When losing to the star of a reality TV show, is it really so crazy to resort to reality-show tactics to defeat him?

I’m not referring to Marco Rubio’s decision to fight fire with fire with Donald Trump and return insult for insult. I, for one, thought it was wholly appropriate for Rubio to give the schoolyard bully a taste of his own medicine. The evidence shows that Rubio’s attacks, while tardy, paid off. Voters not already enraptured with Trump are open to persuasion, and late deciders broke disproportionately for Rubio on Super Tuesday in most races.

Indeed, once again, most voters voted against Trump, not for him, and that’s where reality-show tactics come in.

Not counting Top Chef and Naked and Afraid, I’m not a big fan of reality shows, but I’ve watched my share of Survivor, The Bachelor, and even Trump’s own personal propaganda series, The Apprentice. It seems to me that in many of these shows, the game is played the same way: Groups form alliances. Sometimes these alliances are formal, often they are tacit and voluntary — but they are all temporary.

At the end of the season, the winner is the guy or gal who was in the right alliance until the alliance no longer served his or her needs. Fans may be happy or disappointed based on who emerges, but it’s silly to say that Tiffany stole the Bachelor from Rhonda. That’s simply how the game is played. Well, welcome to the big leagues. Trump has been playing the game all along, and now that he’s ahead, he doesn’t think anyone should be allowed to change their tactics to beat him.

If this had been a two-person race from the beginning — as the Democratic race has been since Iowa — Trump would probably be as far behind as Bernie Sanders is. But Trump took advantage of the fact that the Republican field was so divided for so long. Nothing wrong with that. But there’s also nothing wrong with trying to stop Trump. Alliances are part of the game. The delegate system allows for it. And that’s why Mitt Romney’s advice in his powerful anti-Trump speech Thursday was entirely valid. If you’re against Trump and you live in Ohio, vote for John Kasich. If you’re against Trump in Florida, vote for Rubio. If you’re against Trump in a state where Ted Cruz is ahead, vote for Cruz.

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Source: Jonah Goldberg, www.nationalreview.com