Rubio's supporters will undoubtedly believe that he won the debate with a strong and forceful performance and they may be right, at least in their own minds. I'm not here to argue that point one way or the other. That said, Rubio seems to have kicked his game up a notch as he has taken to attacking Ted Cruz and not necessarily in polite terms. Did Rubio begin this tactic too early in the campaign and did he come off as too strident and combative, a` la Donald Trump? That's my concern. By the way, I thought that Trump was the most civil I have seen him to date, with a few exceptions. Has Trump figured out that he cannot continue to rip everyone a new "one" at every turn?
I believe Rubio now sees Cruz as he his greatest challenger and obstacle to obtaining the GOP nomination. In doing so he has made the judgment that Donald Trump will not be around at the final gavel at the GOP convention. Of course, that remains to be seen. However, Rubio is undeniably coming on strong with his attacks against Cruz. So much so that Cruz struck back at Rubio in the Tuesday night CNN debate. This is something relatively new for Cruz, as he has repeatedly announced that he will not go after any of the other candidates and will focus on the issues and his policies on the issues that matter to most Americans.
With all the accusations going back and forth among and between candidates, I am puzzled how the average voter will be able to sort out the bullshit from the buckwheat of the accusations and facts flying back and forth.
Back to Rubio and Cruz. I thought the accusations and rebuttals that flew between the two were the most pointed and stringent I have heard from either candidate aimed at each other. They both gave as well as they got in their exchanges, thus I rated their performances as about equal. What I'm wondering about is whether Rubio is getting into this kind of fray with Cruz too early on and whether this is the right timing. I thought this might occur closer to the Iowa caucus on February 1, 2016.
It appears to me that Rubio now considers Cruz as his greatest threat, which means he must believe that Trump will, at some time, begin to decline and Cruz will begin to peel off Trump support. Whether that happens will be the topic of another post. Meanwhile, Cruz is beginning to feel comfortable in being, and portraying himself, as the reasonable, civil and consummate candidate and best alternative to Donald Trump to lead the GOP against the most corrupt woman in American political history.
My final conclusion on the debate is that the top three, Trump, Rubio and Cruz pretty much held their own while some of the other lesser candidates may have inched up a bit here and there. All the polls don't really mean much at this time, especially national polls. I would put much credence into the individual state polls that come in within two weeks of each state's primary. By that time the vast majority of most likely voters will have determined the candidate of their choice. In the meantime every candidate will be ballyhoo every poll that shows them either in the lead or gaining ground on the leader. That's just the nature of the primary process.
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