It was clear to anyone watching last night’s Republican debate: arch-conservative Ted Cruz is sharpening his knives to take on Marco Rubio. Telegraphing his arguments on immigration and sugar subsidies, BuzzFeed notes, “Cruz foreshadowed some of the attacks his campaign plans to unleash against Rubio this winter.”
This morning, Rubio was all over cable TV and national radio saying, essentially, he’s got the memo. Cruz thinks there’s plenty of room to Rubio’s right, but the Floridian is not about to let it up easy. Rubio, as if responding directly to Cruz’s debate warning about the GOP becoming “the party of amnesty,” took to the airwaves to talk about his support for “deporting people.” The opening salvo of the Rubio-Cruz fight is on, and as Cruz continues to draw out Rubio’s most conservative elements, the Republican Party will be shrinking its appeal to the electorate it needs to win the White House.
Published: Nov 11, 2015