I can and have made the political and principled case for Ted Cruz above all other candidates. It is, in fact, quite easy to do if principled conservatism and Constitutional adherence is one’s motivating factor in political decision-making.
That said, the #NeverTrump attempt can only become reality if conservatives immediately recognize another reality that is critical to embrace now, and that is simply this: Only Ted Cruz can stop Donald Trump; Marco Rubio cannot. And this is NOT going to be an attack on Rubio- very much the opposite.
If stopping Trump is critical to the life of our Republic,and it may very well be so, conservatives must hang together- before, as Franklin once said, “we shall all hang separately.” Considering Trump’s obvious authoritarian tendencies, this undesirable consequence of opposing big-government Statism seems less “tinfoil hat-ish” than it might have a few years ago.
Let’s get to the facts here. Why can only Cruz stop Trump? This can get a tad weedy trying to explain all this, but hang with me!
Consider these facts:
1. Polls show in the Super Tuesday states, Cruz is by and large running second to Trump in most states, and leading in a few states; Rubio, conversely, trails in third in many of these states, and enjoys a slight lead only in one- Utah- where very few delegates are at stake
2. Texas has a very large number of delegates, nearly 10% of the total number needed to win the nomination. Favorite Son of Texas Cruz currently has a large lead over Trump in post-Nevada Texas polls, within striking distance of 50%.
In Texas, if a candidate reaches 50% statewide and in some congressional districts he will take all the delegates, whereas if he is held under 50%, delegates will be awarded proportionally. Cruz will win at least a large majority of the delegates from Texas and could potentially take them all.
3. Marco Rubio is trailing Trump badly in Florida (votes on March 15) by as much as 15-24 points in most recent post-Nevada polling. It is fairly obvious to even the casual political observer that one cannot lose one’s own home state, especially in a landslide, and live to tell about it. (politically speaking, of course)
4. Cruz currently is even with, or has a slight lead over Rubio in the delegate count according to most tallies of the last four nomination contests.
5. Cruz has already defeated Trump in a state (Iowa), a feat no other candidate has accomplished.
6. In the first four contests, in order of placement, Cruz finished #1, 3, and effectively tied for second twice; Rubio finished #3, 5, and effectively tied for second twice.
7. Almost every poll run on the topic has Cruz defeating Trump in a landslide in a hypothetical head-to-head race, while not one has shown Trump defeating Cruz; Not as many show Rubio doing so, and in fact some show Trump defeating him, and the ones that do show M.R. defeating D.T. are not by so large a margin as Cruz.
8. Political momentum and herd mentality being what they are, it could difficult to stop Trump if he does well on Super Tuesday.
9. Trump has a sizable lead in many national polls, and the reality is that Rubio, and perhaps to a lesser extent Cruz, would have ground to make up even in a head-to-head race.
Here is the problem: We don’t have an effective two-man race! Conservative votes are being split largely between Cruz and Rubio, leaving the nationalist/blue-collar angry guy vote to Trump, hence his lead in the polls, and wins in three of the first four states.
For the reasons I laid out above, it is clear that Cruz has the better chance of defeating Trump.
Perhaps the most telling and critical stat to suggest Cruz should be our consensus conservative is that according to recent polls, 46% of Cruz’ support would go to Trump if Cruz were not in the race; Conversely, 44% of Rubio’s support would go to Cruz if Rubio were not in the race.
This means that if Cruz got out and endorsed Rubio it would effectively ensure a massive victory for Donald Trump. However, if Rubio got out and endorsed Cruz, T.C. would have a very good shot at defeating Trump.
If this doesn’t happen before Super Tuesday, Trump could have a good night, and leave T.C. and M.R. out in the cold just in time for the winner-take-all states and sew up the nomination.
No sane American who values conservative principles as the best hope for freedom should desire this outcome;
So to prevent it, allow me to suggest an antidote to Trumpmania:
Rubio should get out tomorrow or Monday, endorse Cruz and campaign with him all over the South and especially Texas, with a Gentleman’s agreement of a VP spot on the ticket.
With such a talented tag team, Texas should go to Cruz with 50+% of the vote, giving Cruz an entire 10% of the needed delegates to win added to what he already has.
Cruz/Rubio 2016 would generate such media coverage, love and goodwill from both camps, and momentum seldom seen before to put Cruz/Rubio 2016 over the top in the majority of Super Tuesday states and potentially overcome Trump’s large lead in Florida on March 15.
They would go into the winner-take-all states with a bunch of victories under their belt and a tsunami of momentum behind them. They can then gang up on Trump again in the three remaining debates and put him on the mat by continuing to expose the authoritarian insider that he is.
If Cruz and Rubio see the threat that they certainly indicate they do, and are willing to make a deal; and if we are all willing to put aside our possible first preferences to save this nation from another totalitarian thug, we can do this.
If we don’t, we will be sentenced to the unenviable punishment of being forced to choose between two narcissistic Statists who use the power of government to punish their political rivals, and who have zero respect for the Constitution and the liberty it protects for us all, or supporting a third party candidate whom history suggests would be doomed to fail.
The time for old rivalries, personal preferences, and political silliness has passed; we face an existential threat to our liberty not only from the Democrats, but from Trump and all-too-many slavish and devoted Trumplings who seem more than happy to have a totalitarian in the White House so long as his initials are Donald Trump…..
It could be nearly impossible to stop Trump with a split conservative vote; therefore, Movement Conservatives- and for that matter, anyone who is thinking with brain instead of sheer rage- must come together immediately to ensure a President who will put Scalia-like constructionists on the Supreme Court; Anything less will just equate to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
In summary, Rubio must get out and endorse Cruz; Cruz must agree to put him on the ticket as Veep; Cruz and Rubio then will defeat Trump, then Hillary, and will gang up on the Senate to ensure confirmation of the strict Constructionist jurists we all can know with complete certainty President Cruz will nominate;
Rubio will then be the defacto nominee eight years from now and will be richly rewarded for his unselfish commitment to liberty, the conservative movement, and yes, the very existence of the United States as we know and love it.
Cruz/Rubio 2016! Now, before its too late!
(disclaimer: I have endorsed and support Ted Cruz for President)
