Ted Cruz will take to the roadways of Iowa for six-day bus tour in January

KWWL ^ | Dec 26, 2015

[CottonBall]

“Someone mentioned that Ted Cruz’s speechwriter actually works for Conservative Review, the same people who made that graph to begin with.”

Well, no bias there then!

[Isara]

Trump supported TARP, auto bailout and Porkulus bill, i.e., Trump is for big government and big businesses.

And, of course, he is for Renewable Fuel Standard (ethanol mandate), so governement can pick winners and losers.

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)

[CottonBall]

Thank you for the info - I found the speechwriter’s name and she does indeed work there. I’ll be adding that to my anti-polka dot cut&paste ;)

[Jane Long]

Yes, she does work for CR...the arm of the CRuz campaign...lol.

Also, Cruz’ longtime BFF, Daniel Horowitz is one of the CR principals. Horowitz also heads up another pro-CRuz group, The Madison Project.

Over at Heritage Action, you have Michael Needham...another long time associate of CRuz’. This is the guy who called Trump a clown on FNSunday. So much for being a biased review site.

PAC $$ must be veddy, veddy good to these ‘review’ groups. LOL.

[catnipman]

“Ted Cruz will take to the roadways of Iowa for six-day bus tour in January”

Glad to hear Ted’s using roadways for the bus tour. Probably would be a pretty rough trip jouncing through corn field stubble.

[Isara]

Trump's Record on second-amendment Issue: (from the Conservative Review)

In the past Trump has paid lip service to the Second Amendment. More troubling is that he supported the so-called assault weapons ban and a longer waiting period for gun purchases. However, during the 2015 campaign, Trump has made a major shift on Second Amendment issues. He released a policy paper on the Second Amendment which promises major reforms that gun rights activists have long wanted. Examples include support for national reciprocity for concealed carry permits, the end of weapons and magazine bans, and curtailing of the expansion of a failing background check system. Time will tell if the 180 about face is principled driven or merely political in nature.

[Isara]

Trump's Record on Civil-liberty Issue: (from the Conservative Review)

"Trump has an inconsistent record when it comes to civil liberties. He supported the NSA mass surveillance program but did not weigh in on the recently passed reforms. Overall, he has avoided commenting on religious freedom, but says he would be an advocate for Christians. Trump supports an individual’s right to make unlimited campaign contributions, but advocates for an end to soft money in politics. Most concerning is Trump’s belief that the government can use eminent domain powers to seize private property for economic benefit for others."

Trump supports the NSA’s metadata collection program, saying, “I support legislation which allows the NSA to hold the bulk metadata. For oversight, I propose that a court, which is available any time on any day, is created to issue individual rulings on when this metadata can be accessed.” This position was identical to the NSA’s mass surveillance program before being reformed by the USA Freedom Act. (Newsweek) 

Trump has avoided commenting on religious freedom since Indiana passed its Religious Freedom and Restoration Act into law. Instead, he has said that he will be the “greatest representative of the Christians they've had in a long time” if elected president. (Christian Today) (Breitbart)  

Trump believes political soft money should be banned, while individuals should be allowed to make unlimited contributions. "If I were drawing a political cartoon to represent the situation, it would include a very large guy with a huge bag of money. On that bag would be written one word: soft. Soft money is the bane of the current system and we need to get rid of it." (The America We Deserve) 

Trump supported the Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London, giving public authorities the right to seize private land for economic development by private investors. Trump said, “I happen to agree with [the decision] 100 percent.” (National Review)

Trump highlighted his support for prosecuting "hate crimes" against homosexuals in his 2000 book, The America We Deserve. “Hate Crime” is a term used to extend special protections for a specific classes and in essence elevates the importance of these classes above others. For example, murder of homosexual or heterosexual should be viewed equally under the law and punished equally. Creating special classes is a liberal tactic used to divide and segment society.(Google Books)

Trump said that Kim Davis should not have been jailed for refusing to issue gay marriage licenses. He also said that she should allow her deputy clerks to do so, but also said that 30 miles away you can get a license so people should do that. He added, "The decision's been made, and that is the law of the land." (CNN)

Much like his stance on eminent domain, Donald Trump has shown a troubling tendency to want to use the power of government to stifle political speech. When the conservative Club for Growth released an advertisement regarding Trump's changing positions on taxation, Trump responded with a legal letter calling for them to cease and desist the advertisements. A chilling move towards the silencing of political speech. (Politico)

Donald Trump attacked SuperPACs (political action committees) in the third Republican debate. By suggesting they should be outlawed he came out against the First Amendment protection of speech, and echoed progressive talking points. (Time)

[CottonBall]

Here is my post I’ll reply to that silly polka-dot post. I’ll be part of my daily routine now - get up, brush teeth, feed cats, shower, check emails, reply to the silly polka-dot post ;)

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The cut&pasted anti-polka dot post:

That silly polka-dot graph you post constantly is ridiculous. For example, Trump’s 2A policy is better than any other candidate, with his national concealed carry idea.

Cruz’s Speechwriter and Communications Director, Amanda Carpenter, works at Conservative Review. So of course, there is no bias there. /s

And that you say to contact some outside group if we do not like the ratings is you just trying to deflect responsibility that YOU are posting this simplistic hogwash over and over.

I am going to post this comment every time I see your silly polka dots! (The fact that I have also mastered cutting and pasting is hardly impressive, is it, LOL)

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[Isara]

Trump's Record on Health Care and Entitlements: (from the Conservative Review)

Like any good republican, Trump claims to oppose Obamacare, even supporting conservatives’ attempt to defund Obamacare in the fall of 2013. Trump, however, is on record supporting “universal healthcare,” advocating for American adoption of the Canadian healthcare system. This places Trump’s policy inline with the most liberal members of the Democrat Party. Trump has also opposed free-market reforms to Medicare, arguing that growing the economy will solve the problem. To his credit, Trump supports privatizing parts of Social Security, but opposed the recent House GOP budgets citing entitlement reform as the reason for his opposition.

Trump opposes Obamacare, saying, "I will fight to end Obamacare and replace it with something that makes sense for people in business and not bankrupt the country." (USA Today)

Trump has advocated for universal healthcare in a system similar to Canada’s government-run healthcare system. “I’m a conservative on most issues but a liberal on health….We must take care of our own. We must have universal healthcare. Our objective [should be] to make reforms for the moment and, longer term, to find an equivalent of the single-payer plan that is affordable, well-administered, and provides freedom of choice.” (The America We Deserve)

Trump supports transitioning parts of Social Security to private accounts, saying, “Allow every American to dedicate some portion of their payroll taxes to a personal Social Security account that they could own and invest in stocks and bonds… Directing Social Security funds into personal accounts invested in real assets would swell national savings, pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into jobs and the economy. These investments would boost national investment, productivity, wages, and future economic growth.” (The America We Deserve)

Trump has opposed reforms to Social Security and Medicare, arguing that growing the economy will solve the entitlement program’s insolvency, but has not elaborated on his proposal. "I am going to save Social Security without any cuts. I know where to get the money from. Nobody else does." (Twitter)

Trump believes public assistance should be limited, and that religious institutions should carry the burden of caring for the poor and disadvantaged. (2012 Presidential Candidates)

Trump echoed Democrat talking points when referring to Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budgets, arguing that they were too radical. “I’m concerned about doing anything that's going to tinker too much with Medicare. I protect the senior citizens. Senior citizens are protected. They are lifeblood, as far as I’m concerned. I think Paul Ryan is too far out front with the issue. He ought to sit back and relax.” (Today)

Trump opposes reforming Medicare by transitioning to a voucher program, but he has failed to articulate how he would fix the unfunded program. “I don’t think the Republicans should be out on this ledge….I’m studying that situation very closely, and if and when I decide to run ... I’ll have a plan. The seniors have to be cherished. They have to be taken care of.” (Christian Science Monitor)

Trump supported the conservative effort to defund Obamacare, tweeting at Republican lawmakers that “Congress must defund ObamaCare. It is destroying Medicare and breaking promises to our Seniors, including veterans” (Twitter), and “NO GAMES! HOUSE @GOP MUST DEFUND OBAMACARE! IF THEY DON’T, THEN THEY OWN IT!” (Twitter)

In what sounded all too similar to Obamacare, Trump told 60 Minutes that he would replace Obamacare with a plan that "covers all Americans." That the vast majority of Americans would buy their insurance on an open market, and that the government would pay for those that couldn't afford it. (CBS News)

Trump backed off his call for raising the Social Security retirement age to 70. He told 60 minutes that he would instead save Social Security by having "other countries pay for it." (CBS News)

Trump supports work requirements for welfare recipients. (Time to Get Tough)

[CottonBall]

“PAC $$ must be veddy, veddy good to these ‘review’ groups. LOL.”

Money can buy most anything - it can even get a former president and secretary of state to come to your wedding. It’s almost like Trump planned that years ago to show how politicians can be bought.

And he’s the only one that can’t be!

[Isara]

[FourPeas]

[FourPeas]

[dinodino]

Sorry, but Trump has previously called for bans on “assault weapons.” Trump definitely does not hold foundational pro-2A beliefs, and if you think otherwise, you’re going to be disappointed.

[Aleya2Fairlie]

“Will anyone in Iowa ask Ted how he can be against amnesty and take the pro-amnesty Club For Growth’s money? Or whether he will return Credit Suisse Group’s money now that they are under investigation as the money launderers for the crooks in FIFA?”

Will anyone ask Cruz about this? Noooo! He’s changed his mind you know. That’s a prerogative that’s known as flip flopping for anyone but Cruz.

http://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2015/03/23/ted-cruz-wants-to-increase-h-1b-visas-from-65000-to-325000-annually/