Ted Cruz leads a prayer with 14,000 cheering evangelicals in S.C.

Washington Post ^ | February 12 at 8:00 PM | Philip Rucker

[SoConPubbie]

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Many of the Republican presidential candidates descended Friday on Greenville ahead of Saturday's CBS debate.

But only one was savvy enough to get himself enlisted as the opening act of a throbbing, trembling Christian rock concert that packed 14,000 evangelicals into a downtown arena on Friday night.

So here came Ted Cruz, striding onto the catwalk of a stage, beaming under the spotlight, leading the crowd in prayer, asking them to unite behind him in next Saturday's primary election, and jumping up like a basketball player high-fiving fans as he walked into the locker rooms in the bowels of the arena.

"Welcome to Winter Jam -- and to God be the glory," the Texas senator said.

Winter Jam is a touring, four-hour show featuring born-again Christian rock and rap artists. It performed at Greenville's Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Friday night.

Ted Cruz about to address 14,000 (!) pumped up evangelicals in Greenville. Opening act of Christian arena concert pic.twitter.com/SYBIPCVdtz

- Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) February 12, 2016

For any Republican politician, this was a captive and prized audience. Evangelical Christians are an especially influential voting block in South Carolina, especially in the Greenville area, known as the Upcountry.

Cruz gave about six minutes of remarks and prayer at the start of the concert. He thanked the crowd "for standing unapologetically with Jesus, for confessing your faith with love."

Cruz talked about religious liberty being "under assault," but said that across the country "people are waking up."

"Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian values," Cruz said. "Those values of life and marriage are under assault, religious liberty is under assault, and yet the American people are rising up."

Cruz did not attack any rivals, nor did he make an overt political pitch. But he cast himself as a champion of social conservative principles,

[SoConPubbie]

	"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton "We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792 "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams " Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." - John Quincy Adams

[datura]

Smart move.

[abigkahuna]

So Sen. Cruz opens for a rap act...my how the mighty have fallen :)

[Neu Pragmatist]

It will be Cruz’s peak ...he’s done

[Jane Long]

Someone posted a pic of the crowd as “CRuz Rally in SC”, on another thread. LOL.

It was a pre-planned Christian concert that also included Dr Carson as a speaker/opener.

[euram]

There’s something really sad about this.

Cruz had to actually go out and hijack an event totally unrelated to him in order to see what it feels like to talk to more than a handful of people at a time.

[Bobalu]

I thought Cruz was smart enough to see that his ticket to the presidency was as Trump’s VP.

I overestimated his IQ :-/

He is in a bad place now and lashing out wildly... driven at least in part by his realization of the burned bridges he has left behind him.

He could still reconcile with trump... but it gets harder every day :-(

I so longed for a Trump/Cruz ticket.

I still like Cruz and I think he has great potential.

[proust]

Bait and switch. The only way he can get in front of 14k. Can’t do it honestly on his abilities alone.

[jennychase]

lol !!

[Bobalu]

He should be at Trump’s side and addressing Trump’s huge rally audiences!

Oh what might have been...

[Neu Pragmatist]

LOL ...Cruz is co-opting crowds like he is co-opting Trump’s positions ...nice

[proust]

Trump has had a bigger influence than any other candidate and he isn’t even president yet!

[JoSixChip]

Can't do it honestly

Well we are talking about cruz here, cruz does not do honest.

[r_barton]

Praise God. God has sent Donald Trump to America in its time of need. The right man for the job.

Go Trump!

[Elyse]

I am so sick of seeing Ted Cruz demeaned on this website. We would be a blessed nation to have this Christian man be our leader. When I see people using his faith to ridicule him on this site , that I have always been so proud to be a part of, it really shakes me up. I feel like God has cast a pearl among the swine and we are watching them trample on it.

[Red Steel]

So did Cruz join a Christian rock band or did he glom onto to their crowd?

[cowboyway]

known as the Upcountry

Not 'Upcountry'. It's Upstate; Upstate South Carolina. Idiot liberal press........

[SaveFerris]

Friend of mine’s daughter went to Winter Jam a few weeks back.

The daughter did not care for it.

[Rashputin]

a throbbing, trembling Christian rock concert

First they accidentally got a porn actress and now they accidentally get a porn description of the "Christian" rock concert.

[heights]

A million people came to see me New Years night in Time Square.