Posted on 03/08/2014 10:55:56 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) may have won the straw poll, but runner-up Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) won the biggest endorsement on the final night of the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the closing speaker at the three-day gathering of activists, touted Cruz and urged conservatives to challenge the GOP’s inside-the-beltway establishment.
“Thank you Texas because liberty needs a Congress on Cruz control,” Palin told an audience that erupted into raucous cheers.
Cruz, who was elected to the Senate after beating Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst — the candidate favored in 2012 by the GOP establishment — has said he would not be in Congress were it not for Palin’s help.
The GOP's 2008 vice presidential nominee did not formally endorse the freshmen senator who is widely believed to be exploring a White House bid. But she lavishly praised his aggressive tactics, which have angered many colleagues in the Senate Republican Conference.
“Last year something did happen. The awaking began and Sen. Ted Cruz helped keep them awake. His filibuster, it worked in waking people up to the folly of a government takeover over another one sixth of our economy,” she said. “He forced debate.”
Cruz’s all-night filibuster in late September protesting the implementation of the Affordable Care Act helped galvanize a conservative backlash that led to a 16-day government shutdown.
Republicans such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) were furious over Cruz’s role in the debate. The senior Arizona senator and other colleagues bashed Cruz for provoking a standoff with President Obama without having a clear exit strategy.
Cruz in turn blamed fellow Senate Republicans for not backing up House conservatives who refused to adopt a government funding resolution that allowed the implementation of the healthcare law to proceed.
Palin backed up Cruz’s version of events.
“He told his colleagues it was time, time to stand up, time to use the tools of the Constitution, the power of the purse to fulfill their campaign promises and to stop ObamaCare,” she said. “But our army balked. We hoped they were just reloading but instead they retreated.
“Worse, they joined the lapdogs in the lame-stream to trash the foot soldiers who fought for America,” she added.
Palin extolled Cruz’s memorable reading of Dr. Seuss’s classic work of children’s literature, “Green Eggs and Ham,” during his 21-hour filibuster on the Senate floor.
She recited a modified version of the story to mock Obama’s effort to overhaul the nation’s healthcare laws.
“I do not like this Uncle Sam, I do not like his healthcare scam,” she said before being interrupted by wild applause.
“I do not like these dirty crooks or how they lie and cook the books,” she continued to boisterous laughter.
Overall it was a good night for Cruz, who earned 11 percent of the vote in CPAC’s straw poll. Only Paul who also won last year, outpaced him with 31 percent.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie finished in fourth place behind neurosurgeon Ben Carson. Carson earned 9 percent while Christie collected 8.
Cruz found himself in the Senate GOP conference’s doghouse again recently after colleagues learned he signed a fundraising mailer for the Madison Project, which is trying to knock off Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky’s Senate primary.
Palin urged conservative activists to elect more candidates in the mold of Cruz and his comrade in arms, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), whom she called the "good guys."
“They need their reinforcements because, you see, families are hurting today,” she said.
She fired a shot at GOP leaders who have warned conservative groups not to pressure Senate and House Republican incumbents.
“GOP Beltway boys, you know that 2010 election victory that swept you into power, you didn’t build that. The Tea Party did,” she said to loud applause.
Despite browbeating from colleagues such as McCain and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Cruz has refused to promise to stay out of primaries.
"What I have said is that I'm likely going to stay out of incumbent Republican primaries," he said last month. "I haven't put that in concrete."
Not gonna go over well with the Lesser evil/Vote GOP no matter what crew. they do love them some RINO.
Oh well. PDS to follow I’m sure.
Take the hint, GOPe and Christie.
Krispy Kreme WISHES he was in fourth place at the Drudge poll. Sarah has that locked up.
I think Christie should see that movie; Reversal Of Fortune on how quickly your world can change. Just when you thought you had the world on a string, somebody’s trying to wrap that string around your size 17.5 neck.
Oh yes, “GOP, remember that big win in 2010? You didn’t build that, yo had help from The Tea Party!”. Poor Santorum barely shows up on the popularity poll. I agree with much of his positions, but I don’t think the majority of the country believes as fervently as they did, say twenty or thirty years ago. I know that now.
Cruz and Palin will operate as a team, they have the same conservative goals.
Well, does that mean that anyone who endorsed such RINO critters was a "lapdog in the MSM" who "trashed the foot solders who fought for America"?????? Were such 'soldiers' among those who were in the army that "balked"????
That means FREE REPUBLIC. FR endorsed one of those 'soldiers' who balked and was a lapdog in the MSM who trashed conservative footsoldiers: FR endorsed Romney. So I took a break from FR.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2920626/posts
And FR will endorse whomever is the next GOP (In reality, the GOPe) nominee. We might as well call ourselves freerepublican.com
Rand Paul’s vote roughly paralleled the legalize pot vote. I am shocked.
That was very good!
FR endorsed Romney, well not endorsed, “supported” him after he was selected the Republican Nominee for President against Obama.
Don’t act like anyone here Voted for Romney in the Primaries, because nobody here did as far as I know. If you think someone did, give us some Screen names.
Would you have preferred that FR endorsed Obama?
Levin Rule, look it up. If people followed it Obama would have been a One Termer, which in itself was bad enough.
Millennials are bussed from colleges to CPAC.
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“.....[Palin] said the midterms offered an opportunity [to] make Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) either minority leader or “a blackjack dealer in Vegas.”
But, she warned existing Republican leadership: “You know that 2010 election victory that swept you into power? You didn’t build that. The tea party did.”
She offered repeated nods to the young people in the audience. Organizers said almost half of the attendees who voted in the conference straw poll were between the ages of 18 and 25.
“I love coming back here because there are always so many young people, or as you’re known by the folks across the river, Obamacare suckers,” she said.
Slightly less well-received was a joke about the “choom gang” — a dig at President Barack Obama over marijuana — shortly after conference organizers said their straw poll found three-fifths of attendees favor legalization of marijuana for either recreational or medical use.”.....
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/sarah-palin-cpac-2014-104452.html#ixzz2vS8PKwBJ
Save for later.
Sarah threw some red meat to us Tea Party people last night, and that’s a good thing. No reaching across the aisle for that gal!
Disappointed that Ted Cruz didn’t poll better but Sarah gave him his place at the table and that is also a good thing.
The Sunday pundits will go after her hammer & tongs later today. Angrea Mitchell will be hissing like a cat.
If you saw the graph showing the age of CPAC voters it was loaded with younger voters. The primaries won’t be. So I look for Cruz to do better unless Libertarians get involved.
Ron Paul's groupies, using their usual tactics.
“The Sunday pundits will go after her hammer & tongs later today.”
FOX already did the minute her speech was over. Whoever the FOX host was he was snide and derisive and totally disrespectful - a real A-hole.
LOL...good one!
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