If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man.
-Ric Flair
We didn't anticipate starting off today's column with a quote from professional wrestling icon Ric Flair, but this is how Chuck Todd assessed the Republican race despite its devolution into a name-calling challenge. Conservative standard bearer, RedState's Erick Erickson called the performances at Thursday night's Republican debate "childish." But here we stand with Donald Trump in the clear lead to win the Republican party nomination for president - an unmitigated disaster for the party establishment who will stay home, according to Mr. Erickson, if Mr. Trump is in fact the nominee.
Senators Rubio and Cruz have had to get waist-deep in the mud with Mr. Trump in a last ditch effort to stop his momentum, which as Mr. Todd described as unsuccessful. Not surprising for Senator Cruz as anyone can rationalize that it was just a matter of time before that happened, and by natural extension Mr. Cruz contributed more today by saying that Mr. Trump has done business with the mafia in his development dealings. A serious charge that at this point just comes across as just another inflammatory remark thrown into the circus-like mix of rhetoric. However, for Senator Rubio, going to this level debases his candidacy and will ultimately be his downfall. He has wrongly been advised that to win, Mr. Rubio has to play Mr. Trump's game, but here's the problem with that: It's Trump's game, and as a casino owner will tell you, "The house always wins." If Senator Rubio really wants to win, he has to change the game entirely, which he seems unable to do.
Andrea Mitchell said that a Democratic woman would have trouble in a debate against a candidate like Mr. Trump, but especially Hillary Clinton who is vulnerable on the e-mail issue and on political Benghazi attacks. However, looking at the field, it may be that only a Democratic woman could change the game and beat Mr. Trump. Senator Rubio, the establishment's hope, is going to lose - period, hard stop.
Given that, it's either an open convention, which would turn a fracture into a clean break of the Republican party or it's a Trump nomination where the establishment, and its money, will stay home. Either way, it doesn't look good for the Republican Party headed into Super Tuesday, for which Mr. Todd outlined a number of scenarios in which either Mr. Rubio or Mr. Cruz could emerge as the legitimate number 2 candidate for the nomination. However, none of it matters because after Tuesday, if the polls are projecting even somewhat accurately Mr. Trump is going to be too far ahead for them to catch up.
Charles Cook explained today how Mr. Trump is held to a lower standard than the other candidates by the press as he is never asked what policies he would put in place, only offering that for what ever it is it will be bigger and better if Mr. Trump is president. One, this is true, and two, it will change during the general election when the press gangs up on him with the realization that he could actually take the office.
However, it's also a matter of leadership, which wasn't discussed today and we're referring to the leadership that should be coming from the party itself, meaning Reince Preibus the Republican National Committee chair. He has been absent during this campaign and under his leadership, he has allowed the Republican race to become a "farce," as Erick Erickson described it. Mr. Preibus seems to believe that even Donald Trump, under the moniker of the Republicans, winning the presidency would be a good thing for his party, which is so misguided that it is a wonder he's still the chairman of the party.
Helping Mr. Preibus' delusion is the fact that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie endorsed Mr. Trump for president this week, something that the entire panel assessed as naked political opportunism, which it most certainly is. The endorsement is completely disingenuous, sure, but let's face it, Gov. Christie is going to need a job. If Trump wins, Christie's in the cabinet. If Mr. Trump loses, at least for his loyalty, Mr. Christie will have a job with Mr. Trump doing something somewhere. Well played Mr. Christie.
And speaking of endorsements, Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) came on today's "Meet The Press" to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders for president. For the Democrats the debate has been much more civil by comparison and productive to the voters - there's substance there. We like the fact that Sec. Clinton has had the strong challenge from the left courtesy of Senator Sanders because otherwise, the Democratic voters wouldn't have had a say in the positions that the eventual nominee with advocate for in the general election, the point made by Heather McGhee of Demos Action. However, in Rep. Gabbard's reasons endorsement of Senator Sanders, she explained the he has a military mindset and would be strong on foreign policy. Maybe he will be strong in that area, but a 'military mindset' is something Senator Sanders has yet to show.
Senator Sanders is running a strong campaign, but Sec. Clinton with a blow out win in South Carolina and favored heavily in most Super Tuesday primary states, the party seems to be running its most predicable course. The Republican primary, on the other hand, has come close to reaching its full potential of volatility, in which the culmination of these smaller rhetorical explosions on the campaign trail could result in a political nuke being set off at the Republican convention in Cleveland. So much potential that it makes the 'predictability' of the Democratic race translate into 'stability.'
Panel: Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Charles Cook, The Cook Political Report; Heather McGhee, President of Demos Action; Erick Erickson, RedState.com
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