Trump raises 'red flag' with Limbaugh

Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh inched away from GOP front-runner Donald Trump Monday, suggesting on his radio program that the casino tycoon's recent criticism of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, raises red flags.

"You cannot legitimately and honestly criticize Cruz's competence, his intelligence, his abilities. He's as bright and competent and capable and smart as anybody, and they all know it," the host said Monday, "A genuine conservative, even in the Republican field, would not go after Cruz this way. So that just raised a red flag for me, made me somewhat curious."

Limbaugh's comments came as part of a broader discussion regarding Cruz's sudden rise in the polls, especially in Iowa where the Texas senator holds a 10 point lead over Trump, according to a new Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register poll released Saturday.

In response to Cruz's recent success, Trump lashed out Sunday by publicly questioning the senator's ability to run in 2016 as a qualified GOP presidential candidate.

"I don't think [Cruz] has the right temperament. I don't think he's got the right judgment. You look at the way he's dealt with the Senate where he goes in there like a ... you know, frankly, like a little bit of a maniac," the real estate mogul said Sunday in a Fox News interview. "You're never going to get things done that way. You can't walk into the Senate and scream and call people liars and not be able to cajole and get along with people. He'll never get anything done, and that's the problem with Ted."

Cruz, who has avoided saying anything critical about Trump, laughed off the criticism.

"Whoa. Wait just a second here. Doesn't that kind of describe the way Trump has been dealing with people he disagrees with? I mean, he's been calling them stupid, he's been calling them incompetent, he's been saying you can't get anything done with these people," Limbaugh said Monday.

"But for the people in the Trump support base who are conservatives, and who may not even have any affinity for Cruz ... The conservative base of the Republican Party likes a lot of different people," he added.

But the host hinted that Trump sounded an awful lot this weekend like members of the so-called GOP "establishment."

"Even people who are not particularly aligned with Cruz on the right have got to be curious about this because this is no different than what the media would say about Ted Cruz," he said. "This is no different than what the Democrat Party would say. I mean, this is what the Republican establishment would say, for crying out loud. I mean, this is akin to saying, 'I'm the guy who can cross the aisle and work with the other side.' That hasn't been the way Trump has come off up 'til now. He's not positioned that way."

Limbaugh then explained that Trump is merely adopting a tried and true strategy for smearing Cruz.

"This is obviously the Trump campaign deciding to use the most common criticism against Cruz because they see that Cruz has negatives," he said, suggesting that the real estate mogul is making a play for the "establishment's" support. "They see that Cruz is not liked by the Republican establishment, and so they're just piggybacking on that, I think, as a way for Trump to maybe score some points with the Republican establishment."

Trump has "decided to go after Cruz here in the way the establishment Republicans go after Cruz, in the way the media goes after Cruz, in the way the Democrats go after Cruz," he said. "He's essentially put on his John McCain hat here and is saying, 'I'm Donald McCain, and I'm the guy that can cross the aisle and work with the other side. Ted Cruz can't.'"

He added that he doesn't think the criticism will hurt Trump with his conservative supporters, because most of Trump's base isn't conservative. Limbaugh also made sure to note towards the end of his program Monday that he hasn't turned on Trump; he's just asking questions.

Rush is an always has been GOPe. Trump is only not GOPe, not uniparty candidate, Rush will turn on Trump to promote the uniparty GOPe candidate Cruz.

Ted Cruz likes to be on both sides of an issue.

Egypt
Cruz sided with the terrorist Muslim Brother (MB) when the Egyptian military military over threw the terrorish MB.

"President Obama's detached and abstract statement yesterday on deteriorating conditions in Egypt is only the most recent manifestation of this Administration's failed policy in that country. As there can no longer be any reasonable doubt that what occurred in July was a military coup, the first step is to send an unequivocal message that the United States is a nation of laws and suspend aid to Egypt."

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But ..... Cruz praising the Egypts' al-Sissi that lead the coup to over throw the MB.

Let me contrast President Obama, who at the prayer breakfast essentially acted as an apologist. He said well gosh the crusades, the inquisitions ... We need a president that shows the courage that Egypt's President al-Sissi did as a Muslim when he called out the radical Islamic terrorists who are threatening the world.

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On the Patriot Act Texas Senator and GOP presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz
praised fellow presidential candidate and Senator Sen. Rand Paul's speech against the renewal of the Patriot Act on Wednesday.

Cruz began, "I would note he [Rand Paul] and I agree on a great many issues, although we don't agree entirely on this issue, but I want to take the opportunity to thank the Senator from Kentucky for his passionate defense of liberty. His is a voice that this body needs to listen to." And praised the prior work of Rand and his father, former Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX).

He continued, "I think protecting the Bill of Rights is a fundamental responsibility of the federal government. And it is heartbreaking over the last six years that we have seen a federal government that not only fails to protect the Bill of Rights, but that routinely violates the constitutional liberties of American citizens, routinely violates the Bill of Rights."

Cruz added, "It is the position of the Obama administration that the federal government has the full constitutional authority to track the location of every American citizen, no matter where we walk. That is a breathtaking assertion of power."

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But .... Senate Renews Patriot Act and Rejects Bill That Would've Ended NSA's Domestic Spying Program
Here's the roll call, vote by vote position. Notice the four Republican Senators who voted for it: Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Dean Heller, and Lisa Murkowski.

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Cruz is for legal status (amnesty) for illegal immigrates
"And I'd like to make a final point to those advocacy groups that are very engaged in this issue and rightly concerned about addressing our immigration system, and in particular about addressing the situation for the 11 million who are currently in the shadows. If this amendment is adopted to the current bill the effect would be that those 11 million under this current bill would still be eligible for RPI status. [Registered Provisional Immigrant] They would still be eligible for legal status and indeed under the terms of the bill they would be eligible for LPR status as well [Lawful Permanent Resident], so that they are out of the shadows, which the proponents of this bill repeatedly point to as their principle objective -- to provide a legal status for those who are here illlegally to be out of the shadows. This amendment would allow that to happen.

And a second point to those advocacy groups that are so passionately engaged. In my view if this committee rejects this amendment, and I think everyone here views it as quite likely this committee will choose to reject this amendment, in my view that decision will make it much, much more likely that this entire bill will fail in the House of Representantives. I don't want immigration reform to fail. I want immigration reform to pass, and so I would urge people of good faith on both sides of the aisle, if the objective is to pass common sense immigration reform that secures the borders, that improves legal immigration, and that allows those who are here illegally to come in out of the shadows, then we should look for areas of bipartisan agreement and compromise to come together and this amendment --I believe if this amendment were to pass the chances of this bill passing into law would increase dramatically, and so I would urge the committee to give it full consideration and to adopt the amendment."

Video at the source

But ......
"A majority of the candidates on this stage have supported amnesty," he said. "I have never supported amnesty, and I led the fight against Chuck Schumer's gang of eight amnesty legislation in the Senate."

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On TPA Cruz wrote
By establishing TPA, Congress will send a signal to the world. America's trading partners will know that the U.S. is trustworthy and then put their best offers on the table. America's rivals will know that the U.S. is serious and wonâ€™t abandon the field. And the American people will know this trade agreement is a good, fair dealâ€”because they'll have the information they need to decide for themselves. Promoting American trade will create more opportunity in the country, and so I strongly urge our colleagues in Congress to vote for trade-promotion authority.

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But ..... Ted Cruz Flips on Trade Bill on Eve of Key Senate Vote

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On Justice John Roberts Cruz wrote
But, as a jurist, Judge Roberts's approach will be that of his entire career: carefully, faithfully applying the Constitution and legal precedent.

He is a mainstream judge, respected across the ideological spectrum. Thus, he's earned praise from liberal icons such as Harvard Law Professor Larry Tribe, and Chicago Law Professor Cass Sunstein, as well as from Clinton Solicitors General Walter Dellinger and Seth Waxman, and Carter and Clinton Counsel Lloyd Cutler, the latter two of whom both described Roberts as a man of "unquestioned integrity and fair-mindedness."

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But ..... In St. Louis, Cruz asked the room to imagine what America would be like if Roberts and retired justice David Souter were never on the court.

"In 1990, in one room, was sitting David Souter," said Cruz. "In another room was sitting Edith Jones, the rock-ribbed conservative jurist of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. George Herbert Walker Bush picked David Souter. Let's fast-forward to 2005. In 2005, in one room was John Roberts, and in another room was my former boss, Mike Luttig, a rock-ribbed conservative jurist on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals -- and George W. Bush picked John Roberts."

Trump supported TARP, auto bailout and Porkulus bill, i.e., Trump is for big government and big businesses. And, of course, he is for Renewable Fuel Standard, so governement can pick winners and losers.

Trump's Record on Free-market Issue: (from the Conservative Review)

Trump has a terrible record on free market issues. The only bright spot is the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing, but this glimmer is countermanded by his repeated support for bailing out Wall Street and the auto industry, and increased stimulus spending. Of particular concern is Trump's belief that the government can use eminent domain powers to seize private property in the name of private economic development. This comes as no surprise, given his support for using eminent domain to profit his own company.

Trump supported the Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of London, allowing public authorities to seize private land for economic development by private investors; Trump said, “I happen to agree with [the decision] 100 percent.” (National Review) This is no surprise given Trump’s attempt to use eminent domain in his own line of work. (Institute for Justice)

Trump supported President Obama’s 2009 stimulus, saying: “The word stimulus is probably not used in its fullest…you know, certain of the things that were given weren't really stimulus. They were pork, as we call it, or they were gifts to certain people. But overall, I think he's [President Obama] doing very well. You do need stimulus and you do have to keep the banks alive.” (CNN)

Trump supported TARP, saying, "You had to do something to shore up the banks, because ... you would have had a run on every bank." (CNN)

Trump supported the 2008 auto bailout, saying, “I think the government should stand behind them 100 percent. You cannot lose the auto companies. They’re great. They make wonderful products.” He also said that the federal government could “easily save the companies.” (Daily Caller)

Trump criticized the Federal Reserve’s intervention in the debt market, saying quantitative easing creates “phony numbers” that mislead the marketplace and “will not ultimately benefit the economy. The dollar will go down in value and inflation will start rearing its ugly head.” (CNBC)

Donald Trump has a history of using eminent domain to complete business deals. Multiple times Trump has supported the use of government agencies to take possession of homes and businesses for use in his private business plans. Eminent domain seizures are reserved only for public use of property rather than abuse by the government taking property from one individual and giving to another. (Washington Post)

Donald Trump has sought and received crony capitalist tax breaks for his commercial properties in New York. These tax breaks, and even an abatement, force the property taxes of other property owners to rise at the expense of the connected. Special treatment for one business or industry over another with the tax code conflicts with free market principles. (National Review)

In 2009, Trump supported Barack Obama's call for limits on the pay of executives. (CNN)

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