FIREWALL CRUMBLES: Cruz prepares for election day massacre by pulling out of Alabama events

Yellow Hammer ^

[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.”

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.”

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.”

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.

[combat_boots]

Truth

[stratboy]

Paging Mr. Beck and Mr. Levin ....

[deport]

This website will clean up all those problems with the smart quotes..

http://dan.hersam.com/tools/smart-quotes.html

[bert]

What is going to be of primary importance is the number of southern black voters that Trump poaches from the democrats.

Hillary may win because of the black vote, but if that total black vote is diminished and gone to trump, her margin slips and she loses.

[Bryanw92]

>>You’re arrogant just like Trump or a liberal. If someone disagrees with you they must be stupid.

I wouldn’t call you stupid. But I would call you a hypocrite.

HeartlandOfAmerica said:

>>I have to wonder how long the before the Trumpsters start to question their demi-god.

>>”I need a job! *whine*”

>>I’ve found that the Stupid party doesn’t only reside at the RNC ...

You sound like the liberal, assigning your weaknesses and fears to others.

[stormer]

I’m not. I’m belittling a person who claims to speak for him.

[stratboy]

Say what you will about people who criticize Trump and Beck, but since this election, they have shown their true colors. Glen Beck is crazier that than an outhouse rat. He is hurting Cruz, but his ego will not pull him away. Whether its fasting for Cruz, swearing him in, or any other nutty move. Let's face it, Beck is done with a lot of people.

Mark Levin, while sane, cannot seem to quit cheerleading for Cruz. In his trademark loud and hysterical tone, he attacks anyone who says anything negative about Cruz. His show has grown into a 3 hour bore fest about how Trump and Rubio are evil. He does this, all the while saying that he hasn't yet made an endorsement.

[stormer]

Never stiff your airplane mechanic.

[Bryanw92]

>>FR has been infiltrated by some liberal hacks that have taken FR down a different road then what most believe the Boss intended it to go.

Yessssssss. And many of us did it 10-15 years ago and we waited patiently until Donald Trump ran for office to tear off our masks. The millions of conservative posts over the years by the Trump supporters were just a clever smokescreen while we waited for the Glorious Day.

Geez. Do you realize how stupid you sound with your liberal conspiracy theory?

[Leto]

Now, will the Cruzer globalists and liars please exit the building? Don’t let the FR door hit ya in the a$$ on the way out. It’s going to be great here without your bs.
____________________________________________________________

Me thinks you are right the Trumpanzzes are turning FR into a sewer. I will stop posting shortly but I will lurk and watch the reaction of the moronic Trumpanzees like you when Trump stabs you in the back and his administration crashes and burns.

America deserves what it will get.

Trump or Clinton doesn’t really make a difference Trump will be labeled as a conservative and will destroy the notion of conservatism for years.

Trump will end being as bad as Clinton but he will stain the

[reviled downesdad]

Trump supporters.

Cruz dropping out is not the best for Trump.

A narrowing field will help both Rubio and Trump - but the closer we get to a 2 man race, it makes the race more and more risky for Trump who has very high negatives.

Keeping both Cruz and Rubio in the race for as long as possible is the best scenario for DJT.

[Original Lurker]

I wonder if Cruz has pulled out of Georgia?

---

Just yesterday I saw one of Ted’s ads on TV.
I saw four or five of Bubbles Rubio’s ads yesterday, too.

[Baldwin77]

What has Trump accomplished as a political achievement?

=== === *** *** === ===

That’s the point, HE’S NOT A POLITICIAN !!!

(duh !)

[debrawiest]

Rude. Childish. Kinda like your candidate.

[Baldwin77]

If Cruz drops out, I believe he will endorse Rubio.

It will expose his establishment-leaning credentials.

[nitzy]

It’s strange watching the joy on FR when a true conservative, and someone who has for the most part been a champion of ours against some real slime balls, stumbles.

...and then they mock his Christianity

[Baldwin77]

Cruz is the only one that has stood for what most people here believe yet he gets trashed.

=== === *** *** === ===

Because no one believes that he “believed” Mitch McConnell. They both planned Cruz’s faux-rebellion.

[don-o]

Now, will the Cruzer globalists and liars please exit the building? Don’t let the FR door hit ya in the a$$ on the way out.

Be careful what you ask for.

(And keep an eye on that FReeapathon progress.)

[combat_boots]

Oh, he may have believed that McConnell phrased a set of sentences in a certain way to make them believable. It’s a Senator’s job, however, to know the bills and goings on, and so Cruz should have been street smart enough to know the back story/word from the back room.

[dforest]

Smething to keep in mind. The candidates are in a competition, that is how they see it. It is such high stakes and they all know they are going to pull out the stops to win.

They are competitors that actually behind the scenes are in this thing together. May the best one win.

Do not be surprised if they kiss and make up after the dust starts to settle.

Anything is possible.