Posted on 03/23/2015 9:12:30 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA—Ted Cruz's official campaign announcement was slow-rolled over the weekend with leaks and, ultimately, at midnight Monday, a tweet.
But on Monday morning, Cruz made his first official opening pitch at a special edition of one of Liberty University's weekly convocations. "I believe God is not done with America yet," he said. "I believe in you and the power of millions of courageous conservatives rising up to reignite the promise of America, and that is why today I am announcing that I'm running for president of the United States."
With his tweet and speech Monday, Cruz becomes the first major 2016 contender to officially enter the presidential race. And he's already redefining his style for the national stage.
In a departure from his more typical fire-and-brimstone rhetoric—he left out the assertion that "the whole world is on fire," one of his most used lines—Cruz delivered a decidedly optimistic speech that focused on the future, with only a few jabs at President Obama on what was the fifth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. And he positioned himself as the GOP field's premiere religious conservative, talking up his family's troubled background and how his parents eventually found Christ.
(RELATED: Is Canadian-Born Ted Cruz Eligible to Run for President?)
Cruz opened his speech with his family story, praising his "pioneering computer-programmer" mother for overcoming a father "who drank far too much and frankly didn't think that women should be educated." It appeared to be his first move to position himself against the presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who will reportedly make her own glass-ceiling-shattering career a focus of her eventual campaign.
He also went into a rarely told story of his parents' problems with alcohol when he was young. "Imagine a young married couple living together in the 1970s, neither one of them has a personal relationship with Jesus," he said. "They have a little boy and they are both drinking far too much. They are living a fast life." From there, Cruz detailed his parents' religious awakening. "There are people who wonder if faith is real," he said. "I can tell you, in my family, there isn't a second of doubt, because were it not for the transformative love of Jesus Christ, ... I would have been raised by a single mother without my father in the house."
In an unveiling of Cruz's more optimistic campaign strategy, he asked the students to "imagine, imagine millions of courageous conservatives across America rising up together to say, in unison, we demand our liberty."
(RELATED: How Ted Cruz Will Pull the Presidential Primary to the Right)
And he hit on many conservative principles to loud cheers and applause: repealing Obamacare, abolishing the IRS, establishing a flat tax, securing Second Amendment rights, protecting the border, doing away with "every word of Common Core," defending "the sanctity of human life," upholding "the sacrament of marriage," and standing "unapologetically" with Israel. In a windup to his announcement, he asked the students to "imagine a president" who would uphold these conservative values. As he paced the stage, it appeared he was reciting his speech from memory, without a teleprompter or notes.
As the convocation got going ahead of Cruz's speech in the school's Vines Center, nearly full with a max capacity of more than 10,000, students sang along to the inspirational worship songs led by a student rock band. The audience wasn't all just for Cruz, though—Liberty hosts convocations three times a week, garnering a packed house nearly every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.
Founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, a leader of the religious right, the evangelical Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia, makes an apt setting for Cruz to debut his conservative campaign.
I also will have to re-register as a Republican to vote in the primaries and I just unregistered after Boehner was reelected as speaker.
Mika: Is Ted Cruz the Herman Cain of 2016?
http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/mika—is-ted-cruz-the-herman-cain-of-2016—416640067653
....true - and I love Reagan - and the power of Reagan didn’t have doodly squat to do with his years as California Governor. It had to do with his message, his heart, his vision - and Cruz is almost identical to that.
“Ted Cruz Opens 2016 As the Election’s Self-Declared Conservative Champion”
Senator Cruz is NOT “the Election’s Self-Declared Conservative Champion”, myself and many others have declared him to be the “Conservative Champion” long ago.
In for $50 here. He's gonna need it.
I didn’t know that, that makes this even that much better.
The Clinton’s Bag Man being Gov. of VA grates on me daily. I try to forget as much as possible and thank our founders for the one term limit.
I hope you’re right... I hope the GOP establishment types are as weak in attacking Cruz as they are in defending Conservatism. But make no mistake... they WILL try to bring him down.
The Ministry Of Propaganda will do whatever it takes to try to take down Cruz. They have even gotten started yet.
It doesn’t work as well as it used to. I hope that’s enough.
Cruz has to oppose the Democrats, the Ministry of Propaganda and the GOPe. The establishment does not want us to elect a conservative. They’d rather lose with Jebster.
Of course they will try. I’m telling you here and now - over time - the Cruz message will win out. I also think Walker will remain formidable. I think Jeb will eventually fizzle. I don’t think anyone else will be really relevant, though I think Carson will add some good things to the debate and the field.
This summer I visited the Eisenhower Memorial in Salina, Kansas. The film there reminded me of the grassroots movement that gave Eisenhower the nomination instead of the Establishment candidate Stevenson. It was an inspiring reminder that when “We the People” really get involved we can turn the tide.
I still remember, even though I was a toddler at the time, the excitement and the cheering of the crowds. I feel the same excitemnt now.
I was inspired by the speech. It has been a long time since I have heard anything like it.
True but I won’t be voting for Jeb or others because they were governors. Bambi’s failure is of etiology — kenyan marxist, not lack of experience as commonly said.
I did vote for Jeb, GHB and W twice each. never again. (I live in Newberry).
Same here... very Reaganesque and incredibly refreshing. BUT... if he is elected he MUST follow through.
I suspect you may be correct, if he can keep his message above the Leftist din of negativism. I know he’ll have my vote.
What Sen. Cruz needs most is our prayers. The same God that fed 5,000 families out a few loaves and fish can produce millions of voters if He wills it. By his speech today, Cruz is staking his candidacy with the Almighty who can produce 1,000 votes for Buchanan in Palm Beach County to win an election for Bush. He can do miracles if we pray.
Yes, skip the primary get on all solid red states ballots, and the purple, skip the blue and campaign on conservatism.
winning strategy, I am Carl’s Rover.
Seems to me that in the last two presidential elections, we have sat on our hands and let the liberal Republican Party hierarchy pick our candidate for us. That may be partly due to the fact that the last two presidential elections gave us some really lackluster candidates. Today we have a candidate we can get excited about. We have a candidate that will represent all of us — not a select group. One who believes in the Constitution and the rule of law. One who can make America strong again and perhaps bring us back to the Judeo-Christian beliefs this country was founded upon. We can't let him fight the good fight alone. We have to fight for him in any way we can.
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