Posted on 12/23/2015 10:38:06 AM PST by conservativejoy
Ted Cruz is surging. He's taken the lead in Iowa, according to multiple polls, has tied Trump in South Carolina in one poll, and in another poll is only four points behind nationally (although he still lags nationally in other polls). But if Cruz wins Iowa and South Carolina, he is extremely likely to win the nomination, if past history holds.
So what can Trump do to win? He can try to increase his base of support, but the best move might be to try and take Cruz down.That's what Trump did when he attacked Jeb! for being low energy, that's what he did when he joked about Ben Carson stabbing people, and that's what he did with Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, Linsey Graham, Rand Paul, and a few others.
But attacking Ted Cruz could be trickier. There are several lines of attack, none of them obviously beneficial:
1) To attack his qualifications to be president, as some in the tinfoil hat crowd do. But Trump himself has said that Cruz is qualified, so that probably won't work.
2) To attack Cruz from the left. Trump tried that when he attacked Cruz for not supporting ethanol subsidies, but Cruz was immediately defended by conservative talk radio, and the attack was seen to backfire on Trump.
3) To attack Cruz's personality. Trump tried this a bit by saying that Cruz was a "bit of a maniac" in the Senate, which was perceived as a statement of support for Cruz's nemesis, Mitch McConnell. That also backfired on Trump. In general it is hard to find grounds to criticize Cruz's personality. He is even-tempered, high energy, and more consistent on the issues than any other candidate.
4) To attack Cruz from the right. This is hard to do but not impossible. Rubio has tried it by claiming that when Cruz, in an effort to weaken Rubio's amnesty bill, supported an amendment to legalize illegals but deny them citizenship, Cruz was actually showing his support for illegal aliens. But not just conservative talk radio but Jeff Sessions and Mike Lee and other senators who were there came to Cruz's defense, noting he was trying to scuttle the whole amnesty bill.
There are grounds to attack Cruz from the right. He did vote for the terrible procedure which allowed Obama's Iran deal to avoid a 2/3 vote of the senate. He did initially vote to give Obama fast trade authority before voting against it. And he did previously support a vast expansion of H1-B visas (though he has since changed his tune on that). And of course, while he supports building a wall on the border and enforcing immigration law, he has not called for the kinds of mass deportations that Trump has.
So there is a way to attack Cruz from the right, if done carefully. Unfortunately, carefully is not Trump's strong suit. He is more likely to attack the way Cruz parts his hair or goes to the bathroom than his support for H1-B visas. But I think given the way that Cruz is surging that Trump will have to do something to try and counter him, or risk getting left behind.
Not at all. Cruz will make a brilliant VP.
“Hah, I think you forgot people who are won over by his dedication to liberty and his brilliance.”
No....they weren’t.
Until Caron revealed that he thought the Pyramids were places to store grain, he was the one in 2nd in Iowa, and Cruz was in a single-digit 3rd or 4th place. Carson had that evangelical vote locked up because he was a master, if of nothing else, of pandering to them they way they like every 4 years.
If Carson had managed to keep his mouth shut, that’s pretty much where we would be now.
There has been no major speech of performance by Cruz to have moved him anywhere. This was all the dynamics of the other candidates flaming out.
Yawn, Trump does not need to go on the offensive against Cruz. Trump doing fine as is. Cruz is picking up the social conservatives that liked Ben Carson, Trump is picking up everyone else.
Before I respond, I will say that either Cruz or Trump will get my vote against Hillary or any Dem. I like them both, for different reasons.
My reaction to your desire to see a cat fight though is very negative. That is what the left would love to see. As much as I think Cruz is more conservative, I don’t think he has Trump’s broad appeal (as shown by numbers of supporters at rallies) and I don’t see Cruz creating the Reagan like coalition with blue dog dems that Trump can. Trump seems to be leading despite his often undisciplined remarks. I don’t mind if I am proven wrong over time and the electorate selects Cruz (my vote comes way too late to make any difference in the primary), but I have no problem with pulling the lever for Trump over Hillary.
So at some point Trump will have to go on the offensive but it'll be fascinating to see how he goes about it.
I'm not tremendously worried though because the early states are looking pretty good for Cruz right now.
Cruz has been drafting Trump, happy to let others try to take him down while Cruz tosses the occasional harmless barb. It's crucial for him to not alienate Trump supporters because Cruz admits he needs them to win.
You're right about the Cruz end of game support. If Trump disappears you can bet the farm on a Rubio nomination and between Rubio and Hillary "what difference does it make".
“Because Trump can’t sustain a battle over conservative credentials with Cruz.”
You’re right. That’s why he won’t go there, and backed off pretty quick when he did. That’s why I wish he would. There’s nowhere else for Trump to go but down and attacking Cruz would send him there quickly.
Trump wants to replace Obamacare with another government healthcare program. Trump wants to increase government spending instead of shrinking government. Does Trump really want to go down that path when Cruz is more conservative than he is in just about every area?
No.
Trump knows what he is doing and has his own strategy. Trump is a very high powered executive. He has his lieutenants working in Iowa and doing things no one knows about.
Trump does not need anyone’s advice except his inner circle. He has performed flawlessly so far and he will get all the business in the end.
No, I’d say it’s the other way around. Cruz needs to attack Trump if he has any hope of winning. The only problem, if he attacks Trump, he still doesn’t have any chance of winning. Cruz has boxed himself into a corner.
Not quite the Trump jet is it...
Versus Cruz’s wishy-washy language on immigration? Sorry, I want an outsider not some politician.
Not if one assumes the polling numbers are correct.
He’s looking very good at this point. I wouldn’t bet against him, no siree!
I want someone who knows what he's doing, not a rank amateur. We've had seven years of that. Eight years is enough
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