“He has the biggest organization of any Republican, he has people in the early states already working and organizing…”
Friendly reminder: While Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and Ted Cruz were debating constitutional law on the Senate floor for the better part of 13 grueling hours– Marco Rubio initially refused to participate.
When Marco Rubio eventually did show up, he only spoke for about 10 minutes– a not-insignificant portion of which he spent discussing his affinity for rappers…
What. An. Airhead.
But the establishment will not be denied: Reince Priebus rigs primary rules to ensure Marco Rubio’s victory…
Tucked in near the end of the 97-page report, formally known as The Growth and Opportunity Project, are less than four pages that amount to a political bombshell: the five-member panel urges halving the number of presidential primary debates in 2016 from 2012, creating a regional primary cluster after the traditional early states and holding primaries rather than caucuses or conventions.
Each of those steps would benefit a deep-pocketed candidate in the mold of Mitt Romney. That is, someone who doesn’t need the benefit of televised debates to get attention because he or she can afford TV ads; has the cash to air commercials and do other forms of voter contact in multiple big states at one time; and has more appeal with a broader swath of voters than the sort of ideologically-driven activists who typically attend caucuses and conventions…
Reaction was swift. Allies of potential 2016 hopefuls Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and former Sen. Rick Santorum, sensing a power play by the establishment-dominated panel, reacted angrily to recommendations they think are aimed at hurting candidates who do well in caucuses and conventions and need debates to get attention.
