A good enemy to have

Candidates are defined by what they are not

John Kasich came to Medford and put on a show.  It was the I'm-not-Trump-or-Cruz show.    Cruz is busy spinning John Boehner's comment that Cruz is Lucifer into a badge of honor.   Trump regains angry protesters with Mexican flags and "socialism" signs.

Sweet are the uses of adversity.  

Kasich had a memorable Town Hall in Medford, memorable for what did not happen.    What he said was quiet--charming even--as he discussed successes in Ohio state government.  He reduced food stamp costs.  He balanced a state budget.  He took on local nursing homes to help Ohio seniors stay in their homes.   He spoke about his Republican opponents exactly once, saying he was running for president as an optimist who would not "make a spectacle of himself" in an effort to get elected.

Kasich in Medford:  Mr. Nice Guy

That's it, for criticism of Trump and Cruz on April 28, 2016.   Back in November in New Hampshire when I saw Kasich at two long events he spoke firmly about national issues: foreign policy, Obamacare, abortion, budget balancing, immigration, border walls, taxes, and in the various televised debates he mixed it up with the others head-to-head.  

But in Medford he never mentioned and of the very things that are matters of vigorous GOP contention within themselves and against Hillary Clinton.

This is not a retreat.  It is a strategy.   Kasich is defining himself as the unexceptional lowest common denominator of Republicans, the universal solvent.  It could be his ticket to the White House because his strategy requires him to be both different from--even opposite to--Trump and Cruz and simultaneously not irrevocably estrange them and their supporters.   If there is convention deadlock, and if neither Trump people nor Cruz people can give in to the other then possibly Kasich would emerge as the compromise candidate acceptable enough to nominate and because he is disliked least.   It is a long shot, but it could happen, and therefore Kasich defined himself by what he is not--not an angry, high-drama Trump or Cruz.

Cruz, trusted to reform Washington

Meanwhile, Cruz had been defining himself as an establishment-credentialed anti-establishment Republican but was drifting away from that image when establishment Republicans saw him as the only alternative to Trump.  But now Cruz is going back to home base by doubling down on the outsider image after Boehner's comment that Cruz is a nasty SOB and worse than the devil himself.   Tough words from Boehner, repeated constantly on every media channel except Fox News.

Boehner sends Cruz back to being the outsider-reformer.   Boehner is "everything that is wrong" with Washington, Cruz said, adding, "What made John Boehner mad is that I led a movement to hold Washington accountable."    This is the positioning that got Cruz this far: the angry outsider, and it works among highly partisan Republican voters.   At the Tea Party Convention in Charleston, SC I watched Cruz bring the crowd to its feet when he blasted Boehner for compromising with Obama and the Democrats in Congress sufficient to pass a budget.  Cruz and the audience wanted the government shut down.   Boehner and Obama were common enemies, Cruz said, and the crowd loved it. 

Cruz's image had been getting confused as he drifted toward being a "normal" Republican, endorsed by the Stop Trump movement but Boehner's comments ended that rapprochement.    Cruz is back to being Cruz.

Hillary responded adeptly

And meanwhile, Trump.   Trump, too, must welcome the re-emergence of a perfect enemy in the form of angry protesters.   His criticism of Hillary and the "woman's card" had mixed results and high risks, as I observed two days ago.   Hillary embraced Trump's criticism, and her campaign brought out a "Woman's Card" for supporters to brandish.   Trump will likely return to this line of criticism, perhaps after having a chance to refine the message.  But in the meantime he has a much better opponent which moves the news cycle attention to much surer ground: Hispanic protesters with Mexican flags, and pro-Socialism signs.   Perfect for Trump.

Perfect contrast for Trump

Trump voters want a strong leader, who understands the world in common sense right versus wrong, foreigners first versus Americans first.   The anti-Trump protests are exactly what Trump needed.  Trump wants to position himself as the opponent of disorder, internationally and domestically, with the easiest domestic target being disorder by Mexicans.   The contrasts are perfect for Trump.  Protesters vs. police.  Mexican immigrants vs. white native born.  Mexican flags on American streets vs. the American flag.  Traffic blocked vs. traffic flowing.   Brown faces vs. white faces.

Protest signs

Trump called the protesters "thugs and criminals."   "It felt like I was crossing the border. . . . They should be dealt with strongly by law enforcement."

The political image of each of the three Republican candidates are firming up, in part thanks to the heightened opposition they face.  

Making Trump look respectable

Trump is the strong guy, opposed by illegitimate people who don't belong here in the first place.   Trump likes that positioning.

Cruz is the reformer Senator with credentials to lead, opposed by the powerful Washington establishment because he intends to fix a corrupt system.  Just what Cruz wants.

Kasich is the nice reasonable guy, the one Republicans can rely on if they cannot get along and need someone reliable and competent to turn to in a pinch.  Kasich is who he is not, not Cruz or Trump.