I've been a political junkie since I was 17, which was 42 years ago. I still don't understand something. Suppose two candidates, A and B, are competing for the nomination of a major party, the winner to run against the nominee of the other major party. Both A and B have healthy egos and both, accordingly, want to win. Each must be smart enough to realize that he or she needs the votes of everyone in the party plus some from outside the party. So why would A (for example) alienate B's supporters by attacking B? To make the example concrete, why would Ted Cruz alienate Donald Trump's supporters by attacking Trump? Isn't Cruz, in doing this, telling Trump's supporters to fuck off? And how likely is it that, having been told by Cruz to fuck off, they're going to vote for Cruz should Cruz get the nomination?
It makes no sense to me, but it happens. It's happening this year in both parties. Please don't say that it's the only way to run a campaign. It's not. Trump and Cruz could refrain from mentioning the other, much less attacking the other. Simply inform prospective voters of your beliefs, values, and principles, state your record, display your character, advertise your high-profile supporters, and let the voters choose. If I had to offer an explanation for why political candidates shoot themselves in the foot, it's that they let their egos interfere with their judgment. Once A attacks B, the temptation for B to respond in kind is, while not literally irresistable, overwhelming. What say you? Please keep it at an abstract level, as I did. (My example of Trump and Cruz was only an example.)
