We’re scheduled to have yet another GOP candidates’ debate on Thursday night in Houston. We can now look forward to another edifying night of Rubio calling Cruz a liar, while Cruz catalogues Rubio’s growing string of misrepresentations whenever the immigration legislation arises. Cruz needs to be making a positive case for conservative approaches to the nation’s daunting challenges, but he will be pushed to defend his integrity. Meanwhile, when not fending off charges of hypocrisy, Rubio will have to continue talking about his awful immigration bill (every second spent on which damages him) – and for relief he can fall back on the pile of GOP establishment endorsements he is collecting even as voters strongly signal their revulsion at the GOP establishment.
Could it tee up any better for Donald Trump — meaning, for the Democrats?
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are sharp, appealing candidates. Are they wise enough to know that neither can win without the backing of the other’s core supporters, and that destroying those supporters’ preferred candidate is not the way to get it? There are not enough committed conservatives in the country for Cruz to win without broadening his appeal. And Rubio cannot win without conservatives, who like Cruz and who are very suspicious of Rubio. No one expects the two senators to stop competing with each other, but the pair needs to home in on Trump’s progressive, incoherent record. They also need to project the uplifting aspects of their candidacies. If, instead, the fratricide continues, some of their disaffected supporters will opt out of the process entirely while others gravitate to Trump, who will waltz to the nomination. And then the Democrats will waltz to victory in November.
Can we please have an end to the mutually assured destruction before it destroys a lot more than two candidacies?
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