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Last Men Standing: When Trump, Carson & Fiorina fade, Cruz and Rubio might be the GOP's finalists.
US News & World Report ^ | October 2, 2015 | Robert Schlesinger

Posted on 10/02/2015 11:32:47 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

It's possible, just possible, that the final battle to become the 2016 GOP standard-bearer will come down to a pair of first-generation Cuban-American, first-term senators. Yes, I'm talking about the same Republican Party that has proven so incompetent in reaching out to Hispanic voters that it followed up its 2012 post-mortem determination to get better at it by, arguably, getting worse. Not that a final showdown between Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida will necessarily help on that score, but more on that later.

How does this scenario play out? It starts with the assumption that the three current front-runners, according to RealClearPolitics' average of polls – former reality TV star Donald Trump (23.3 percent), neurosurgeon Ben Carson (16.3) and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (11.8) – will all fade.

There are good reasons to expect this both in general and specific to each candidate. Trump's have been repeated and recycled for months: He's an egomaniacal, serially insulting, loud-mouth and while that might not sink him in a GOP primary, his ideological incoherence and departures from standard Republican policy positions probably will. After being endlessly foretold since his announcement the great Trump decline appears to finally be under way: He still leads but his share of supporters has dropped from 30.6 percent on the night of the second debate to 23.3 percent, more than a 7 percentage point drop in two weeks. That is, as the man might say, yuuuuge.

Carson too, while presenting a contrastingly lower-key mien, has been a gaffe-machine, suggesting that prisons make convicts gay, comparing the U.S. to Nazi Germany....

(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; US: California; US: Florida; US: New York; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 2016election; bencarson; california; carlyfiorina; carson; cruz; election2016; fiorina; florida; iraq; jebbush; kurdistan; marcorubio; newyork; noflyzone; rubio; syria; tedcruz; texas; trump
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To: vette6387

In your wet dreams.


41 posted on 10/02/2015 1:06:06 PM PDT by wetgundog ("Extremism in the Defense of Liberty is No Vice" -AuH2O)
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To: Kozy

Jeb “taco” Bush at 4% today.


42 posted on 10/02/2015 1:07:57 PM PDT by wetgundog ("Extremism in the Defense of Liberty is No Vice" -AuH2O)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The writer of this piece needs to put down the crack pipe. Trump and Cruz aint getting out.


43 posted on 10/02/2015 1:14:38 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: TornadoAlley3

Still waiting on that “When Hillary fades..” article from our unbiased (read: biased) msm


44 posted on 10/02/2015 1:15:46 PM PDT by SteveinSATX
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To: dowcaet

No to the amnesty bitch Rubio.


45 posted on 10/02/2015 1:16:09 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
former reality TV star Donald Trump (23.3 percent),

Yup ....that is all Trump has accomplished in life.

Insanity of the press continues.

46 posted on 10/02/2015 1:16:16 PM PDT by Irish Eyes
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To: Resolute Conservative

That’s a keeper. I’m stealing it.t


47 posted on 10/02/2015 1:17:20 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: MichelleWSC3

What Robert Schlesinger doesn’t take into account is that 25-30% of base will STAY HOME if Jeb! or Rubio is the nominee!

And then these same people will spend at least the next four years complaining and bitching about having a Dem president...


48 posted on 10/02/2015 1:18:25 PM PDT by IrishBrigade
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Sigh. Trump is just getting started and Ted can’t get to double digits anywhere.


49 posted on 10/02/2015 1:33:18 PM PDT by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually" (Hendrix))
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Trump is fading away all the way to the White House.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB8pUZVLEzA


50 posted on 10/02/2015 2:45:03 PM PDT by free_life (If you ask Jesus to forgive you and to save you, He will.)
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To: conservativejoy

When the noise from the bottom of the chart starts adding together; after some of the lower folks fall by the wayside; I wonder how the chart will then look?


51 posted on 10/02/2015 2:45:46 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: faithhopecharity
but Trump and the doctor show no signs of fading...

Bad cop: Good cop!

52 posted on 10/02/2015 2:46:47 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: SE Mom
Except for Cruz the rest seem so bland and dull and stuck in a rut. No guts, no challenging Washington.

There you have it in a nutshell.

The Donald has ALWAYS been an 'in-your-face' kinda guy; and these others have been 'get-along-go-along' types.

They are DESPARATELY trying to copy his style and play catchup!

We can SMELL a wannabe from our front porch!

53 posted on 10/02/2015 2:50:36 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: McGruff

Someone has to!

I could be YOU!!

Give ‘em a dollar and find out.

Give ‘em Two and DOUBLE your chances at winning!!!


54 posted on 10/02/2015 2:52:34 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Charles Henrickson
I think this is a very real possibility, that it will come down to Rubio and Cruz, and that Carson, Fiorina, and Trump will fade.

You might have a looooooong wait.

Ipsos/Reuters Poll 9/26-9/30

Jeb Bush (R) 10%
Ben Carson (R) 12%
Chris Christie (R) 5%
Ted Cruz (R) 5%
Carly Fiorina (R) 8%
Jim Gilmore (R) 1%
Lindsey Graham (R) 0%
Mike Huckabee (R) 3%
Bobby Jindal (R) 1%
John Kasich (R) 1% George Pataki (R) 0%
Rand Paul (R) 7%
Marco Rubio (R) 7%
Rick Santorum (R) 2%
Donald Trump (R) 32%
Wouldn't vote 6%

55 posted on 10/02/2015 3:34:33 PM PDT by PJ-Comix (DUmmie Skinner: Bought & Paid For By Hillary)
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To: conservativejoy

No, it’s driven by past experience that may not be applicable in what’s turning out to be a very different type of election cycle.

Much as a lot of folks got blindsided by Obama’s win in 2012. Or with Obama’s win over Hillary in 2008.

History is that hot-burning early front runners represent a kind of “bad boy infatuation” situation, with the voters ultimately deciding to settle down with someone safer and more stable.

If thats the case, then Trump, Carson and Fiorino will burn out. Logically voters should turn to the safe establishment candidate, which is Bush.

But Bush is also damaged goods. So these analyses are at least taking that into account and saying that, having gotten over their infatuation with Trump et al, they’ll still want something different.

Which with Walker out of the race does leave Cruz and Rubio.

Which isn’t a bad thing, IMHO. You have the final two GOP contenders being young and Hispanic while the Dems have an old female WASP and two just as old, or older, White guys.

But again, thats speculation because it looks like Trump (at least) has staying power.


56 posted on 10/02/2015 4:03:38 PM PDT by tanknetter
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To: IrishBrigade

Jeb, yes.

I think I differ with you on Rubio. He does a major mea culpa on immigration and I think the base will grugingly support him.


57 posted on 10/02/2015 4:06:54 PM PDT by tanknetter
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Run a drug test on this Trump Deranged pseudo writer:


58 posted on 10/02/2015 4:44:45 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (Ain't Trump concernment great? Ignore fake concernment & vote Trump/Cruz 2016/2020, Cruz/? 2024/28!)
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To: Charles Henrickson

59 posted on 10/02/2015 4:46:51 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (Ain't Trump concernment great? Ignore fake concernment & vote Trump/Cruz 2016/2020, Cruz/? 2024/28!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

You do realize that people are on to you don’t you? You think your little posts are going to make a difference? They won’t. You are wasting your time.


60 posted on 10/02/2015 10:03:50 PM PDT by The Iceman Cometh (Proud Teabagging Barbarian Terrorist Hobbit Crazy Cracker Son-of-a-Bitch!)
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