And if Jeb Bush needed to break through to survive, he is doomed, because once again he remained a nonentity in the debate, losing out in a big exchange with Rubio and ending up with the lowest time of possession.
Clinton should be so lucky as to face Ben Carson in the general election. His vague and meandering answers made even Sarah Palin look more qualified to occupy the White House.
There seems to be little incentive for fringe candidates running a minimalist campaign to quit the race, but the question becomes more serious for Bush, who has already had to cut back his ambitious national organization.
But the shakeout in the polls will continue and it won’t be kind to Bush. Carson and Donald Trump had enough sound bites to continue their honeymoon with primary voters in the polls, but it will be Rubio who will start to move ahead and claim his rightful place at the head of the pack. Cruz had a good night with a fair amount of time and should be able to move the needle.
John Kasich will join the ranks of Jon Huntsman, Tim Pawlenty, Martin O’Malley and other bland worthies who simply don’t have the charisma to make the grade. Rand Paul needs to pack it in and focus on his Senate race, and Chris Christie needs to wake up to the fact that if he ever had a time, it has come and gone.
It means there should be fewer people on the stage at the next debate in less than two weeks, but we probably won’t be that lucky.
At least we can hope we have reached the nadir in moderation with the hapless CNBC crew. Carl Quintanilla, Becky Quick and John Harwood were simply in over their heads and lost control of the debate from the first minute when Kasich ignored their silly question about what is your main weakness.
Lost in the shuffle was the fact that all of the Republican candidates claim they can cut taxes and balance the budget, a bogus proposition in line with the fiscal trickery of the Republican poised to become the next speaker of the House, Rep. Paul Ryan. |
