Ted Cruz Lying In Wait For His Next Moment (DEPORT ILLEGALS!?!)

NPR ^ | 11/7/15 | Wade Goodman

[VinL]

To walk into Ted Cruz's holding room at the National Religious Liberties Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday afternoon was to walk into quite the group of happy campers.

With a friendly motion and a quick smile, the Republican Senator from Texas, looking relaxed in short sleeves, his foot up on the coffee table, waves you over to the chair beside him. It's just the tiniest bit unnerving, the notion flashes across your mind, "He knows I'm with NPR, right?"

Yes, everyone knows who you are, and in spite of Cruz's brilliantly recalled denunciations of the liberal media during CNBC's debate, they're just fine with it. This is a political campaign brimming with confidence and a strong sense of momentum. Nobody here's afraid of little ol' me.

During a wide-ranging interview, the freshman senator laid out his vision for America and his presidency if elected:

Abolish the IRS and institute a flat tax

Dispatch the FBI and Justice Dept. lawyers to prosecute Planned Parenthood for fraud

Investigate the Federal Reserve Board and tie the value of the dollar to the gold standard

Deport every undocumented immigrant, including children who grew up in the U.S.

Oppose any legislation on climate change that would raise taxes or fees

Institute term limits for U.S. Supreme Court Justices so turncoats like Justice Anthony Kennedy can be weeded out

Give Iran an ultimatum — dismantle your nuclear program or we will do it for you.

And it almost goes without saying, Obamacare would be consigned to the dustbin.

Cruz's strategy for winning the Republican nomination is sophisticated in its patience and cunning.

Like a football coach intimately familiar with his team's strengths and the other teams' weaknesses, Cruz has been spending his time and money building campaign infrastructure throughout the South and Midwest. That's playing to your strength. Publicly, he stays on message and doesn't attack other Republican candidates. And don't panic, don't always be reacting to what the other guys (and gal) are doing.

Did a New York billionaire unexpectedly jump into the lead? Let the political pundits sneer and joke about the supposedly hapless Cruz picking up Donald Trump's crumbs. The young senator has never felt any threat from the bombastic developer and being friendly to the new guy is smart politics.

Has the quiet doctor suddenly caught the conservative fancy? Not a problem, Cruz defends him from the liberal sharks that are closing in to tear the good doctor apart. You won't hear the Texas senator say a word about grain-filled Egyptian pyramids, scholarship offers from West Point or knife-points and friend's belt buckles, why should he? He's amused that this go-round, it's the Republican moderates at each other's throats, Jeb and Marco can have at it, let The Donald referee.

Meanwhile, Cruz has quietly amassed a campaign war chest that's second to none. Three separate Cruz superPACS with tens of millions more waiting in reserve to attack when the time comes, and it's not just Texas billionaires like technology mogul Darwin Deason, although he has them, too. Cruz takes in millions from a grass roots network of Tea Party and other insurgent Republicans in small amounts. Not unlike another freshman Senator who ran and won on a wave of Internet-driven contributions.

To switch sports metaphors from football to track, Ted Cruz reports he's just fine running in 4th or 5th place after the first lap around the track. He's trained well, feels strong and looks good, there's plenty left in the bank as it were. The two guys ahead of him appear to be straining just a bit, already. With three more laps to go, the son of a Cuban immigrant looks hungry and sharp, waiting.

On Friday night, after his speech to the National Religious Liberties Conference in Des Moines, I was surprised to see Cruz and his staff boarding the same small regional jet back to Dallas as me. Didn't he have a private plane, I thought the Koch brothers took care of this stuff? I'd planned to write about our interview and the day on the flight back, but as we took our seats, I was dumbfounded to see Cruz and I were seated across the aisle from one another in coach. I jokingly asked if he wanted to edit the piece as I wrote it next to him and the talented orator and Supreme Court lawyer said he'd be happy to.

I bagged it. I knew the senator wouldn't look over my shoulder, but it was just too inhibiting, and anyway, I was tired. It was late, we'd been delayed and as we taxied to takeoff, I leaned back and closed my eyes. Next to me, I could hear Cruz and the soldier he'd been seated next to, a private in battle fatigues, quietly talking Texas football.

[Rodamala]

Cruz is a conservative ideologue, every bit as rabid as Obama is to communism. He will use the Executive as Obama did,only in a fashion even more conservative than Reagan.

I doubt any of us can complain about your statement, but you need differentiate him as being an exectutive bound by the limits of the U.S. Constitution. That is very different from Obama or the rest of them.

[TangoLimaSierra]

Following that logic, Cruz could implement TPP with just a phone and a pin.

You mean like a bobby pin? Or a bowling pin? Or maybe more like a brooch?

[SandRat]

CRUZ IS LYING I WAIT LIKE FUER-DE-LANCE TO STRIKE!

[firebrand]

He’s stealing Trump’s lines bit by bit. Kate, deport them, media demons . . . what’s next? Maybe he will roll out his own plan for helping the vets.

They’re good ideas, so it’s hard to knock them, but stealing is not nice.

[firebrand]

Posting a divergent opinion on a thread is now “intruding”? I don’t think we should have caucus threads for political arguments.

[ScottinVA]

Exactly.. again, Cruz’ opponents underestimate his intelligence which, in this Presidential field, is second to none.

[firebrand]

For what? Because we still have free speech. Liberal speech-stifling must be contagious.

[ScottinVA]

Nor can Trump win on his current level of support. He’s going to need a whole lot more.

[SandRat]

CRUZ IS LYING I WAIT LIKE FER-DE-LANCE TO STRIKE!

spelling corrected

[Duchess47]

...They’re good ideas, so it’s hard to knock them, but stealing is not nice...

Too true.

[Cobra64]

I’m the same way. I’m a cruz girl through and through but I would never disparage Trump or his supporters.

I am glad he’s taking a sickle to the path and I don’t feel threatened by him one iota.

It’s a real bummer when I see the opposite happening; and for what??

I'm with you in terms of a thread which develops into Cruz vs Trump bashing. It seems it's always the same cast of characters nipping at each other's heals.

I happen to like a Trump/Cruz ticket for obvious reasons, but I don't disparage the rest of the candidates unless one of them pulls a "Pyramid;" in which case this is my reaction:

.

[firebrand]

This is a contest for president of our country. It is dead serious. Any nonsense spouted by candidates is fair game for criticism.

[Catsrus]

Now, now, that isn’t nice. Most of you get on the Trump threads and bash him - so turn about is fair play.

[CatherineofAragon]

"Exactly.. again, Cruz’ opponents underestimate his intelligence which, in this Presidential field, is second to none."

Agree 100%.

[CatherineofAragon]

Contrary to the belief of some, all thought and speech did not originate with Donald Trump.

[EvilCapitalist]

Great to hear that Ted wants to deport illegal aliens. But, the border wall does need to be built either first, or at the same time as the deportations. Otherwise more illegals will come streaming across.

[Isara]

In case you don't know, Trump supported TARP, auto bailout and Porkulus bill.

Trump's Record on Free-market Issue: (from the Conservative Review)

Trump has a terrible record on free market issues. The only bright spot is the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing, but this glimmer is countermanded by his repeated support for bailing out Wall Street and the auto industry, and increased stimulus spending. Of particular concern is Trump's belief that the government can use eminent domain powers to seize private property in the name of private economic development. This comes as no surprise, given his support for using eminent domain to profit his own company.

Trump supported the Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of London, allowing public authorities to seize private land for economic development by private investors; Trump said, “I happen to agree with [the decision] 100 percent.” (National Review)  This is no surprise given Trump’s attempt to use eminent domain in his own line of work. (Institute for Justice)

Trump supported President Obama’s 2009 stimulus, saying: “The word stimulus is probably not used in its fullest…you know, certain of the things that were given weren't really stimulus. They were pork, as we call it, or they were gifts to certain people. But overall, I think he's [President Obama] doing very well. You do need stimulus and you do have to keep the banks alive.” (CNN) 

Trump supported TARP, saying, "You had to do something to shore up the banks, because ... you would have had a run on every bank." (CNN) 

Trump supported the 2008 auto bailout, saying, “I think the government should stand behind them 100 percent. You cannot lose the auto companies. They’re great. They make wonderful products.” He also said that the federal government could “easily save the companies.” (Daily Caller) 

Trump criticized the Federal Reserve’s intervention in the debt market, saying quantitative easing creates “phony numbers” that mislead the marketplace and “will not ultimately benefit the economy. The dollar will go down in value and inflation will start rearing its ugly head.” (CNBC) 

Donald Trump has a history of using eminent domain to complete business deals. Multiple times Trump has supported the use of government agencies to take possession of homes and businesses for use in his private business plans. Eminent domain seizures are reserved only for public use of property rather than abuse by the government taking property from one individual and giving to another. (Washington Post) 

Donald Trump has sought and received crony capitalist tax breaks for his commercial properties in New York. These tax breaks, and even an abatement, force the property taxes of other property owners to rise at the expense of the connected. Special treatment for one business or industry over another with the tax code conflicts with free market principles. (National Review) 

In 2009, Trump supported Barack Obama's call for limits on the pay of executives. (CNN)

[carjic]

Trump is the “real thing”. We finally have the perfect candidate. Now lets get him in!

[Cobra64]

Many believe that Trump and Cruz have an alliance. If so, it makes sense that they would be echoing each other to some degree.

And going forward, their stated policies and philosophies will appear to blend. We'll see...

IMOHO

[spacejunkie2001]

are you going to the Cruz event on the 13th on Curry Ford Rd??

It should be awesome!