Florida Senator Marco Rubio is positioned well to pick up support from traditional Republicans in all corners as more “establishment” candidates like Jeb Bush and John Kasich continue to struggle.
Need proof? Just look at how desperate the Bush people have been to undermine the former Governor’s more conservative fellow Floridian. In a campaign of character assassination that has been ongoing since before either of them formally announced they were running, the “JEB! Juggernaut” has been peddling nasty rumors about Rubio’s supposed “zipper problems” to would-be donors and supporters, and as recently as last month were said to be ready to spend as much as $40 million to deflate Rubio’s growing appeal. See, e.g., “Whisper Campaigns and ‘Zipper Problems’: How Jeb Bush’s Allies Tried — and Failed — to Stop Marco Rubio.” (Why does this crowd always resort to crude hit jobs, threats, and power plays? Why not just stand on your own merits and let the voters decide?)
The latest demonstration of the nascent consolidation behind Rubio comes with the endorsement of California Congressman Darrell Issa, best known as the conservative tormentor of the Obama administration from his former perch atop the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Will Issa’s endorsement matter a great deal nationally? Probably not. But if we’re still looking at a fractured field without a clear winner by the end of the primary process, California’s largest-in-the-nation 169 delegate votes up for grabs in its winner-take-all June 7 primary could be what tips the scales. Issa can’t necessarily deliver California for anybody, but if I’m a candidate studying the primary calendar, California is no longer a state that can be taken for granted in a GOP primary. Every little bit of help there could matter.
Meanwhile, Texas Senator Cruz continues to build out a grassroots organization nationwide that is second to none. This very well funded campaign’s willingness to speak boldly and plainly taps into the discontent that has given legs to the Trump and Carson campaigns. If you believe conventional wisdom, Trump’s and Carson’s efforts will begin to fizzle before the first votes are cast in the Iowa caucuses. Conventional wisdom has proven to be wrong time and again when it comes to the mood of the Republican electorate this year, though.
Neither Trump nor Carson are merely the newest incarnations of the Herman Cain-style flash-in-the-pan outsider. Rather, both represent a supreme dissatisfaction with politics as usual that isn’t just going to fade away. Still, though, neither of them have demonstrated any skill in the rough and tumble of this game, and they’re not completely invulnerable, as the latest polling shows. Other candidates, like Carly Fiorina, will gain from any problems the outsider frontrunners have, but Cruz seems poised to capitalize more so than any other.
Today’s Real Clear Politics polling average shows Rubio and Cruz essentially tied at 12 percent nationwide, and still trailing the weakened Trump (28.7%) and Carson (19.7%). Bush is showing 5.3% (My, what a handsome juggernaut you have, Gov. Bush!), and the rest are barely registering.
This is the race we’re going to see in two months. Trump and Carson remain wild cards as their support waxes and wanes, but traditional Republicans and conservatives—who have rejected both the typical “establishment” and the bombast/inexperience of the outsiders—have begun to align behind Cruz and Rubio. Time is quickly running out for the other candidates to change this dynamic.
8 comments
Every conservative needs to read thRoosevelte autobiograhies of these two men. A Time fof Truth (Cruz) and merican Son ( Rubio).
@ David – since every conservative is not likely to read these books, could you please summarize the differences between these two candidates based on their autobiographies?
I have no desire to preempt Mr. McKissack’s reply but having read both books myself you might find these two reviews regarding the volumes useful (one is actually an interview with the author regarding his book). Both of these were conducted by conservative media so no hatchet jobs were part of the process. I found the gentlemen’s two approaches to introducing themselves and their story very interesting and informative.
http://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2015/07/cruz-interview-exclusive-time-for-truth
http://www.conservativebookclub.com/book/american-son-memoir
-Mark — following Mr. Woods” links will likely provide better summaries than I — I’m typing on a new “smartphone” and absolutely despise this mode of composing e-mail – but briefly, the career of one has been that of a classic, ambitious politician whose “legal career” was mostly as a lobbyist for real estate interests, while the other was a skilled litigator fighting fierce battles on behalf of religious liberty, gun rights, state’s rights, etc, before he was elected to his first public office. One’s autobiography contains photo of a father and aunt who were imprisoned for fighting for freedom in Cuba; the other’s parents came to America before Castro, looking for a better life.
That’s all for now. I’ve reached the limits of my patience with finger-typing.
Yet unlike their fathers, both overcame their familial and territorial circumstances to become US Citizens and ultimately US Senators!
Thanks. I do prefer Cruz over Rubio, but Rubio is nonetheless pretty good and acceptable.
I will vote for Rubio if he’s the nominee, but without expecting much change in how Mitch McConnell will run Washington. Expect ObamaCare to remain in place, with minor tweaks, and Executive Amnesty to continue. Only Cruz has shown the courage to force Republicans to live up to their promises.
Stuff floats better with Koch. How can there be a North American political union without a Canadian Hispanic? How can we have visa free travel without strong Hispanic supporters for immigration? It’s not all bad. Americans are relocating to Central America every day. Imagine how easy it will be when Panama is a state. We don’t need a wall like Trump wants. We need a toll booth to balance the budget.