Rush Limbaugh: “To Unify Behind Cruz” Would Be GOP's “Smartest Move”

Limbaugh: “But They Will Not Do That,” Because “They Don't Want Conservatism In The Party”

From the March 2 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show:

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RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): So here are the three different strategeries that are being bandied about on the Republican side, all focused on stopping Trump. Plan A, sit tight, let things go on as they are, and don't try to influence anything. Rubio sinks or swims on his own. Cruz ditto. They hope that Kasich gets out and Carson non-factors, get them out as soon as they can. But other than that, sit on everything and wait for Trump to implode. Wait for Trump to collapse. Now before you Trumpists get all made at me, I'm just telling you what the establishment strategy is. And I can detect it because I listened to them talk last night. I know who's speaking and where they're coming from. You can put two and two together, get four easily. And when you hear these establishment-types say: “Well, you know, Trump is under-performing. Well you know, Trump's not nearly as far ahead as everybody thought he would be. Well you know, with every one of these victories, Trump is not expanding his momentum.” No, very little of that is actually true. But truth is not what any of this is about, just like truth is very rarely about the outcome in court.  

This is all about perceptions, it's all about momentum, it's all about feelings combined with perceptions and so forth. Because there are still a lot of votes to happen. There's still a lot of states yet to have their primaries yet. And so creating impressions and mindsets. And that's what strategy A is all about. And believe me, there are a lot of people in the establishment that are still in complete denial, they still believe that Trump's not going to be in Cleveland. They still think that something's going to happen. Either he is going to cross a threshold that even his supporters will not stick with him on, or that he's going to quit. Something's going to happen, and he's going to realize he's not going to win, he's going to quit or he's got some other objective that nobody knows and at some point he's going to have met that objective and then quit. I mean it's silly, but that's part and parcel of the first part of the three-pronged strategy.

Plan B is to clear the field of everybody but Rubio. They do not want to unify behind Cruz. That would be their smartest move, but they will not do that. They actually -- Plan B is oriented around getting everybody to drop out and then the party unifying behind a guy who has won one state and did not reach the 20 percent threshold in a couple of states, meaning he didn't get any delegates in those states last night. That would be -- that would be Rubio, and Rubio is the desired candidate because that's where the money people want to go. He's closer to the establishment, this whole Gang of 8 business. Cruz, genuinely the -- Trumpsters think Trump owns this outsider business. Cruz is more of an outsider than you'll know in terms of the way the Republican establishment disdains him. Doesn't like him. Fears him. Hates him. They just-- it's so much of what they don't want. They don't want conservatism in the party. They don't want evangelicals prominent in the party.

Previously:

Limbaugh: “If Conservatism Is The Dominating Factor In How You Vote, There Is No Other Choice For You In This Campaign Than Ted Cruz”

Chuck Todd: Rush Limbaugh Gave “Almost An Endorsement” For Ted Cruz

Limbaugh: “I Have Never Seen Anything Like” Conservative Attacks On Cruz, Trump