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Cruz Doubles Down - Proselytizing As An Electoral Strategy
The Conservative Treehouse ^
| 12-31-2015
| sundance
Posted on 01/01/2016 12:51:29 PM PST by smoothsailing
December 31, 2015
Cruz Doubles Down - Proselytizing As An Electoral Strategy
by sundance
TODAY – Sen. Ted Cruz Tells Volunteers: We Can Win 'If We Awaken And Energize The Body Of Christ' (link)
“PROSELYTIZE”: using faith to recruit someone to join one’s party, institution, or cause…
There is a strategy, albeit a rather divisive strategy, which can be deployed politically by those intentionally selecting a very specific gathering of supporters.
In a highly fractured presidential bid, this proselytizing strategy may even garner enough of a base to mount a bid amid a larger field of candidates. However, it is exceptionally narrow -hence works only amid large numbers of possible options- and can ultimately only gain the advocate a small percentage of the overall audience.
The strategy can NEVER win a general election.
Current evidence reflects this approach is the preferred direction of Team Ted Cruz and the presidential campaign therein.
When such a strategy is deployed amid the reality of an increasingly toxic and divisive anti-religious populist leftism – the approach is strengthened. Indeed, the narrow appeal, when contrast against examples of football coaches unable to bow their heads in prayer, actually broadens the base of sympathy from an objective audience.
There is a market for the approach; religion can be quite an effective business model as evidenced by the scope of many evangelical organizations.
However, in the larger political deployment the polarization becomes self-defeating and presents with risks that should be consequentially avoided.
The alignment of Ted Cruz with Glenn Beck and David Barton speaks to both a profitable business branding/marketing approach, and simultaneously affords candidate Cruz an almost captive audience.
The intersection of religion as a business (2015 Beck Media) and presidential politics (2015 Cruz campaign) is a road that narrows with each mile traveled. It would serve all non-Cruz candidates, and specifically Donald Trump, to avoid the pitfalls within it.
Ceding ground to an opponent willing to stake their campaign almost exclusively on religious based affiliations is not only prudent, it is wise.
Candidate Cruz has isolated himself from effectiveness within the very institution he holds membership, the Senate. In essence, for the sake of a nail -which may or may not be- based upon purity, he has diminished his influence. Senator Cruz, by his chosen approach, is now relegated to the echo-chamber of his own inconsequential staff.
Unfortunately, Cruz’s constituents are now the victims of this decision-making; and if history serves any predictive sense, he will be challenged and defeated based on an ineffectual record. How can candidate Ted Cruz attack Marco Rubio on his ability to be effective, when Cruz’s approach to legislation has made him the most ineffective Senator in DC.
Thus we fully understand both the praise and admonition from former Harvard Law Professor Alan Derschowitz who cast Cruz as a brilliant mind, but warned of an inability to accept, or move toward, counter positions. Put another, more familiar, way: “at what cost do you desire to be right“?
There is no doubt that 5 to 8% of the “conservative” electorate will support a Cruz campaign. It is also entirely possible for that figure to grow to around 15% when you add those willing to provide a faith-based opportunity.
However, beyond that element – you hit a dead end where the crowd evaporates, and expenditures to garner additional support are weighed amid the law of diminishing returns. We are not selecting a Preacher-in-Chief, we are nominating a candidate for the Executive Office.
Glenn Beck has carved out a business model, a media-market, where an audience is willing to accept a soccer ball and teddy bear, illegal alien compassion tour/campaign almost entirely on faith alone. The religious community is very generous and provides Glenn Beck, Ted Cruz and Benny Hinn with great wealth, affluence.
Candidate Cruz is following a business model, which can provide affluence, but cannot provide presidential influence – there is absolutely no winning presidential road map there; nor is there a reason to chase it.
Stick with what works 100% of the time….
…. broaden the base!
This Donald Trump rally -pictured above- was in Michigan a week ago with approximately 6,000+ supporters. The MSM would like to advance a narrative that women, or minorities, or ( ___ fill in the blank ___) don’t support Trump. However, if you want a good idea of how broad candidate Trump’s base of support is….
TOPICS: Politics; Religion
KEYWORDS: 2016election; cnsrvtvtreehouse; election2016; glennbeck; newyork; sundance; tedcruz; texas; trump
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To: oldplayer
I wasn’t offended by it either.
My interest is in seeing how it affects potential voters, particularly those non-Christian or secular conservatives.
To: C. Edmund Wright
42
posted on
01/01/2016 2:10:23 PM PST
by
Fantasywriter
(Any attempt to do forensic work using Internet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
To: smoothsailing
Trumpsters to Christians bake that gay cake for the gays and we don’t want your vote Christian taliban!
Well ok go with this tactic. Its no different than the GOPe.
43
posted on
01/01/2016 2:11:41 PM PST
by
RginTN
To: Hugin
‘”preacher wanna be” is pretty mild compared to the insults the “Cruz or Lose” crowd hurls at Trump and his supporters.’
You can say that again. Something’s got them very riled up of late. Whatever it is, I hope it passes. Enough is enough.
44
posted on
01/01/2016 2:13:15 PM PST
by
Fantasywriter
(Any attempt to do forensic work using Internet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
To: Theo
Yes. We want a rich man to be our president, not a Christian man.
To hell with a man of faith, right?
I’ll take Trump, who is an admitted and practicing Christian, AND who has the experience (has employed THOUSANDS and has personally guaranteed a payroll) over a career politician/govt employee who is beholden to his/her amnesty PAC donors.
Take your hypocritical, wealth envying drivel to another thread....or forum. It’s not serving your candidate well.
45
posted on
01/01/2016 2:13:26 PM PST
by
Jane Long
(Go Trump, go! Make America Safe Again :)
To: Jane Long
‘It’s not serving your candidate well.’
It looks like they gave up on serving their candidate. These days they’re just lashing out.
46
posted on
01/01/2016 2:15:26 PM PST
by
Fantasywriter
(Any attempt to do forensic work using Internet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
To: Jane Long
I didn’t know that, thanks!
This now makes it more likely to me that Cruz is making a big mistake.
To: Fantasywriter
“If you think Trump supporters are bad, you should be on the receiving end of Cruz supporters. There is an overactive cabal of them that is simply rabid.”
Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that a large number of ‘Cruz supporters’ are actually supporters of other candidates - people that despise both Trump and Cruz, but know that Trump must be taken down first.
They know they cannot directly attack both Trump and Cruz, so they act as if they support Cruz, using that as a platform to take shots at Trump.
They’re actually quite easy to spot - if they attack Trump (or Trump supporters) with vile, nasty, personal, comments, then they cannot be Cruz supporters, regardless of what they claim, as both Cruz and his supporters appreciate and also support Trump, just not as much as Cruz.
So don’t get too worked up over the anti-Trump comments from people you don’t know - there’s a VERY GOOD chance that they want both Trump and Cruz to lose, so that their candidate (Rubio, Bush, Kasich, Christie, etc.) can slip in to the vacuum created when both are gone. FR is a big website, those other campaigns know we’re here, and they still want their candidates to win.
48
posted on
01/01/2016 2:22:22 PM PST
by
BobL
(Who cares? He's going to build a wall and stop this invasion.)
To: RginTN
Trumpsters to Christians bake that gay cake for the gays and we don't want your vote Christian taliban!Identify a Ttrumpster who's said such a thing. You can't, you just like to make crap up. What childish nonsense.
To: Jane Long
Reno89519 mocked Ted Cruz as a “preacher wanna be.”
Do you affirm that belittling characterization?
50
posted on
01/01/2016 2:33:08 PM PST
by
Theo
(Trump = French Revolution. Cruz = American Revolution. Choose wisely.)
To: Theo
theo said....
We want a rich man to be our president, not a Christian man.
To hell with a man of faith, right?
Are you claiming that Trump is not a Christian, or man of faith?
51
posted on
01/01/2016 2:35:23 PM PST
by
Jane Long
(Go Trump, go! Make America Safe Again :)
To: BobL
‘Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that a large number of ‘Cruz supporters’ are actually supporters of other candidates - people that despise both Trump and Cruz, but know that Trump must be taken down first.
They know they cannot directly attack both Trump and Cruz, so they act as if they support Cruz, using that as a platform to take shots at Trump.’
Fascinating analysis! Thank you for that insight.
52
posted on
01/01/2016 2:38:42 PM PST
by
Fantasywriter
(Any attempt to do forensic work using Internet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
To: RginTN
Trumpsters to Christians bake that gay cake for the gays...
Got a link to a Trump supporter saying that?
FYI....Trump supporters are as Christian as your candidate’s supporters. So, there’s that.
53
posted on
01/01/2016 2:38:59 PM PST
by
Jane Long
(Go Trump, go! Make America Safe Again :)
To: BobL
54
posted on
01/01/2016 2:40:45 PM PST
by
Jane Long
(Go Trump, go! Make America Safe Again :)
To: Theo
It doesn’t matter what you or I want.
Getting 270 EV matters.
55
posted on
01/01/2016 2:43:09 PM PST
by
Jim Noble
(Diseases desperate grown Are by desperate appliance relieved Or not at al)
To: mrsmith
Huck and Santo are both at 1% or below, they’re only a threat to themselves. 8^)
To: smoothsailing
I know what you mean, they’re mostly just helping Carson.
But they’ve got some money to spend and they’re spending it to hurt Cruz.
Cruz needs to break free from the Lilliputian pollers and get some room to maneuver.
57
posted on
01/01/2016 3:08:58 PM PST
by
mrsmith
(Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
To: dp0622
It started way back January 2015.
At that time the Cruzers went after the Walker supporters in the same way they are now going after Trump supporters.
It finally caused me to use (essentially) the following tagline for months:
Is Ted Cruz himself as mean spirited as his supporters are here on FreeRepublic?
58
posted on
01/01/2016 3:09:00 PM PST
by
Balding_Eagle
( (The Great Wall of Trump ---- 100% sealing of the border. Coming soon.))
To: mrsmith
“This could be a VERY bad sign that Cruz isnât able to turn to attracting moderate voters”
There is no evidence that he can do that. None.
The people who believe that he can need to get out more.
59
posted on
01/01/2016 3:10:23 PM PST
by
Jim Noble
(Diseases desperate grown Are by desperate appliance relieved Or not at al)
To: Jim Noble
It wouldn’t make sense for him to try until he’d secured his base.
He won some moderates in Texas, of course he’ll have to win over a lot more than that for a national win.
I’m looking forward to him trying after the Iowa caucus. I don’t think he can wait any longer than that.
60
posted on
01/01/2016 3:17:43 PM PST
by
mrsmith
(Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
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