It is, but there are none so blind as those who will not see.
Jesus Christ: You can't impeach Him and He ain't gonna resign.
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.
All rabbits are 4 legged creatures; Therefore all 4 legged creatures are rabbits.
illogic. seems to be your stock in trade.
I’m with you on the NEVER, EVER vote for a democrat part, but claiming to be a conservative & BEING a conservative are 2 entirely different things, apparently.
Talk is cheap. Grand gestures yielding nothing are cheaper.
Regardless of the Mickey Mouse excuses & concatenated thinking behind Cruz’s actual votes, I have yet to see him ACT as a genuine conservative. It doesn’t help anything that he’s shady as hell.
Tick tock.
Go for Trump, he’s a real conservative. He says so. Or, maybe Rubio, how about Jeb. Pick one, you’re a smart guy. They will lead into your promised land.
Girl. Old girl. Not stupid. Are insults really necessary?
Have a nice day.
“We have a candidate that can win New York and New Jersey for once”
Do you realize what you are saying?
Did you even read my post that said Reagan won every state save Massachusetts?
And yes, it is trashing someone when one believes he, using your own words, “but he’d lose 40 states and everyone knows it. Even him.”
1. You are saying he is a loser.
2. You are saying he is stupid as even he knows himself to be a loser.
My apologies, You go girl. Follow your leader, he will take care of you.
Accepted. I think so.
I posted a basic logical violation. Just like your analysis of a portion of Cruz voters migrating to Rubio. It just doesn’t make any sense.
The problem with celebrity guy is, some of us have seen this routine before.
If Mr. Popular is the nominee -We will just have to hope and pray he doesn't morph into Donald Schwarzenegger-Ask California how that one turned out.
Just NEVER, NEVER vote for a Democrat. Cheers.
Nope, if Cruz supporters are conservative and support the ‘only conservative running’, as they love to brag - why go to an open borders, pro-amnesty candidate? Anyone truly conservative wouldn’t.
So one of the 2 premises is wrong. Either Cruz is not conservative or his supporters are not.
Or both.
:-D Now, THAT will never be an issue.
(I might be willing to accept having the blue dog version around, but I want anyone who even LOOKS like a commie deported immediately. McCarthy was RIGHT. We really, really screwed up not dealing with these people. And it has almost cost us our country.)
Yeah, Ventura and Schwarzenegger. Worked out really well!
A single issue voter are we? Hmmm. Well whatever, everyone can believe what they want. You sound like a Trumpster. Black an white for others, but all sorts of shades of grey and excuses for your guy.
I think Trump will lose 40 states.
Wow, that’s some illogical spun!
So now you’re agreeing with me, because now you’re saying illegal immigration isn’t important anyway.
LOL!
It’s important to lots of people. That’s why Trump is winning and has for 6 months. And Cruz ended up having to copy Trump shows he knows that.
Nice spin. Just keep spinning, I’m going to watch the debate.
It is, but there are none so blind as those who will not see.
Jesus Christ: You can't impeach Him and He ain't gonna resign.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.