This debate was one of the best to watch. There was a lot of drama and CNN got great ratings. As with every other debate so far, the instant polls all show Donald Trump as the big winner. One would think that it doesn’t matter what he does, he will always be the big winner.
The main stream media almost always picks Rubio as the winner of these debates. In this case, they thought Rubio did well in his back and forth with Trump. They are right, but missed something. Rubio was fun and entertaining and he definitely rattled Trump. But in the end it still looked like Trump, the grand master, swatting down the young whipper snapper. The whipper snapper impressed, but the grand master was still the grand master.
John Kasich had some good moments, but he also reminded people that he is the arch typical Republican establishment politician no one wants. Ben Carson was charming and irrelevant.
There were a couple of moments that may have more impact than anyone realizes. One is when Rubio was questioned by Telemundo. Maria Celeste Arraras may have really hurt Rubio. She pointed out that in his Spanish interview on Telemundo Cruz said exactly what Cruz accused him of saying. Remember that is when Rubio called Cruz a liar and said he didn’t even speak Spanish? Then she asked Rubio why he was saying something different now? Keep in mind that immigration is one of the top issues in this election and Rubio just flunked the test. On the other hand, when she challenged Cruz, he was brilliant in explaining to Hispanic voters why illegal immigration is hurting them too.
Another moment was when Cruz literally cross examined Trump with regard to what Trump actually said. Dana Perino, hardly a Cruz supporter nailed it. She watched that clip, along with the clips of what Donald Trump actually said and her response was: “the prosecution rests.”
Ultimately, I think the lasting imagine of this debate will be that Rubio did well, but he does not look remotely capable of competing with Trump. Trump was flustered and it showed. Cruz took on Trump, but in a very different way that Rubio. Cruz is an outstanding trial attorney and last night America got to seem that Ted Cruz in action. Like every other trial attorney, people don’t necessarily like him, but he wins cases.
What matters more than the debate are the all those polls. The main stream media will spend about 24 hours talking about this debate and then will go back to the polls. The polls are a huge problem for Rubio. All the polls show him losing big time in his home state of Florida. It is hard to imagine Rubio beating Trump anywhere if he can’t even come close in Florida. Cruz on the other hand appears to be poised to win Texas. Some polls have Cruz and Trump virtually tied, but most have Cruz ahead by a significant margin. If people go into the election Tuesday thinking that Rubio is going to lose in Florida and Cruz is going to win in Texas it is likely to dampen the enthusiasm for Rubio big time. Trump is likely to do well Tuesday. Cruz is probably going to win Texas and he may win one or more other states. It seems unlikely that Rubio will win anywhere and he is likely to finish behind Cruz in most states. He will probably hang around for the March 15th Florida primary, but it sure looks like the end is near.
John Kasich and Ben Carson will do what they always do, finish way behind in fourth or fifth.
TDM