Posted on 09/01/2015 11:24:06 AM PDT by Isara
Sen. Ted Cruz is talking about the establishment these days: the one he plans to tear apart in Washington, D.C., and, in the meantime, the one he’s building up among his grassroots supporters in early-voting states.
The Texas Republican says the latter is the strongest of any presidential candidate.
Before unveiling his Manchester headquarters Monday, Cruz stopped in Concord and touted his dedicated teams in New Hampshire and in Iowa, South Carolina and “across the Super Tuesday states” as the heart of his campaign.
“Here in New Hampshire, our leadership team is – on any objective measure – much stronger than any other candidate’s in the field,” he said after a business roundtable at The Draft Sports Bar and Grill.
Former speaker of the house Bill O’Brien, former U.S. senator Bob Smith and Executive Councilor David Wheeler headline that team, but the list is long. Last week, Cruz announced 66 new endorsements from Granite Staters whose titles range from former state senator or four-term state representative – brothers Fenton and Warren Groen of Rochester, respectively – to “first-time campaign activist.”
Factoring in the existing team announced in mid-May, Cruz’s leaders in New Hampshire number 107, representing a diverse group, “that old Reagan coalition,” he said, which comes “from multiple ideological spectrums, multiple backgrounds.”
Ronald Reagan, the former president and conservative darling, was “despised” by Washington insiders, Cruz said, painting himself into that same brand.
“By the way, if you see a candidate who Washington embraces, run and hide,” he flared.
He said the New York Times opined after his presidential announcement that he can’t win because the Washington elites loathe him, adding, “I kind of thought that was the whole point of the campaign.”
He said there’s a “bipartisan corruption of career politicians in both parties who get in bed with lobbyists and special interests and grow and grow and grow government” and he intends to “bring power out of Washington and back to we, the people.”
Cruz, who according to an average of polls compiled by Real Clear Politics is seventh among Republicans in New Hampshire, said the other early perception about his campaign was that he’d be donation poor because of his standing with those insiders.
On the contrary, he said, in “hard money,” or donations directly to a campaign, not a super PAC, he raised the most out of all Republicans as of the most recent filing date a few weeks ago.
He said he beat the second-place finisher, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, $14.3 million to $11.4 million, with his contributions coming from 15 times as many donors as Bush. One or more Cruz donors came from 55 percent of the ZIP codes across the country, he said.
“Our average contribution was $68. His average contribution was $926. That is the power of the grassroots,” he said.
(Bush’s super PAC, Right to Rise USA, has raised more than $103 million, according to Open Secrets. Cruz’s super PACs have raised $38.3 million.)
Regarding his hard money fundraising, Cruz turned to one of the roundtable’s hosts, Rep. Laurie Sanborn.
“Now, Laurie, if I’d have told you four months ago we were going to out-raise every candidate in the field – including out-raising Jeb Bush by $3 million – you’d have said I was bark-at-the-moon nuts,” he said.
“Not me, actually,” she replied.
“Amen,” Cruz said.
Trump trumps Cruz. Trump is Trump’s leadership team. Cruz doesn’t have Trump.
LOL...Trump is a one-man, Chuck Norris-type leadership team, giving round house kicks to all of the other teams.
And, like Trump, I like my Sen Cruz :)
Ground game still counts.
Pound it out, Ted!
When you’re at 5 or 6% in the polls, and another person is at 23-35% in the polls, it’s probably not the right time to claim you’re leadership team is tops.
CURRENT COMMITTEES (SOURCE: Cruz web site):
•Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
•Subcommittee on Seapower
•Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
•Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness, Chairman
•Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
•Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet
•Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security
•Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
Committee on the Judiciary
•Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, Chairman
•Subcommittee on The Constitution
•Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest
Joint Economic Committee
Committee on Rules & Administration
He’s practicing the power of positive thinking.
Trump trumps Cruz.
Cruz will cruise on by Trump when Trump voters.. “smell” Trump for what he really is..
Maybe Cruz is already doing it.. Trumps act is getting stale.. one trick pony..
Trump voters love “shiny things”.. and are awed by the word “BILLION”..
But not all of them are STUPID.. or like CONNIVING...
Trump is the KING of Connivers..
Sez you. What “one trick” does the Donald have? I see far more than one trick. I see someone who has enormous potential to right some wrongs and get this country turned around in Immigration, Defense, Jobs, Taxes, Sovereignty, just for starters. If it takes a conniver to out connive the connivers who hate this country, I’m all for Trump. He loves America.
I like Cruz. I wish his numbers were better. What I do note, is that although he’s what most consider to be the best Conservative around, look at what his numbers are.
So when I say the GOPe will triangulate Cruz into oblivion, some folks think I’m crazy.
No, I’m just a realist and recognize we don’t have any hope short of Trump this time around. And we don’t have much time left.
All well and good for yourself, but public consumption?
I’m not convinced that’s the proper arena.
Public popularity is not the same as best leadership. I'm guessing you didn't think Obama the best choice for leadership and the team he would assemble.
look at what his numbers are
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Yes, almost the same as Perry at this time in the last election.
It is early, way early to claim another won’t gain more support.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/2012_2008_gop_presidential_race_4_years_ago.html
Okay, we’ll see how it goes.
What “one trick” does the Donald have?
Simple Molly.. Selling YOU that he is a Conservative..
Closing the deal(with you).. that he has beneficial plans for America..
I suggest you read the small print in that contract...
He’s really good at Selling.. very bad at leadership..
Leadership is NOT selling.. it’s by example..
TRUMP’s entire proven confirmed EXAMPLE.. is liberal go along to get along.. “make the DEAL”..
Ted Cruz’s entire LIFE is examples of LEADERSHIP..
He’s just a leader.. a good one.. No bullshit quiet steady proven leadership..
Just as a comparison to the last election, the polls from this point forward changed leaders 9 times between 5 candidates before Romney stayed ahead from late February.
Trump will beat Progs to a pulp.
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It's disappointing that Cruz's transparent "VP-pick-me" gambit keeps propagating that he "bonded" w/ Trump over the issue of illegal immigration."
.Trump and Cruz are miles apart. Cruz has championed an expansion of legal immigration, arguing it would help the economy. During the 2013 immigration debate, Cruz proposed an amendment to the “gang of eight” Senate bill that he boasted would “dramatically increase” the annual limit on H-1B skilled guest worker visas from—65,000 to 325,000—a five-fold expansion.
Cruz also voted for Obama's trade deal...a deal Trump plans to obliterate.
And while Trump has ignited America's visceral contempt for politiciansCruz is a Washington wonk. He has yet to highlight even one of his committees as a campaign credential.
A huge red flag is that Cruz. consistently depicting himself as "latino".....the first elected by Texas. Yet his family bgrnd indicates only his father is Spanish; his mother is not---she's Irish and Italian from each of her parents. Cruz has been living large, seeking the spotlight off his last name for ages. Could be a latino "us against them" battle-cry lurking behind all of his conservative blather.
So you’re saying Deez Nuts still has a chance?
I understand that and of course anything can happen.
I don’t see that election in the same terms I see this one.
The political dynamics are far different.
We didn’t have a massive populist get trounced to provide us with Romney at the end of the day.
None of those candidates were pulling across the demographic lines Trump is.
You’ll be a sage if you’re right, but I don’t think it takes a sage to predict Trump is going to be the nominee and take the general election as well. And I don’t think it means that person would be a fool to think it.
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