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Ted Cruz — stealth front-runner
MySanAntonio ^ | 11/21/15 | Rich Lowry

Posted on 11/21/2015 12:42:02 PM PST by VinL

Ted Cruz gets no respect.

At least no respect in keeping with the impressiveness of the campaign he's built and his increasing odds of winning the Republican nomination.

The press and the political class are beginning to catch on to Cruz's strength, and there has been more talk of a prospective Cruz-Marco Rubio race, but his coverage and his buzz have been lagging indicators.. and they are still lagging.

After the GOP debate in Milwaukee, a Politico survey of Republican insiders had as many respondents saying Cruz won (6 percent) as Ben Carson and John Kasich (6 percent each). This is extraordinary.

Cruz tends to be an afterthought in the Sunday show chatter and on TV generally.

The Atlantic tracks candidate mentions on cable TV. In the past 100 days, Cruz ranks ninth among all candidates from both parties, well behind Chris Christie and just above Kasich, both of whom are throwing Hail Marys for the nomination.

A Washington Post analysis looked at the cable TV coverage devoted to each candidate compared with his or her position in the polls. It found that Cruz got 60 percent less coverage than you’d expect from July through October.

Donald Trump, as you might expect, gets more coverage than warranted by his polling. So does Jeb Bush. It's as though the media haven't been able to adjust coverage of the former Florida governor to account for his diminished stature in the race.

The indications of the strength of Cruz's operation and the shrewdness of his positioning are mounting.

He had more cash on hand at the end of the third quarter than any other Republican. He has major super PAC backing.

He assessed the anti-establishment mood in the party more accurately than any of the other traditional candidates.

He reacted to the rise of Trump very deftly for his purposes. He has seen a couple of key potential competitors, Scott Walker and Rand Paul, hit a wall or badly underperform.

He has a discernible ideological and geographic base.

He has, relatedly, a path to the nomination that is simple and intuitive (win Iowa, consolidate the right and beat an establishment that might be too fractured and unpopular to prevail).

He lights up pretty much every conservative audience he addresses. He is an excellent debater, and he doesn’t make tactical or rhetorical mistakes.

And yet he doesn’t really get his due. Why?

The political press corps made up its mind about him — too divisive — as soon as he showed up in Washington and has never gotten over its dismissiveness about his campaign.

The appeal of Cruz’s conservative populism is lost on most reporters and political insiders, who have a natural reflex to roll their eyes at the message and the messenger.

Cruz is not as interesting as Trump and Carson, and he doesn’t feature in any personal drama like the Bush-Rubio mentor-mentee showdown.

Finally, he is graded on a bit of a curve. He routinely performs so well at Republican cattle calls that his standing ovations tend to get discounted.

Cruz is hardly a cinch. Trump and Carson are significant obstacles in Iowa. His theory that he will inherit Trump and Carson’s support if the outsiders deflate is too simplistic. So is his schematic of the race as coming down to two candidates, one representing conservatives (him) and someone representing moderates.

Nonetheless, it should be obvious that Cruz is a serious threat for the nomination.

Be warned, and get over it.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 2016election; cruz; election2016; elections; tedcruz; texas
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Love positive, cheerful articles.

-:)

1 posted on 11/21/2015 12:42:02 PM PST by VinL
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To: VinL

Rich Lowry. Who would expect different? He must of cozied up to Megyn again.


2 posted on 11/21/2015 12:43:47 PM PST by dforest
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To: VinL

Cruz is not, has not been, and is incredibly not likely to be the front runner. All the wishful thinking in the world will not change this reality.


3 posted on 11/21/2015 12:49:03 PM PST by Reno89519 (American Lives Matter! US Citizen, Veteran, Conservative, Republican. I vote. Trump 2016.)
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To: VinL

Ted is the man who encompasses America’s values best.

Not even close


4 posted on 11/21/2015 12:49:18 PM PST by bestintxas (every time a RINO loses, a founding father gets his wings.)
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To: VinL

I like Cruz but he actually does get lost sometimes in his own ideological push. Ideology of course is fine, but I think an ideologue can get so wrapped up in his ideas that he can lose sight of the immediate goal at hand.

God bless Cruz but I don’t think he’ll be the one stealth or no stealth. BUT I do think he could be VP now and subsequently President.

TRUMP/CRUZ!!


5 posted on 11/21/2015 12:49:37 PM PST by Jim W N
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To: VinL
Donald Trump, as you might expect, gets more coverage than warranted by his polling.

Trump has been in first place for over 5 months, but doesn't deserve coverage? Another National Review Trump denier. And in fact I see Christie, Kasich and every other loser on Fox these days more than Trump.

6 posted on 11/21/2015 12:49:41 PM PST by Hugin ("First thing--get yourself a firearm!" Sheriff Ed Galt, Last Man Standing.)
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To: Reno89519

Automated reply:

Trump 3rd grader- ignore.


7 posted on 11/21/2015 12:50:21 PM PST by VinL (It is better to suffer every wrong, then to consent to wrong.)
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To: VinL

Slow and steady wins the race. We still have a YEAR to go!


8 posted on 11/21/2015 12:50:45 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set...)
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To: Reno89519

If Rich is nice to Cruz, I worry. I do not want a stealth establishment candidate.


9 posted on 11/21/2015 12:50:51 PM PST by dforest
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To: VinL

Lowry is obsessed with Trump’s nads.


10 posted on 11/21/2015 12:51:56 PM PST by AAABEST (Got Traditional Catholicism? - Angelqueen.org)
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To: Jim 0216

can lose sight of the immediate goal at hand.

**********

What’s the immediate goal, my friend?


11 posted on 11/21/2015 12:52:41 PM PST by VinL (It is better to suffer every wrong, then to consent to wrong.)
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To: Reno89519

You forget it is nearly 3 months till voting starts and how much can change in a day.
WB lost me, he will lose many others.


12 posted on 11/21/2015 12:52:48 PM PST by libbylu (Cruz or lose)
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To: All
Alas .... here comes a discouraging word.

<><> Cruz's fast-tracking TPP vote......knowing Obama considers TPP central to his presidential legacy and to his foreign policy and economic legacies.

<><> Cruz's vote on the Corker bill. The Corker bill is the radical left
kissing up, rallying to protect Obama on the $150 billion Iran nuclear deal giveaway.

<><> Cruz calling for a 500% increase in H1b work visas.

_____________________________________________

American workers DESPISE H1B Visas. A massive expansion of H1Bs puts struggling Americans out of work.

No 'conservative' in their right mind would ever vote for deals which put Americans out of work. Cruz will not change his position on H1B visas....b/c pro-amnesty Goldman Sachs contributes to his campaign (Cruz's wife is a Goldman Sachs exec).

Club For Growth likes Cruz - they are also for amnesty open borders. ===========================================

Cruz also has highly suspect ties to those Hillary lovers, the Democratic-centric, Goldman Sachs, and, the Council on Foreign Relations.

Cruz's wife is a Goldman Sachs exec.

Mrs Cruz served on the North American Union task force, and supported their report called---'Building a North American Community."

The North/South border effort was sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations in association with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales.

Translated into English, that means forget US sovereignty....just eradicate US borders. To be fair, Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship....recently.

13 posted on 11/21/2015 12:53:02 PM PST by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nothing can penetrate it.)
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To: VinL

D E L U S I O N A L

Cruz is at 5 to 10% depending on which source you believe.

He is not poised to win the nomination.

I know what my tagline says, but at least I’m rational.

That’s more than can be said for folks who buy into this flight of fantasy.

C R U I S E . W I L L . N O T . W I N . T H E . N O M I N A T I O N


14 posted on 11/21/2015 12:55:16 PM PST by DoughtyOne (I support President Pre-elect Donald J. Trump. Karl Rove, the GOPe, and Leftist's worst nightmare.)
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To: VinL

I’m going to enjoy seeing the Red Hot Tx Cruz Ranch Branding Iron put to all their Hind ends. LOL


15 posted on 11/21/2015 12:56:45 PM PST by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
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To: VinL
Ted Cruz gets no respect.

Lowry's word game is cute.

Those, however, who actually are paying attention see what's happening and smile (or shudder if they're Democrats). Stealthy is a wise attribute in this political climate. If we ever learn exactly how wide this stealth campaign reaches, I think there'll be some real surprises.

16 posted on 11/21/2015 12:58:29 PM PST by FourPeas ("Conservatism's worked every time it's been tried." -Rush)
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To: Liz

There you have it.

Thanks Liz.


17 posted on 11/21/2015 12:58:52 PM PST by DoughtyOne (I support President Pre-elect Donald J. Trump. Karl Rove, the GOPe, and Leftist's worst nightmare.)
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To: VinL

Right on track.

I keep seeing article after article with this same POV.

God willing, things will continue on track. We badly need a Constitutional conservative and a solid Christian in the White House.


18 posted on 11/21/2015 1:01:26 PM PST by CatherineofAragon ("A real conservative will bear the scars...will have been in the trenches fighting."--- Ted Cruz)
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To: bestintxas
What are the “Values”
It's like a Buzz word all over place.

So What are American Values?

What are Conservative Values?

What are , Pick a State, Values?

I had to listen to this tripe all last year here in Arkansas and for the life of me yet I just don't know what Arkansas Values are.

It sounds good but is not defineable.

19 posted on 11/21/2015 1:01:28 PM PST by Captain Peter Blood
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To: CatherineofAragon

How will someone like that win when the Demographics are stacked against them?

Study this and you will see why it is uphill for any Republican to win now and maybe never again.


20 posted on 11/21/2015 1:04:07 PM PST by Captain Peter Blood
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