# Marco Rubio presidential campaign discussion thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 14, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685 "2015-04-14T21:41:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/401 "2016-03-10T16:12:28Z")
Oh, to be a fly on the wall at the meeting of the anti-Trump axis today (Cruz, Rubio, Kasich, Bush). This is the last chance to stop Trump. What will they decide? For Rubio to drop out? For Cruz and Rubio to cede Ohio to Kasich? What an interesting week coming up, which I think will be the end of the stop Trump movement. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/402 "2016-03-10T16:16:47Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Oh, to be a fly on the wall at the meeting of the anti-Trump axis today (Cruz, Rubio, Kasich, Bush). This is the last chance to stop Trump. What will they decide? For Rubio to drop out? For Cruz and Rubio to cede Ohio to Kasich? What an interesting week coming up, which I think will be the end of the stop Trump movement. If I were a GOP voter, I’d be pretty offended at the notion that they can just tell me how to vote–to “cede Ohio to Kasich” or anything similar. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/403 "2016-03-10T16:23:39Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > If I were a GOP voter, I’d be pretty offended at the notion that they can just tell me how to vote–to “cede Ohio to Kasich” or anything similar. I don’t interpret it as telling you how to vote, it’s more like allocating your resources in the best way to deny Trump the nomination. Cruz and Rubio can run anti-Trump ads in Ohio and decline to run ads for themselves. If they both campaign aggressively in Ohio it may do nothing more than hand Trump the nomination. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/404 "2016-03-10T23:24:58Z")
Yep. Two thirds of GOP voters don’t want Trump. So we just have to figure out the best way to deny him the nomination. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/405 "2016-03-10T23:26:51Z")
Close the party. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/406 "2016-03-10T23:35:29Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Yep. Two thirds of GOP voters don’t want Trump. So we just have to figure out the best way to deny him the nomination. Yah, but 85% of GOP voters don’t want Rubio! How do we know that, if the campaign were reduced to just 2 candidates, Trump wouldn’t get more than 50%? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/407 "2016-03-10T23:51:58Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I don’t interpret it as telling you how to vote, it’s more like allocating your resources in the best way to deny Trump the nomination. Cruz and Rubio can run anti-Trump ads in Ohio and decline to run ads for themselves. If they both campaign aggressively in Ohio it may do nothing more than hand Trump the nomination. Ohio votes in five days, and presumably any change in ad programming takes at least a day or two to put in effect. I kinda doubt changing three days worth of advertizing is really going to make much difference. I’m not sure there’s anything the candidates could agree on to make a difference in that time other than one (or more) of them agreeing to drop out. And that seems unlikely. Each of them has a decent argument about why the other two are doing worse then they are. It’s hard to see them agreeing on which one of them should take a hit for the team. And at least two of them have kinda burnt the ships behind them as far as their current political offices are concerned (Rubio by saying he won’t run again for the Senate, Cruz by making the rest of the Senate hate him), so they’re both unlikely to be able to shrug their shoulders and drop out, hoping for another chance next time. > [@adher](#): > > Yep. Two thirds of GOP voters don’t want Trump. So we just have to figure out the best way to deny him the nomination. There’s less “second choice” polling than you’d expect, but at least in Jan. Trump comes in second place in polling asking who GOP voters second choice for nominee would be (after Cruz). So its pretty clear that much more than two-thirds of GOP voters are OK with him being Prez. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/408 "2016-03-10T23:54:49Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > Yah, but 85% of GOP voters don’t want Rubio! > > How do we know that, if the campaign were reduced to just 2 candidates, Trump wouldn’t get more than 50%? We don’t, and if the delegates are free, the might nominate Trump anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/409 "2016-03-11T00:02:41Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > There’s less “second choice” polling than you’d expect, but at least in Jan. Trump comes in second place in polling asking who GOP voters second choice for nominee would be (after Cruz). So its pretty clear that much more than two-thirds of GOP voters are OK with him being Prez. Well, here’s [one guy](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/03/10/ben-carson-plans-to-endorse-trump/) who presumably was planning on voting for another candidate whose second choice is Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/410 "2016-03-11T17:31:06Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Ohio votes in five days, and presumably any change in ad programming takes at least a day or two to put in effect. I kinda doubt changing three days worth of advertizing is really going to make much difference. I’m not sure there’s anything the candidates could agree on to make a difference in that time other than one (or more) of them agreeing to drop out. So apparently this is the grand plan to stop Trump: > [@](#): > > BREAKING: Rubio communications director Alex Conant tells us Rubio supporters in Ohio should vote for John Kasich. Apparently the Kasich campaign couldn’t be convinced to agree to the strategy since their response was" > [@](#): > > Kasich spokesperson Rob Nichols on Rubio news: “We were going to win in OH without his help, just as he’s going to lose in FL w/o ours” I wasn’t expecting much, but this is an even weaker effort than I thought it would be. Basically a bare-minimum effort by Rubio (not even from Rubio himself) to help Kasich in Ohio, and the Kasich campaign telling Rubio to go fuck himself. I think its safe to say that if the Trump campaign ends up failing, its not going to be due to any sort of co-ordinated anti-Trump block. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/411 "2016-03-11T17:37:04Z")
I still don’t understand what the point of splitting home states is. So they deny Trump the chance to win in those states, and… what? He’s still going to have a gigantic plurality. Are they hoping to be anointed at the convention? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/412 "2016-03-11T17:39:14Z")
The U.S. Virgin Islands GOP delegation is purposefully uncommitted: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/03/11/uncommitted-gop-strategists-win-virgin-islands-contest-denying-delegates-to-cruz-and-trump/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/03/11/uncommitted-gop-strategists-win-virgin-islands-contest-denying-delegates-to-cruz-and-trump/) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/413 "2016-03-11T17:41:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I still don’t understand what the point of splitting home states is. So they deny Trump the chance to win in those states, and… what? He’s still going to have a gigantic plurality. Are they hoping to be anointed at the convention? The point would be to retain some relevance for their own shares. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/414 "2016-03-11T17:47:59Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I still don’t understand what the point of splitting home states is. So they deny Trump the chance to win in those states, and… what? He’s still going to have a gigantic plurality. Are they hoping to be anointed at the convention? They’re hoping the electorate will come to its senses and repudiate Trump, or that he’ll find some way to disqualify himself (it hasn’t happened yet but youneverknow) before the convention, so an “electable” candidate can get the nomination instead. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/415 "2016-03-11T17:48:40Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Are they hoping to be anointed at the convention? That seems to be the idea. Keep delegates from Trump, and than hope they can snatch the nomination in the ensuing mess. Agree its a pretty big longshot though. Even if it keeps Trump from a majority, it’ll ensure his pluarality is large enough that the convention will have a hard time not giving him the nod. So in reality, I suspect the “strategy” is just a fig-leaf to cover the fact that none of Cruz/Rubio/Kaisich wants to drop out, but they need something to point to to say that they have a plausible course of action to stop Trump that involves their staying in. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/416 "2016-03-11T17:52:02Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I still don’t understand what the point of splitting home states is. So they deny Trump the chance to win in those states, and… what? He’s still going to have a gigantic plurality. Are they hoping to be anointed at the convention? The point is to minimize the chances of Trump’s getting a majority rather than a plurality. If Trump comes into the convention with \<1237 delegates, then presumably anything could still happen, and even a dork like Rubio or an asshat like Cruz can imagine that he’s just a few lucky breaks away from the nomination. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/417 "2016-03-11T17:52:28Z")
I can’t see anyone who ran who did not get the most votes winning at the convention. I could see them bringing in someone who didn’t run, like Romney or Ryan. But to say “You voters had the opportunity to vote for this guy and didn’t, so we’ll force him on you” seems like a bad idea. “You didn’t have the opportunity to vote for this guy but you might have” seems safer. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/418 "2016-03-11T19:49:24Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I can’t see anyone who ran who did not get the most votes winning at the convention. I could see them bringing in someone who didn’t run, like Romney or Ryan. But to say “You voters had the opportunity to vote for this guy and didn’t, so we’ll force him on you” seems like a bad idea. “You didn’t have the opportunity to vote for this guy but you might have” seems safer. Particularly if that person can be shown to have the support of the candidates most of them did vote for–not any one of Cruz, Rubio, Kasich, but all of them. That in turn would require giving those candidates something, for their endorsements, and for the sway they have with the delegates who come in pledged to them. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/419 "2016-03-11T20:08:22Z")
Think how much fun it’ll be when that plan works and President Cruz appoints Cabinet Secretaries Rubio, Kasich, Carson, & Bush (just in case). Perhaps even Gilmore just because he can. That crew on C-Span would be comedy gold I tell’s ya! ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/420 "2016-03-11T20:12:10Z")
They could sell it as a second “Team of Rivals” for the “Party of Lincoln.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685.md?page=22)