Posted on 01/18/2016 12:59:43 PM PST by Kaslin
Having been smacked around by Cruz over the so-called 'birther' issue on last week's debate stage, Donald Trump is turning to his Feuding 101 playbook: Personal insults. He previewed his character assault against Cruz last month ("maniac"), quickly calling off the rhetorical dogs when the Texas Senator assiduously adhered to his strategic nonaggression pact. But now that Cruz has thrown multiple punches in defense of his own constitutional eligibility to seek the presidency, Trump is unleashed:
Trump - Cruz Is A Very Nasty Guy - Nobody Likes Him
The fracas between the Republican presidential front-runners escalated Sunday as Donald Trump went after Ted Cruz's likability, calling the Texas senator a "nasty guy." "Nobody likes him, nobody in Congress likes him, nobody likes him anywhere once they get to know him," Trump said in an interview airing on ABC's "This Week" ... Trump revived the charge in his interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC, calling Cruz a hypocrite and "very dishonest." "He wants to look like Robin Hood," Trump said. "That he's the one protecting the people from the banks, while he's actually borrowing money and personally guaranteeing it and not disclosing it, which is illegal" ... And Trump said he'll consider filing his own lawsuit challenging Cruz's eligibility to be president based on his birth. "Maybe I'll talk to them about it," Trump said. "I'd like to talk to Ted about it, see how he'd feel about it — 'cause you know, when I file suits, I file real suits."
Let's set aside the surreal richness of Donald Trump -- who has ridiculed a disabled reporter, attacked female opponents' looks, mocked POWs, tried to bully a widow out of her home, and withheld healthcare from his brother's sick infant (admittedly!) out of spite -- calling somebody else a "very nasty guy." The real estate mogul taunts that "nobody" in Congress likes Cruz, a perception that Democrats would certainly try to exploit in a general election setting, but that falls like manna from heaven in the context of this year's GOP primary. He recycles the 'undisclosed loan' attack based on a New York Times story, even though Cruz did disclose the unremarkable (and since repaid) loan prior to his 2012 elections. Cruz has acknowledged a clerical error in the specific filing of that disclosure. And now Trump appears to be threatening to file his own lawsuit over the birther issue. Remember when Trump pretended he was merely asking eligibility questions for Cruz's own good? That pretense is long gone.
The billionaire's new flirtation with a lawsuit over this non-issue actually constitutes an abrupt about-face from Thursday night. In Charleston, Trump vowed, "I'm not bringing a suit. I promise," instead predicting that Democrats would sue if Cruz ended up on the Republican ticket. Now he's considering bringing a suit. Donald Trump is an intemperate, impulsive man who does and says whatever he perceives to be in his immediate interests -- which is why supporters who expect him to keep his word on policy matters (to the extent that they care about public policy at all) ought to brace for bitter disappointment in the unlikely event that he's elected. One issue on which Trump managed to draw blood against Cruz was the "New York values" flap, for which Cruz is now impishly "apologizing" by lamenting how liberalism has failed New Yorkers. Marco Rubio, who's chasing both Trump and Cruz nationally, was asked about the "New York values" controversy on Meet the Press yesterday, and offered a pretty cunning response (skip ahead to the 3:00 mark):
Marco Rubio Talks About His Vision for America on Meet the Press | Marco Rubio for President
Todd: What does that phrase mean to you?
Rubio: I've never used that phrase. I think we're all Americans. I'm campaigning on behalf of American values, and I don't seek to divide people against each other. That's the problem we have with the current president. I think the bigger problem is Ted has raised a lot of money out of New York ; he didn't say that when he was there raising money. He says that in one state and says something different in another. Time and again, it's proven this level of political calculation that voters are only starting to find out about now as the campaign gets deeper and more heated.
Sponsored content: Trump camp amplifies "birther" attacks on Cruz with paid Facebook ads... pic.twitter.com/tZBPDtRWZT— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 18, 2016
Cruz: Let's face it, Trump's a phony conservative who's obsessed with tweeting:
Wow, Townhill prints anything these days. I remember not that long ago when they published thoughtful articles that inspired debate. Now, they’re like Red State.
And I posted fifth grader about him. See, I can give DT credit, lolol.
This should have been posted in breaking news.
“Ding ding ding ding!! We have a winner in the Wile E. Coyote Trump Frustration Award contest. It’s hard to see someone topping this one!”
Oops, sorry, damn spell checker, meant Townhall.
Thanks in advance.
My thoughts on Rubio are in my tag line.
Can anyone post at Townhall.com these days. A childish rant.
This is EXACTLY what we need to put Hillary into office, I hope all you people out there reading this article will remember this when you spoke like a lib and driving all the voters away from the one person who can Make America Great Again!!!
And all the Cruz bots driving the support to the other candidates because of what you say here will determine whether we will have an America to Make Great Again!!!
But don’t quit now, keep going ‘unhinged’ and believe what you read in these liberal articles and you will be sitting home wondering what happened!!!
Go Trump.
I think you nailed it perfectly.
looks like you don’t like the truth
Translation of your tagline. I am a Jeb supporter and hope he gets elected. Signed CedarDave
When you start a column with such an absurd statement there's no reason to read further. Only a true Trump hater could think Cruz is winning the eligibility issue. How many people knew Cruz was born in Canada and was a Canadian citizen until two years ago? How many will believe that Cruz, the smartest lawyer in the world didn't know he was a Canadian citizen all his life? And his refusal to even acknowledge that there is an issue there is revealing him as less than honest. As for the political effect, I believe it's been a momentum killer for Cruz. Since it became an issue two polls show Trump ahead in Iowa for the first time in a month. Benson and his ilk can claim whatever they want, but they reveal nothing but their own foolishness.
“A childish rant”
Not alot in this article that is innaccurate that I can see.
I remember these same things said about Reagan.
Steve Martin had a stand up joke that he used many times: “Reagan wants to turn this country back to what it used to be: covered in ice.”
I knew that Cruz had dual citizenship and that he gave up his Canadian in anticipation of running. I thought it was pretty common knowledge. Nothing hidden.
It's a well known fact nobody in DC likes Cruz, isn't that what he is running on?
He prides himself as an outsider, doesn't he?
If you want to see fourth grade level, see what some of the posters/zealots have been reduced to here on FR.....and that goes for both Trump and Cruz zealots.
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