Posted on 10/28/2015 9:35:45 PM PDT by Isara
BOULDER, Colo. — In easily his most animated moment on the debate stage since he launched his presidential campaign, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz excoriated moderators of the third GOP presidential debate Wednesday night.
"This is not a cage match," the Texas Republican said. "And you look at the questions — 'Donald Trump, are you a comic-book villain?' 'Ben Carson, can you do math?' 'John Kasich, will you insult two people over here?' 'Marco Rubio, why don't you resign?' 'Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?' How about talking about the substantive issues people care about?"
Cruz's media criticism drew loud applause at the University of Colorado Boulder, where the GOP field gathered for the CNBC-hosted event. It was an especially spirited moment compared to his first two debates, during which Cruz hit his talking points but stopped short of delivering breakout performances.
"Even without the mainstream media not wanting to get into positive economic ideas and substance, it was a terrific debate," Cruz told reporters in brief remarks afterward.
Cruz's allies were thrilled that he called out the moderators, with a number of surrogates telling reporters the senator "took control" of a debate veering into triviality. Cruz adviser Jason Miller said the senator played the "grown-up card," while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, newly tapped Texas chairman of Cruz's campaign, said other candidates were probably thinking, "I should've said that," when Cruz intervened.
"He carried the debate on his shoulders when he took on those hosts," Patrick told reporters, likening Cruz to a quarterback carrying his team.
Minutes before the economy-focused debate started, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by Cruz outlining his tax plan, which calls for a 10 percent flat income tax. Cruz moved quickly early in the debate to tout the fairness of the proposals, saying that under the plan, "no hedge fund manager pays less than his secretary."
Between the tax plan rollout and moderator lashing, Cruz surrogates believe he struck the perfect balance of substance and style. Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe called the debate a "great night for the campaign," suggesting it was poised for another surge in post-debate fundraising. Cruz's tangle with the moderators "blew up on money," Roe added.
Less than two hours after the debate ended, Cruz's campaign indicated he had already raised more than half a million dollars.
Cruz later patched things up with moderator John Harwood, who noted the two are "clearly not having that beer you mentioned." That was a reference to a Cruz's earlier admission that he may not be the candidate with which Americans want to grab a beer.
"I'll buy you a tequila or even some famous Colorado brownies," Cruz replied, drawing laughs at the mention of a state known for its legalization of marijuana.
Anybody watching FOX when Laura Ingram said “John Harwood is a nice guy, maybe a little liberal”? Gee, lady, ya think?
The bizarre thing is how much the average Republican just doesn’t even know who Cruz is or know much about him. I know a Republican who pays attention fairly closely to the news but could barely remember who Cruz was the other day. Cruz has been the darling of the news junkie conservative like us for years, but he is far from a household name among rank-and-file Republicans.
It doesn’t help that Fox went on full-tilt Rubio spin tonight with the hosts barely mentioning him except in passing (and Krauthammer quoting Cruz without attribution, claiming he couldn’t remember who said the line that he liked). The Fox coverage of Cruz was totally out-of-step with the actual voter reaction as recorded throughout the internet, and which was reflected only in Luntz’s panel, which had a huge response to Cruz, and lukewarm to Rubio and Christie even though Luntz tried to push them on the panel.
Shades of Newt. His best performance by far.
Cruz is getting pigeonholed oddly as coming from the religious wing by some of these Republican voters, which is strange to anyone who’s followed his Senate career, especially the groundbreaking Obamacare filibuster, which is what defines him for me. Cruz is the perfectly balanced candidate among all the wings, from the Constitutional libertarian freedom wing, the religious liberty wing, the free market capitalist wing and the anti-terrorist national defense wing. People who are pigeonholing him have probably seen him talk very strongly about one issue without realizing he is just as intense, passionate and thorough on every issue.
Do You- ghost write, JediJones? Have you ever been a paid political writer?
That showed great memory skill up against Trump who couldn’t even remember something from “his†position paper.
* * *
I saw an article yesterday that said Cruz has something similar to an eidetic memory as long as he *hears* the information, rather than seeing it. He can quote long passages of conversations, speeches etc. verbatim. So apparently everyone should really watch what they say around Cruz . . . because he WILL remember it! ;o)
Don’t get me started on Fox. I rarely watch but I did post debate because I had to turn off that nasty CNBC channel. meGYN went apoplectic over Donald Trump being wrong about the Zuckerberg quote. I thought she was going to rip up her podium; she was stammering in hatred.
Bl’o’reilly wasn’t very favorable to Cruz either. Cruz probably had, to those who haven’t been paying close attention, the night of the campaign. He made a ton of money tonight. If I had any, I’d donate too.
A consumption tax is very unfair compared to an income tax. It places a heavier burden on people who spend most of their income vs. those who save most of it. And there is no reason a tax system should reward savers over spenders. A consumption tax allows the government to influence economic decisions more, always a bad thing. It’s easier to make the decision to spend less than it is to make the decision to earn less. You can cut your budget if the price of an item gets too high but you’re never going to ask your boss for a pay cut just to lower your income tax.
No, but let me know if you’re hiring.
Yes, that was wonderful!
Go Ted.....
Sure. Write a 1400 word essay, on global corporate influence of US federal policies, since pre-World War II.
In the debate, Cruz said, “I may not be the guy you most want to have a beer with, but I am the guy who will get you home safely.”
Adult supervision.
Returning to the White House Jan 20, 2017.
I always thought the term was “wrack and ruin”.
The truth is, if your friend barely knows who Cruz is, does not follow the news closely. I can guarantee you that.
I heard Rand tell Harris Faulkner that the solution to the palestinian problem was that they needed more freedom, more money and more food. He said that people with a full stomach don’t attack others.
I couldn’t believe my ears. Is he that naive about the raging hatred all of islam, including palestinians, have for the Jews? It sounded like something Algore would say.
"This is not a cage match," the Texas Republican said. "And you look at the questions — 'Donald Trump, are you a comic-book villain?' 'Ben Carson, can you do math?' 'John Kasich, will you insult two people over here?' 'Marco Rubio, why don't you resign?' 'Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?' How about talking about the substantive issues people care about?" Cruz's media criticism drew loud applause at the University of Colorado Boulder, where the GOP field gathered for the CNBC-hosted event. It was an especially spirited moment compared to his first two debates, during which Cruz hit his talking points but stopped short of delivering breakout performances.
During a live post-debate "Kelly File," Frank Luntz talked to a focus group of Republican voters about their reaction to the third GOP debate. The participants had an overwhelmingly positive response to Ted Cruz's criticism of the CNBC debate moderators and their "biased" line of questioning."The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don't trust the media," Cruz said to applause. "How about talking about the substantive issues?"
On a scale of 0 to 100, both conservative and moderate participants hit as high as a 98 favorable rating to Cruz's statement.
Luntz revealed "that in more than 15 years of focus groups, no line had ever been received so favorably...EVER!"
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