Tuesday, conservative voters have a choice, but that choice is severely limited. Clearly, the admitted socialist Sanders and the de facto socialist Clinton are off the table. Despite whatever virtues Carson and Kasich might have brought to the race, neither one of them have a snowball’s chance of winning the GOP nomination at this point. Some small government folks have fallen for the siren song of Trump, but I’ve already done all in my power to expose this folly. You can check out my two-minute argument against a Trump presidency Here, but suffice to say that nobody who favors small government would consider voting for him if they knew his record and were voting for principles rather than personality.
That leaves only two option, Cruz and Rubio. I believe Cruz is the superior choice for two reasons.
1. Cruz is a consistent small government Constitutionalist whereas Rubio is a moderate compromiser in the mold of George W. Bush.
Cruz cosponsored legislation limiting the unconstitutional abuses of the Patriot Act whereas Rubio opposed any NSA reforms and argued we should permanently implement the program. Rubio, who ran on a platform of opposing amnesty, infamously crafted the Gang of Eight bill which would have given illegal immigrants legal status. Cruz crafted a set of poison pill amendments for the Gang of Eight bill which helped thwart Rubio’s scheme. Cruz has promised to greatly reduce the size of government including complete closures of the IRS, the Departments of Education, Energy, Commerce and Housing and Urban Development. In contrast, Rubio speaks of shrinking government power, yet he actually expands government control. Remember Bush’s Medicare Part D? Rubio wanted prescription drug benefits expanded even further and proposed a new law to increase federal involvement in mental health.
Rubio follows the establishment and Cruz stands firm as the true outsider. In a field originally split fifteen ways, Rubio has collected endorsements from over a dozen senators and a dozen governors. Combining these two categories, Cruz has only had four endorsements. George W. Bush himself spoke pleasantly about every candidate except for Cruz of whom he said, “I just don’t like that guy.” Bush doesn’t like Cruz because Cruz doesn’t play ball. Rubio does.
If you want more of the same old Republican nonsense, Rubio is your guy, but if you want a guy to radically reduce the size and scope of government, Cruz is your only choice.
2. Cruz stands a better chance of blocking Trump.
If you prefer Rubio’s policies but would be open to a Cruz presidency and opposed to Trump, you need to seriously consider switching to Cruz for the block. Trump has a large lead already, and if current polling holds true, that lead will become near insurmountable as of Super Tuesday. There are more than enough votes in the GOP to stop Trump, but the problem is that those votes are split between Cruz and Rubio. Neither man can win with the other doing well in the race.
If the idea of a Trump presidency sickens you, you need to back the stronger horse, and Cruz has the advantage. Cruz won Iowa which has traditionally served as a bellwether state and proves Cruz has some appeal with the GOP base and polling for Super Tuesday reaffirms this as Cruz is favored to win Texas and Arkansas and is highly competitive in a few other states. Rubio, on the other hand, is favored to win zero states on Super Tuesday. Let’s repeat that for emphasis, Rubio is not projected to win even one measly state on Super Tuesday. Under these circumstance, Rubio has almost no chance of winning.
The choice is simple. You can vote for a consistent conservative who has a better chance of winning or a moderate Republican with a worse chance of winning. We can debate which candidate would be better for the United States, but on one point there can be no doubt. If GOP voters do not coalesce around one of these two candidates, Trump will be the face of the Republican Party for the next four years.
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