Posted on 12/28/2015 2:33:48 PM PST by Isara
Read these two quotes carefully: The first: “Cruz cannot win because the Washington elites despise him.” The second goes: “[T]here are a lot of good candidates – I like nearly all of them… …except Cruz.” Which one of the similar quotes is from a pro-Cruz Super PAC and which is from a former Republican nominee for president?
The first quote is from an ad from Keep the Promise I, a Cruz Super PAC. The second is from Bob Dole, the 1996 Republican nominee and war hero, who got trounced by Bill Clinton. Both purport to highlight a negative of Senator Cruz, but do they really?
The answer is hidden in an examination of the conservative insurgency in Massachusetts, of all places. Five years ago this very week, things were starting to turn around for then-State Senator Scott Brown (R–MA).
Knowing how much of a train wreck RomneyCare had become, the voters of Massachusetts were drawn to Brown’s singular campaign message: “I will be the 41st vote to stop Obamacare.” Attorney General Martha Coakley’s team misread the electorate and put out ads that in effect said, “If you elect Scott Brown you will stop the president from giving healthcare to millions of Americans.” Two different candidates, same message, and we all know who won that race.
That same dynamic is playing out in the presidential race this year; be it with Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. The establishment keeps telling the voters how awful these two candidates are, but that just makes the voters gravitate to them even more.
Nowhere is this playing out more clearly than in Iowa where a series of establishment allies are swinging hard at Cruz in advertisements and mailers. All of this comes as Cruz further cements his lead in the state. On Christmas, CNN reported that a collection of five independent groups, aligned with the establishment and Mike Huckabee have begun attacks on Cruz in Iowa.
The attacks are being spearheaded by two people with ties to the establishment: Nick Ryan, who is an establishment activist in Iowa, and Sean Noble, another establishment hack who is backing Rubio. Mark Levin wrote of Noble’s Alinsky-like tactics back in November. Regarding Noble’s attacks on Cruz’s vote for the America Freedom Act, Conservative Review’s own Daniel Horowitz said: “Mr. Noble worked for Sen. Jeff Flake who also voted for the Freedom Act. I guess his boss and all of Rubio’s backers are also weak on national security.” Noble boasts, on his own website, of his ties to the “elite” of the party. He says “…or nearly 20 years, a pretty elite cast of characters has been doing just that [paying attention to Noble].”
Ryan is a longstanding force in Iowa politics, allied with the moderate Governor Branstad. On his website, Ryan describes himself as having investments in renewable energy—i.e. ethanol—in Iowa. Ted Cruz is very much against ethanol mandates.
When you scratch under the hood of the attacks on Cruz, and ask why they are more pointed than the attacks on Trump, a common theme begins to emerge. That is self-interest. It can be as plain as someone who has financial stakes in ethanol running ads against an anti-ethanol candidate, or it can be more complex, like with Noble—someone trying to hold onto the power they’ve carved out in the political industrial complex. Therein lies the real truth of why the attacks are stronger against Cruz than Trump, even though they really aren’t working against either candidate.
Trump is a dealmaker running a campaign as a disrupter to the status quo. Cruz is a proven disrupter to the status quo. That is a very big difference indeed.
The political industrial complex believes deep down that they can negotiate with the author of The Art of the Deal; they know they will lose the levers of power with Ted Cruz. You can see it in the voracity and frequency of their attacks.
The establishment consultants and chattering class know they have the most to lose with a Cruz presidency. What do they lose with a Cruz presidency? The very levers of power by which they enrich themselves: the Republican Party apparatus.
It goes much deeper than Cruz holding the reins of the executive branch. With a President Cruz, the positions of the self-described elite within the GOP power structure are in jeopardy. As much as the establishment screams electability from the rooftops, deep down they know that Cruz can and will win in 2016 if nominated. That is an existential threat to business as usual and the ruling class itself.
Rule #1 of the political industrial complex is: maintain power at all cost, even if it means torpedoing an electable conservative like Cruz. Here is how it would play out badly for them were Cruz the nominee:
Cruz is the larger threat to establishment because, if he wins, they lose all the levers of power. McConnell and his allies would be tossed out of organizations such as the Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, etc... If history is any guide, the sitting president of a political party has a large leeway in choosing those in key power positions. That puts the earning potential and power of the current political industrial complex in complete jeopardy.
That is why, come January, the establishment will continue to turn all their guns on Cruz because they would rather Trump win the nomination and lose to Hillary than for Ted Cruz to have a chance of being president. If that happened they would attempt to blame a Trump loss on the Tea Party, and keep their cushy jobs. As Cruz inevitably gains on Trump, the establishment will go after Cruz 110%, even if they are currently waging a rhetorical war on Trump.
As the calendar turns to 2016, and the political industrial complex realizes they can’t field a winning candidate on their own, they will increasingly turn their fire on Cruz over Trump. When they do so, be very aware that it isn’t for the “good of the country” or even because of “electability.” It pretty much boils down to what they have to do to keep food on their tables and their pockets lined.
A very powerful motivator indeed.
‘Think about it. There is no real competitive resume OUT THERE that can compete with the global experience, economic sophistication, and retail accomplishment of one, DONALD J. TRUMP.’
Exactly right. The more I learn about Trump’s competitors’ resumes, the less impressed by them I am
Btw, has any Cruz supporter explained yet how *any* conservative could “stand up to Washington,” WITHOUT having stood up to what the vile, corrupt, loathsome GOPe did to Chris McDaniel?
Bet none of them ever will.
Your post 200.
I’m waiting for your apology.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/politics/ted-cruz-campaign-ad/index.html
You have stated the deficiencies in Cruz’ abilities and qualifications so well! However, it’s a shameful fact that most voters just don’t keep up with the actual activities of their candidates well enough to consider those things. The link above is to a video of Cruz making a political ad. I realize that this is a part of “making the sausage” that needs to be done. But Cruz practicing his “tearful chokeup” for the camera added to the recording of his chuckling with his donor/owners at the so called “secret” meeting makes me nauseous. This is politics as it has come to be in this nation. It’s high time for a change. Trump has been on both sides of the curtain, Cruz only one, which is the Washington side. The only candidate who can make any changes to this circus is one who knows the ropes from all angles. That’s Trump.
So you believe there’s no such thing as TDS?
That’s your prerogative.
I believe it’s real. However, I did not call any individual deranged. I referenced a syndrome I believe in. And you snarked ugly over it. You are anything but the fair and reasonable person I had mistakenly thought you were.
Now perhaps you’ll explain what is evangelical/Christian about raising campaign cash off a pic that glorifies smoking, nudity and the prison tattoo look. Thank you in advance.
Oh and btw, who made you the grand arbiter of what people can and cannot believe in? According to you, it’s a sin to believe in TDS. Or rather, it’s a sin to mention it publicly. If someone does, you, the thought police, will nail them on it. Because YOU decide what syndromes are real and which ones aren’t. YOU are the ultimate authority, and YOU will lower the boom on evil transgressors.
Sick.
I see you have trouble with honesty, too.
A person on this thread pointed out that Cruz was AWOL while the worst of the DC Corruptocrats stole the Mississippi election from Chris McDaniel. Yet Cruz is the one running around saying this election is about who will stand up to DC.
Where was he in Mississippi, when McConnell and co. resorted to tactics that would make a Dem blush? When we need him most, he’s nowhere to be found.
What that I wrote was dishonest?
Or are you just making jerkish accusations bc you can’t refute one word I posted?
“A person on this thread pointed out that Cruz was AWOL while the worst of the DC Corruptocrats stole the Mississippi election from Chris McDaniel. Yet Cruz is the one running around saying this election is about who will stand up to DC.”
I’m afraid that one of the worst failings of the Conservative mind is an ingrained tendency to fall for the “artful chokeup” that’s practiced by so many politicians in their speeches and appearances. That’s especially true of Evangelicals. I was once the same but that was before many years of having the wool pulled over my eyes by fake heroes in sheeple clothing.
Trump’s brutal honesty and tough demeanor is what this nation has to have to survive at this time in our history but it’s just too much for some who have been brainwashed into passivity.
True, I cannot refuse your silly opinion.
And it is a silly opinion. I thought Cruz poster was hilarious.
So you called me a liar for having an opinion??? Seriously?
Your posts are going from bad to worse. Why not use the tagline, ‘If your opinion differs from mine, I’ll call you a liar.’
At least than people would know where you’re coming from, when you say they have honesty issues.
than = then
‘I’m afraid that one of the worst failings of the Conservative mind is an ingrained tendency to fall for the “artful chokeup” that’s practiced by so many politicians in their speeches and appearances. That’s especially true of Evangelicals.’
It’s amazing you should say this. Over Thanksgiving I asked a very libertine family member who he supported. He said, “Trump is the only one who can fix the mess we’re in.” [This from a person who typically rates marijuana legalization his number one issue.] I said, ‘What about Cruz?’ He said, “Reminds me too much of a televangelist.”
True story.
Sorry that Trump has the wool pulled down so firmly over your eyes. He does — you will sadly find out soon enough.
Yet you have never heard of them.
Indeed, no one has ever heard of the vast majority of America's entrepreneur/businessman billionaires.
The only reason Donald Trump is famous is because of his own vanity.
It's as if he thought to himself, "What's the point of being a billionaire if you're not famous?" So he methodically went about using books, periodicals, TV, and other media marketing venues to make himself famous.
And you've allowed yourself to be bamboozled into voting for him because you're impressed with his tough talk.
Very, very sad.
Sorry that Trump has the wool pulled down so firmly over your eyes. He does — you will sadly find out soon enough
What is there about Trump that you know and I don’t. Please enlighten me. And if you try to “enlighten” me to the fact that he’s not “Conservative” I’m going to throw up. I know already.
“Aleya, there are about 38 dozen billionaires in the United States, the best of them worth 20 times what Trump is worth. There are several real estate moguls who leave Trump in the dust in terms of success, wealth, and being masters at “the art of the deal.”
Yet you have never heard of them.
Indeed, no one has ever heard of the vast majority of America’s entrepreneur/businessman billionaires.
The only reason Donald Trump is famous is because of his own vanity.
It’s as if he thought to himself, “What’s the point of being a billionaire if you’re not famous?” So he methodically went about using books, periodicals, TV, and other media marketing venues to make himself famous.
And you’ve allowed yourself to be bamboozled into voting for him because you’re impressed with his tough talk.
Very, very sad.”
There was this guy named Reagan who was a movie star before he ran for office. I liked him a lot too. They said much the same about him before he made a fantastic President; one of the best.
“Aleya, there are about 38 dozen billionaires in the United States.....”
Finny, there are way more politicians than that in the United States; and I would trust Trump before any one of them.
Have a great year!
I am not comfortable with having a President who owns a casino. Makes me think mobster.
Nope, didn't even provide his "liquid assets", assuming you know what that means. It's literally "valuations" done looking at Trump's physical assets they've seen watching TV! Pictures of his jets, helicopters, estimation of the value of his his cologne line. No mention of revenue, no quotes from any "line items." To sum it up, you're full of shit.
Nope, you were too stupid to read the article. You claimed they looked at "line items" on a list. You then quote me a part of the article where they admit they "do not have specific assets, debt," etc. That's probably why you sent me a entirely different article a little while later, and then bullshitted that it had his "liquid assets" in it, because, of course, real estate and a helicopter are totally examples of liquid!
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