Ted Cruz to meet with secretive conservative group in Cleveland

Politico ^ | July 12, 2016 | SHANE GOLDMACHER

[maggief]

CLEVELAND — Ted Cruz is making an extra trip to Cleveland to address a closed-door meeting of influential conservative leaders this Friday ahead of the Republican National Convention, according to four people familiar with his plans.

Cruz will speak to a gathering of the Council for National Policy, a secretive group of conservative activists, many of whom backed the Texas senator in his failed presidential bid earlier this year.

The Council for National Policy is a nonprofit but some of its members, including CNP President Tony Perkins, who also serves as head of the Family Research Council, are part of a subgroup that had voted to endorse Cruz in hopes of uniting the conservative movement behind a single candidate in 2016, rather than splintering as it had in 2008 and 2012.

[okie01]

Ted Cruz is NOT the ‘leader’ of any faction of the GOP. That is delusional

It is delusional to ignore, even demean, the conservative faction in the GOP. We should be allies, united against the GOPe and the Left. Conservatives are voting for Trump, not because he's conservative, but because he's the nominee. Or would you prefer to do it without us?

[Psalm 144]

“He would serve well as a street preacher.”

Not really. His doctrine is a mashup of dominionist and mormon error. All hubris and no Gospel.

[rwoodward]

Its embarrasing to have people like Ted Cruz on your side. He is becoming more embarrasing than Jeb!

[Karl Spooner]

Or would you prefer to do it without us?

Yup. Get lost if you are that stupid.

[DoughtyOne]

You know what Ted's problem is don't you? I suspect you do.

Remember when Ted was making so many statements that seem to be an echo of Trump? It got so bad we started referencing him as Me Too Ted. I found a graphic, and posted it frequently.

Ted's supporters were sure he said most of those things before Trump, but I wasn't so sure. Now it seems clear, Ted wasn't on board after all.

If Ted truly agreed with Trump's plans, he would now be backing Trump. Guess what? As you well know he's not.

There's a lost of good stuff Trump is pushing, and Ted doesn't agree with it. He doesn't like Trump. He thinks he should have been the nominee. And now he's going to try to hold Trump over a barrel and force concessions out of him for an endorsement.

Frankly, I don't care for that. Trump should send Ted packing. He should strip him of his convention slot, and be done with him.

Trump needs Ted's endorsement about as much as he needs a case of the measles.

[Psalm 144]

This conservative is voting for Trump, the pro American, anti Globalist.

So glad the stealth globalist was unmasked.

[RitaOK]

True that! Forget the street preacher idea, and, get on with unsealing the records!

You know it wouldn’t be a bad idea to lobby these Tony Perkins types, ourselves. If we acted on a fraction of what we grumble about, we might build our case.

Free Republic makes a pretty good little coalition.

[DoughtyOne]

It’s not Ted’s place to be meeting with groups like this right now. It is divisive and self-serving.

Trump is the policy maker and if anyone needs to meed with that group, it should be Trump. Trump can implement policy. Ted can only say, “Me Too...”

Ted needs to stop this nonsense. He’s making Al Gore and Senator Lieberman look like good losers in comparison.

[bigredkitty1]

A native Texan here. I voted for Cruz in the primary, before his myriad of shenanigans and bizarre behavior turned my stomach. I do know the next time he is up for re-election, I will vote for any other Republican challenger in the hopes of primarying him out.

[LucyT]

The 0bamas exit Air Force One with Ted Cruz and Nancy Pelosi

See graphic at # 41 , and then, think about it....

[okie01]

I'm voting for your guy.

And you're calling that "stupid"?

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

In all fairness, Cruz has always been about the “ground game”, not the big, flashy Hail Mary type scores.

His efforts to load the platform committee was specifically to insure that neither Trump nor the RINOs could either strip it of the major conservative ideas, nor introduce liberal ones. If he had been scheming for power, he would have stacked the rules committee.

So, now what?

I suspect that he is working very hard behind the scenes to wrest control of the party leadership from the GOP-e and RINOs.

Again, this is not anti-Trump, but trying to insert conservatives into the leadership at the expense of the liberals.

Remember that money and support flow from the party to the candidates for the senate and the house. If conservatives can get control of the “purse strings”, it will pretty much be the end of establishment control over the party.

[ASA Vet]

Maybe Barry wants Rafael to be his vice dictator in his next term.

They do have being ineligible in common.

[tumblindice]

Another Obama parallel: Ted’s in constant campaign mode.

[maggief]

Where have you been?!

Cruz has been aligned with the Bush family from the get-go.

His task was to reign in conservatives to vote for Jeb!.

[Freedom56v2]

I needed a keyboard warning ;)

[Freedom56v2]

“Can anybody think of any logical reason why Cruz, who still has a future, would not endorse Trump?”

Because he hasn’t quit running.

---

Bingo! We have a winner :)

[editor-surveyor]

Careful, its dangerous to tease someone that has no capacity for humor.

[Freedom56v2]

To me it is absolutely amazing that he is publicly planning a 2020 Run when we have not even had the convention for 2016 yet?!?! If someone had done this in 2012, there would be outrage.

And there should be outrage—he is so damn self-centered and arrogant!!!

[HereInTheHeartland]

Did anyone actually read the article:

“The closed-door speech also represents a chance for Cruz to stay in the good graces of conservative leaders who could power a 2020 presidential run.”

““My take is support for Trump is solidifying,” the CNP member said. “I would imagine that would accelerate a bit now that the platform is in place.”