Posted on 02/10/2016 5:56:27 AM PST by GodGunsGuts
The night could have gone worse for the GOP establishment-but I'm not really sure how. Not only did Donald Trump win an overwhelming victory in New Hampshire, but the establishment lane of viable candidates got more crowded than it had been going in. And remember that since the current primary calendar was inaugurated in 1976, no GOP nominee has ever emerged without winning Iowa or New Hampshire.
In case you haven't been paying attention, that means that, if history is a guide, the GOP is likely going to be choosing between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz as a nominee, which is enough to have Beltway insiders waking up in cold sweats. Of course, Trump was the biggest winner of the night with a dominant performance that even slightly outperformed his polls. He won virtually all of New Hampshire’s demographic groups and lapped the field, winning more votes than his top two challengers combined....
The other big winner from tonight was less obvious (except to the betting markets, where his odds of winning the nomination soared once the results became clear) and that was Ted Cruz, who finished a relatively distant third behind Trump and John Kasich (more on Kasich later). The reasons it was a great night for Cruz are not immediately obvious from the raw results (although obviously a third place finish in New Hampshire against a tough field after winning Iowa is a solid showing). But a deeper dive shows why New Hampshire was in fact a great win for Cruz. First, Cruz...
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
|
If you would like to be added to the
|
Ping!
Trumps owns the populist lane, Cruz owns the conservative lane and the establishment lane is traffic rush hour jammed.
My take on last night is Trump will most likely win the Republican nomination. The General election I am not as sure of. Cruz and Trump are fighting for the same voters, and Cruz does not stand a chance. The establish lane is really muddy and I would like to think someone could emerge to challenge Mr. Trump, but I don’t see it. They will all knock each other out. If Cruz does stay in the race for a long time then it will just take Trump a little longer. My favorite Marc Rubio as of now is a very long chance to win the nomination, though I still believe he is our strongest general election candidate. I will vote for whoever wins gladly.
Gotta love it!
I disagree Cruz and Trump are fighting for the same voters: angry anti-establishment. Cruz will lose that fight.
good summary. Cruz’s far better than expected (as the author explains clearly) is impressive. As is Trump’s victory..which was also better than expected. On the other hand, Rubio and Christie did worse than expected.
We absolutely MUST beat The Cheap Labor Express.
Every election since the last amnesty they have been able to stick us with amnesty candidates.
Yeb! and YoungYeb! must be crushed.
I think Cruz has a great chance as he should perform very well across the Bible belt, and he is the top second choice of the supporters of virtually every candidate in the field, which should give Cruz a big boost as the field narrows.
I would be happy if you are right. I actually prefer Cruz to Trump. But I don’t see that happening. My opinion is one on one Trump will crush Cruz. If I am wrong I will smile and buy you a cup of coffee. :)
Agreed. I think it’s great - doesn’t matter how Trump & Cruz are looking right now. What matters is the chaos with the establishment candidates - the more the better. No more GOPe.
Like opening up a very ripe watermelon, and the rind keeps on splitting further open ahead of the knife.
Some things just predict their own direction beyond the touch of any rational explanation.
You're right!
Cruz is constantly being underestimated. Trump has gone out of his way to assassinate his character because he knows he can't compete with him on the issues and he is his greatest threat. I'm with Cruz all the way. If he can't stop the Trump "cult of personality" this will be the first election I will sit out since I've been eligible to vote. I have no desire to contribute to the destruction of this country.
FD: I'm all in for Cruz, and I have lived in FL long enough to know that Jeb was a good governor who should never have run for President, and Rubio is very good at sounding conservative while compromising with liberals.
Having said that, I feel sorry for Rubio, because he will never outlive his "repeater" debate moment, just as Dan Quayle has never outlived his "potatoe" moment, even though in both cases the putdown is undeserved.
I would vote for Trump over Hitlery and Sanders, who are both Marxists like Obama. But I would have to hold my nose to do it.
The difference is that Rubio is a more gifted politician. So we will see. I will vote for Ted, he is my Senator. But I don’t like his chances. The hate for Ted runs deep in the waters of people he really needs to win.
Could not agree more and am happy if Cruz or Trump wins. Either one of them will drive the Establishment crazy.
I like and will vote for Cruz, but am happy to see Trump become a pox on both houses.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.