Free Republic

I have been struggling to decide who to vote for president. This field that was hyped as the "most talented in a generation" has turned out to be a field full of mediocrities. Standing atop the field until last night was a vulgar carnival barker and reality TV star. Instead of a debate on ideas, we have mindless sloganeering and empty words. Donald Trump absolutely cannot be the Republican nominee. Trump is not a conservative, he has not fought with conservatives, and he has actively aided and funded the enemies of conservatives. It's more than that though. To nominate Trump...

Via the Weekly Standard, he's not saying anything here that he hasn't said before. He supports immigration reform, but not comprehensive immigration reform - only a piecemeal security-first approach will work, the same view now taken by Marco Rubio. But Cruz fans who haven't paid attention to him on this issue may assume, incorrectly but understandably, that he naturally takes the most conservative position that an electable Republican presidential candidate can take. Not so: It's Scott Walker(!) who's staked out the right side of the field by demanding that American wages be a variable when considering target numbers for legal...

I took the family to New Hampshire early this morning to meet Ted Cruz. It was cold, but everyone at Lindy's Diner was excited. It was a good turnout and Ted Cruz had a conversation with my 6 year old. I linked to that exchange, I think you might find it endearing and genuine. Later he spoke in the diner for a good while and left to continue on his journey. We had been to a Trump rally, so it was nice to also meet another Republican candidate. My impression of him is that he is a very good man...very...

A recent survey from Gallup shows that Jeb Bush is the only candidate with a net unfavorable rating — even after he’s aired millions of dollars of ads to promote his candidacy. Since July, Bush’s net favorable rating has gone from 27 points in to negative one point, according to the survey of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. That’s even lower than Donald Trump, widely considered to be the most controversial candidate in the Republican field. Forty-five percent of voters have an unfavorable view of Bush, ten points more than Trump. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has the lowest unfavorable ratings with...

Donald Trump, his aura of invincibility shattered by Iowa caucus voters he once called “stupid,” is throwing a tantrum these days, convinced that Ted Cruz “cheated” and continues to maintain the untenable proposition that in any event he is a not eligible to be President of the United States. Cruz did not cheat in Iowa. Cruz supporters may have indeed cited to supporters of Dr. Ben Carson CNN news reports and tweets that Carson was skipping New Hampshire and South Carolina, so draw your own conclusions, but where were the Carson president captains to shepherd their flock?

I tip my cap, unreservedly, to Ted Cruz. With everything on the line - and so many GOP colleagues cowed and intimidated - he took on Donald Trump and won. Late last year I wrote that the GOP needed an actual leader, someone who would step up and take on Trump directly: Now is the time. A presidential campaign is an early test of leadership, a proving ground for dealing with the challenges of the world's most difficult job. I don't want the last man standing. I want the guy who took down the king. If Trump can absorb the...

It has been said that if we were getting so-called “alternative” energy from potatoes instead of corn, the first primary/caucus would be held in Idaho instead of Iowa. As it is, ethanol from corn in the first state where votes are actually cast in a presidential election has led to endless political pandering in support of a fuel that consumes more energy than it provides, is difficult to transport, reduces car mileage, can damage auto enegines, and damages the environment.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said after Thursday evening's GOP presidential debate that he's the only candidate in the 2016 presidential race who has consistently opposed "amnesty" for illegal immigrants. "In the Republican field, I am the only person on that stage, the only Republican running, who opposes amnesty, who opposes a pathway to citizenship," Mr. Cruz said on Fox News' "The Kelly File." "Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — all three of them support a pathway to citizenship."...

Incremental change simply will not do. The world is changing too quickly and dangerously for a hesitant successor or one that fails to recognize that the entirety of Obama’s foreign policy must be rejected from the outset.-snipCruz ..... isn’t in politics to make a deal. He is in politics to make a difference.Cruz opted out of a lucrative career in the private sector because he believed that it was more important for him to serve his country. Over his four years in the Senate, Cruz has worked tirelessly to block Obama’s domestic and foreign policy agenda. He has been Israel’s...

There are 1,682 voting precincts in Iowa, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) claims he has 1,573 of them covered for Monday night's first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican Caucus. "In my experience the Cruz organizational effort here in Iowa is unrivaled," Cruz's Iowa state director Bryan English said. "We have coalesced conservatives from across the state because they want a conservative leader who will change Washington, break the D.C. cartel and bring power back to 'We the People.'" According to the Cruz camp, they have named a county chair for each of Iowa's 99 counties, and recruited 247 "notable activists, pastors and...

U.S. Governors (former) Rick Perry, Texas (former); Presidential Candidate 2016, 2012 U.S. Senators (former) Bob Smith, New Hampshire (former); Presidential Candidate 2000 U.S. Representatives (current and former) Brian Babin, Representative from TexasBob Barr, former Representative from Georgia; also Libertarian Nominee in 2008Jim Bridenstine, Representative from OklahomaMo Brooks, Representative from AlabamaMichael C. Burgess, Representative from TexasJohn Culberson, Representative from TexasLouie Gohmert, Representative from TexasJody Hice, Representative from GeorgiaSteve King, Representative from IowaJohn Ratcliffe, Representative from TexasDana Rohrabacher, Representative from CaliforniaSam Graves, Representative from MissourTom Tancredo former Representative from Colorado; also presidential candidate in 2008Randy Weber, Representative from TexasSam Johnson, Representative...

I've become accustomed to politicians who keep their heads down and rarely say anything interesting because they're afraid of drawing fire. Rare are those who speak their minds, defend their principles and worry more about doing their job than keeping it. That's how Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has been conducting himself in his first two months in office, and the Washington establishment is aghast. Cruz has been my friend for 10 years, and I can't say I'm surprised. - snip - When someone is nominated to the Cabinet, the Constitution dictates that senators must give their "advice and...

It's well known that many Republicans in Washington do not like Sen. Ted Cruz, but the full extent of that antipathy is coming to light this week as several current and former lawmakers say they prefer Donald Trump as the GOP nominee, although they have little regard for either man. Some GOP consultants and strategists started the rumblings in recent days. Then Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad told Republicans in his state to oppose Cruz because of the senator's opposition to ethanol subsidies. But the story broke wide open on Wednesday when former Senate Majority Leader and 1996 Republican presidential nominee...

Conservative political commentator Glenn Beck officially endorsed Ted Cruz for president on Saturday. Beck, a nationally syndicated radio host, founder of TheBlaze and best-selling author, made the announcement with the Texas senator at a rally in Ankeny, Iowa, adding that the U.S. needs a "new George Washington." "Today's Washington will not be found in the garish light of gold, but rather, in the bold service of a man who stands tirelessly for what he deeply believes - that government should be of the people, by the people and for the people. That is why I am endorsing Senator Ted Cruz...

Senator Ted Cruz was in Iowa for the Ronald Reagan Dinner and delivered a slam dunk speech. I was going to highlight a point or two, but the whole speech is so spot-on I'll just give you the video and the entire transcript. (Note, it's a rush transcript so there may be an error or two.) --- Cruz: We need to unify and let me tell you, growth and freedom are principles and ideals that should unify the entire Republican caucus. They are principles and ideals, that unify the evangelical community. With the liberty movement. With the business community. Growth...

Has weird title. Great video of Palin talking about Cruz and the shutdown of the government over the (UN)affordable healthcare act. This video is worth watching.

CHUCK TODD: What do you do with the 11 million people though? Do you have to send 'em back, or do you give them a way to get legal? TED CRUZ: Chuck, I don't accept the premise that you have to solve every aspect of this problem all at once. President Obama and the Democrats focus on that issue because the question you're asking is the most divisive partisan question in this entire debate. And I don't believe President Obama wants to solve this. CHUCK TODD: I understand that it's divisive. But the– it's still a problem. TED CRUZ: B--...

Hollywood screenwriter Craig Mazin, who shared a dorm room with Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz during their freshman year at Princeton University, spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday trashing the Texas senator on Twitter. The storm of tweets, which started Monday evening, seemed to be sparked my Mazin's influx of Twitter followers, which he attributes to people learning that he was Cruz's roommate for a short time. "I have 30k followers now, and all I had to do was be stuck in a room with Ted Cruz for a year. I'm sure you're all nice, but SO NOT WORTH IT,"...

Yes, you read that right. According to Ted Cruz, the so-called Republican establishment is abandoning Florida senator Marco Rubio and uniting behind real-estate mogul Donald Trump. Cruz has long said the Republican primary would come down to two candidates, one a conservative, the other an establishment moderate. Now that Cruz and Trump are leading the polls, he's trying his hardest to paint Trump as the latter. "We're seeing something remarkable happening in this Republican primary," the Texas senator told reporters on Wednesday. "Right now, the Washington establishment is abandoning Marco Rubio, they’ve made the assessment that Marco can’t win this...

The key bit is where Cruz says of Trump, “look, there’s a difference. He’s advocated allowing folks to come back in and become citizens. I oppose that.” Trump has indeed said he’d let the “good” illegals come back in after they’ve been deported; lots of border hawks, me included, have flagged that as evidence that Trump’s not as opposed to forms of amnesty as he seems. Until now, though, none of the other top-tier candidates have had the guts to make that point against him. He can let Trump’s shots at his faith go because he has loads more credibility...