Why Isn’t Marco Rubio Winning?
If his donors were really unhappy with his strategy they could desert en masse to Rubio; if leading Republican politicians felt certain Rubio was the better bet, they could counter Jeb’s ads with a wave of endorsements.
.. Rubio’s strengths might be a bad fit for the 2016 mood. Part of the reason that pundits (myself included) have tended to rate the Florida senator highly as a candidate is that he combines a conservative record with some of the gifts of Bill Clinton circa 1992 and Barack Obama circa 2008 — eloquence, optimism, a strong personal narrative, a clear interest in domestic policy.
But in this election, many Republican voters seem to be looking for a Richard Nixon — a hard man for hard times, you might say, which isn’t really a slogan that fits the boyish-looking first term senator.