Rand Paul Calls Ted Cruz on Bashing Their Party

Houston Press ^ | Tue., Mar. 11 2014 at 7:00 AM | Dianna Wray

[SoConPubbie]

Lots of people in the Republican party are fed up with Sen. Ted Cruz, but Sen. Rand Paul is the guy who is doing something about it.

On Monday, the conservative news website, Breitbart News, published an op-ed by Paul, where the senator from Kentucky took Cruz to task -- without ever actually naming the guy who may be beloved by the Tea Party conservatives, but has earned some pretty impressive dislike from the elected members of his own party -- for his hijinks that Paul said have encouraged divisions within the party:

"I don't claim to be the next Ronald Reagan nor do I attempt to disparage fellow Republicans as not being sufficiently Reaganesque. But I will remind anyone who thinks we will win elections by trashing previous Republican nominees or holding oneself out as some paragon in the mold of Reagan, that splintering the party is not the route to victory."

Paul based the whole thing around Reagan, the guy that every Republican with presidential aspirations wants to grow up to be. Cruz has bucked the authority of party leaders and has made it routine to oppose anything that smells of compromise while likening himself to President Ronald Reagan. Because the Gipper is second only to God among Republicans, comparing yourself with him is on the level of calling yourself the Lord and Savior. In some circles -- the ones on the far sides of the inter-party divide -- it's worse.

Paul went over how one does not become the "next Reagan" by pretending to do what Reagan would have done.

"Every Republican likes to think he or she is the next Ronald Reagan. Some who say this do so for lack of their own ideas and agenda. Reagan was a great leader and President. But too often people make him into something he wasn't in order to serve their own political purposes."

Of course, Paul and Cruz are both angling to be on the top of the 2016 Republican ticket, so it's not exactly a shock to see Paul call Cruz out in a backhanded fashion over Cruz's claims to Reagan's legacy. At the same time Paul himself is hoping a little of that Reagan magic rubs off. He put out the op-ed in Breitbart pleading for people to find some tolerance and stop splitting the Republican party up.

[SoConPubbie]

	"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton "We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792 "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams

[SoConPubbie]

Ted Cruz Ping!

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Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!

[Cringing Negativism Network]

This bit between Rand Paul and Ted Cruz seems like a set-up actually.

I like both of them.

[a fool in paradise]

Houston Repress called Ted Cruz the turkey of the year last year in their “turkeys” issue that comes out every November.

In the past it has been Rick Perry, Tom DeLay, pretty much any high profile Republican in the state.

It’s a free “alternative” weekly with sex ads that fund its publication. And while some may say “live and let live”, the big scandal with the advertising is that underaged and trafficked women are sold there.

[areukiddingme1]

If Rand Paul ends up being “the” candidate — I’m staying home.

[originalbuckeye]

Already??

[RinaseaofDs]

The press has anointed Rand Paul, and he’s venal enough to believe he can be President, even with his whack job Daddy who will not be able to restrain himself once Paul wins the nomination.

Cruz, in my opinion, is a guy who can win and is conservative enough to change things in DC. If he can’t do it, they should drop a nuke on DC during SOTU and start over. All kidding aside. It’s come to that.

[a fool in paradise]

Looks like the new owners of Village Voice Media don’t own backpage.com anymore, but there are still plenty of sex ads and the controversy about the nature of the women being sold is still open.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/village-voice-splits-sex-ad-linked-backpage

[Ron H.]

The "Houston Press" is pretty far out on the left fringe of the political spectrum so I rarely take to heart anything they have to say about anyone or anything on the political right. This sounds like a social liberal (maybe a libertarian) political hack hoping and wishing Sen Cruz would just go away.

Here's to Sen. Ted Cruz for President in 2016. And (hopefully) Sarah Palin for VP. I'm sure a place can be found for Rand Paul somewhere in a Cruz Administration.

[Mich Patriot]

Okay, thanks in advance for all your help in getting another democrat, maybe even Hillary, in the WH.

Cruz is my first choice as of now, but Rand Paul is hardly a RINO. There is a lot of time left...I’m sure you will be paying attention and ultimately make the right decision.

[areukiddingme1]

Too soon?

[jpsb]

The Houston Press? Really, wow, this is a new low, even for you. Guess you will be posting articles from HuPo next.

[a fool in paradise]

http://www.houstonpress.com/2013-11-28/news/turkeys-of-the-year-2013/

[Grampa Dave]

"Already??"

Yep, we can see our party setting up the circular firing squads to take out any Republican for horrible sins like not chewing the same gum as they do or whatever.

[Resolute Conservative]

They can point out Reagan’s rule about not criticizing fellow Republicans but I dare say the ones being criticized are not true Republicans. Reagan himself would have a hard time not calling these backstabbing traitors on the carpet.

[cuban leaf]

If we have a paul vs cruz war, Cruz will win. It is an odd willingness to bluntly tell it like it is in a sort of Sarah Palin way, but he has a LOT more credibility, mainly because he’s a man and a senator. Yes, the liberals that hate Palin are overtly sexist about it. They can’t play that card against Cruz. It really leaves them with nothing.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Well I’m for Palin myself.

But Paul and Cruz are both strong challengers.

I say Palin 2016.

[grania]

This bit between Rand Paul and Ted Cruz seems a bit set-up actually

As long as the attention stays on them, and folks are choosing either Cruz or Paul, we can end up with a Cruz/Paul or Paul/Cruz ticket. That's much better than letting a RINO gain traction.

As far as the rifts they have? I'd say they complement each other and together they can solve a lot of problems.

[Ron H.]

They can point out Reagan’s rule about not criticizing fellow Republicans but I dare say the ones being criticized are not true Republicans. Reagan himself would have a hard time not calling these backstabbing traitors on the carpet.

Agreed 100%

[jpsb]

BTW there was already a thread on Pauls remarks, but I guess you prefer the Houston Press to Breitbart.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3131636/posts