Washington Post and New York Times: Ted Cruz is the next Barry Goldwater

Red State ^ | November 27th, 2015 | slheis

[Isara]

It is no coincidence that with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) recent rise in the polls come attempts to downplay or diminish him as a viable GOP candidate.

Two recent columns, one each from the Washington Post and NY Times, attempt to do just that. A column on November 24th by obscure Washington Post columnist Paul Waldman titled “Sen. Ted Cruz could actually be the Republican nominee for President” is especially derogatory in nature. Although conceding Cruz’s rise in the polls and the momentum he currently has, Waldman makes the following statement:

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“But from one angle - probably yours if you're a member of that vaunted Republican "establishment" - the idea of Cruz being the GOP nominee is absurd. He's been in the Senate for less than three years, he's never written a significant law, let alone one that meaningfully advanced conservative goals, he has no foreign policy experience or executive experience, and he's a singularly unpleasant person, despised in Washington by Democrats and Republicans alike. If he somehow won the nomination, it would be a disaster for the party to rival Barry Goldwater's defeat in 1964.”

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And not to be outdone, right on cue comes NY Times columnist Maureen Dowd on November 26th featuring guest analysis from her Republican brother Kevin Dowd on the GOP and Democratic presidential candidates. From his analysis on Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and then on Cruz, it is apparent her brother is towing the Republican establishment line first praising Rubio and then downplaying Cruz with these comments:

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“Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL): Young, whip smart and self-assured, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of foreign affairs and is a stunning contrast to Hillary Clinton both in generation and vision. Wait until he starts delivering his speeches in Spanish.

Ted Cruz: The Hispanic heir apparent to Barry Goldwater had the best moment in the third debate, calling out an obscure cable TV host looking for his 10 minutes of fame.”

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I will concede one cannot predict with absolute certainty the outcome of the 2016 presidential election should Cruz become the nominee, but the comparisons to Goldwater are premature. The GOP base has been waiting since Ronald Reagan for a candidate who will hold true to conservative principles. In my estimation, Cruz is that candidate who will bring the disenchanted GOP conservatives and evangelicals to the polls.

I hope to see more skeptics eat crow on Cruz. A column found on The Blaze could become typical. “Ok, I Admit It: I Was Wrong About Ted Cruz“, written by Justin Haskins, editor in chief of the New Revere states the following:

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“So, as I became convinced someone had to talk some sense into the well-intentioned but delusional conservative masses, I penned a reasonable critical assessment of Cruz' chances against Clinton in the general election, warning Cruz supporters that he probably couldn't beat Clinton and that any money given to his campaign would likely be wasted….. But, given the current state of the race and what's likely to occur in the future, I have to admit that what I said before about Cruz was wrong. He can win against Clinton. In fact, he may have a better chance than others currently polling against him because I don't think any of the other candidates could handle Clinton (especially on Benghazi) in a debate as well as Cruz can.”

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I couldn’t agree more. Well said.

[trebb]

Just did a quick search on Goldwater (I was 12 when he was running and didn't follow such). He was anti-communist/anti-taxes (wanted to reduce them by 25%) and more. He also had The Gipper's endorsement.

The '60s is what did him in - he might have had a chance in today's messed up climate.

Cruz has an even better chance because he's so.......Cruz.

Now for a short public service announcement to all on FR:
I prefer Cruz and my money goes to his campaign, hence the Cruz link. If you like someone else, donate to him/her (find your own link to do it) and if you use FR and don't donate, then please don't complain about the welfare leeches or those who have Obama Phones because, functionally, you are no different than any other FReeloader

PS - If you are one of those who cannot afford even a small donation to FR or a candidate, God Bless and happy FReeping!.....

GO CRUZ!! Keep it up Trump!!

Donate to FR

Donate to Cruz

Donate to FR

[mkjessup]

Just to reiterate, I wasn't targeting you with my rant.

Oh I knew that, and I appreciate your original post.

I do like Donald Trump. I like the fact that he's not PC, and that he won't take the media's crap. I'm not so fond of the fact that he wouldn't stand with Kim Davis.

I wasn't happy with his position regarding Kim Davis either.

Truth be told, by the time my state primary comes around (May 2016, early voting on April 27 here in West Virginia), if Trump is still leading the pack, my vote will go to Ted Cruz just to try and keep him competitive.

I happened to visit a website listing all of the Republican candidates and while it is astounding to realize just how MANY candidates there are (many of which have not a prayer) it is more curious to view the so-called 'descriptions' which were assigned to them by whoever wrote them up:

Skip Andrews

George Bailey

Michael Bickelmeyer

Kerry Bowers

Jeb Bush

Ben Carson

Eric Cavanagh

Dale Christensen

Chris Christie

Ted Cruz

Brooks Cullison

John Dummett, Jr.

Jack Fellure

Carly Fiorina

Jim Gilmore

Lindsey Graham

Jim Hayden

Chris Hill

Mike Huckabee

John Kasich

Valma Kittington

Bartholomew James Lower

Andy Martin

James C. Mitchell, Jr.

K. Ross Newland

Esteban Oliverez

George Pataki

Rand Paul

Michael Petyo

Marco Rubio

Brian Russell

Rick Santorum

Jefferson Sherman

Donald Trump

For example, consider the description of Trump:

"A wealthy business tycoon and well-known American personality, Donald Trump brings a dour attitude that never fails to entertain. He has channeled his notoriety into a number of outlets, now including a 2016 presidential run."

And Ted Cruz:

"The Harvard and Princeton-educated attorney once served as the Domestic Policy Advisor to former president George W. Bush. Noted for his formidable oratory skill, Senator Cruz is viewed by some as one of the intellectual leaders of the tea party movement."

Curiously, even Jeb Bush doesn't get a glowing description:

"Florida's only Republican two-term Governor, Jeb Bush is a heavyweight political contender who comes from a family of presidents. His left-leaning ideologies make him too liberal for the taste of some in his party, however, and his lineage could be hindrance rather than help."

And sounds like some 'bro-love' going on with Christie:

"Chris Christie tells it like it is and doesn't care whom he offends, even when he gets in trouble for being nice. More than a few people on all sides have surely used his portrait as a dartboard, but he's earned a lot of respect for his fearless tongue, and Republicans appreciate his conservative ideology."

The website is apparently NOT affiliated with the GOP, as the registration data is 'private' behind some service in Oregon, but it makes for some interesting reading:

http://2016.republican-candidates.org/?sort=alphabetically&other=