Cruz is still my #2, but Trump is #1 choice for me.
There does appear to be some “heated debate” with regard to people’s favorites, but let me share why Cruz probably hurt himself by his current campaign approach.
If Trump wasn’t in the race, I think Cruz would be leading, but he’d be getting pounded horribly by the establishment. Not sure how he would hold up. Trump is hitting him hard enough and Cruz might not be weathering that too well, which means the Democrats/media would be even more damaging to him.
So, for this campaign, since Trump is in the race and doing very well, Cruz would have been better off sticking to his original plan of drafting behind Trump. Would Cruz have got the nomination? No. He would have been in great shape for VP or SCOTUS. Assuming VP, he’s still so young, he would have been in perfect shape in 4 or 8 years.
Where Cruz went off the rails was in deviating from his brand positioning. He was positioning himself as the best conservative, strong evangelical, strong constitutionalist, not as the best manager or executive, which to a large extent the President is.
When Cruz went a bit more “Preacher Ted” before Iowa, it may have turned some voters off, but after Iowa, only the media would have made much hay about that.
Here’s where that conduct I think hurt him. When he and his team had some hiccups on the ethics front (the false rumor about Carson in Iowa, his robo calls in South Carolina, and his forgetting to mention loans from Goldman Sachs in his campaign finance filing), coupled with the “Preacher Ted” conduct, I think Cruz came across a bit hypocritical and more like a regular politician, eliminating some of his brand positioning and differentiation.
Now I do want to mention Cruz’s embracing of Glenn Beck. Beck seems to have really gone weird in recent years. He’s extremely polarizing and in my view, he is likely a net negative to Cruz. Compare that to Joe Arpaio supporting Trump. Who would you rather have?
The final issue is the eligibility issue for both Cruz and Rubio. That topic will generate very heated argument on both sides.
So, overall, I think some people have absorbed the entirety of the campaign and settled in on their favorite or favorites and maybe are venting a bit on the discussions.
Now I don’t know either way, but it might be possible that some of the posters/commenters are actually affiliated with the political process and are trying to influence opinion, so take that into account.
I think you may be missing the context. Basically, the Cruz supporters on FR have been telling all the Trump supporters that they are the worst slime in the world, are not true conservatives, and they might as well be voting for Hillary or Bernie, and that Trump should get out (while he's winning) and let Cruz (the "true" conservative), win the nomination.
So as Cruz flounders, you can look for the Trump supporters to throw a little back their way.
Sine Cruz endorsed open borders Rubio over Build the wall Trump, is it any wonder people are questioning Cruz’s “I’m a staunch conservative” spiel?
Any bashing of Cruz should begin to subside in the weeks to come. He’s becoming irrelevant.
Rubio will be the new golden boy of the anti-Trump cult.
Cruz may have been fine IF he never climbed onto a Christian soapbox. From then on, he had a higher standard to live up to.
His charitable giving declared on his tax returns was a red flag to me. (and if he didn’t declare church tithing, that means he chose to give the government more money???)
What he did to Carson spoke volumes.
He has never risen to the level of the great debater we were led to believe he was.
Trump has come out and said he has changed on abortion. It really pisses me off when Cruz continually tries to imply that Trump is still pro choice with his planned parenthood remarks. Of course we cannot be certain of where Trump’s heart really is, but I think a Christian should be not be blatantly attacking Trump on this as though he was a liar.
Cruz has never cleared up his remarks years ago that he wanted immigration reform to pass. If it was a ‘poison pill’, why would he say that and why has he still not said why he said it?
Cruz has waited far too long to clearly say he would deport illegal aliens. Now it seems disingenuous and he has gone over the top and said they could never come back. That stand would make for some very effective ads against him in a general election by showing children being separated from their parents.
His wife being a VP of Goldman Sachs is not a plus.
The content of this video makes him very much seem like a fraud. AND IT MAKES you wonder what kind of judgment he has with the people he hires (who made this video?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqpHTFJO4mE
A sad fact is that the majority of Americans can’t — or won’t — read AND UNDERSTAND the 4400 words in our Constitution. I fear most probably won’t read this somewhat lengthy essay on why we’ve LOST — and will continue to LOSE — the RIGHTS GUARANTEED WE THE PEOPLE AND THE RESTRICTIONS THE FOUNDERS IMPOSED UPON THE GOVERNMENT WITHIN THE MARGINS OF OUR FORMERLY SACRED NATIONAL CHARTER! If you’re having trouble figuring out who is charged with holding government within Mr. Jefferson’s “...chains of the Constitution”, check the reflection in the nearest mirror.
“Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; if it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.” — Judge Learned Hand, 1944
http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd710.htm
Cruz, Carson Held Secret Meeting About Dirty Tricks In A Closet 2/20/2016, 9:15:26 AM · 52 of 120 corkoman to OldSaltUSN Crass newbies bloviating for Trump = paid shills. After Nov you will take your 30 pieces and sail away.
The Trump supporters answered with an actual reason, most of which is about Cruz's positions and campaign tricks.
The Cruz supporters on this thread have, yet again, attacked other posters and Trump on a personal level....name calling etc.
So, as evidenced by your very own thread, you have your answer.
HOORAY Cruz
HOORAY Trump
Both can take a punch.
Yes but barely
He’s just another slick but he is far better than most
Rubio is just pitiful with that fake smile
It is about God. If you stand for Jesus Christ in this world you will be hated.
Most church members won’t stand for Him except in times of need.
Our nation is on a slippery slide and it is probably not going to stop unless people will return to our God. Unless God intervenes and gives us another chance we will have another godless president.
Ted Cruz stands for Jesus Christ and that is his problem. God bless him.
I was initially for Cruz when he announced.
Then he voted for TPA and the Corker bill.
He would not say the word deportation until recently.
Plus I finally decided that just because the Democrat and Republican parties decided they wanted the Constitutiion changed without amending it, I do not have to go along with that.
I still know what natural born citizen means.
Obama is not one and neither are Rubio or Cruz.
Sorry if that hurts feelings.
I have never supported Ted Cruz for president since I am absolutely positive (after much research) that Ted Cruz is definately not eligible to the office of president. Rubio either. So I will not vote for either of them.
Not all are bad, but there are about 10% of Trumpets who are insane, and have infiltrated FR like roaches.
Could you have been on the wrong thread? There were two, one was for Trump supporters. They wouldn’t have been as nice to Cruz.
I'm Cruz supporter and agree his campaign has had some misses letting others distort his record, didn't like the Iowa flier, he wins debate on substance but not on rhetoric that so many go by.
But I 90% go by record, could care less by campaign talks / debates for the most part.
I think Trump wanted to be POTUS, he could have run as Democrat or Republican. He knew it was Republican wave after Obama so he decided Republican. Then knew major issue then win Republican nomination was immigration, so he went after it hard.
I think he may be all over the place as President, some real good things for Conservatives, then some things to please the left.
Just my view!
There are several dozen rabid Trump fans who are like that, but that's about it.
Cruz is my first choice, and Trump is second . I try to smooth over the Cruzer attacks on Trump and the Trumpster attacks on Cruz, and I try to point out the truth when unfair or personal attacks on either are posted. Both sides are far more at fault than reasonable people should be, which annoys me because I believe the vast majority of Trump's 70%-ish support on FR would support Cruz as their top choice if Trump imploded (VERY unlikely) and the reverse if Trump keeps the lead.
It’s more the case that certain posters on either side use facts and citations to discuss issues, but other posters use personal attacks and withering snobbery towards the supporters of the other guy. These latter kinds of posts tend to receive the same nastiness in return, drowning out sensible discussion.