Today Ted Cruz asked one of his top aides, Rick Tyler, to hand in his resignation for posting a misleading and 'inaccurate' video (CNN). The controversial video showcased subtitles which implied that the GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubio had said that "there were 'not many answers' in the Bible" (NYT).
This video was in some sorts a tipping point in the Cruz campaign for a couple reasons. First off, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Rubio have accused Cruz of playing "dirty" tricks throughout the campaign. These accusations highlight the irony of Cruz's campaign, especially because one of his slogan reads "TrusTed." Secondly, Cruz and Rubio are bitterly fighting over the support from evangelicals in order to have a chance to beat the current front runner, Trump. By throwing low blows at Rubio over the Bible, Cruz may have just put a nail in his own coffin as his unfavorable ratings have been increasing over the past few months. According to a Monmouth University poll, in November, Cruz had a unfavorable rating of 21%, and now he has an unfavorable rating of 39% (NYT).
What do you think about Trump and Rubio's comments? Do you think Cruz is going too far over the gray line of mudslinging? To what extent should candidates be allowed to publicize negative ads and posts (on social media especially)? Do you think that the recent actions committed by the Cruz campaign will have a large impact on the upcoming Nevada caucus? How about the long run?
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/02/22/ted-cruz-fires-top-aide-for-spreading-misinformation-on-marco-rubio/?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=a-lede-package-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/22/politics/rick-tyler-marco-rubio-video-
