good carma will follow your donation to free republic
Posted on 01/28/2016 1:36:43 PM PST by justlittleoleme
To many outside observers, the wave of seasoned Republican officials and strategists sounding increasingly comfortable with Donald Trump as the GOP’s presidential nominee is a sign of surrender. Whether it’s Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad rooting for Ted Cruz to lose the Iowa caucuses or Orrin Hatch “coming around a little bit” on Trump’s candidacy or the paucity of money spent attacking Trump on the airwaves, it feels like official Washington has sided with Trump over Cruz.
In reality, many are trying to salvage the campaign of Sen. Marco Rubio (or any other more-mainstream alternative), and are betting that it’s easier to defeat Trump in a one-on-one showdown than Cruz emboldened by a strong showing in Iowa. To diminish Trump at this point, Republican strategist Alex Castellanos wrote in an email Monday, “perversely helps both Cruz and Trump, which is not what many conservatives intend.”
The thinking goes as follows: If Cruz loses Iowa, he peters out in New Hampshire and doesn’t pose a risk of finishing in a respectable second place. That allows the establishment winner out of the Granite State to build momentum as the anti-Trump alternative. A decent number of Cruz’s supporters, when asked to choose a second candidate, gravitate to Rubio. Polls show many more of Trump supporters, by contrast, would support Cruz. And even with Trump’s improving favorability numbers within the GOP, there are more Republican voters who wouldn’t vote for him under any circumstances than say the same about the senator from Texas.
These strategists are looking at Trump’s increasingly bellicose attacks against Cruz with glee. In their view, only Trump can successfully put a dent in Cruz’s sky-high favorability among Republicans, which is a precondition to blocking him from the nomination.
But there’s one big problem with the theory being embraced by many party pooh-bahs. It risks handing the election to Trump on a silver platter—helping knock out his strongest rival while watching helplessly as more-moderate alternatives blow each other up in the process. The wishful thinking behind such a strategy is that Cruz is utterly unelectable, while Trump is unpredictable enough to win a general election. In reality, Cruz looks like an electable standard-bearer, while Trump could blow the party to smithereens.
Cruz, despite being loathed by his colleagues in Washington, is a better general-election candidate than his detractors believe. His general election favorability ratings are currently respectable, and he runs competitively with Clinton in early matchups. His professional resume and academic credentials are exceptional. The political environment for Democrats is dismal, and is as ill-suited for an establishment figure like Hillary Clinton as it is for a hardline conservative.
-snip-
It’s a clear sign of how emotion is clouding strategic thinking when The New York Times reports that many Cruz critics believe it would be “preferable to rent the party to Trump for four months … than risk turning it over to Cruz for at least four years.” Some Republicans admit they’d rather lose to Hillary Clinton than win with Cruz. That’s a remarkable statement.
My personal ranking (best to so-so):
Cruz (right on issues, on the ball)
Carson (close second to Cruz on issues and verbal ability, most personable)
Rubio (solid on issues except scofflaw immigration, personable)
Bush (like Rubio, but not always in good form)
Trump (#1 on many issues, but has a mouth like a loose cannon)
All are better than the top Democrats.
Cruz cannot be held responsible for the actions of others, any more than I could be arrested for you driving drunk.
am SOOOOO tired of Cruzer persecution complex. I love him, but he’d lose 40 states and everyone knows it. Even him.
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Is there a state that Trump does not lead in? With the possible exception of Texas and by the time the Texas primary rolls around, Trump will be so far ahead, he will take Texas too.
Cruz supporters are setting themselves up for a very big let down. Cruz will most certainly not be the next nominee.
Me too.
IT’S A TRAP!
They only want you to THINK that they support Trump, so you’ll vote for Cruz and KO Trump from the race. Then, they’ll turn on Cruz and get Rubio or Bush in instead.
It’s a trap - run the other way!
Yep . . . all the right people hate Cruz.
Josh Krashaar is a liberal. What do you expect him to say?
The dims want Cruz.
The problems with amnesty include:
1. Scofflaws laughing in our faces
2. Negates the 1986 one-time deal that scofflaw immigration wouldn’t be tolerated after 1986 in exchange for the 1986 amnesty
3. It’s unconstitutional - the Constitution bars all immigration related amnesty deals because the Constitution requires a regular process for naturalization
4. It adds to the Democratic leaning voter base since they would tend to vote for Democrats by a 2 to 1 margin
5. our country is overcrowded in the job creating regions
6. our major roads were built for a country of about 200 million people, ten million more drivers would increase vehicular accident and death rates by about 20%
7. Mexico, Ireland (etc.)aren’t giving us anything in return include access to oil and mineral production by US firms, full rights of US citizens to own property, work, retire (on low incomes) and run businesses in Mexico/Ireland
Most importantly, we need to insist on permanently reining in the tax and welfare systems of the US by Constitutional amendment before ensuring a permanent Democratic voting majority, Obama’s dearest dream.
A 90% tax rate on high incomes and large estates is only a few million Democratic votes away. Cheap labor can be very expensive.
no...Cruz is the Trojan horse for McConnell...that’s what Sundance over at the conservative treehouse told us...GO Trump GO wooooo Hooooo another trumpgasm
This is why Ted should be joining Donald this evening, along with Dr. Carson.
It would be a glaring indictment of the DC Uni-Party.
I agree completely. 100% against amnesty. Vote Ted Cruz!!
“he’d lose 40 states and everyone knows it”
Hispanics, along with the rest of the US population, could proudly vote for Cruz. Cruz fights for what is right.
There they go, trying to get my hopes up again.
Some Republicans admit they'd rather lose to Hillary Clinton than win with Cruz.
Why we should never close ranks with the Republican establishment again.
You really think he’d do worse than McCain?
You exaggerate, but everyone is in the fratricidal Freeper primary threads.
Absolutely. McCain ran a campaign. Cruz is running a one note social conservatism revival. He’d be lucky to win the SEC states.
Mexicans aren't going to vote for a Cuban. Even Puerto Ricans won't.
“I will say Cruz wouldn’t be my preferred candidate bcause he doesn’t seem to be able to work with anybody “
I daresay it is because no one wants to work with him.
Reagan had nobody assisting him on Capital Hill as he was plagued by Democrats. He refused to play their game and took it directly to the American people.
He was successful, just like Ted Cruz can be if whiners get over their ‘he can’t win’ attitude.
He might be, most people in Washington and most people who write for National Journal are. However, he is one of the few political commentator these days who provides thoughtful pieces that demonstrate considerable homework. I may not agree with his point, but he is never blathering about some agenda.
I find it interesting that most on this forum want to destroy all Republican candidates except their favorite without any regard to the other side of the equation, the Democrats. My number one goal of this election is to defeat the Democrat nominee. I don't think that this country can survive another eight years of these bozos. I also find that the Trump supporters sound eerily like all of those Perot supporters back in 1992. You'd think that the Clinton's are up to a double dare you switcheroo all over again.
Yes he did AFTER he and Paul cut a deal with McConnel in January 2014. McConnell would not oppose them running for President in return for Cruz and Paul not opposing any incumbent Senators (including McConnell running in 2014. Cruz was added to the NRSC as a vice-chairman. They kept quiet during the Mississippi debacle.
Cruz made the mistake of believing McConnell after the election was over and McConnell screwed him in 2015. Like Wimpy in Popeye, McConnell promised to pay them tomorrow for a hamburger today.
Cruz is too gullible and just is not ready to be President yet.
“he’d lose 40 states and everyone knows it.”
Same complex existed in 1976 when Reagan was running in GOP primary. Reagan got pushed aside for Ford who was the ‘safe’ choice and although he was a sitting President, got beaten by an unknown peanut farmer who proved disastrous.
How good was the guy Ford beat for the nomination? He only won in 1980 handily over a sitting President and won again in 1984 taking 49 of 50 states. And that was over a former VP, not an unknown, even taking his home state.
Yeah, go ahead and trash someone who speaks what most Americans want to hear and is the genuine conservative. History can indeed repeat itself.
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