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Three reasons it was stupid of George W. Bush to attack Ted Cruz the way he did
American Irony ^ | 10-20-15 | The Looking Spoon

Posted on 10/20/2015 11:19:10 AM PDT by The Looking Spoon

bush-cruz-thumb

Is it bad that I like Ted Cruz MORE now that we know George W. Bush disapproves?

For someone who has had a pretty good record of being a classy guy this is quite perception shattering.

“I just don’t like the guy,” Bush said Sunday night, according to conversations with more than half a dozen donors who attended the event...

Bush took a harsh view of Cruz’s apparent alliance with Trump, who stood with the senator at a Capitol Hill rally last month in opposition to the Iran deal. While Trump, the current GOP poll leader, has attacked most of his competitors in the 2016 field, he has avoided criticizing Cruz.

One donor, paraphrasing the former president’s comment in response to a broad question about how he viewed the primary race and the other Republican candidates, said: “He said he found it ‘opportunistic’ that Cruz was sucking up to Trump and just expecting all of his support to come to him in the end,” that donor added.

All of this is rich coming from a Bush. In addition to his mere disapproval beefing up Cruz's conservative bona fides, this was a stupid thing to do for three reasons:

1. Like it or not politics is all about strategy and opportunity and alliance. I actually thought it has been a stroke of genius for Cruz to cozy up to Trumps populsm with the most support. If you can't beat 'em join 'em. I don't know if it will pay off for Cruz, but Trump has been tapping the untapped and Cruz is planning to be there if (and when?) Trump's campaign (inevitably?) falls apart. A war president, of all people, should understand something this elementary.

2. This comes across as sour grapes. Yes Cruz's resume as an elected official is pretty thin compared to Jeb's, so I'm guessing there's some resentment that records aren't mattering and that if they did Cruz would be DOA. It should be noted that much of Jeb's resume is padded with the family name, which brings me to...

3. I don't want to hear about opportunism from ANYONE named Bush. The reason W was elected governor of Texas, the ENTIRE impetus for him running for president, is based solely on his father's name and all that came with it (Congressman, CIA director, Vice President, and President).

What is so opportunistic about building something outside of daddy's shadow? Nothing.

George needs to realize that this, more than anything else is why Jeb's campaign is faltering. If you put those two next to each other on a stage I'd bet most people would say Jeb would be a better president, but the shadow of the Bush name has grown long and dark over the last 25 years, name recognition isn't enough this time because there's also a record attached to it that nobody wants.


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: bush4bush; bush4dnc; bush4obama; bushvsamerica; georgewbush; tedcruz
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To: FatherofFive

Never happen. Why would he?


21 posted on 10/20/2015 11:54:37 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: FatherofFive

Never happen. Why would he?


22 posted on 10/20/2015 11:54:37 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: HarleyLady27

Why would a RINO attack another RINO. As usual, Bush went after the conservative.


23 posted on 10/20/2015 11:55:13 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: chajin

Sure. A lot of the Cruz supporters around here bash Cruz, because of their Trump infatuation.


24 posted on 10/20/2015 11:56:04 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: Lib-Lickers 2

Two different issues and yes Trump does sound just like Michael Moore.


25 posted on 10/20/2015 12:02:20 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.)
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To: nickcarraway

The funny thing is that when Trump is ready for the next step he is going to thoroughly bash Cruz. Probably call him a Nazi or something. Classic Trump


Nah, classic Trump would be something that hits hard, very hard. And when all the quick anger and knee jerk reaction is over it will be seen for what it is...the truth. That’s classic Trump.


26 posted on 10/20/2015 12:03:58 PM PDT by ripnbang ("An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man a subject")
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To: The Looking Spoon
Dubya is doing his brother no favors by not standing up for his own record. Instead, he's relied on his minions to carry his water for over 10 years, if not longer.

The only way for Jeb to right the ship is to say, "my brother can defend his own record, here's what I will do as the next President:..."

27 posted on 10/20/2015 12:11:14 PM PDT by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Mississippi! My vote is going to Cruz.)
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To: ripnbang

When did “classic Trump” start? Because until a few years ago, he never made a conservative argument on anything.


28 posted on 10/20/2015 12:11:27 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: Jeff Chandler

“W killed the brand.”

-—Granted, W, didn’t to the brand any major good. However, it was the likes of Boehner, McConnell, Romney, Ryan, McCarthy, ect who put the nails in the coffin


29 posted on 10/20/2015 12:16:59 PM PDT by MichelleWSC3
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To: cripplecreek

Cruz or Trump........how about both 2016.......Best two out there!


30 posted on 10/20/2015 12:28:01 PM PDT by mag44
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To: V_TWIN

Bush is silent except when it comes to conservatives.


31 posted on 10/20/2015 12:28:30 PM PDT by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small pittance.)
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To: The Looking Spoon
I'm glad times have changed. I recall VERY CLEARLY pointing out what W was back in 2004-2005 and getting absolutely HAMMERED for it here on FR.

Might be fun to go back and look at those posts....to see if there are any converts still around.

32 posted on 10/20/2015 12:32:12 PM PDT by NELSON111
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To: HarleyLady27

Well, this is just a side bar issue in ¡Yeb’s battle with Trump. Yeb opened a can of worms by going on the attack. If he is stupid enough, and he is, to continue this episode, Trump will slam back that all or almost all of Yeb’s defense/military advisors are from Poppy Bush and Dubya’s administrations, same old same old. James Baker, Paul Wolfowitz and others. Thus tying Yeb not only to Dupya but Poppy as well as the potboilers of the current mid-east fluster-cluck.

The flawed dynasty....in spades.


33 posted on 10/20/2015 12:40:26 PM PDT by Covenantor ("Men are ruled-...by liars who refuse them news, and by fools who cannot govern." Chesterton)
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To: nickcarraway
The funny thing is that when Trump is ready for the next step he is going to thoroughly bash Cruz. Probably call him a Nazi or something. Classic Trump.
If Trump keeps going the way he has been, and I don’t seriously doubt it, Cruz will ultimately be irrelevant. If in fact Cruz becomes a threat in the "SEC primary,” that will mean that JEB’s campaign is a failure - and we can all breathe easier.

But if Trump goes after Cruz, he will want an excuse for it; classic Trump is to counterpunch in a devastating way.


34 posted on 10/20/2015 12:41:10 PM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion ('Liberalism' is a conspiracy against the public by wire-service journalism.)
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To: The Looking Spoon

W is dead to me now.


35 posted on 10/20/2015 12:49:31 PM PDT by subterfuge (TED CRUZ FOR POTUS! TED CRUZ FOR POTUS!)
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To: The Looking Spoon

So happy to attack a Republican.
But not a squeak about Obama!
Sounds very GOPe


36 posted on 10/20/2015 1:23:12 PM PDT by stocksthatgoup (When the MSM and Elites want your opinion they will give it to you.)
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To: MichelleWSC3

I meant W killed the “Bush” brand.


37 posted on 10/20/2015 1:45:02 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (No more Bushes. W killed the brand.)
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To: nickcarraway

Trump is a successful businessman. He hires the best people. Cruz is the smartest guy on the stage. He understands government. Trump doesn’t. This would be a perfect fit. And I’m actually looking forward to 16 years of Ted Cruz in the Whitehouse.


38 posted on 10/20/2015 2:30:52 PM PDT by FatherofFive (Islam is evil and must be eradicated)
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To: V K Lee

Bingo!!!


39 posted on 10/20/2015 2:58:19 PM PDT by SgtHooper (Anyone who remembers the 60's, wasn't there!)
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To: FatherofFive

“Understanding” government is NOT necessarily a good thing! To me, that means that Trump should learn to work within the current failings of our government. Balderdash!!!


40 posted on 10/20/2015 3:00:54 PM PDT by SgtHooper (Anyone who remembers the 60's, wasn't there!)
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