Posted on 01/30/2016 12:38:57 PM PST by BlackFemaleArmyColonel
While there has been a lot of hand-wringing among conservatives about the damage they fear Donald J. Trump is doing to their brand, one centrist leader among congressional Republicans sees a potential silver lining for Mr. Trump: electability.
"The Republicans' presidential nominee must build a winning coalition that extends beyond the Republican base," said Representative Charlie Dent, Republican of Pennsylvania. "Running a campaign and expanding the coalition is an exercise in addition, not subtraction."
Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who has been chasing Mr. Trump in the polls in early primary states, is popular among religious conservatives and hard-right Republican voters. But Mr. Trump's unusual bloc, such that it is, pulls in registered Democrats and other nontraditional Republican primary voters. Indeed, some polling has shown overlap in views among those who favor Mr. Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
"Ted Cruz is a rigid ideologue," said Mr. Dent, who is not supporting Trump and has yet to endorse anyone. "Donald Trump is ideologically scattered and malleable. In my view, a more rigid ideology would have a much harder time assembling a winning general election coalition than the less doctrinaire candidate."
In some ways, Mr. Dent's views reflect a widespread antipathy toward Mr. Cruz among his Republican colleagues in Congress, one he has worn as an anti-Washington badge of honor, insider though he may well be.
But Mr. Dent, who wants to see his party appeal to independents, has the same fears that have been plaguing the party generally for years, and ones that Mr. Trump's anti-Muslim views may not quell.
"Some Republican presidential candidates are in demographic denial," he said. "Winning a larger percentage of the conservative white vote in 2016 is neither a viable nor realistic general election strategy."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
PING
good more flexibility like the past 8 years.
republicans are getting so flexible they are beginning to look like rubber bands.
why is it obama got to tell republicans to go to hell but republican president has to be “flexible”.
So are you supporting Cruz now? Because this article makes it abundantly clear why Trump is a threat to the conservative movement and just another establishment, crony capitalist operative.
“Because this article makes it abundantly clear why Trump is a threat to the conservative movement”
If I took stock in the opinion of the New York Times, as evidently you do, then I’d be worried.
Ted Cruz Campaign Sends Out Personal “Shaming Letters” To Iowa Voters:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3390550/posts?q=1&;page=501
Ted Cruz: I’m Not ‘All That Conservative’ (FLASHBACK)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3389232/posts
Discerning Posters about Cruz:
Twitter
@teddyschleifer (1/30/2016): “Wow, Ted Cruz gets question from a voter, not rival, about his lack of tithing.”
“I will readily confess that I am an imperfect Christian.” - Ted Cruz
Twitter
Trump_Unplugged â€@Patriotic_Me
“People think Ted Cruz is a “man of God” because he performs as one. They fall for the manufactured exterior and slick words. Not authentic.” (1/30/2016)
The Conservative Treehouse
Slawinlaw says:
January 30, 2016 at 10:44 am
“You are not conservative when you take money from the Club For Growth and the open borders crowd, or when you give teddy bears and soccer balls to illegal aliens. You are not conservative when your spouse works for Goldman Sachs and the Council of Foreign Relations. You are not conservative when you support TPA and the Corker Amendment or when you chair a pac that fights for McConnels stubs in Mississippi. You are not conservative when you promote heretical religious beliefs such as Dominionism. “
The Conservative Treehouse
Bart Manson says:
January 30, 2016 at 11:36 am
“You can keep your “conservative” label. No one cares anymore. While you check off boxes on your spreadsheet so you can identify which individual is the most pure of the fanatical ideologists, the rest of us are looking for someone who puts America and American interests first, and can get things done. Have fun, “true conservative”.
The Conservative Treehouse
John Galt says:
January 30, 2016 at 12:03 pm
“GOPe definition of “conservative” = open border amnesty free trade USA job killing globalist. No, I’m not one of those.”
The Conservative Treehouse
georgiafl says:
January 30, 2016 at 10:44 am
“American doesn’t need another word-weaseling, lawyer politician with dubious citizenship, dubious eligibility, dubious loyalty, no business or executive experience, and very little respect for the Constitution, the law, FEC regulations and ethics.”
Cruz is rigid and will achieve nothing. No one will work with him; because he doesn’t know how to work with others.
Trump will have real achievements because he’s willing to work with others and so he will be successful at “making deals”. And because Trump is better at deal-making than anyone else, he will get more out of each deal than the Democrats.
Politics is the art of making deals. We are a republic with representatives from a diverse nation. The deal making is not optional. It’s mandatory.
But it will NOT be like making deals under Obama.
It’s not their opinion, it’s what Republican Charlie Dent is saying. The same thing echoed by Dole, Lott and others in recent weeks. Trump has a flexible ideology that appeals to liberals and which they can work with to cut deals.
Heaven is a more difficult place to go to than hell is.
The old story of God is still playing out here, however clumsily.
You want to warn people not to go to hell — not tell them to go to hell. You want to try to lead them on to heaven.
It seems we may need to explain what malleable means.
Flexibility can cut more than one way (just like it’s a good property for a whip to have, though it doesn’t dictate the purposes to which the whip is put).
It might be able to embrace features of what we might even call conservative, but that other politicians have been clumsy about.
Trump’s deal dynamic seems almost as open as whoever is willing to provide him input that makes sense. Therein is both the great opportunity and the great danger.
Good. We need someone who will say HELL, NO to Washington's deal making. Republicans make deals with Democrats all the time. That's why the debt ceiling keeps going up, spending keeps going up and taxes keep going up. The last thing we need is another deal with the D.C. cabal. The next President should demand policies based on pure conservative principles or pass nothing at all. A permanent government shutdown would preferable to yet another debt ceiling increase.
Yup, New York Times does say this.
New York Values flying free and clear— seeking out America’s true enemy: Senator Ted Cruz.
I will be voting for Ted Cruz.
The New York Times prefers Donald Trump over Ted Cruz.
Thanks for posting.
Trouble is... Cruz doesn’t seem to be that kind of stiff. He seems to be more the proud kind of stiff.
Whatever makes the GOPee happy with OUR choice for President if OK with me. This time they aren’t going to get to pick.
“Cruz is rigid and will achieve nothing.”
Here here.
We need more politicians like John Boehner and Mitch McConnell to work with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
Trump is the Man!
Need a leader not another backroom deal maker...!
Congrats on supporting Ted Cruz! I knew you would come around!
GO TED CRUZ!! VOTE TED CRUZ!!
Cruz is rigid and will achieve nothing. No one will work with him; because he doesn’t know how to work with others.
You don’t seem to realize those who want him to “work with” routinely screw over the conservative base. Boehner is great at “working with” the GOP establishment and “their friends across the aisle.”
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