Although I Love Donald Trump, I’ll Be Voting For Ted Cruz

Flopping Aces ^ | 01-18-16 | Vince

[Starman417]

I love Donald Trump. For all of his faults, he has done this nation an extraordinary service that it seems no other politician has been able to do for a quarter century. He put the single, most important issue facing our nation at the top of the heap in terms of what voters are concerned with: Immigration. Illegal immigration is literally undermining our nation, and without control of our borders there is simply no way our country will survive as a constitutional republic.

That love, I suppose, is really more appreciation. While I thank Trump to the high heavens for his contribution to this race, I don't plan on voting for him. I'm voting for Ted Cruz.

Trump has a certain unabashed style, a presence, a reputation and an unrestrained manner that has allowed him to become not only a spectacularly successful businessman, but a media star. As PT Barnum is said to have said: "There's no such thing as bad publicity". Those things worked to Trump's advantage getting immigration on the agenda and putting him at the top of the heap right now in the GOP race.

But none of that should suggest that he should be President. Ask a  Trumpian what they like about Trump and you'll usually get something like "He gets things done". That's true, but like an iceberg, where 90% of what's important is unseen, it's how Trump "gets things done" that's a problem for those who value the Constitution. And that's exactly where Ted Cruz excels.

There are big differences between Ted and Trump, and once you get past the issue of immigration, where both want to build a wall from San Diego to Brownsville, TX, those differences become crystal clear. Here are a few important ones:

4th Amendment

One of the key elements of a limited government is the personal property rights of the nation's citizens. You can't have an American dream if the government can simply come along and take your stuff or let someone else do so. The 4th Amendment keeps the government from taking a citizen's property for anything other than a public use. Or at least it did until Kelo v. New London in 2005. In that case the Supreme Court decided that the government could take property from a group of citizens and give it to a private company, with no public use involved. So, according to Kelo, if a citizen was sufficiently friendly to politicians in a particular area, they could use that friendship to take the property of someone else… and do it legally.

Donald Trump not only agreed with the Kelo decision, but he did so enthusiastically. In addition, and this does not bode well for limited government, Donald Trump had tried on numerous occasions to do the same thing that Pfizer did in Kelo. Ted Cruz vociferously disagreed with Kelo and would appoint Supreme Court justices who actually understand what the 4th Amendment says.

Obamacare

Donald Trump, while correctly characterizing Obamacare as a disaster, talks glowingly of the dysfunctional single payer systems in Canada and Scotland. Indeed a decade ago he advocated for a single payer system here in the US. In his most recent healthcare proposal, while he advocates repealing Obamacare, it’s not free markets he offers as the solution, but rather the opaque "something terrific" that ensures every American who wants health coverage can get it. He says that government will provide healthcare for those who can't afford it, and according to Forbes magazine, that "plan" could essentially only function with government cost controls in the first place.

Ted Cruz, on the other hand, has been a staunch opponent of Obamacare in the Senate, even going so far as to shut down the government in 2013 in an attempt to overturn it. And did so very much against the wishes of the spineless GOP leadership. More than that, Cruz wants to harness free markets to solve the problem of healthcare.

10th Amendment

And this one may be the single most important difference between the two candidates and the most important determinant as to who to pull the lever for. The 10th Amendment is at the core of America's limited government and the prosperity it has engendered. It states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Donald Trump is not today, nor ever has been an advocate for limited government. From getting into bed with local governments for tax breaks to leveraging government gambling licenses against creditors to encouraging local governments to use eminent domain against opponents, Donald Trump has never shied away from using government intimidation to further his interests. A President Trump would likely pay as little attention to the 10th Amendment as President Obama has.  There's a reason unions and 20% of Democrats are considering supporting Donald Trump, and it's not because he's a small government guy...

Ted Cruz, however, is a staunch defender of the 10th Amendment and an advocate for dramatically cutting government regulations.

[Shery]

I am still voting Cruz, and at one time, I thought Trump was my 2nd choice, but his view on amnesty has come undone. There is LITTLE difference between him and Rubio.

Trump’s View: round them all up, send them all home, let all those without criminal past back in=amnesty

Rubio’s view: Let them all stay, except the criminals, who we’ll deport.= amnesty

Trump’s own son stated that his father is FOR amnesty.

Yes, Trump has been good for this election season, but I don’t trust him on very many issues...jobs probably the most, but the others...not so much. I don’t trust him to choose conservatives for the SC. Not at all. He just stated after the brouhaha about the videos showing PP selling baby parts that he’d not defund PP. He criticized the KY clerk for refusing to certify marriage certificates for same-sex marriage. He has thrown around several VP names that are all liberal republicans, not conservative at all.

I’d vote for him over Hillary or Bernie, but I’d have to say that his recent conversion to praying, seeking godly help, stating that he is a believer after just recently denying the need for God, etc. What can one believe? As a Christian, I’d say that he speaks out of both sides of his mouth. The Bible warns about people like this.

[biff]

Yep, they are the American political version of a WWF fan.

[jaydee770]

“...I hate to destroy the myth with facts, but Cruz is a Fraud...”

Opinions tend to vary... significantly.

I guess you won’t be voting for Cruz then? Well that’s ok.

Good luck with your candidate!

[napscoordinator]

Oh My God! Why are you asking me this? Do you think I am against Trump? You could not be further from the truth.

[Georgia Girl 2]

If you love TRump so much Vince then vote for him or STFU!

[Critical 1]

Thank you, Starman417

I feel pretty much the same way.

Three major differences between Trump and Cruz were given.
These are enough, but there are many others.

I can hold my nose and vote for Trump in the general, if necessary.

But only Cruz for the primary.

[erkelly]

I will give you moral support; I too will attempt not to engage them further today. It is an exercise in futility anyway. How could these people be any nastier toward the democrats than they are to one of their own, is beyond me. Furthermore, I can’t help but wonder if these are not paid operatives who, with their bullying ways, are trying to convince us by telling us how much smarter and sophisticated they are than we are, that we, weak minded as they believe we are, will give up what we think best and join them. It is the prime tactic of the left. When all is said and done, Ted Cruz is just another politician, although a politician who says a lot of things I agree with, but alas does not always do them. But truth is, a lot of politicians say one thing and do another, and all of them are flawed, as we all are. So all we can do pay attention and try to choose the one most likely and most able to do what he says he will do. And if some think Cruz will be the most effective, that is their opinion, perhaps they are right but I do not think so. I see a big fat eligibility issue with Ted Cruz, and personally I want to keep Section II, Article I, Clause V, and never again compromise on this. Ted Cruz is a good guy, but with these eligibility requirements biting the dust, the next candidate might be another Obama, and then another and another. No thank you, we have entirely enough home-grown traitors running for president, we do not need any more Obamas added to the mix.

[Duchess47]

Thank you :)

[Patton@Bastogne]

.

I’d love to support either Ted Cruz or Donald Trump for POTUS ... and I’m a staunch Ted Cruz campaigner.

Why ?

We all want a BIG Wall with Mexico.

We all want to cancel ObamaCare.

We all want to scrap the Iran Deal.

We all want to rebuild the U.S. Military.

We all want to ship Syrian Islamic Terrorist Refugees back to the Middle East.

We all want to protect the Second Amendment.

We all want to fix the Veteran’s Admin health care system.

We all want to delete Common Core.

We all want to exterminate ISIS.

We all want to stop Islamic Visas into America until we get a better handle on accurate screening processes.

Need I continue ?

The acrimony between political camps at Free Republic is downright assinine (sp) and stupid.

How about we just let the Iowa and New Hampshire voters do their primaries ?

Thank GOD that neither Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Lindsay Graham, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney or John Kasisch will win ANY 2016 GOP state primaries.

.

[House Atreides]

From Merriam-Webster the origin of TRUMP is the word TRIUMPH. Go Trump, you’ve got my vote.
***********************************************************************
Wow, that’s the origin of his name? PRAISE BE HIS TRIUMPHANT NAME!

[mbrfl]

Well said.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Love it!

[jmaroneps37]

You sound like the type of person who would have “demanded” clean restrooms on the trains before you got on for “deportation.” Why you’re an inspiration to all those who would rather beat their breasts in pious self-recognition of your superior conservatism than save the country.
Voting for “Surging Ted” is the only way to save Hillary and insure eight more years of Obama.