Jockeying for position in last-ditch efforts to find a lane to continue their presidential races, GOP candidates took out the knives in ABC’s Feb. 6 debate. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ripped into Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) whose impressive third-place Iowa finish Feb. 2 left Christie no choice but to attack. Pistol-whipping Rubio in the debate, Christie watched the otherwise glib Rubio repeating predigested talking points several times in a row, branding him “Robotic Rubio.” Christie attacked Rubio for lacking the experience, but more importantly, the maturity to be president. Had Rubio not gone on tilt, he could have hit the blustery Christie with a knockout punch. Christie touts his executive experience, firing his entire staff over what he insists was a covert mutiny leading to the Sept. 9, 2013 Bridgegate scandal. Christie insists he was blindsided by his staff.
Rubio’s robotic performance shows a deeply flawed candidate whose over-rehearsal caught up with him. Dumbfounded by Christie’s attacks, Rubio displayed he’s not the candidate sold to the Republican National Committee. Rubio’s bizarre performance left the RNC scrambling to come up with a suitable alternative. With Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) winning Iowa Feb. 2 by only 4% with a dark ethical cloud following him around, the GOP establishment hoped Rubio could step up. Whatever venal activity the Cruz campaign did to pull of a win, the Party establishment now deals with a flawed candidate, giving hope to candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Bush looks likes he’s heading for the exit, ripping into GOP front-runner real estate mogul Donald Trump. Bush’s juvenile attacks on Turmp reveal a candidate no longer viable for president.
Leaving Ohio Gov. John Kasich the best GOP option after New Hampshire practically guarantees putting a Democrat in the White House. Kasich lacks the media appeal necessary to make it in today’s 24/7 news cycle, leaving only Trump the viable GOP candidate going forward. Despised by the RNC and GOP establishment, Trump’s strong finish in New Hampshire would propel him into South Carolina. Whether admitted to or not, his candidacy makes the headlines, sucking oxygen out of the air for other GOP and Democratic candidates. Christie’s Bridgegate controversy leaves too many unanswered questions for a viable candidate. Despite what look like winning performances in a number GOP debates, Christie’s gotten no traction, mirroring his flawed status. Christie put all his eggs into the New Hampshire basket and is about confront his 2016 fate.
GOP’s Party establishment ripped Trump after losing to Cruz by 4% in Iowa. When you consider Cruz’s shenanigans and Trump’s lack of evangelical credentials, it’s remarkable he only finished four points behind Ted. Ted’s ground game, packing the precincts with 15,000 workers and 12,000 captains, it’s no wonder he came out on top. If Trump wins New Hampshire, as expected, it will cement his GOP front-runner status heading into South Carolina. Without making a strong showing in New Hampshire, Christie, Jeb and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson won’t have much reason to continue. Kasich, Rubio and Cruz can at least point to states where they still have hope. If any or all of the candidates mentioned drop out, voters will begin to get behind the candidate most likely to win the White House. Scrutinizing candidates’ flaws becomes the media’s next obsession.
Christie’s boast about spending more time in New Hampshire than any other GOP candidate isn’t likely to get him paid back at the ballot box. Judging by his track record of getting little past traction, it’s looking like he’ll be heading for the exits. If Kasich finishes in a respectable place, like 4th or 5th in New Hampshire, he may live to see another day. Christie’s got far more at stake, selling himself as the maverick to New Hampshire voters at 69 town hall meetings. “Listen, it’s a Weaver operation, so there’s nothing about the numbers. Don’t look at the man behind the curtain,” said Christie, disparaging Kasich’s campaign manager John Weaver, who ran Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz) campaign in 2008. Christie can’t face the polls that show him finishing a distant sixth, if he’s lucky. Showing poorly in New Hampshire almost certainly leads him to throw in the towel.
If New Hampshire’s polls hold, Trump and Democratic challenger Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) should runaway with the vote, causing more problems for the GOP and Democratic establishments. Democratic front-runner former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton never expected such as strong challenge from the plain-speaking independent Vermont senator. Trump and Sanders, while differing politically, touch a raw nerve in the electorate, looking for something different in 2016. Apart from her email problems, Hillary’s got a real issue relating to ordinary voters. Since she and former President Bill Clinton became millionaires, it’s more difficult for voters to relate to their jetsetter lifestyles. Trump doesn’t hide his wealth like the Clintons, leaving him looking more real and authentic as he makes his case why he’s the best GOP chance to get back to the White House.
