Posted on 12/10/2015 7:49:24 AM PST by RoosterRedux
Senator Ted Cruz raised questions on Wednesday at a private fund-raiser about whether Donald J. Trump, his bombastic rival for the Republican presidential nomination, has the "judgment" to be president and mused about "strength," according to two people who attended the event in Manhattan
The remarks from Mr. Cruz came as he has studiously avoided public criticism of Mr. Trump, who is handily beating the rest of the Republican field in opinion polls.
Mr. Cruz has positioned himself to be the beneficiary of any erosion of support for Mr. Trump. While he has said he doesn't agree with Mr. Trump's proposal for a ban on Muslim immigrants entering the United States, he has taken pains to praise Mr. Trump for making immigration a focal point of his candidacy.
But inside a conference room in a Madison Avenue office, with about 70 people pressed around a table, Mr. Cruz gave a candid assessment of the race, lumping Mr. Trump with another candidate whose supporters the Texas senator hopes to poach, Ben Carson, according to two people present for the remarks.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
In assessing value ... between the New York Times and a pile of dog turds ....
I’ll pick the dog turds.
Every single time.
“Read his official written statement.”
I will. I just heard him now on TV saying again we have to keep them out until we find out why they hate us. I don’t know why he taking that tact. Surely, he knows they want an Islamic Caliphate and to do that means getting rid of Christians/Infidels. I pretty much want to stay a Christian/Infidel.
“Unnamed sources”
Yeah....the janitor who guzzles Mr. Daniels all day long : )
I might remind you that this is a contested primary election.
At some point, Trump and Cruz will need to contest each other.
I might also say that (based on numerous assertions here) Ted Cruz is not running for VP.
May the best man win...
I think the NYTs calls the WP and the WP calls the NYTs.
They’re each others unnamed sources.
I also said, “Is Trump a patriotic American? Absolutely.”
By that I meant some of the things you stated (love of country, self reliance, strong military, law and order). It is hard to be a patriotic American without them!
I do not like him advocating for nationalized healthcare. I don’t like him advocating for big government and interference in free markets (supporting TARP, Obama’s stimulus, other bailouts), I do not like him flipping on abortion (though if has changed his mind for the better, I go with his current stance), I don’t like him advocating for the assault weapons ban... lots of things not to like about Trump and his positions, past or present. No one can say he is a conservative, unless you change the meaning of what “conservative” is.
He is a patriotic American. So is John McCain, based on his Vietnam experience. Neither of them, however, are conservatives.
Several things: It is important to remember that: There are 3,636 pledged delegates in the 2016 cycle. Under the party's delegate selection rules, the number of pledged delegates allocated to each of the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. In addition, the current 704 unpledged superdelegates will include members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, state and territorial governors, members of the Democratic National Committee, and other party leaders.
So, about 20% of the delegates are not chosen thru the primary process. If Biden enters late and Hillary drops out, her delegates could switch to Biden at the convention.
Now, in the event of a deadlocked convention, other candidates could emerge. The convention could hypothetically turn to a candidate who didn’t win the largest number of delegates — or who didn’t win delegates at all.
But let’s not assume wild hypotheticals: Not since 1968 has either party picked a nominee who didn’t participate in the primaries (the last one was the Democrats’ Hubert H. Humphrey). Moreover, we haven’t seen any true convention drama since 1976 for the Republicans (the tight Gerald Ford-Ronald Reagan contest that went down to the wire) and 1980 for the Democrats, when a fiery Ted Kennedy tried to pry loose enough Jimmy Carter delegates to steal the nomination.
If the Dem establishment wants to select Biden, it won't matter whether he enters the primaries or not. If they can't have Hillary, then Biden will be selected.
I suggest you read his books and his policy statements.
Most of his supporters here on FR have and did so before deciding to support him.
As if Hillary couldn’t fill a library of her own gaffes that could be used against her...
LOL.
Well, that's one step up from the reporter guzzling the Jack and then creating the sources in his head.
I disagree. Cruz should continue to run on his platform, going after Trump won't put him on top, it will disappoint many who thought he was above those tactics. He's not Trump, he doesn't have the reputation of bashing people and it's not accepted.
Fair or not these guys have built their images and they are what they are.
No fowl language now.;-)
It's a freeking primary! They have to fight each other or the election will be based on who is the nicest guy. LOL....I give up.....this place has gone pecans.
I suggest you read his books and his policy statements.
Most of his supporters here on FR have and did so before deciding to support him.
__________________________________________________________
The article in question is about whether or not Cruz brought Trump’s judgement into question. As an example, Trump pushed a nationalized healthcare system because Obamacare didn’t go far enough. In other words, socialized medicine. There are hundreds of interviews where he discusses his big government plan of the week on healthcare. He still pushes big government healthcare (at least he was in September).
Yes, I too question his judgement.
It seems to work for many politicians, Obama being the prime example.
I'd rather have someone like Cruz who advocated government reduction over government solutions. Who realizes that we can't enact the super spectacular Obamacare replacement, and at a cheaper cost, so we shouldn't even be trying.
Cruz doesn't want to repeal and replace Obamacare? You can't be serious.
How many of these detailed plans offered by politicians can really be implemented whether it is tax reform or healthcare or foreign policy? Congress and the special interests will have a major say in what happens. I am not impressed by these fantasy land plans that never get implemented.
Who understands there are some limits to what can be accomplished so he doesn't promise he can do things he can't. In short I'd prefer a true conservative over a moderate like Trump.
Trump is the one who has been more general rather than specific on how he would implement his agenda. Trump has produced the most detailed and best position paper on immigration. He can implement most of it without any Congressional action.
As opposed to the overwhelming support Trump enjoys from the party?
Despite his protestations and statements, Cruz in an insider. He is a sitting senator who bears some responsibility for government incompetence. Cruz is using the Obama tactics of criticizing the Washington establishment as the problem as though Obama is an outsider crusading against government failures.
Normally I’d agree they have to fight each other but not this time. Cruz has been accused of having a bromance with Trump, conspiracy theories abound that they are working together to whatever. Its part of Cruz’s persona now, that he is the only one not joining the Trump bashing crowd.
I could be wrong but I think it would be a disaster if Cruz flips.
Perhaps if you actually read Trump’s positions you would see that he is not promising the moon or suggesting something that cannot be done.
For example, Obamacare. He is advocating opening insurance across state lines so that people can shop for their own insurance for cheaper prices.
And you think people would have learned a lesson from that. But along comes Trump...
Cruz doesn't want to repeal and replace Obamacare? You can't be serious.
I am serious. Ted Cruz has said he wants to repeal Obamacare, period. No replacement. Not the government's job and not fiscally responsible even if it was.
How many of these detailed plans offered by politicians can really be implemented whether it is tax reform or healthcare or foreign policy?
They're more doable then promising to ban every Muslim in the world from entering the U.S. or to build a wall along our southern border and get Mexico to pay for it. Or to promise to establish a big, beautiful safe zone in Syria so they don't have to leave.
Trump is the one who has been more general rather than specific on how he would implement his agenda. Only in one or two areas. He's all over the board everywhere else. He's big spending and big government.
Despite his protestations and statements, Cruz in an insider.
And Trump is an outsider. I'll take Cruz any day when it comes to knowing how to get things done in D.C.
I think the so called “bromance” is largely a product of far too many people still in the field.
I think this is responsible for the apparent but not actual reluctance to show differences between them. But there are many and those differences need to be shown.
I think they will be and should be as we move into the first caucus.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.