Free Republic
Browse · Search
GOP Club
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Cruz Trolls Rand in Campaign Kickoff
The Daily Beast ^ | March 22, 2015 | Tim Mak

Posted on 03/22/2015 8:36:59 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

With the formal announcement of his presidential run on Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz officially kicks off his 2016 rivalry with fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul.

Sen. Ted Cruz will not only become the first person to officially enter the 2016 race to the White House on Monday—he will also formally kick off a new rivalry: Cruz v. Paul.

When the Texas Republican launches his campaign for president at Liberty University, he will do so ahead of an upcoming electoral confrontation with Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul.

Cruz and Paul are vying for the same post—the insurgent Republican frontrunner—who will eventually face off against the more “establishment” candidates such as former Florida governor Jeb Bush.

But there’s a sense of mischievousness to Cruz’s timing: advisers close to Paul leaked a presidential campaign launch date in the first week of April.

By announcing Monday, Cruz becomes the first Republican candidate formally running for his party’s presidential nomination—allowing him a couple weeks of peerless press and fundraising.

It is hard to imagine this as an accident.

Cruz’s campaign strategy, at least in its early stages, has been meticulously planned. Indeed, very little in Cruzworld happens by accident. It remains to be seen, however, whether the senator can maintain his control over the process during a hectic presidential campaign.

The Texas Tea Party firebrand is a man who often writes his own press releases. He admits to checking his phone’s Twitter app obsessively to test the pulse of the public.

(Earlier this month, I tweeted that The Washington Post’s Fact Checker had been less than fair in its evaluation of a Cruz quote. In the Capitol the next day, the senator came up to me and said he enjoyed the tweet.)

The Cruz strategy will not include aggressive, direct attacks on Paul. Instead, the Texan’s strategy will be passive aggressive: Cruz will praise his opponents on the issues they have common ground on, while the real criticism will be left unspoken and implied.

The setting of his announcement Monday morning, Liberty University, the largest evangelical Christian university in the world, is also telling.

While Cruz is willing to cede hardcore libertarians to Paul (some of whom are starting to become disenchanted with the Kentucky senator), he’ll be targeting the conservatives with libertarian instincts who identify positively with the Tea Party movement.

However, the president of Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr., has had some nice things to say about Paul in the past: in 2013, Falwell said of Paul, “especially after meeting him this morning, the more I thought to myself, ‘I sure hope he runs for president.’”

Cruz and Paul have always had a sort of frienemies relationship in the Senate.

When Paul held a drone filibuster in 2013, Cruz came to the Senate floor to show support. And Paul supported Cruz when the Texas senator filibustered on Obamacare later that year.

Behind the scenes, however, the personal relationships between Cruz’s and Paul’s offices have deteriorated as the presidential campaigns draw nearer. In Cruzworld, there is a belief that Paul’s staff has a sense of entitlement, that they feel that their senator was the insurgent candidate first.

It’s just not Cruz’s style to take on Paul directly—and it would be a bit hypocritical to start now. The Texas senator is fond of asking reporters whether they’ve ever heard him launch an unkind, personal attack on a fellow Republican (unless that Republican is named “John McCain” or “Mitt Romney”).

On midterm election night in Austin, Cruz told The Daily Beast, “An awful lot of folks in the media like to focus on internal politics in Washington, on the jockeying of one politician versus another. In my view, most Americans could not care less about politicians in Washington bickering.”

One example of how that fight plays out is the differing opinions Paul and Cruz had on NSA reform. Cruz was a co-sponsor of a NSA surveillance reform bill that made incremental reforms to the surveillance agency, while Paul played a role in sinking the bill in November, arguing that it didn’t go far enough.

The maneuver put Cruz between Republican hawks, who want the NSA to maintain its existing surveillance capabilities, and Paul, who was insistent that more could be done to curtail the agency—even at the risk of getting no reforms at all.

And that’s exactly where Cruz wants to be.


TOPICS: Campaign News; Issues; Parties; U.S. Senate
KEYWORDS: 2016; lping; randpaul; tedcruz
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-44 next last
To: 2ndDivisionVet
Sorry Tim, Rand Paul is not the main competitor of Ted Cruz.

Ted Cruz probably scooped up at least half of Paul's base by taking the same position on marijuana.

21 posted on 03/22/2015 9:18:23 PM PDT by Ken H (DILLIGAF)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: entropy12

No one watches the liberal media anyway..even the mental institutions have better programming on for the mental patients..liberals will NEVER root for a Conservative EVER..when they do, THEN you worry


22 posted on 03/22/2015 9:18:29 PM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: DesertRhino

HUNH ?
Just WHAT did I write that would lead you to assume that I don’t like Cruz ? I think that he’s WONDERFUL !
It’s the Pauls, father and son, whom I abominate, loathe, and detest. And my post was about them.


23 posted on 03/22/2015 9:21:45 PM PDT by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Reno89519

Right you are !


24 posted on 03/22/2015 9:22:35 PM PDT by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Ken H

And under the radar, for the most part.


25 posted on 03/22/2015 9:22:36 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Sarah Barracuda

Until Watergate era, the media was a bit more even handed, now it is 95% liberal. It starts in colleges. My kids attended Univ of Washington, and were bombarded with liberal brain-washing.


26 posted on 03/22/2015 9:22:41 PM PDT by entropy12 (Real function of economists is to make astrologers look respectable.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: entropy12

The majority of colleges teach liberal propaganda..even UCLA, a school I would not expect such nonsense, allowed a punch of Arab scum bags to vote on banning anything from Israel on campus..and Berkeley, well forget that school, mind as well send your kid to Tehran


27 posted on 03/22/2015 9:26:25 PM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: nopardons

Those that champion Rand, really confuse me as to why they seem OK
With obamacare. All other idiocy aside, how do they accommodate him back peddling on that crap?


28 posted on 03/22/2015 9:33:54 PM PDT by AllAmericanGirl44
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Slyfox

Since I am the great grand nice of one of the original firebrands, I have no choice but to support Ted Cruz.

Any of you who are curious can google William Lowndes Yancey, but please don’t tell on me to the usual BGI gang.

(And, no, I don’t have a racist bone in my body, but I do judge behavior and character.)


29 posted on 03/22/2015 9:35:39 PM PDT by jacquej ("You cannot have a conservative government with a liberal culture." (Mark Steyn))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: AllAmericanGirl44

I am NOT a Paulinista and, for the most part, don’/t understand them at all.The claim to be “CONSERVATIVES”, but they aren’t!
They are benighted fools and that’s the truth of it.


30 posted on 03/22/2015 9:38:50 PM PDT by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Cruz is going to have a good chunk of the just right of right of center. A good spot for influencing the platform and/or capturing a VP or High level Cabinet position, and if facing incompetents (which he’s not), he could possibly capture the nomination.

But it doesn’t have to be. We’ll all have to see the tone and tenor of Cruz over the next few months. Just subtleties because the big stuff won’t be flying until mid next year.

The electorate needs a positive message of Growth, humble patriotism and personal pride.

2016 is the Republican’s to win or lose.


31 posted on 03/22/2015 9:39:05 PM PDT by Usagi_yo (If you're not leading, you're struggling to be relevant.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: entropy12

the high tech workers from india and macaroon. that take away the Russian immigrants jobs from the 1990’s, who took the jobs from Americans who worked at one time in the high tech industry. There is little difference between H-1B’s and illegals. just different work that Americans don’t want to do at $3.00 an hour.


32 posted on 03/22/2015 9:41:33 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2 (civil law: commanding what is right and prohibiting what is wrong Blackstone Commentaries I p44)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: nopardons

I realize you are not a fan of him, I was speaking of those that do and just how they navigate his odd stances on key issues.
Wish I lived near ya, I’d work on a Cruz campaign with you!


33 posted on 03/22/2015 9:46:13 PM PDT by AllAmericanGirl44
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: AllAmericanGirl44

This is the FIRST campaign that I shall work on, since W’s.
Up until that time, I worked on a lot of campaigns, from the time I was a teen.
Go work for Ted, where you live! It’s well past time for us to take back the moribund GOP, from the damned GOP-Eers !


34 posted on 03/22/2015 9:55:26 PM PDT by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: nopardons

I am not impressed by Rand Paul OR his nutty dad.


35 posted on 03/22/2015 10:35:49 PM PDT by EinNYC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: EinNYC

Neither am I and never have been.


36 posted on 03/22/2015 10:36:38 PM PDT by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: kvanbrunt2

Welcome to capitalism. It is neither benevolent nor philanthropic. It is dog eat dog competition to survive by making a profit. But Capitalism creates the most prosperity for the country as a whole, compared to any other system.

What we now have is a lot of crony capitalism and bureaucrats run wild. That is a much bigger curse than a few thousand H-1B visa immigrants, who actually keep their employers competitive.


37 posted on 03/22/2015 11:34:52 PM PDT by entropy12 (Real function of economists is to make astrologers look respectable.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

The main rival is Scott Walker and Bobby Jindal should he get in.


38 posted on 03/23/2015 12:34:07 AM PDT by Mozilla
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Rand Paul On Shutdown: "Even Though It Appeared I Was Participating In It, It Was A Dumb Idea"
I said throughout the whole battle that shutting down the government was a dumb idea. Even though it did appear as if I was participating in it, I said it was a dumb idea. And the reason I voted for it, though, is that it's a conundrum. Here's the conundrum. We have a $17 trillion debt and people at home tell me you can't give the president a blank check. We just can't keep raising the debt ceiling without conditions. So unconditionally raising the debt ceiling, nobody at home wants me to vote for that and I can't vote for that. But the conundrum is if I don't we do approach these deadlines. So there is an impasse. In 2011, though, we had this impasse and the president did negotiate. We got the sequester. If we were to extend the sequester from discretionary spending to all the entitlements we would actually fix our problem within a few years.
[Posted on 11/19/2013 12:16:51 PM by Third Person]
Rand Paul: Time for GOP to soften war stance
...by softening its edge on some volatile social issues and altering its image as the party always seemingly "eager to go to war... We do need to expand the party and grow the party and that does mean that we don't always all agree on every issue" ... the party needs to become more welcoming to individuals who disagree with basic Republican doctrine on emotional social issues such as gay marriage... "We're going to have to be a little hands off on some of these issues ... and get people into the party," Paul said.
[Posted on 01/31/2013 5:08:50 PM PST by xzins]
Rand Paul's immigration speech
...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.

Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.

Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.

Let's start that conversation by acknowledging we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.

If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...

This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.

Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
[Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg]
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reform
Latinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but "Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration." ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] "Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers...
[Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie]
[but he's not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]
Rand Slams Congress for Funding Egypt's Generals: 'How Does Your Conscience Feel Now?'
Sen. Rand Paul is hammering his fellow senators for keeping billions in financial aid flowing to Egypt's military -- even as Cairo's security forces massacre anti-government activists. [by "anti-government activists" is meant church-burning Christian-murdering jihadists]
[Posted on 08/15/2013 5:44:10 PM PDT by Hoodat]

39 posted on 03/23/2015 4:30:01 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Thanks 2ndDivisionVet. IOW, Rand trolls, or his fellow Democrats in the media troll for him.
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

"The Daily Beast works for Me!
and Death to America!"


40 posted on 03/23/2015 4:30:51 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-44 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
GOP Club
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson