Cruz Strikes Back on Rubio’s Patriot Act Attacks

RollCall ^ | 10 Dec 2015 | Niels Lesniewski

[FourPeas]

Facing accusations from Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida that he's supported weakening surveillance powers, presidential rival and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas hit back against his rival on Thursday.

The two Republican presidential candidates have been at each other over their differing views on reauthorization of provisions of the Patriot Act. The provisions in question involve the bulk collection of telephone metadata by the National Security Agency. Rubio is in a contingent led by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., that is blasting people who supported ending the bulk collection, claiming the practice is key to fighting terrorist threats.

But Cruz, who was one of the conservative leaders on the USA Freedom Act with fellow Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is arguing that's flatly false.

"I co-sponsored the USA Freedom Act to enable the intelligence community to find and prosecute and kill the bad guys, while protecting ordinary citizens' privacy rights," Cruz said. "Under the USA Freedom Act, investigators have more tools to target suspected terrorists, to access their phone records, to track down with whom they've communicated."

"Under the old bulk data program, all of us were presumed guilty at the outset, and yet the universe of phone records that could be searched was materially smaller than the universe that can now be searched," Cruz told an audience on Thursday at the Heritage Foundation.

[FourPeas]

In another counter-punch, Cruz has taken to putting Rubio into the same basket as President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats who are pushing for new firearms legislation in the aftermath of the terrorist mass-shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., arguing that Rubio and his supporters are trying to undermine the Fourth Amendment in the same way Democrats undermine the Second Amendment.

"There are voices on the left who are taking the same approach, and want us to voluntarily surrender our Second Amendment rights. Both of these approaches are misguided," Cruz said Thursday. "Chief among them going after our Second Amendment rights is our president. With all due respect, the president has it exactly backwards. We don't stop the bad guys by giving away our guns. We stop the bad guys by using our guns."

Very wise of Cruz to equate our right to privacy with our RKBA.

[Uncle Miltie]

Why didn’t Bulk Collection stop San Bernardino, Rubio?

[Seruzawa]

Since Rubio wants as many immigrants as possible to enter the USA then his claims that he cares about the security of Americans is the worst sort of hypocrisy.

[stocksthatgoup]

Love how Cruz handles Rubio

[VRWCarea51]

If the next attack is carried out by those that entered via our southern border Rubio is political toast.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

One of these two guys looks like a Bellboy, and its not Cruz.

[brickdds]

Re: “Why didn’t Bulk Collection stop San Bernardino, Rubio?”

Exactly.
Now waiting for the trumpholes to step in and admonish the Cruz supporters because “The Donald” thought of EVERYTHING first.

[House Atreides]

Why didn’t Bulk Collection stop San Bernardino, Rubio?
*******************************************************
VERY valid question, Uncle Miltie. One that I suspect would leave the glib, fast-talking Rubio at a loss for words.

[scooby321]

Cruz is watching Trump to see how to destroy Rubio

[House Atreides]

One of these two guys looks like a Bellboy, and its not Cruz.
******************************************************************
LOL Give Rubio the Bellboy uniform & hat. “Call for Phillip Morris.”

[FourPeas]

Cruz is not one to be trifled with. Rubio should know better.

[DaveyB]

Cruz is watching Trump to see how to destroy Rubio

Yes, if only Cruz was brilliant, quick witted, articulate and fearless like Trump! --- do I really need the sarc tag?

[House Atreides]

So folks understand the “Call for Phillip Morris” reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNci0UfRn8U

[libbylu]

lol. Great comment!

[libbylu]

Yep, just like clockwork.

[brickdds]

That didn’t take long now did it?

[Dr. Sivana]

Cruz is not one to be trifled with. Rubio should know better.

He obviously thought he had to do something, as Cruz has been rising and Rubio has been mostly flat, and more recently sinking. He picked the wrong issue.

[oldvirginian]

Especially with regards to the constitution, that’s Ted’s strength.
Rubio does NOT want to get into a constitutional debate with Cruz.

[Lisbon1940]

We wouldn’t be talking about terrorism if it wasn’t for Donald.

[brickdds]

Or anything rlse, right?
Yeah he is all knowing.
Keep on drinking the koolaid.