As the Republican Primary Season finally takes shape, Republican Primary voters are beginning to see the futility of many of their favorite candidates campaigns, at the same time as they are faced with the probability that either Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, or Ted Cruz will prevail.
Primary Season has a deleterious effect on our opinions of candidates who, just six months ago, we might have liked, or at least not disliked. Marco Rubio has gone from a conservative Tea Party candidate, who’s bad on immigration and a bit of a NeoCon on foreign policy, to in the minds of some, a far left Republican Establishment candidate who’s sold his soul to the great and powerful Oz behind the curtain. Ted Cruz, who many viewed as too conservative or uncooperative to attract establishment votes, appears far more reasonable, down to earth, and cooperative, now that the Republican Party is faced with Donald Trump. Donald Trump, who, I believe fascinated most people at the beginning, has secured the unflappable hatred of a good 30% of all Republicans, as he treats their favorite candidates to mockery and mean-spirited jabs at their appearance, their religion, or their ethnicity.
The Rand Paul people are furious with Senator Ted Cruz, who somehow stole a bunch of the folks they were counting on for Paul – I being one of them. But, in fairness to us Paul-People gone Cruz, it didn’t take a rocket-scientist to figure out by early summer that Rand Paul’s campaign wasn’t going anywhere. His campaign has been a bit of a train wreck from the beginning.
Bush and Kasich and Christie people are looking at Marco Rubio and wondering whether they can really get behind such a conservative Tea Party candidate; but with conservatives lashing out at Rubio as if Rubio were more establishment than Jeb Bush, establishment people kind of figure that, well, if conservatives hate Marco Rubio so much, maybe Rubio ain’t so bad.
Yes, Primary Season is a very silly season indeed, but a season we must all go through nonetheless.
Only Donald Trump has run a campaign that has deliberately narrowed the number of Republicans who will support him. His unfavorables amongst Likely Republican voters are even worse than the numbers of Jeb Bush. Yet, when you open the polls to Democrats, Trumps numbers improve.
For months I was baffled that no moderate or non-establishment Democrat could gain traction. I’m wondering, where are all the union guys? Where are the blue collar Democrats who hate President Obama and Hillary Clinton? Why aren’t they looking for a Democrat candidate to support?
Finally it dawned on me that they have found their Democrat Candidate, only, that candidate isn’t running as a Democrat… he’s running as Donald Trump.
All that said, Trump’s candidacy daily softens my frustrations with Rubio, my disappointments in the Paul campaign, and my confusion concerning just how quickly Dr. Ben Carson disappeared from the limelight (some folks just can’t handle it). I am a Ted Cruz supporter and volunteer, but as far as Republican candidates go, Rubio, Carson, and Paul are all better candidates than we’ve seen in years past, excepting the Ron Paul Revolution of course.
And so, as I watch fellow Republicans struggle with their narrowed choices, I too struggle with the idea that Donald Trump could be the Republican Nominee. It’s really the only foreseeable outcome that upsets me. However, that’s my issue, as I’m sure you have your own, but the primary is taking shape, for better or worse, and it is time for all of us to choose between Trump, Rubio, and Cruz.
Originally published on PendletonPenn.com
