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Posted on 04/16/2014 8:25:27 AM PDT by SoConPubbie
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz adeptly sidestepped questions about how he'd fare among conservative Republicans in a South Carolina presidential primary. But he did say another Democrat in the White House would spell doom and gloom.
"Eight more years of this, I don't know it's something this country comes back from," he said.
Cruz, widely seen as the conservative face of last year's government shutdown over funding what Republicans call "Obamacare," spent Tax Day talking to free enterprise advocates at The Citadel.
"Liberty is under assault like never before," he told the crowd. "It seems this president is going down the Bill of Rights trying to violate them, one at a time."
The high rhetoric comes as signs point to a presidential run for Cruz in 2016. Even fellow Senate Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina - an opponent of the shutdown strategy - thinks so.
"His challenge is like everybody's challenge: can you beat Hillary?" said Graham, pointing to the coalitions needed to win on a national scale.
Cruz was the keynote speaker at the Free Enterprise Foundation Awards Dinner where he was introduced by Graham to a crowd of about 150 people.
Cruz's tone was both anti-Obama and anti-Washington. "If we make D.C. listen, then we can get back to the free market principles," he said, before quoting Ronald Reagan's "shining city on a hill" motto that the country should follow.
Cruz, a first-term senator, has historically contended the 16-day partial shutdown of the government last October was a success because it raised the debate, even as a compromise ended the stalemate and the Affordable Care Act was ultimately funded. A group of House Republicans also gave him their support, including some from South Carolina's delegation.
Before his speech, Cruz told reporters he did not intend to take sides in Graham's June 10 primary against six other Republicans, even as some of those challengers have invoked Cruz's name for standing up to Washington and what they see as Graham's willingness to work with Democrats.
"I'm leaving that to the grass roots," Cruz said about his decision to stay out. "I trust the grass roots."
Graham differed with Cruz and others over the shutdown strategy but termed their differences "a tactical dispute" toward the same end goal. "Everybody likes a fighter," Graham said of Cruz. "He's definitely a fighter."
Some Republicans thought the fact Graham and Cruz were together Tuesday was a story by itself.
This was Cruz's third visit to South Carolina in recent times but the first of note in Charleston. He also becomes the third potential presidential hopeful to speak at the Citadel in recent months, joining Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum. Governors Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry and Scott Walker have also made visits to the state as well, helping illustrate the importance of GOP voters here.
If he does opt to run for president, political watchers say Cruz has the potential to do well in collecting support from South Carolina conservatives who are upset at the GOP middle or who don't find the conventional establishment representing their views.
"The voters who were not 'Mitt Romney' voters in 2012 - they are definitely receptive to Ted Cruz and his message," said Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon. "They are the folks who are not thrilled by the mainstream of the Republican Party."
Huffmon added it's clear Cruz is laying the groundwork in South Carolina for a presidential run by talking to groups of people who are "fishing around" for someone to latch onto ahead of the pack.
"This is the first real test of the Southern base of the Republican Party," said Huffmon, referring to the state's holding as the first-in-the-South GOP presidential contest likely to be scheduled for the second or third Saturday of February 2016.
College of Charleston political scientist Jordan Ragusa added, however, that Cruz's weakness may be he's too far to the right to go beyond a GOP primary.
"Typically when parties lose an election, they go to the middle," he said, pointing to the two recent GOP defeats.
Democrats did not let the Cruz visit go without a response.
"We welcome 'Crazy Cruz' to Charleston," said Brady Quirk-Garvan, chairman of the Charleston County Democratic Party. "As one of the lead champions for shutting the government down last year it gives us the chance to highlight the difference between strong leaders like Vincent Sheheen and radicals like Ted Cruz and Nikki Haley who are more interested in grandstanding and getting on national TV than helping solve the problems that face in our state."
Republicans, meanwhile, who were at the gathering said they liked Cruz's message but said it's way too early to start taking sides for 2016.
"I'm not thinking about the presidential election until November is over," said former Charleston County Party chairwoman Lin Bennett, referring to this year's governor's race.
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Well, 2016 will be a pivotal election year.
If a Democrat is elected president in 2016, America as we know it will continue on our current downhill path. In that case, not only will Obamacare never be changed, but a Democrat elected in 2016.will tip the balance of the Supreme Court, as some retirements are predictable.
4ay well have 3
Ted will run even if we have to drag him kicking and screaming to do so.
He’ the next Reagan X 10.
Why on Earth does Americans want another inexperienced one term Senator President? Wasn’t once enough? I guess as they say “history repeats itself if you don’t learn from your mistakes”.
You say he is Reagan? Well he could be except for the lack of experience....comparing a one-term (in two years) Senator to a two term governor is insulting to President Reagan in so many ways.
Question is, will the GOPe succeed in fielding another guaranteed loser in 2016? Third times the charm!
So who is your candidate? Ron Paul?
If enough people come together to keep the dems out of the White House and not elect a RINO, I’ll be happy with whomever gets in there as long as Trey Gowdy is our next Attorney General.
Nope. Scott Walker a real guy with results. Not some talker like Cruz. Walker puts action into his words. Plus he went through hell having to go through a recall and still won the war. He has been put through the gulag and won. Cruz hasn’t done a thing.
I don’t know that the Democrats need another four years, or eight years to do irreparable damage that the US can’t recover from. We are past that point now, and Democrats still have plenty of time to inflict deeper wounds.
It used to be that our system of government coupled with our cultural heritage, the pride and determination of our people, could offset one party or the other at the helm, one bad policy or another. The system is broken down. We have a spineless, corrupt Congress, and a tyrannical president. Our Supreme Court has gone kangaroo on us. Not even Ronald Reagan could clean up this mess.
We have opened our borders to a redistribution class. Criminals wander our streets assaulting people. SWAT gangs commit acts of unnecessary terror with impunity. Mobs and criminal gangs, along with our attitude of inclusion, have turned our inner cities into bastions of third world rot and poverty. Pop culture has replaced real culture. Our educational systems are a joke. Our churches are apostate. Our media is a propaganda tool of leftist Democrats. Whenever we are faced with a problem, we call on government to fix it, and settle for things being made worse.
No wonder we don’t have more good people wanting to stand up and take on the problems. Instead we get McCains and Reids, and fools like Obama, and a media telling us how good we’ve got it. Keep at it Ted.
He has plenty of experience with how DC works. Just look at his resume. He is also ‘off the wall smart’ as described verbatim by the NY Times and he is extremely articulate.
There is simply no better candidate in the field today.
And you talk of experience. How about Obama’s experience? Was Romney’s experience as Massachusetts governor helpful? No, it showed he’s a shifty liberal that bends to whichever way the wind blows.
In the arena of football there sometimes comes a player that is such a superstar in the first season that they are instantly prime for positions on the field. Cruz is a superstar.
Walker is good but he does not inspire. He gets results and has gone through hell but he does not energize.
Walker is good right where he is.
He was very Reaganesque in the speech..I would have to watch it again to remember all the ways he made my husband and I think that. I think his stories were all very allegoric as well.
The story about his daughter and the Princess sleepover where they all attack Daddy - heh. Like the way the GOP all attack him.
What experience did Reagan have?
Could not agree more.
Oh my God. Really? 2 terms as Governor of a very large state. Good Lord.
Bump
Get Jordan, when did the Democrats ever move to the middle??
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