What they need to do tonight

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

TRUMP CRUZ RUBIOJust some final thoughts to help stir the pot ahead of tonight’s CNN event…

(1) Donald Trump

Nothing. He doesn’t have to do a darn thing, Save Jerseyans. The Donald is sitting pretty and he knows it. He’s got yuuuge leads in most upcoming states including the winner-take-all ones that begin voting on March 15th. All he needs to do is be himself and continue to undermine his chief “anti-establishment/evangelical lane” rival Ted Cruz’s tarnished brand – trustworthiness – by repeatedly accusing him of being a liar (this week he improvised with the word “sick” as a rhetorical flourish). If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it, right? And that Trump Train keeps chugging along.

(2) Marco Rubio

Conventional wisdom dictates Marco Rubio has the most to gain without Jeb Bush in the race. Polling backs that up since he’s presently occupying the #2 position just about everywhere on the map except for Ted Cruz’s home state of Texas. The Florida Senator’s problem is actually more a matter of perception than mathematics; while Trump is perceived as a “winner,” Rubio is harangued for accumulating establishment backing without any first place finishes to show for it. Trump would put it more simply: “loser!” The robot guy who looks good but can’t shoot straight. In fact, he’s losing his home state of Florida to Trump at the moment. To “win” tonight, and push himself into more direct contention with Trump, Senator Rubio needs to do more than well. He needs to kick ass, landing loud punches on his rivals capable of silencing critics who insist he’s all cheese and no steak. Does he have it in him? We’ll find out. If not, then this race might be close to over by this time next week…

(3) Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz is arguably slogging along in a tougher lane than Marco Rubio for two reasons: (A) Trump is monopolizing a significant number of anti-establishment “conservatives” who might otherwise be his were the Donald not running, and they’re waaaay too fanatically loyal to consider switching, and (B) Cruz can’t seem to get his evangelical kinsman to trust him thanks in part to Trump’s attacks as I explained above – a tough position to be in when your slogan is “TrusTed.” Granted, he’s still narrowly leading Trump in his home state of Texas ahead of the March 1st “Super Tuesday” or “SEC Primary,” but without religious conservatives, where can he win – or even finish second – outside of the Lone Star State? Man cannot live on Glenn Beck alone. Cruz would probably need to effectively cross-examine Trump (good luck) AND get another robot gaffe out of Rubio to do himself much good with this debate.

(4) John Kasich

The Governor of Ohio recently opined that Marco Rubio should drop out if he loses Florida. Fair. But for what it’s worth, the latest polling out of Ohio suggests he’s trailing Donal Trump in his own state albeit by a smaller margin. Before Ohio votes on March 15th, he needs to do well in Michigan – where he’s stuck in a distant fourth place – to resurrect his candidacy with a Midwestern coalition. Knocking out Rubio and taking over the “establishment lane” is his best bet but John Kasich is no Chris Christie…

(5) Ben Carson

The good doctor showing evidence of a pulse would be nice start? Look: I’m not trying to be mean. He’s a good man and, if you look at this non-political career, he’s a brilliant man. But electoral politics isn’t his thing and Dr. Carson’s low-energy style isn’t well-suited for a cycle when a plurality of voters are voting on anger. He has no lane…

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Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8405 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

1 Comment

  1. Frankly, Trump proved tonight that he is clearly not presidential material–unless we were to turn the presidency into a 24/7 realty TV show staged from the White House.

    Snap out of fellow Republicans! Elect a candidate who has the potential to lead our nation to greatness in the 21st century–Marco Rubio.

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