THE debate last Tuesday night confirmed my belief that Ted Cruz is using his brilliance and political strategy to map a successful route to the presidential nomination, eventually replacing the front-runner Donald Trump. Both are feared like deadly snake venom by certain factions of their party’s establishment who have no desire for either to be standing beside Hillary Clinton in the presidential finals.

What looks inevitable — and the clock is ticking towards its fulfillment — is that one of the campaigns will collapse like a building built on sand during a tsunami, and his chances of winning the nomination is no easier than a pork lover swallowing a whole roasted suckling pig. The other is taking dead aim at the nomination; with the remaining two likely candidates — one of which, in my opinion, will form the final two of the nominee finals — being Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.

Rubio and Bush came out creditably in the debate, and Chris Christie will likely challenge for the party establishment’s choice. Rubio has not, to date, displayed strength and ability to beat Hillary Clinton. Yet, Bush, with all his money, seems to be fading like dew drops on a hot tropical summer morning. Still, I will not at this stage eliminate Bush as a threat, but will reinforce my earlier prediction in an article captioned ‘History beckons: Could a Cuban-American be the next US president?’

Trump a narcissist, selfish, egotist, rabble-rouser, with a lustful passion for attention and stinginess with the truth has used his economic independence and celebrity aura to cloak his lack of desire to be president of the United States. The aforementioned characteristics has empowered him to say unsavoury things about Muslims, immigrants, candidates, the president, handicap media personnel, and numerous other people and organisations, knowing that such utterances cannot land him in the White House.

Alienating those voting blocks — Independents, women, Hispanics, African-Americans — cannot be the way to win a party nomination. But, Trump is ultra-smart. This is his fourth attempt at the presidency, the previous ones petered out like melting ice in pot of boiling water. He became shell-shocked at this response and decided to use reverse psychology and have done everything to shatter his presidential hopes.

My admiration for Trump started to germinate when I realised that he was deliberately throwing away the race. He targeted the anger and hatred of a disillusioned electorate, using it as a launching pad to self-destruct his campaign.

He taunted his party’s establishment, saying things to upset easily one-third of the world’s population, defying all logical behaviour of a successful billionaire who didn’t acquire his wealth by nefarious means but risk-taking and smart investments.

He has used the media like the creator of a jigsaw puzzle; feeding them with puzzle after puzzle, crippling their intellectual abilities, thus exposing their gullibility ignited by one of the world’s most famous narcissist gaining infamy on the world stage.

It could not be difficult to observe that some nefarious force was at hand. Trump has perfected the art of how to lose a presidential election — at the same time telling the world I have no interest in being the nominee, much more president. ‘I have made myself the most talked about person on planet Earth. I am the greatest,’ he must be saying. Donald Trump knows how to win; but he certainly knows how to lose the Republican nomination.

Trump, with all his disdainful rhetoric could gain redemption by apologising to the groups he has offended. A generous contribution of US$50 million of his fortune to help displaced and resettle migrants fleeing their countries willing to accept them (except the USA) may serve some redemptive good. This would make him appear to be a better person than how the world sees him; possibly name him person of the decade It would take that much. What about it, Trump?

When Trump exits the scene, likely when he loses the first two primaries set for February, a new front-runner will emerge. As it stands, Ted Cruz is second to Trump in most polls, and seems to be best aligned currently to fill that slot. If he wins Iowa and upsets in New Hampshire it might be hard to contain him in the southern states with the momentum in his favour. Cruz has the clearest path for the nomination at this moment.

Cruz, like all of us, has negatives. It is said he is not liked by his fellow senators, and many others. Some say he shows selfishness and a lust for power; he fuels anger and hate initiated by locking down the government for 21 days in 2013 as a first-year/term senator, which brought him to national prominence in the infamy lane.

He can use his negatives to his advantage. Being a Christian conservative, he can follow the path of Saul converted on his way to Damascus. He could seek divine guidance to improve his public relations, which could guide him to the White House. An article I wrote November 1, captioned ‘Jamaica may yet have a friend in the White House’ revealed that Cruz is not a fan of many Jamaicans, based on some responses I received. What surprised me, however, by consensus Cruz, the darling of the Tea Party, is branded a racist. Cruz has not displaced one iota of racist behaviour, based on intensive research.

The Tea Party is a misunderstood organisation its objective is to be the watchdog of the Government. As an aside: Jamaica needs a ‘Tea Party’ here to ensure the rights of the people and government expenditure must be brought in check.

Whites, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, and African descendants make up the human race. Racism is one race feeling superior to another based on ideology and behaviour. One’s genealogical difference and colour is a yardstick used by races to establish their superiority.

Every race is infected with the juggernaut of racial discrimination. We should break the shackles of mental slavery and detox our minds from inhibiting the fictitious belief that racism is monopolised by white people only, allowing ourselves to become prisoners of history (slavery).

Every nationality has inborn prejudices. We, at times, demean our power and strength, allowing others to define us, when in truth and in fact, people of dark complexion are some of the greatest influencers in the world.

We should be careful how we cast others as racist, refusing to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, do I have any moral right to tell others who they must like. Provided discrimination — which comes in different forms — does not infringe on any of our human rights in any form whatsoever, let us concentrate on uplifting and maintaining our dignity as a race and not allow others to define us. Considering the colour of your skin is of little significance, at which point you have every right to feel superior to the rest of us, failing that we all will come face to face with mortality. Skin clour does not give us eternal life.

I refuse to agree that Cruz is a racist. Research has not unearthed any utterance or behaviour to confirm that misguided belief. Having a black Jamaican friend for over 20-odd years, one best man and the godfather, attended weddings and christenings, having been roommates for years and serving side by side on victorious debating teams are all inconsistent with a racist. The human mind is not capable of such conflicting complexities.

That said, his path to the nomination is not paved with gold, He has to reconfigure his personality as this angry, disliked persona, and being said to be unable to get on with others could be his Achilles’ heels. But he shows strength and leadership qualities above his likely rivals for the presidential finals — Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio. He, however, has to broaden his base beyond the Tea Party and Christian conservatives.

Marco Rubio has not received any overwhelming support from any one voting lane like a Trump or a Cruz, and is not even leading in his home state of Florida nor in one single state. He seems to be the establishments’ choice over Jeb Bush as the nominee, but none of them is picking up the traction. Cruz remains the overwhelming choice of the Conservatives and is said to have a door-to-door election machinery edging to effectiveness nearing Obama’s mega social media machinery in 2008. It is imperative to win the early caucuses and maintain the momentum in the super twin Tuesdays, March 1 and 15. It’s early days yet, but to outperform Trump and Cruz looks like a mountainous task. Bush had a good debate on Tuesday, but so did Rubio and Cruz.

Chris Christie’s route to the nomination lacks reality. Every other syllable is from him attacking the Obama Administration. Attacking an incumbent president does not by itself win the presidential nomination. It may help in the final race for the White House. When he speaks it has a robotic ring to it like a sci-fi TV time travel series which only had a seasonal run.

In his debate on Tuesday he mentioned he would call King Abdul of Jordan as an ally to fight ISIS; but the King died in 1999. And he says he is willing to bomb Russian planes if they breach a no-fly zone, risking World War III — nonsensical rubbish, if ever the hogwash can be described.

Cruz, Rubio, and Bush all had good debates, giving prospective voters something to mull over during the Christmas holidays. This allows them 40-odd days to decide who to cast their votes for in the early caucuses and primaries. They must, above all else, choose the candidate they think is best suited to carry the party to the presidential finals. Currently the pendulum is swinging in Cruz’s direction. If he maintains or increases his momentum he could cruise into the presidential finals.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Christmas

Tony Miles is an opinion writer and author of Human Weaknesses, Forgiveness Epitomised. Send comments to the Observer ormilestony568@gmail.com.