Senator Jim DeMint Defends Ted Cruz

The Resurgent ^ | February 17, 2016, 12:16pm | Erick Erickson

[Shadow44]

Of course. So is Sowell, Rush, and anyone who dares oppose Trump.

Decades of actions mean nothing, anyone who opposes the Trumpster is either a GOPe hack or a leftist.

[5thGenTexan]

So now, to support Trump, you conclude that endorsements are meaningless?

[JSDude1]

Only Donald Trump isn’t part of the establishment, you should know this by now!

BTW Donald Trump is our new ‘messiah’ and can do no wrong/s.

[Grampa Dave]

BOL!

[Shadow44]

Disclaimer: That was sarcasm. Unfortunately the circular firing squad has made what used to be self-evident hard to discern.

[skeeter]

Anyone using these tactics is an enemy of conservatism.

That would also explain the current trend of criticizing conservatives among the same folks using these tactics.

[VanDeKoik]

I conclude that Cruz constantly needing people to “circle the wagons” around him because he cant seem to hack the heat of political war shows me he is wasting his time running for this office.

He’s supposed to be this, as his fans keep saying, this legendary fighter of epic abilities, then why the hell do we have to keep hearing from 3rd party folks having to constantly talk up what he cant seem to demonstrate?

Like I said, in the general election these people will become meaningless pipsqueaks as the press isn’t going to spend two drops of ink to print what they have to say about him.

[skeeter]

Mark Levin, Cruz big supporter. Also big supporter and promoter of Orin Hatch.

You haven't been listening recently. Levin utterly despises Hatch.

[RobbyS]

And Trump is not as good a businessman as he pretends. In at least one of the Chapter II bankruptcies, he went Chapter 11 to avoid Chapterr 13. He is not in the same league as a capitalist like Bloomberg.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

First the attacks from the rabid Trump supporters (not all Trump supporters, just the ones that act like attack dogs on every thread) were:

If Cruz is such a conservative, then why haven't his conservative colleagues come out and supported him? Where are the other conservative Senators who have good things to say about him?

In the last 48 hours, both Coburn and DeMint have come out to defend him and now the attacks are:

Look! He needs others to come out and protect him! What a wuss!

Just pathetic.

[5thGenTexan]

So you view Trump getting endorsements as a negative as well?

[DiogenesLamp]

Ping to this article. :)

[lormand]

• In 1999, Trump said he had joined the Reform Party because Republicans are “just too crazy” right.
• In 2000, he said: “I hate the concept of guns.”
• In 2004: “I identify more as a Democrat.”
• In 2007: Told Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s “The Situation Room” that Hillary Clinton was the most qualified to make a nuclear deal with Iran.
• In 2008: Said he was “impressed” with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and supported the idea of impeaching then President George W. Bush.
• “I’m going to take care of everybody,” Trump said in September 2015 on CBS’ 60 minutes. When asked how he would pay for it, he responded that “the government’s going to take care of it.”
• He thinks affirmative action is okay
• He would fund Planned Parenthood except for abortion. (This is current federal policy, though Trump doesn't seem to know it.)
• He supports a progressive income tax. He does not favor a flat tax.
• He doesn't want to cut Social Security or Medicare.
• He's in favor of a ban on assault weapons.
• He invited Bill and Hillary Clinton to his wedding.
• He doesn't "fully" believe in supply-side economics.
• He hates the Iran deal, but he wouldn't abrogate it after taking office.

  Abortion

  Then: On "Meet The Press" in 1999, Trump said he was "very pro-choice." "I hate the concept of abortion," he said. "I hate it. I hate everything it stands for. ... but I just believe in choice."

  Now: In an interview with Bloomberg Politics in January, Trump said, "I'm pro-life and I have been pro-life." He said he believed there should be exceptions in cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother.

  Guns

  Then: In Trump's 200 book "The America We Deserve," he wrote that he "generally" opposed gun control but supported an assault weapons ban and a longer waiting period to purchase a firearm.

  Now: At the 2015 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum, Trump said if he became president, "the 2nd Amendment will be totally protected." He told the Web site Ammoland he does "not support expanding background checks" and said current background checks "don't work."

  Healthcare

  Then: In an interview with Larry King in 1999, Trump said he was "very liberal when it comes to health care" and that he believes in "universal healthcare." Now: During his announcement, he called Obamacare "a disaster called the big lie" and said the deductibles were so high they were "virtually useless."

  Hillary Clinton

  Then: Either Trump or his son donated to Clinton in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007, he invited her to his 2005 wedding in Florida, where she sat front row, and he's donated at least $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation. He also said in an appearance on the Howard Stern show in the mid-2000s that she was a fantastic senator.

  Now: On NBC on Wednesday, he called Clinton "the worst secretary of state in the history of our nation" and said she would be "a terrible president."

  Party affiliation

  Then: Trump changed his party from Republican to Independent Party in 1999, and switched again to Democrat in 2001.

  Now: Has been a registered Republican since 2009.

  There are also some flips which haven't necessarily been from left to right.

  Jeb Bush

  Then: In Trump's 2000 book "The America We Deserve," he called Bush "a good man," "bright, tough and principled," and "exactly the kind of political leader this country needs now and will very much need in the future."

  Now: On Fox News's "On The Record" this week, he called Bush "pathetic" for his support of Common Core, said his immigration views were "baby stuff."

[skeeter]

Are you kidding? He darn near wet himself when Palin announced who she supported.

[AuntB]

De Mint sold out a while back to Freedom works, just like Beck, Levin & Rush. De Mint supports Paul Ryan too!

FOLLOW the $$$..yes, it all boils down to that.

http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/3398277/posts?page=60#60

[VanDeKoik]

#1) No, they actually said “where are his senate endorsements”. This is just DeMint on a radio talk show.

#2) What I said has nothing to do with “endorsements”. I listed names of people that aren’t all elected officials, that form the nucleus of the “circle the wagons club” that has to swoop in and try to protect Cruz every time he gets into tight jams because he keeps getting swept up in controversies, and hasn’t the foggiest idea how to navigate them without these people coming in to hand-hold him out of it!

[grania]

I can't believe the vile attacks on Cruz right here on this conservative forum

This is a FORUM which means we discuss issues. We don't follow any marching orders about what it means to be conservative. FWIW, it seems that if you listen carefully to the candidates, you can tell which ones (and there are some) follow discussions as they evolve here.

As conservatives, we have different priorites about what's most important and even what conservative means.

The "vile attacks" go both ways. It does seem the personal attacks have cut back, even though the differences are still vigorously discussed.

Would you really want us to just agree with everything your candidate says and stop thinking for ourselves?

[RobbyS]

Trump knows how to use the press, to get their attention. he has spent much of his life learning how to draw attention to him. He is, as they say, good copy. For instance at the South Carolina debate it was expected that he would act more presidential. Instead he went ape, he played the hostile crowd like a fiddle. As Rush said today, he learned along ago that people don;t remember your words, they words, they remember how your words make them feel.

[Dr. Sivana]

Bringing in people who rely on being part of the Establishment for their paycheck to vouch for the ideological purity of your candidate does not do anything to attract voters pissed off at the Political Establishments to that candidate.

DeMint OWNED that U.S. Senate seat for as long as he wanted it. He walked because he saw it was dysfunctional, and he wanted to be back outside, where he could energize movement conservatives and tea partiers.

It is twisted to call DeMint Establishment.

ESTABLISHMENT guys have perpetual re-election and institutional power as their greatest good. Men like DeMint have serving the people as their greatest good.

DeMint walked away from a safe seat. McConnell will have to be dragged out of the Senate, even if he's dead.

[Kartographer]

Since when was the utterings of Orrin Hatch seriously considered on FR?