Posted on 03/05/2016 6:44:16 AM PST by CapitalistCrusader
I was thinking about the republican primary and asking myself, "if conservatism is the answer and Ted Cruz is an exemplar of conservatism, why is he not doing much better at the ballot box so far?" Or, why is Donald Trump doing so much better? In my opinion, Trump is doing better because he is proposing solutions to our country's problems that are derived from common sense thinking.
For example, there are thousands of illegal aliens crossing the border with Mexico on a monthly basis. Trump's solution? Build a wall. This is not a new idea so Trump adds that he'll get Mexico to pay for it. Whether he can actually get Mexico to pay for it is not really relevant to his campaign. Politicians routinely make bold predictions of what they will do once elected and then never deliver. The point is that he mixes the common sense solutions with a degree of bravado that adds an air of the traditional rugged American. This theme of common sense solutions mixed with a little New York moxy has been pattern in his campaign thus far. This is what he has branded "Common Sense Conservatism."
Putting all the name calling aside, Trump and Cruz want to accomplish many of the same goals as POTUS. Secure the border, replace ObamaCare. reduce the size of the federal government, etc. So why is Trump resonating with more voters than Cruz? Because Ted Cruz is an elitist conservative. What is an elitist? An elitist is a person who believes that a society or system should be lead by an elite. Only a "true" conservative is able to select a proper justice for the supreme court. Only a "true" conservative can come up with the right plan to rein in the federal bureaucracy. Only a "true" conservative can fix the health care system. The list goes on and on. His demeanor suggests that only he, a "true" conservative, can properly lead, or is fit to lead our country out of the problems we currently face.
This is why a Ted Cruz campaign rally is reminiscent of a revival meeting. Ted Cruz is an elitist conservative. He is as much an elitist as Mitt Romney, as Jeb Bush, as Mitch McConnell, as Harry Reid, as Nancy Pelosi. He is simply a member of different elitist cabal.
But here's a new flash for Ted Cruz and Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin. Conservatism comes in many flavors, not just the true, doctrinaire, orthodox variety. There are many conservatives out here who are secualr, or gay, or lesbian, or even atheist. And we don't like to be preached to and proselytized.
I am a Trump supporter but I will vote for whomever wins the nomination legitimately. But all you elitists out there, of both the Republican and Conservative variety, should be aware that if you destroy Trump by invective you will be alienating a large swath of voters. If that happens I would expect turnout in the general to reach historic lows and Clinton to be the next POTUS. Is destroying Trump worth it?
That is the bottom line ...
Compromising with bad policy is like adding a little sewage to your drinking water; no good can come of it.
Trump is doing “so much better” than Cruz due to his celebrity & the fact that Rubio is staying in the race...
How is that relevant?
All are sinful but what else is new! Yet conservative Christians seem to be looking for some perfect evangelical politician preacher combination and will refuse to have anything to do with a imperfect Donald Trump but their "perfect" candidate would stand no chance of being elected as President.
To be brutal honest I think they would be happy with loosing. They could relax in the knowledge they kept themselves "pure" and can go home and sit on the sidelines and complain while an Obama mark 2 continues to destroy the USA
“Ted Cruz is an elitist conservative. He is as much an elitist as Mitt Romney, as Jeb Bush, as Mitch McConnell, as Harry Reid, as Nancy Pelosi. He is simply a member of different elitist cabal.”
Really? This is the type of crappy logic that deserves a vanity now?
So it is elitist to be a Constitutional Conservative? Elitist to believes the Constitution LEADS to common sense pragmatic solutions, instead of trusting to the whims of a personality cult whose opinions change on the wind? Are you going to oppose Trump whenever he rolls over the Constitution, as he at times will, or just curl up in a ball?
And I get it, Trump will be the nominee and I will vote for him. But this vanity baloney that Ted is the most evil, nasty, slimy, sleazy, cheating, lying, RINO(?) needs to stop. It is deranged.
I now think more than ever that Cruz needs to fight every inch to the convention and exact every bit of concession possible - exactly because of this sort of deranged Trump veneration. Trump may be necessary and even good for the country, but he is not a God. Cruz and his followers ought to be your biggest allies, instead there is this constant demonization.
There you have it.
It isn't just 15-year old girls who think he's creepy-looking. There's something genuinely repulsive about the guy.
To your point on voter turnout.
High negative opinion and low second choice poll numbers in the primaries tend to correlate with low voter turnout in the general in past elections. Trump has the highest negative opinion and lowest second choice numbers this primary cycle.
If low voter turnout is your concern, you might want to consider why those numbers are there. That might be Trump’s problem in the general, not “conservative elitists”.
So why is he voting for the Liberal Trump?
Can’t he figure out that Trump is full of promises that he can’t or won’t keep?
so what happens when Trump doesn’t deliver and uses liberal solutions or ignores problems?
Why can’t people see through Trump? Are they stupid or just go on emotions?
I do agree that people are pissed about both Democrat and Republican parties. More so the RP. The idiots will still voted for a traitor and felon - Clintoon.
Cruz chose a message with a very limited appeal outside the conservative base.
And then proceeded to abandon that message when he dishonestly campaigned for Barack Obama’s secret trade agenda in the U. S. Senate. Cruz had a very narrow lane and he needed to run the table. Cruz’s weaknesses on immigration and trade made it difficult for him to compete with Trump on those issues. The Preacher Ted routine may pull him over the line in Iowa but he needed a broader message for a national campaign. Big mistake on his part, IMO.
You are voting for the grand compromiser if you vote for Trump. He is proud of his flexibility. Flip-flop-flip. Who knows where he will actually land on any issue. He owned casinos and so I guess he is big on gambling. I don’t want a President gambling with the Constitution.
I don’t have any disdain for conservatives. I am a conservative. I’m just not a “true” conservative.
Cruz exudes “asshole” from every pore of his being?Spoken like a true Trump cultist.
That is certainly at least as true for Trump as it is for Cruz. Except that anyone but a Trump supporter probably wouldn't use the vulgarity.
Here are some choice Trump quotes that clearly demonstrate his "assholeness":
"Lady Di was crazy, but I would have nailed her." (on the Howard Stern show)I would love to see comparable examples of public "assholeness" by any other candidate. But no one is as vulgar as Trump the Clown"I get more p*ssy than you." (the first thing he ever said to Tucker Carlson)
Yes Fester, we are all hypocrites because we all have an elitism of our own. The elks, the local pickup basketball team, who we go drinking with after work - they are all exclusive associations. Only difference is they are private not public.
And that is the distinction that Cruz and his ilk fail to get.
I know I will get flamed for this. Conservatives, alone, can not win an election. We need the Reagan Democrats and we need the black and Hispanic vote. Trump has proven that he can do it. Cruz can not. I can not take that chance by giving him my vote this election.
Trump will never run for re-election if elected. Give him the chance to stick it to the GOP establishment. Vote Trump. In 4 years, Cruz can run again. Just maybe, Trump and reunite the NEW Republican Party that could elect Cruz. This election Cruz will never win. He simply doesn’t have the votes to beat Hillary.
Well in that case, we should never build a wall of even attempt to secure the border lest some evil contractor make some money.
Yeesh, did you even think about that before you posted it?
Amazing the number of us who have voted ourselves out of that club over the past few months. I think the rolls of dues paying members is dwindling to insignificance.
+1
There isn’t a photogenic one in the bunch - on either side of the aisle.
Ted has eaten more boogers in the heat of debate.
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