps declining and Cruz is ascending. Yes, I do indeed like those trends as one poster has suggested-but one dare not call them that yet.

I would argue that if the trends are real it signals that the folks are beginning to understand that Trump is not the only alternative to Jeb Bush and the Republican establishment. They are beginning to see Ted Cruz as that viable alternative without all of the baggage of Donald Trump. If so, that is the beginning of the end for Trump.

The decline of Jeb Bush, if that is a trend which continues and one might venture that there is a lot of evidence found in earlier polls to declare that a trend, it means that the need for Donald Trump as the only way to stop Jeb Bush and the Republican establishment is abating and will be seen to be abating. If Jeb Bush is no threat, conservatives need not take a risk with Donald Trump; Ted Cruz will do very nicely.

I say one more time, it's too early to tell but the first signs are encouraging.

[okie01]

I say one more time, it's too early to tell but the first signs are encouraging.

Ain't that the truth...!!!

[RginTN]

this is like the Hunger Games...may the odds be ever in Ted Cruz’s favor

[nathanbedford]

Often the postdebate debate is more important than the debate itself.

How has Trump handled the post debate debate? He digs a deeper hole.

His Twitter comments about Megan Kelly were galacticly stupid and he managed to start new pissing contests with several other people such as Eric Erickson. The point is not whether it was right to disinvite Trump to the conservative forum, the point is that a candidate for the nomination of the Republican Party to the president of the United States left himself vulnerable to be disinvited. Having been disinvited, Trump engaged in another pissing contest and demeaned himself as well as his adversary. The list of pissing contests which this "vulgar" man (George Will's description) has engaged in literally grows every day. How many times will Trump punch the Megan Kelly tar baby?

As I said in the vanity to which I alluded in the earlier reply, Trump must become more and more outlandish to keep the media bubble expanding until it bursts or disillusion his media generated followers. Post debate, Trump has chosen to double down, to inflate the media personality even more, to antagonize yet one more element of the American electorate and to sacrifice potential support to keep the image going. Sooner or later, someone will say, enough is enough.

In contrast, Ted Cruz is so adept in debating and handling media interviews that it is a given that he will behave reliably as a conservative and flawlessly under the klieg lights. My way of expressing it has been, Ted Cruz never puts a foot down wrong. It is a pity that Cruz has been shut out from the Sunday morning talking head shows but, with these poll results, he will get exposure and with that exposure he will prosper. We do not need to worry about Ted Cruz handing the media or the Democrats soundbites with which to attack him and, by extension, conservatism. Trump cannot open his mouth without starting pissing contests, Ted Cruz can stand on the floor of the Senate for 21 1/2 hours straight and not give the enemy a single opening.

Nixon said about his downfall because of Watergate that he "handed his enemies a sword and they stuck it in." Trump is doing the same thing day after day. Cruz has not and will not.

[timestax]

bttt

[antceecee]

Agree!

[Gaffer]

They’ve known all along that their worst nightmare is Ted Cruz. The last thing they want to see is Ted up on a debate stage with Hillary. The last thing they want to do is to give Ted any opportunity to be heard by a large audience or viewership.

If I were to put the tactic in terms of battle space management, I’d call it ensuring “air superiority.” With the ‘superiority’ being “no air-time for Ted.”

[MagnoliaB]

That’s the gut feeling I keep getting too. Even if that’s not the case, if Trump weren’t taking all the GOP’s effort to destroy, they would be taking Cruz out some kind of way. Right now they are just trying to prevent him from getting coverage.

[trebb]

By next March nobody will be able to snub him and stay viable....

Donate often and generously...

https://donate.tedcruz.org/c/FBTX0095/

2ndDivisionVet - I should have asked first - any issue with me handing out your link?

[Dr. Sivana]

If you watch the Sunday shows as I do not just for Twitter fodder, but as a proxy for how the (bipartisanly progressive) political establishment sees the world, and seeks to craft narratives to ensure that its vision remains preeminent, you will note that Sen. Ted Cruz was among the only Republican presidential hopefuls not appearing on any of this morning’s programs.

I saw Ted Cruz Saturday night in Columbus, GA. Earlier, he made stops that weekend in Savannah, Red State, Macon and Newnan. At each stop (Except Red State) he spoke for about 45 minutes, took questions for half an hour, did local media interviews for 15 minutes, shook hands and signed books and took pictures for another 45 minutes, and then back to the bus. I got exhausted just watching him.

Some of these shows are pre-recorded on Saturday. Cruz was obviously out of town and busy meeting fuitutre primary voters. If the Senator wants to take Sunday morning to go to a religious service and skip the shows, that's fine.

He picked a good time to be on the road instead of on the tube. What's the point of spending 20 minutes with someone who just wants you to talk about Donald trump?

[jmaroneps37]

And they would stiff the whole field if it weren’t for Trump.

[Kartographer]

Isn’t one President that spinkles fairy dust and unicorn farts enough for you?

[Auslander154]

“We do not need to worry about Ted Cruz handing the media or the Democrats soundbites with which to attack him . . “

You would be right Nathan I am
But they’re still talking about Green Eggs and Ham

:)

[nathanbedford]

But they’re still talking about Green Eggs and Ham

Well that settles it, Ted Cruz has just lost the vegan vote. :-)