Jeb Bush’s Super PAC is attacking Marco Rubio and John Kasich, and Kasich is returning fire. Chris Christie and Marco Rubio are blasting each other. And the Republican establishment is tearing its hair out over all of this, watching Donald Trump and Ted Cruz stay strong while the preferred establishment candidates tear each other apart.
“There’s a mounting sense of urgency among donors that the weak performers need to go ahead and get out,” said Steven Law, the president of American Crossroads, a Republican “super PAC.”
But which of them aren’t looking like weak performers, at this point?
“These guys are so busy fighting one another that they’re only continuing to facilitate the rise of Trump and Cruz,” complained Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma, a longtime Republican strategist. [...]
“Whoever is not named Trump and not named Cruz that looks strong out of both Iowa and New Hampshire, we should consolidate around,” said Henry Barbour, an influential Republican strategist based in Mississippi.
Note that third in Iowa and second in New Hampshire is what would look like strength out of those two states.
As delicious as this story is, four demerits to the New York Times for twice referring to Bush, Rubio, Kasich, and Christie as “mainstream” candidates. They are establishment candidates. That doesn’t make them mainstream.