Posted on 02/29/2016 7:34:43 AM PST by mandaladon
If Republicans are going to have any hope of stopping the runaway train otherwise known as Donald Trump, it may rest on their ability to limit the breadth of his appeal. A single alternative to Trump — most likely Marco Rubio — could conceivably coalesce enough support among well educated, relatively affluent, more moderate Republicans or more mainstream conservatives and go on to triumph in winner-take-all March 15th states like Ohio and Florida, forcing a delegate showdown at the convention for the nomination.
Super Tuesday looms as a big test of this proposition. As Ron Brownstein puts it:
If Trump can beat Cruz…in heavily blue-collar and evangelical states on one side, and top Kasich and Rubio in white collar, less culturally conservative states on the other, it will grow increasingly daunting for any candidate to coalesce a coalition large enough to stop the front-runner.
The new CNN national poll casts further doubt on the likelihood of this working. It finds that Trump has expanded his lead among registered Republican and GOP-leaning independent voters nationally: He has 49 percent; Rubio has 16 percent; Cruz has 15 percent; Ben Carson has 10 percent; and John Kasich has nine percent. Two of the four days of polling were taken after last week’s GOP debate, which was supposed to be a dramatic game-changer for Rubio.
But perhaps Republicans should be even more alarmed about these findings, from the CNN poll’s internals:
— Trump is dominating among Republicans and GOP leaners who are college graduates, with 46 percent, to 19 percent for Rubio, 13 percent for Cruz, and nine percent for Kasich.
— Trump is dominating among suburban Republicans, with 51 percent, to 16 percent for Rubio, 13 percent for Cruz, and six percent for Kasich.
— Trump is dominating among Republicans who make $50,000 or more, with 50 percent, to 16 percent for Rubio, 15 percent for Cruz, and eight percent for Kasich.
— Trump is dominating among Republicans who are under 55, with 47 percent, to 17 percent for Rubio, 14 percent for Cruz, and five percent for Kasich. (Unfortunately, the samples are too small to break out younger groups.)..................How sweet it is........
The real pity is that the irrational Trump hate that caused Ted to align with Rubio against him is killing any chance of Ted remaining viable. Ted will win Texas, hopefully, but nothing else.
Are they not Republicans who are voting for Trump?
Then why would Republicans be terrified?
Per the WAPO for Rubio:
“...enough support among well educated, relatively affluent, more moderate Republicans...”
That tells you what the WAPO thinks of all Trump supporters...
But he probably won’t win a majority of the delegates in Texas which is going to be a problem for him.
And Trump is going to attract a fair percentage of Dem cross-over voters. Any Repub can win this year, but if its Trump it will be a landslide.
Trump dominates in the same way a losing poker player tosses in all his chips hoping for a winning pot. Its a poor way to pay poker or to vote but years of liberalism ignored by so-called conservative politicians has brought us to this sorry pass.
Trump supporters will NEVER switch to amnesty Rubio. Never. Why is that so hard to see?
Yeah, sad really. All Ted does now is talk about Trump in petty ways instead of his own great conservative ideas for Americans to better their life. What a waste!
Republican leaders, not the rank & file. At least that is whom I would suspect they are referring to.
it wasn’t irrational Trump hate.
He was losing big. So he threw everything but the kitchen sink at trump and it didn’t work.
at least he gave it a shot.
Christie was smarter. He made the deal ahead of time and will be AG.
Christie is Clemenza and Cruz is Tessio
Bush was Fredo :)
Heaven help us, Trump might be the Godfather.
They drew first blood, so Trump will go at them until they are no more.
Yeah, so much for taking on the Washington cartel.
{The real pity is that the irrational Trump hate ...}
Why is it irrational...irrational(!) to refuse to support a progressive statist who also happens to be a reprehensible human being?
I dont think irrational means what you think it means. What is irrational is the complete faith in Trump, because he came out strong on one issue (no matter its importance), when he is the antithesis of everything that FReepers have been fighting against for 20 years on almost everything else.
Do you sense some fear in this WaPo writer? Why should they care if Trump runs the table? Isn’t this the guy they’re all wanting to run against Hillary because she’ll mop the floor with him?
Rubio’s stupid radio ad here in Georgia is about how TERRIFIED the democrats are of him. I couldn’t help but laugh.
Just once I wish an actual journalist would simply ask: Mr. Rubio why were there no actual sound bites of Democrats saying these things used in the ad?
Utter nonsense.
Yeah. He needs to smile and coast to victory like Mittens the dog trainer.
Reading the Washington Post is sort of watching the sewer back up into your sink.
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