Posted on 06/17/2013 12:57:42 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Via the Examiner, a short but noteworthy clip insofar as it exposes a potential fault line between Cruz and Rand Paul. McCain lumps them together as “wacko birds” but I’m not so sure that’s true of Cruz on national-security issues. His alliance with Paul interests me because it strikes me as a personification of the uneasy libertarian/tea-party alliance. The groups overlap heavily on spending issues, and both are deeply suspicious of Obama’s expansion of government. The master stroke of Paul’s drone filibuster was that he found a sweet spot for both, making the philosophical case for due process while humiliating O for having turned into such a hypocrite about it. Even so, no matter how much Paul sometimes likes to pretend that the tea party is synonymous with libertarianism (for his own strategic reasons), various polls show that it just isn’t so. Tea partiers are more socially conservative than doctrinaire libertarians, they’re more likely to support entitlements, and they’re more traditionally Republican on defense/security issues. That’s not to say that they’re not becoming more libertarian — polls lately show Republicans are more skeptical about NSA surveillance than Democrats are, although that’s probably for partisan reasons — but they’re not all Ron Paul fans either. That’s why Rand is usually quick to claim the tea-party label. The more he gets TPers thinking of themselves as allied with him, then theoretically the more receptive they’ll be to his libertarian ideals.
McCain doesn’t seem to understand the difference between them but comparing Paul’s reaction to the NSA revelations to Cruz’s is instructive. Paul’s first instinct was to organize a class-action lawsuit and accuse the NSA of an “extraordinary invasion of [Americans'] privacy.” Cruz, by contrast, says the revelations are “cause for concern” but urges Fox viewers to reserve judgment until we know more about the programs. And from the looks of it here, his chief objection seems to be that this particular administration can’t be trusted with NSA’s surveillance tools in light of the IRS scandal, not necessarily that any administration can’t be trusted with it. He may very well end up joining Paul’s lawsuit, but I suspect that’ll be aimed at impressing libertarians whose votes he’ll need if he ends up running for president someday just as Rand often tempers his own libertarianism in order to impress more mainstream tea-party conservatives. Cruz’s ally, Sarah Palin (who returned to Fox this morning, although she doesn’t speak in this clip) seems to be taking a position similar to his lately. From her speech at the Faith and Freedom Conference on Saturday:
“The scandals infecting this city, they are a symptom of a bigger disease, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a Republican or a Democrat sitting atop a bloated boot on your neck, out of control government, everybody gets infected, no party is immune,” Palin said. “That’s why, I tell you, I’m listening to those independents, those libertarians, who are saying, it is both sides of the aisle, the leadership, the good ol’ boys in the party on both sides of the aisle, they perpetuate the problem.”…
Palin also took on the “pandering, rewarding the rule breakers, still-no-border security, special interest written amnesty bill,” especially ribbing Jeb Bush for his fertility comment yesterday. “I think it’s kind of touchy territory to want to debate this over one race’s fertility over another, and I say that as someone who’s kinda fertile herself.”
Obama didn’t evade Palin’s lashing, either. “Where is our commander in chief?” Palin asked. “We’re talking now more new interventions? I say, until we know what we’re doing, until we have a commander in chief who knows what he’s doing—well, chief, in these radical Islamic countries, aren’t even respecting basic human rights, when both sides are slaughtering each other as they scream over an arbitrary red line ‘Allah ak-bar’—I say, let Allah sort it out.”
I suspect Cruz would agree with every word, and that her former running mate would disagree with most or all of it. (Palin advocated “Cruz control” for Washington in the speech, in fact.) She doesn’t want any more interventions under a strategist as poor as Obama — but she’s not against intervention in principle. She wants America to listen more to the libertarians, but when it comes to the lousy Gang of Eight bill, she rightly opposes it for its weak border security — even though libertarians are famously comfortable with weak borders. None of this is contradictory; most tea partiers would, I take it, agree that America needs more libertarianism while maybe not quite so much as Ron Paul supporters would prefer. The point is, though, there are real differences between Cruz and Rand Paul and I think we’re getting a hint of one in the clip. And the longer the national debate stays stuck on liberty-versus-security issues, the more obvious I think those differences will be.
Most members of Congress are lawyers. And it’s been said, that lawyers have their spines removed in law schools.
“If this is the case”... “if”... all Ted said was let’s see IF they are guilty or not and not judge them until we have proof.
I am not a Senator but I do understand that we need to find the truth and investigations are underway. I suspect that the NSA is guilty as charged... but I cannot prove it.
LLS
That was to point out Jeb Bush’s stupid statement in his speech.
There is a reason the GOP elite are not attacking the NSA thing.
It is because they knew about, supported it, and have more than likely been promised a slice of the data for election purposes.
“That’s my conclusion.
They’ve gotten to all of them.”
More or less my conclusion as well. I think as soon as these people get to Washington and start to make waves a folder arrives on their desk with a list of kinky Google searches and transcripts of phone calls with mistresses.
All of our elected leaders are hostages.
It’s difficult to be optimistic.
One reason to say this is the knowledge that it will not stop, and will only get worse, and there is bipartisan support for more tyranny. Ted Cruz might just have decided that he doesn’t want to be Don Quixote.
NOT necessarily. They can be almost any race, but often a mixture.
For all the idiots who support this type of intrucsion, I would like to know of any, just one, example where this massive data mining stopped or prevented any terrorist attacks. Instead they failed to detect Boston marathon bombers, the tennis shoe bomber, 911 attacks, Benghazi, the Fort Hood terrorist, etc. And to any statist-elitist who claims that the NSA did stop terror attacks, but they are classified and cannot be talked about, to that I say BULL CRAP! After every corrupt scandal occurring in the 0dumb0 administration, I wouldn't trust the federal gubmint as far as I could throw their 3rd world asses. We need a great, massive, bloody battle Civil War II now, more than ever.
I agree and it’s endless prattle over every individual that has the guts to run.
This next election is going to be a re- run of the SOS...and when it’s all over we’ll all cry foul on why it should have been different....
....meanwhile no matter what expressions of disdain ...we lost before any candidate that could be good for the country has a chance...they all end up in the gutter where WE put them.
This is more depressing then the scandals!
I agree and it’s endless prattle over every individual that has the guts to run.
This next election is going to be a re- run of the SOS...and when it’s all over we’ll all cry foul on why it should have been different....
....meanwhile no matter what expressions of disdain ...we lost before any candidate that could be good for the country has a chance...they all end up in the gutter where WE put them.
This is more depressing then the scandals!
“Do the American people really want to pay the price for a very small ruling class to rule an empire?”
At the rate things are going their won’t be an America for any to rule let alone a Pres. to Govern.
We’re in a bad place right now...people are rebelling against the Government...and Now against our nations National Security Protections....at least Mabarak, Libya, Assad stayed at the helm of their nation.... our current Leadership is a follower of whatever the International Community determines...and absent otherwise...or leaving for his next vacation or round of golf.
If the people loose their trust of Government...they rebel...if they loose the trust of the Security apparatus intended to protect them ...they are ripe for takeover.
We as a nation cannot continue in this near vacum we are in.....either our leaders shape up or this nation will completely fall.
I sometimes think that is exactly what the world leaders are waiting for...the only thing they use us for is money in their coffers and our military...both which are stretched to the max....and no one has the answers.
Ted Cruz was talking to some of the Big Government GOP types so I think he tried to speak their language. He framed the argument to show how Obama is abusing the system rather than pointing out that its a gross violation of privacy and of the Constitution. Those Big Government GOP types support destroying the Constitution in the hopes that the U.S. might catch a few potential terrorists.
This needs to be repeated!
Cruz is making an “important” point....
The NSA surveillance was secretive but also almost unavoidable because everything is electronic now.
.... But I don’t think even Obama dared (although his successor will) to get individual info out of it..... And in any case, he didn’t need it, because he had all of the data voluntarily or mandatorily submitted by Americans - the IRS, state voter registration logs, etc. - that enabled him to target individuals.
‘This was Obama doing meta-data for political purposes’.
....He and his minions were using the NSA for market research.... He wanted to see the trends and know where to direct his political attacks.... For him it was all about remaining in power.
I don’t think Snowden, an Obama supporter, will connect him with this, so I hope somebody else does manage to make the connection.”
Good thinking and great post!
Ted Cruz was talking to some of the Big Government GOP types so I think he tried to speak their language. He framed the argument to show how Obama is abusing the system rather than pointing out that its a gross violation of privacy and of the Constitution. Those Big Government GOP types support destroying the Constitution in the hopes that the U.S. might catch a few potential terrorists.
Your explanation makes the most sense of any on this thread. You are very perceptive. Thanks.
All in Washington “become” what they need to make as much difference as possible in the “stronghold” that is there and operating....that stronghold is NOT this country’s friend.
Were the people fully aware of the power that is there, and basically taken over the nations governance, it would implode upon itself in a moment. The people could not nor would they be able to wrap their heads around it.
We have too high expectations of the men we send there....because we forget that we are sending them into a war zone where they are highly outnumbered....and the enemy IS in control.
Our guys have to handle shots from all around them once they are seen as not ‘On the side” of those welding the power there...and it ain’t just Democrates. As an example McBain hasn’t been re-elected because he’s a good politician...there is nothing good about him...but he is connected to that power.
Our guys have to give an appearance they are willing to play by the rules established “within” the powerhouse...until they are positioned among enough individuals to do the work we ask of them...and that they went there to do.
It’s a mindfield all around....and they are in enemy territory.....we have got to give them room to manuver within the halls of Washington....no matter how it looks to us for a time.
On Hannity 6.17.13
James Sensenbrenner: Prism Program NOT Within The Law Obama Administration Is Bush On Steroids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MFxfGDWs0s
Published on Jun 17, 2013
6/17/13 - James Sensenbrenner: Prism Program Not Within The Law. Obama Administration Is Bush On - James Sensenbrenner Patriot Act Author.: Prism Program NOT Within The Law. Obama Administration Is Bush On Steroids Hannity
AllahPundit on Cruz: “cause for concern” but urges Fox viewers to reserve judgment [on NSA].
Paraphrasing Cruz: “[Politicians] abusing the machinery of govt”.
Sounds like what I’ve been saying. Glad to be on the same page as Palin and Cruz.
I hope not. Cruz is the only D.C. politician left that I trust. I think we need to wait and see what happens on this matter.
I truly believe Cruz will stand strong on the Constitution.
Worth repeating. What a bunch of crap. Someone wants to seed the fertile imaginations of the purists. If they can't vote for Perfect Palin, they won't vote for anyone.
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