Posted on 02/19/2014 4:18:55 PM PST by servo1969
A leading tea party intellectual has turned against the tea party movement’s favorite senator.
Economist Thomas Sowell, who has long been revered among conservatives, has slammed Sen. Ted Cruz in his last two columns, accusing the Texas Republican of being self-serving and comparing him to President Obama.
“Freshman Senator Ted Cruz says many things that need to be said and says them well,” Sowell wrote in his syndicated column Tuesday, before going on to compare Cruz to President Obama. “Moreover, some of these things are what many, if not most, Americans believe wholeheartedly. Yet we need to remember that the same was true of another freshman Senator, just a relatively few years ago, who parlayed his ability to say things that resonated with the voters into two terms in the White House.”
Sowell continued, suggesting Cruz is only looking out for himself.
“Senator Ted Cruz has not yet reached the point where he can make policy, rather than just make political trouble,” Sowell wrote. “But there are already disquieting signs that he is looking out for Ted Cruz — even if that sets back the causes he claims to be serving.”
Sowell seems to have been most recently irked by Cruz’s actions surrounding the Senate vote to increase the debt ceiling. Cruz threatened to filibuster, forcing several Republicans to either vote for cloture or force a fight over the debt ceiling increase. Republican leaders were seeking to avoid such a politically-risky fight and another possible government shutdown in order to focus on the failures of Obamacare heading in to the 2014 midterm elections.
“Senator Cruz’s filibuster last year got the Republicans blamed for shutting down the government — and his threatened filibuster this year forced several Republican Senators to jeopardize their own reelection prospects by voting to impose cloture, to prevent Cruz from repeating his self-serving grandstand play of last year,” Sowell wrote in his Wednesday column. “The Republicans need every vote they can get in the Senate — plus additional votes by defeating some Democrats who are running for the Senate this fall. It can be a very close call. Jeopardizing the reelection of current Republican Senators is an act of utter irresponsibility, a high risk with zero benefits to anyone except Ted Cruz — and the Democrats.”
In his Wednesday column, Sowell also lashed out against the so-called Republican establishment.
“However unjustified Senator Cruz’s actions, the very fact that a freshman Senator can so quickly gain so many supporters, with so much enthusiasm, ought to be a loud warning to the Republican establishment that they have long been a huge disappointment to a wide range of Republican voters and supporters,” he wrote.
I think Cruz wanted to flush out some of those who have been stabbing him in the back!
The fact is, Cruz made John Wayne “One Of Us” McCornyn look like the dirt bag that he is and that is GOOD for Texas, GOOD for the US Senate and GOOD for Cruz!
I just think Mr. Sowell is wrong in his assumption that Cruz is doing this just for his own good.
The Gang of 8 amnesty bill has already been passed by the Senate. 14 GOP Rep senators voted with the Dems. They don't need 10 more John McCains to push thru amnesty. They already have enough now and we see the result.
Mine hasn't. I understand perfectly where Prof. Sowell is coming from. His position is a more pragmatic one than mine. He feels that there is a point at which we can no longer return from the damage done by Liberals, and that we might be very close to that. If his premise is correct, then it might very well be fatal for us to push for a conservative GOP at this time, while gambling against losses in 2014 and 2016.
I take a longer view, however. I think that the U.S. is a bit less frail than he believes. I think we can weather potential defeat in 2014 and 2016, although it would be painful for many years following. I believe we need to purge the Democrat-Lites from the party. If we don't, it doesn't really matter whether the country fails in 5 years or 55 years; it's gonna fail.
Yet another old line conservative that hasn’t yet allowed himself to understand the sort of battle we are in.
“Sowell cannot be “bought off.” He’s richer than most in the GOP, has a reputation for NOT hanging out with any of these types, and I think it’s an unfair slur on the man to suggest as much...”
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You need to understand that some folks can be “bought off” by things other than money. Anyhow, you can have your opinions and I can have mine. I ALWAYS get suspicious when the mainstream media and the GOPe are having a “campaign” against an individual or a group (such as the Tea Party) and someone who is NOT a usual suspect suddenly steps up, joins the firing line and starts blasting away.
While I generally agree with Sowell, I think he’s off base on this one. As much as the GOPe would like to work with an entrenched ‘apprenticeship’, true conservatives like Cruz don’t fit the mold. And, I dare say the nation doesn’t have the time remaining to muddle through an awkward, drawn out rite of passage for legislators like Cruz to advance to recognized leadership roles.
Cruz is taking the actions that are supported by the American people. If Sowell doesn’t like that, or if it doesn’t fit with his calculus, then Sowell needs to rethink his position.
All the caterwauling from the GOPe doesn’t change the fact that it is past time to DO SOMETHING FOR THE NATION, instead of the GOVERNMENT.
Lacking faith in the GOPe, I’ll stand with Ted Cruz.
Two things make me nervous about Cruz
1) Harvard Law grad
2) Wife is a Managing Director @ Goldman Sachs
Either one arouses suspicion
The combo has me wondering...
Two things make me nervous about Cruz
1) Harvard Law grad
2) Wife is a Managing Director @ Goldman Sachs
Either one arouses suspicion
The combo has me wondering...
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STILL trying to spread FUD?
Question IS...... How self serving is Thomas Sowell?..
Next question is... Who isn’t self serving?..
Good points... actually more damning than being self serving..
They are undisputed facts.
Make of them what you will.
Your first sentence proves Sowell’s point. It is all about Cruz.
I agree with you. Dr Sowell deserves and has earned my respect. So I’ll see where this one goes.
Obamacare wont be repealed until there is another president.
The infighting is good to slow down amnesty. Sowell opposes amnesty for illegals.
Slammed? Really?
What hyperbolic BS. Sowell has fair and reasoned critiques of Cruz. Hardly a SLAM.
You are correct.
We hope he is wrong, but it is not an unreasonable argument.
We may love Ted and we may think all the polls are doctored, but the polls show that the liberal attacks are sticking and that Ted is getting no traction outside of us.
And after Susan Angle and Christine O'Donnell, its a legitimate train of thought.
IIRC, hasn’t Cruz already shown some liberal stripes? Possibly re immigration, but maybe something else? I could swear he failed on a basic premise of American conservatism. I know Rubio blew it with concessions for illegals.
On the highway of political divination, it's a fine line separating the skeptical from the cynical lanes.
In this case, I sense you may be veering toward the latter.
But I've been wrong a couple times before . . .
respectfully,
tomkat
has slammed Sen. Ted Cruz in his last two columns, accusing the Texas Republican of being self-serving
Funny, I thought the GOPe and the Chamber of Crony Crapitalists were self serving in their support of the illegal amnesty.....
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