Folks, if you're reading this, you know what needs to happen.
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Posted on 02/24/2016 8:30:17 PM PST by TigerClaws
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The “southern firewall†Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign has been building for months appears to be crumbling under the weight of Donald Trump’s staying power and Marco Rubio’s resurgence.
The Cruz campaign told Yellowhammer Wednesday night they are pulling out of the Presidential Forum set to be held at Samford University in Birmingham on Saturday, and will not be holding any other events in Alabama ahead of election day. Senator Marco Rubio’s campaign, however, reiterated their commitment to the event.
The move is one of the most open indicators to date that Cruz has failed to pick up steam in the Bible Belt South, once believed to be his geographic stronghold and his most likely path to the nomination.
Numerous southern states and almost a quarter of the Republican delegates are up for grabs in the so called SEC Primary on March 1st.
Yellowhammer CEO Cliff Sims said Cruz’s exit from the state so close to election day is unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected.
“Decisions like this are difficult for any campaign to make, but they have to do what they think is best,†he said. “Once a campaign goes into survival mode, sometimes they have to cut their losses and move resources where they can be most effective. A candidate’s time is the most valuable resource any campaign has.â€
South Carolina Republican strategist Hogan Gidley said Cruz’s lackluster performance in his home state was the first public sign that Cruz’s southern strategy was not coming together.
“It does definitely put a dent into the manufactured reputation that Cruz is coalescing all conservatives,†he told National Review. “I think we can put an end to that myth.â€
A longtime Alabama political consultant who is not working for a presidential campaign but has seen presidential campaign polling numbers through other state-level campaigns told Yellowhammer Cruz’s path to the nomination could be disappearing.
“If Cruz — the Texan, the staunch evangelical, the anti-Washington guy — can’t win in Alabama and across the South, he can’t win,†the consultant said on condition of anonymity so he could speak freely. “I’ve seen polling in the last week that shows Cruz in third in Alabama, far behind Trump and behind Rubio, too. It might become apparent after March 1st that Cruz’s goose is cooked.â€
Senator Rubio is scheduled to be in both Birmingham and Huntsville on Saturday. Donald Trump is scheduled to be in Huntsville on Sunday. No other Republican candidates are currently scheduled to campaign in the state ahead of the March 1st primary.
Agree.
All throughout this race, Ted has been playing catch-up, or badly fumbling easy plays. Now's the time for him to seriously put that big brain of his to work, and strategize for his real future.
At this moment, he's got leverage with Trump. By staying in the race, he keeps Rubio well back in the 20% range. If Ted leaves the race, it will result in a much stronger performance by Rubio - something Donald does not want or need.
Ted should communicate through his proxies that he's willing to hang in there to help Trump, but that he's expecting to be strongly considered for AG or Supreme Court Justice.
Traitor! /s :-)
SOME Cruz supporters have been unbearable to SOME Trump supporters !!!!
There, fixed it.
Remember Huckabee attended Trump’s veteran’s benefit? Trump will probably pick Huckabee for VP.
I don’t get it either. It makes no sense. Cruz is the only one that has stood for what most people here believe yet he gets trashed.
Folks, if you're reading this, you know what needs to happen.
If you can, please support the forum at this time. Thank you.
I really don’t think that Trump can beat the dimmanazi candidate, Hillary or Bernie. He seems to have a great shot at winning the nomination, however, he seems to have a ceiling @ 35 to 38 +/-% in the general. Cruz and Rubio both poll at beating Hillary, one on one, and Trump polls at losing to Hillary. I really don’t want to be on that train wreck! More and more, Trump is coming across as completely non-specific on issues, no details, and is sounding exactly like the Republican Obama.
Agreed. All the trumpeters better damn well be right because if trump betrays the republic i am holding every trumpeter on the board responsible and will not stop reminding them of their mistake until they humiliate themselves in a thread begging for forgiveness from all of us.
they want to blindly trust trump, fine, that is their right, but i will remind if they are wrong while we all suffer.
So if Trump does win and deals with the illegals, every “trumpeter” on this board can harass you every single day until you leave or sulk back under a different screen name?
Ok then.
There’s a typo in your tagline. The question mark is missing at the end.
They may hate Cruz, but they fear Trump. Wonder if Goldman told him to drop out?
Yep.
Actually, Cruz would be the best VP choice for Trump.Even if he can prove he's a qualified citizen, Trump Is not going to be saddled with an imbecile like Cruz.
Cruz brilliant? More like an educated idiot.
Done.
What’s strange about it? These folks that support Trump are sell outs to their ideals and values, all in the name of “anger”...
Why would you be surprised at the vitriolic spittle which emirates from Thor mouths?
Conservative they are not. Dangerous, they are.
The dolts whom back Trump are doing nothing but quite literally destroying our country. They will rue the day they support this man. He will not be President. He will lose. The media will uterly destroy him if he secures the nomination.
Someone with as shady of a past as him, being treated with the kid gloves he has been, will go full on liberal to “win” as he gets ripped apart in the press each day.
Each day he will move further and further to the left, likely more than Romney or McCain ever did... Because he has no moral compass. No center to keep him grounded.
The future destruction of this nation rests squarely in the shoulders of these prolls whom blindly follow their idol wherever he goes ideologically, all in the name of “winning”.
No, I’m not surprised at all by the total ripping apart of Cruz. Why? Because he is a man of conviction and principle, two things which stand in the way of the free winds of populism brought on by Trump.
One cannot blow whichever way the public wants if you are grounded, hence someone who stands so strong for our founding principles and documents like Cruz does must be utterly destroyed by all means nessessary.
Thank God I live in Texas, where people are sane and principles matter.
It’s a darn shame what has become of FreeRepublic.
Once a fantastic gathering of like minded individuals, now nothing but a cesspool of endless pro-Trump/anti-conservative dribble being promulgated by a core group of lying folks who do nothing but smear and rip apart solid conservatives... Solid American heroes, all for the efforts of propping up their spineless candidate.
As I said, I’m not surprised at all...
Maybe, but he's not even constitutionally eligible, so it's a moot point.
Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee. Sooner or later people are going to have to face that.
Sure glad I’m no longer a Republican.
Maybe we can learn from our mistakes and move forward in a more congenial manner. I’m not saying we should avoid heated arguments, I love those, just not name-calling or personal stuff.
I’ve slipped up but will try harder. :-)
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