Posted on 08/21/2013 9:09:21 AM PDT by SoConPubbie
He may be a right-wing nut, but the Texas senator can beat a Democrat in a general election. Here's why
There’s been some more buzz this week about Ted Cruz’s presidential prospects. The demagoguing senator took his first trip to Iowa just six months after being sworn in to office, and he’s pretty clearly reaching for the White House. Early reports are that it’s going well. And Rich Yeselson wrote a high-profile (and fascinating) essay arguing that, basically, Cruz is perfectly positioned for reaching the top of the Republican ticket.
The focus of this piece is on Cruz’s general election viability. When it comes to the primary, I’m not going to start handicapping the viable candidates seeking the Republican nomination yet; I’ll only say that I don’t see any reason not to include Cruz in that group, as of now. Viable candidates have conventional credentials and are in the mainstream of their party on questions of public policy. Cruz, from what we know now, qualifies. With four years in elected office by January 2017, he’ll be in a similar boat with Barack Obama (who, granted, had held lower office as well) and Mitt Romney (who at least had four full years before his campaign began). And while Cruz surely is planted at an edge of the Republican mainstream, I don’t see any reason, so far, to believe he’s close to falling off that edge. Whether or not Yeselson is correct that Cruz is a particularly strong candidate, it’s certainly very possible to see him nominated.
But what about the general election? Could he actually win?
What I hear from many liberals about Cruz’s chances are two things. One is just disbelief: Republicans wouldn’t really do something like nominate Cruz, would they? The key is that Ted Cruz isn’t Herman Cain or even Michele Bachmann; he’s a United States senator, and that counts for something (that is, conventional credentials count for something) in presidential elections. So, yes, they really could do something like that.
The other thing I hear, however, is perhaps even more wrong. Some liberals react by actively rooting for Cruz. The theory? The nuttier the nominee, the worse the chances of Republicans retaking the White House. Indeed, in conversation I’ve heard all sorts of justifications: Cruz couldn’t possibly win Florida! Therefore, he couldn’t win the White House!
Don’t listen to it.
Fine, you’re in the Hillary camp. Do you need directions to DU?
IF Cruz runs for President and does not get elected ... what does that do for his later chances to run again?
Gotta consider all angles...
“Fine, you’re in the Hillary camp. Do you need directions to DU?”
What a narrow minded little turd you are to smear me with this kind of crap! Just because I don’t support YOUR candidate you want to paint me as a Hillary supporter.
Piss off.
Since you won’t be voting for him “period” including if he is the Republican nominee... your own words define you. Getting pissed because I (and many others) called you on it, doesn’t change what you wrote.
If he gets nominated the Democrats will sue to have him bounced from the ballot and given that they’ve got plenty of Democrats on the bench they’ll be able to either win on the issue or hurt him enough to cause him to lose.
Therefore, I am not voting for him in the primaries and I firmly believe that what I do in the general election with regards to him will be moot.
The Democrats will inevitably create a graphic with Cruz in front of a Canadian flag and that’ll be the meme for the election.
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