22 February 2016

A five-man or a one-man race?

Time has an article by Zeke Miller about the 2016 elections:
The Republican primary is now a five-man race, after Jeb Bush dropped out this weekend. Or it's a four-man, a three-man, a two-man, or even a one-man race, depending on which campaign is talking. The jostling comes after a three-tiered finish in South Carolina that saw Donald Trump win his second state in a row with about a third of the vote, followed by Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, each about ten percentage points behind, with Ben Carson and John Kasich at the high single digits. Kasich sought to declare victory for pushing Bush, who finished similarly, out of the race, while Rubio and Cruz argued they are the best candidate to take on Trump and that the GOP field should coalesce behind them. Trump's back-to-back victories, combined with concerns he'll finish similarly in the Nevada caucuses, is heightening establishment GOP concerns that time is running out to keep him from the nomination. At this point, a three- or four- man race appears far more likely for a while, as all but Carson cling to narrow theories of how they can win. But unless it's down to two people, Trump's in an exceptionally strong position in a year in which experience has become a vulnerability and bombast a desired character trait.
The Rubio and Cruz fight, which grew bitter in South Carolina, has shown no sign of ebbing as the campaigns continue to trade barbs. Cruz' spokesman was forced to apologize for spreading a false story about Rubio that was publicly debunked while, a day before, a Rubio surrogate dropped by a Cruz rally in Pahrump, Nevada, to criticize the candidate. In Nevada, the pair have adopted differing strategies for victory, with Cruz betting on winning over libertarian voters who used to back Rand Paul and Rubio doubling-down on a message of diversity aimed at the general election. Meanwhile, after South Carolina, the GOP faces a choice between three divergent paths for future of the party.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton's victory in Nevada left her staff exhaling a collective sigh of relief, as minority voters propelled her to victory over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic caucuses. Now the race shifts to South Carolina, where Clinton leads, thanks to a commanding share of the black vote, and more diverse states the following week on Super Tuesday that should provide her with another boost. While Sanders has the resources and conviction to take the fight deep into the nominating calendar, Clinton has erased most doubts that she's the far-and-away front-runner and is likely to win the nomination.
Rico says he's not looking forward to the available choices from either of the parties, and may have to write in Ben Carson...

No comments:

 

Casino Deposit Bonus