Everyone else is in single-digit territory.
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With Hillary Clinton shoring up her front-runner status in the 2016 Democratic race, the pressure was on all of the GOP candidates to stand out in their third debate, which could prove critical in helping to winnow the large field. But Rubio effectively responded by saying someone must have convinced the former governor he had to attack Rubio. Not long afterward, Cruz opened fire on the debate moderators, winning wild applause from the crowd and praise from conservatives online. He noted early questions comparing Donald Trump to a comic book villain and asking another candidate if he could add.
And yet, eight more GOP debates to go!
Meanwhile another contender with Texas ties, Jeb Bush, has cut salaries for campaign workers as he scrambles to raise money. But Bush versus Rubio was the undercard.
Eventually, Quintanilla asked the Texas legislator about his “hard-line” voting record in the US Senate, quizzing whether or not he was a “problem-solver”.
Colin Hanna of Let Freedom Ring was just as critical. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) for president in 2008 and 2004, respectively, without mentioning their missed votes. “The only reason why you’re doing it now is because… someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you”.
But Cruz pointed to what he deemed unfair questions during the first hour of the debate. It’s as close to a sick burn as Bush will ever really get and it led to one of the uglier pissing matches of the debates, as Rubio and Bush went back and forth about whether or not Bush deserved to score that particular point.
Ben Carson…I forgot participated in this one. Ohio Gov. John Kasich did it in a nonsequitor answer to a question about identifying a weakness about himself.
A lot of people think Marco Rubio had a good debate. He says the CBNC moderators are more interested in pitting the candidates against one another rather than “talking about the substantive issues people care about”.
As the Washington Post noted, only 27% of Republicans trust the mass media, a number far lower than for independents and Democrats. Neither party elites nor voters have fallen behind Rubio yet, but it seems to commentators like this is the obvious thing for them to do.
As for the winners, Rice’s Mark Jones said Cruz and Rubio came up big.
“You want an answer to that question?”
CRUZ: And Carl, I’m not finished yet.
When it was over, nary was heard a discouraging from Cruz (other than about Democrats).
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On paper, all this makes a ton of sense.
