The Rod Martin Report: November 13, 2015
A Republican Final Four, the seduction of John Kasich, the ephemeral Russian resurgence, and the growing Antarctic ice sheet. Oh, and Brown Shirts.
by Rod D. Martin
November 13, 2015
Most important political fact of the week: The consolidation of a clear Final Four in the Republican primary race.
Anyone watching the debate saw this. Cruz and Rubio owned the night; Trump, though more reserved (more presidential?) held his ground; and Carson, though underwhelming, didn’t slip. Everyone else (except the unusually obnoxious – even for him – John Kasich) was filler.
As of this writing, we’re still awaiting a post-debate national poll. But plenty of other polls bear this out, in a grinding, relentless sort of way that must seem utterly surreal inside the Beltway (and in Coral Gables). As of this morning Trump and Carson are statistically tied in Florida (24% and 23%), with Rubio close behind at 18% and Cruz at 12%. The most recent Iowa polling shows an almost identical picture (though Bush is much further behind). A new Georgia poll shows Carson leading Trump 26%-24%, Cruz in third at 14% and Rubio in fourth at 9%.
It gets worse, from John …