Marco Rubio followed up his assault on Donald Trump in last night’s debate with more insults this morning. Trump soon followed with an endorsement by Chris Christie and his typical arrogant assault on Rubio. It is pretty entertaining stuff but not exactly Presidential. Rubio is doing this because he is beyond desperate. He has turned out to be better at this than I expected. But it appears as though he and Donald Trump are now both appealing to the same lunatic fringe. Who knows, this election cycle has been weird enough that this might just work. This could hurt Trump and help Rubio. That is what Fox News predicts, but Fox News always finds a reason for a Rubio surge. This could also hurt Trump and help Cruz. Ironically it could even help Trump more than anything. Who knows?
There appears to be a cease fire between Rubio and Cruz. They tag teamed on Donald Trump during the debate. I suspect there was a private meeting between the Rubio and Cruz camps. Perhaps they both realized that if they continue doing things the same way, they will both be on the sidelines watching Trump win the nomination. It is likely that both of them realize that Donald Trump would be unacceptable as President. They will still compete with each other, but in the meantime, both are going to take on Trump. If someone or something does not slow down Trump they both lose.
In the meantime, Lindsey Graham went postal on both Trump and Cruz. He even “joked” about how someone could shoot Cruz and the entire Senate would vote to acquit. If anyone needs more evidence that Cruz is not part of the establishment look no further. What Graham does not understand is that a lot of us long for a Republican ready, willing and able to take them on. I am quite certain that Ted Cruz can be a nasty piece of work. I actually find that appealing. When you are seeking a Commander in Chief, someone who knows how to play hardball is a good option.
The Republican establishment is desperately clinging to the myth that the only Republican who can win is one who enlarges the Party tent. It was this theory that resulted in John McCain and Mitt Romney losing to Barack Obama. It was the theory used by the Republican Party in California that brilliantly resulted in every State Wide office going to a left wing liberal union liberal. It is the same siren’s call that convinces them that Rubio offers the best, only, chance to beat Hillary Clinton. They ignore the inconvenient fact that Rubio has yet to come close to beating Trump.
The establishment is terrified of Ted Cruz because they consider him to be far right of the mainstream. They hate him because he does not even pretend to respect them. This reminds me of the situation in France when the U.S. troops arrived in France. All these French Generals, who had accomplished nothing but wide spread slaughter for years, insisted that the U.S. troops report to them. General Pershing told them to pound sand. He said he preferred not to take guidance from people who only knew how to lose. Good advice.
TDM