I Told You So (Slate's Bouie admits that Ted Cruz has a real shot at winning)

National Review ^ | Kevin D. Williamson | Kevin D. Williamson

[JediJones]

Nope, the polls show Cruz does better against Hellary than Trump. And given Trump’s and Hellary’s name recognition, it’s hard to see how that needle moves between now and the general.

[JediJones]

They can’t call Cruz stupid like they did Bush Jr., Quayle and Palin, they can’t say he’s an out-of-touch elite like they did Bush Sr. and Romney, they can’t say he’s old and senile like they did Dole and McCain, and probably can’t say he’s evil like they did Cheney.

Granted, they’re going to try to say he’s crazy and maybe evil. But that’s all he has to counter, and with his very rational speaking style he shouldn’t have any problem countering it. He’s not someone who shoots from the hip like Trump and says outrageous stuff.

They’ll point to the shutdown, but that’s a weak argument since once he’s president, Congress will be Republican and they won’t need to worry about gridlock. Plus the shutdown was supposed to kill us in the mid-terms and then we had a historic sweep. So no one really seems to care about it.

[HamiltonJay]

H1B is an a abject scam. The law as written is fine, the reality though is it is violated wholesale and no one cares.

H1Bs are meant to be for companies to hire folks when they cannot find a native person capable of doing the work.... so that means things like what Disney et al are doing, are flagrantly illegal under the law, and they just keep doing them anyway because no one will enforce the law.

H1B is to skilled workers what Illegal immigrants are to unskilled, they are both backed by the same groups and money. If Cruz is pushing expanding H1B which he is, he is beholdened to the same puppet masters are the rest of the GOPe. He just as a more palatable wrapping paper.

[ConservingFreedom]

It was in the middle of a battle which Ted Cruz and a few senators fought against the 'Gang of 8' amnesty bill. He offered an amendment to counteract pro-illegal immigration provisions of the amnesty bill.

He reiterated his pro-H-1B-expansion stand this July: "Cruz: 'Proud to Defend' Trump, Expand H-1B Visas For 'Educated,' 'Talented' Job Creators" - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3309118/posts

[ConservingFreedom]

things like what Disney et al are doing, are flagrantly illegal under the law

That's what the lawmakers want us to think. The truth:

H-1B Is Designed to Allow Employers to Replace Americans with Cheap Foreign Workers
H-1B Is Designed to Allow Employers to Pay Foreign Workers Extremely Low Wages

[ConservingFreedom]

H-1B ping. Let me know if you're not on the list and want to be added (or are and want to be removed).

[Isara]

Do you know the story behind the H1B visa stuff?

It was in the middle of a battle which Ted Cruz and a few senators fought against the 'Gang of 8' amnesty bill. He offered an amendment to counteract pro-illegal immigration provisions of the amnesty bill.

I, and many people, are grateful that Ted Cruz led this fight. Otherwise, they would have approved amnesty already.

Remember this fight in 2013?

Ted Cruz Crushes Amnesty Proponents: Compares 'Gang of 8' Bill to 'Obamacare' (Video)

Ted Cruz Exposes the Amnesty Bill... $5000 Penalty for Hiring Citizens Over Legalized Aliens (Video)

Sen. Cruz Presents Measure to Strengthen, Improve Legal Immigration
Offers amendment to increase H-1B visas to help improve, retain high-skilled labor force

Watch the video

[Isara]

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)

[ConservingFreedom]

It was in the middle of a battle which Ted Cruz and a few senators fought against the 'Gang of 8' amnesty bill. He offered an amendment to counteract pro-illegal immigration provisions of the amnesty bill.

You already pasted that to this thread.

Cruz reiterated his pro-H-1B-expansion stand this July: "Cruz: 'Proud to Defend' Trump, Expand H-1B Visas For 'Educated,' 'Talented' Job Creators" - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3309118/posts

[basil]

LOL! It only took him three tries?

[HamiltonJay]

If true its even more of a reason to oppose Cruz. As long as he is advocating H1B he’s serving the same puppet masters as the rest of them.

[Isara]

Presidential Candidates Comparison (Bush vs. Carson vs. Cruz vs. Rubio vs. Trump)

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[kabar]

The Senate passed the Gang of 8 bill. It was the House that stopped it. Cruz gets no credit for stopping it. His amendment included increased H-1B visas. He only wanted to eliminate a path to citizenship for the lawbreakers. He had no problem with legalization of their status allowing them to stay and work here, i.e., amnesty.

[Isara]

Ted Cruz: 'When It Comes to Immigration: Legal, Good; Illegal, Bad'

Ted Cruz Reminds Americans Rubio, Walker, and Bush, All Supported Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants (video)

There should be no pathway to citizenship for those who are here illegally. I don't support amnesty. And I find it really striking at the Cleveland debate, that divide was evident for all to see. Let me step back for a second. Let me talk about the amnesty issue. Because I actually think the amnesty issue is broader than just another policy issue on which people can disagree. President Obama famously said his goal was to fundamentally transform the United States of America. And one of the critical tools he is using to try to do that is to allow millions of people to come here illegally. There's seven billion people on the face of the planet, and an awful lot of them would like to come here. Now if they want to come here legally and follow the law, great. You and I both come from immigrant families who followed the law.

But the Obama plan is to allow millions to come in illegally and try to grant them amnesty, grant them a pathway to citizenship, and they believe they'll vote Democrat in perpetuity to keep the big-government Democrats in power. It is a transformational policy, if amnesty goes through. It changes who we are as a country, if Obama and the Democrats succeed in this. And what's striking in Cleveland, is a majority of the candidates on that stage have advocated amnesty, and not just advocated amnesty, but advocated it for years. Many of them vocally, vigorously, publicly. As you mentioned, you heard my friend Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) join Chuck Schumer in authoring the Chuck Schumer amnesty plan. In doing so, he was enthusiastically supported by Jeb Bush. In doing so, he was enthusiastically supported by Scott Walker. And President Obama.

Both CNN and Politifact did fact-checks of my statement that a majority of candidates on that stage have supported amnesty, and both of them concluded, yep, it's true. They went through the records of one after the other after the other. And let me tell you why that matters so much. We remember back in 2012, where we nominated a candidate, Mitt Romney, a good man. But someone who had proposed Romneycare. And the problem was, when it came to the general election, when you have a candidate who's been an advocate for health insurance plan almost exactly like Obamacare, our nominee wasn't able to make the election about Obamacare. He wasn't able to challenge Barack Obama effectively on Obamacare, because he had written a proposal just like it.

The same thing is true in this instance. If we nominate a candidate who's been a vigorous, vocal, and aggressive advocate of amnesty, then the Republican candidate won't stand up and challenge Hillary Clinton on amnesty, and certainly won't do so effectively. Because anyone who tries to do so, the response will be: Gosh, just a couple of years ago, before you were running for president, you agreed with me [that] we should grant amnesty.

I have never supported amnesty and never will support amnesty. I believe in the rule of law. You know, at the end of the day, these principles aren't complicated. When it comes to immigration: Legal, good; illegal, bad.

[American Constitutionalist]

Ted Cruz the true Conservative, because Everything else is just a side show.

[American Constitutionalist]

Let us not forget Trump’s own companies sought after 1,000 forgien H-1B workers the very same thing that the TRUMP supporters condemn Ted Cruz for some phantom proposed H-1B legislation......... Aren’t they special ? Bless their little hearts...

On top of that Donald Trump is nice and comfy and plays footses with the Teamsters Unions.

Would be surprized at all if Trump had some of his Teamsters Union buddies here on Free Republic harrasing Conservatives here....

After all he has a “ Broad appeal “ even to the ( as one Trump supporters admired ) “ Blue Dog Union Democrats “....... Bless the Trump supporters little hearts....