Posted on 03/09/2016 1:18:05 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
It’s not that last night’s contests in Idaho, Hawaii, Michigan and Mississsippi doomed Marco Rubio’s campaign; it’s that the four bad performances atop Rubio’s previous disappointments — New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, and just about everywhere else not called Minnesota and Puerto Rico – have now created what feels like an insurmountable perception of defeat.
Three Rubio-friendly conservative writers — Jen Rubin of the Washington Post, Dan McLaughlin of Red State, and Guy Benson of Townhall.com — contend it’s time for Rubio to quit the race and endorse Ted Cruz.
Jen and Dan urge Rubio to strike the deal now to be Cruz’s running mate. (This assumes Cruz wants Rubio to be his vice-president.)
Guy suggests that Rubio should announce he’s withdrawing, but urge his supporters in Florida to still vote for him, as that is the more likely way to deny Trump all of Florida’s 99 delegates. This isn’t likely to work; the announcement that Rubio was quitting the race would prompt some current Rubio supporters to shift to Cruz, simply out of the psychological perception that a vote for Rubio was a wasted vote.
The “everyone unites around Cruz” strategy might be the best option remaining for the #NeverTrump crowd, but it still has flaws. Throughout this cycle, Cruz has experienced his own disappointments, losing demographics he was supposed to win. If Cruz can’t beat Trump among evangelicals in many states, how certain can anyone be that Cruz will beat Trump in those other key demographics? Cruz keeps losing to Trump among “moderate conservative” or “somewhat conservative” and “moderate” GOP voters. Why will that change in the coming weeks?
Cruz should not and would not offer Rubio the VP slot on the ticket for his bowing out. He can, however, offer him a position in the administration, because Rubio will be unemployed very soon.
Guy suggests that Rubio should announce he’s withdrawing, but urge his supporters in Florida to still vote for him, as that is the more likely way to deny Trump all of Florida’s 99 delegates. This isn’t likely to work; the announcement that Rubio was quitting the race would prompt some current Rubio supporters to shift to Cruz, simply out of the psychological perception that a vote for Rubio was a wasted vote.
What "psychological perception?" Instead, it's reality. If the Rube's out, he's out, and any vote for him goes straight into the septic tank, along with the Rube.
I suspect primary voters are a bit more engaged than you might be giving them credit for.
Especially this year.
Voters just don’t like him no matter how many times we’re told we have to.
Another factor: How many Cruz supporters will leave Cruz for Trump when Cruz takes one step to many that makes him seem like an establishment sellout?
Hey, no fair pointing out facts!! lolol
Jeb a can-do conservative reformer? Boy, these guys are on some sort of powerful GOPe dope a lot of time.
But they got this one right. Rubio should be gone.
Because he’s a worm.
“Two first term senators.
Powerful ticket, geez. “
And they both speak Spanish and can jabber to voters in that language.
No thanks.
.
“Two first term senators.
Powerful ticket, geez. “
And they both speak Spanish and can jabber to voters in that language.
No thanks.
.
yeah if Cruz hooked up with Bush and the GOPe(the enemy) I’d expect at least half of Cruz’s people to defect to Trump
correct - he’s a child
No love among Cubans?
The notable thing about candidates who drop out is they usually do it because they are losing and have not way to reverse it. That being the case, once one of them drops out, he or she leaves a very small pool of voters to redistribute among the other candidates, meaning that dropping out doesn’t do much for any of the survivors.
Who ever advised him to go negative ruined his campaign. He was drifting along quite well as the “third way” sleeper choice until he went into attack mode.
I think you’re right on the mark there.
As much as Trump helped to crush Bush, I recall prior to one of the earlier debates, when everyone was telling Bush that he needed to have a breakout moment, his campaign telegraphed to the media that he was going to attack Rubio.
Rubio was ready, and at the debate said something along the lines of “someone told you it would be a good idea to attack me tonight...”. It was a pretty devastating moment for Bush, and one of Rubio’s few highlights during the campaign.
You’d think he would have learned from the example that he himself provided just a few months ago. But I guess when you’re programmed in JebScript 2.0, your parameters are limited. :/
Yep. I think that shtick ended it for him. It was fairly effective at that debate two weeks ago, but in the two weeks afterwards. He faded rapidly during that period.
Stupid idea, Rubio telling everyone to vote for Cruz to beat Trump would be the best way to keep Florida from Trump. What’s the point of dropping out now if he wants everyone still vote for him and split the vote 3 or 4 ways.
Agreed. None of these thousands of stories are about Trump or Cruz - they're all actually about how the media is shocked that people aren't voting the way they're TOLD to vote by the media. THAT is what has these rulers in an uproar. Neither the finger-wagging beltway bastards nor the platinum blond bimbo slut is having any effect. And it scares the hell out of our masters. Why, the other day one of them dropped a finger sandwich over it. Something's got to be DONE!
No. It came when he joined the Gang of Eight and became its spokesman/stooge/shill. There are some things that, once scholonged, can never be unschlonged.
Sounds like a cartel doesn't it?
A Washington cartel.
And Cruz is right in the middle of it.
“I agree. Rubio should get out, and take Kasich with him.”
____________
A major problem w/Rubio leaving the race prior to the FL primary is that he already has a large number of early voting ballots that have been cast ...those will be wasted votes and won’t help Ted or anyone other than Rubio.
It would be the kiss of death for the Cruz-As-Outsider marketing apparatus.
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