Posted on 01/04/2016 2:56:01 PM PST by Isara
BOONE, Iowa -- Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz dismissed attacks against his record and his personal style Monday, suggesting that his political rivals are "panicking" as the Iowa caucuses approach.
Watch the video at the link. (Ted Cruz Not Getting Drawn Into 'Muck' of Personal Attacks 0:27)
"Listen, politicians behave a certain way when they are panicking," he told NBC in an exclusive interview aboard his campaign bus. "And they engage in attacks, they engage in personal attacks, that's human nature. I understand that. I am not going to get drawn into that muck."
*** Tune in to NBC Nightly News Monday to see more of the exclusive interview. ***
Cruz has increasingly come under fire from fellow GOP candidates as he has risen in primary polls. On Monday, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio alluded to Cruz's foreign policy stances, knocking "isolationist candidates more passionate about weakening our intelligence capabilities than about destroying our enemies." Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum released a campaign ad mocking Cruz's infamous reading of the Dr. Seuss classic "Green Eggs and Ham" during a filibuster-like speech on the Senate floor in 2013. And last month, Donald Trump appeared to question Cruz's religious faith based on his Cuban ancestry, telling a crowd in Des Moines that "I do like Ted Cruz, but not a lot of evangelicals come out of Cuba."
Cruz demurred when asked by NBC News whether Trump's statement constitutes "panicking."
"I'm going to keep the focus on the issues that matter," he said.
"We are seeing the entire world on fire, radical Islamic terrorism on the rise, where we are abandoning Israel, we are abandoning our allies," he added. "What the American people are interested in is not a bunch of silly attacks from Washington politicians. They want real solutions to the problems in this country."
Watch the video at the link. (Cruz's Iowa Bus Tour Brings Out Thoughts of Family 1:57)
Cruz has steadfastly avoided attacking Trump, who remains the GOP front-runner nationally even as the Texas senator himself has risen to a top slot in the all-important state of Iowa.
But he has not been shy about differentiating himself from fellow Sen. Marco Rubio. On Monday, a super PAC supporting Cruz released an ad contrasting the severity of various foreign policy conundrums with Rubio's recent jokes about picking his fantasy football team.
Cruz said Monday that Rubio is "very well liked in Washington," a comment clearly meant as a dig at the Florida senator's relative popularity within the Washington establishment.
"I think what voters are looking for is someone who honors the commitments that he made to the men and women who have elected us. Someone who is a leader. Someone who has demonstrated that he will take on not just Democrats but leaders in our own party. Someone who will take on the Washington cartel," Cruz said. "And I like Marco but my record is markedly different, not just from Marco's but from every candidate on that debate stage."
Cruz told NBC News that the increasing intensity of attacks on his campaign signals his success in the crowded GOP field.
"Two weeks ago, just about every Republican candidate was attacking Donald Trump. Today just about every Republican candidate is attacking me," he said. "That seems to be an indication that something has changed in the race."
Cruz is embarking on a 28-stop tour of Iowa over the next six days, looking to seal the deal with four weeks until the state takes the first stab at picking the GOP's presidential nominee.
Cruz's stops will take him to rural pockets of the state in his quest to visit all of Iowa's 99 counties before the Feb. 1 caucus.
For the first time last week, Trump acknowledged to a crowd in Council Bluffs, Iowa, that he may lose the state's contest, saying he may be "setting myself up" for a letdown if he were to lose the caucus.
Rubio - a distant third - completed a multi-day bus tour last week, stepping up an up his ground presence to make a late push in the state.
Cruz told NBC that his campaign does not view Iowa - or any of the early primary states - as a must-win, but that the team will fight hard for wins in each place.
"We are going to compete hard and try to win in every state but we don't believe there is any state that is a must win for us," he said.
Cruz also shared with NBC News the challenges of staying connected to his family, especially his two young daughters, who are seven and five.
"The girls just got an iPad and they are very excited, so they just learned how to FaceTime," he said, saying that his absence from his daughters is the "hardest thing" he's experienced during the campaign.
"We do lots of phone calls and FaceTime but it's not the same."
Yes. It also shows they are scared of Trump. Trump is a little like owning a known attack dog. It may be great while he’s attacking your enemies, but just wait. He will eventually turn on you, too. There will be no easy way to stop him once he has that executive power. Blind trust is dumb trust. That’s my prediction. For now everyone seems to be extremely afraid of him.
I don’t like such extreme intimidation because it is just one more way to shut down debate. The left uses labels and false charges like “hate” and “phobia.” I guess Trump is showing there are other ways to intimidate opposition into silence. I don’t like any of it. It is anti-First Amendment and anti-republic.
I don’t like such extreme intimidation because it is just one more way to shut down debate.
Or just means that others are feckless and afraid to engage...
What are you talking about with anti first amendment. I guess we should go back to George the first kinder, gentler American?
The strong language is nothing compared to what the founding fathers did. I think we should air it all out and let the people decide!
It is not free speech if you think you are the only one entitled to it.
I am for airing it all. Trump’s intimidating ways make me not want to vote for him. That is not the kind of representation I am looking for. Save the strong language for defense and promotion of issues and of principles. Calling Scalia a racist or comparing Ben Carson to a child molester is not the kind of speech I want from the President. He effectively shuts down the opposition, but not usually with argument on the issues.
It is not feckless to disengage from escalating insults. The fights should be over positions and principles, not name calling and PeeWee Herman childish “I know you are but what am I” sort of “debate.”
Jeb tried to engage in the PeeWee exchange. Where did that get him?
Oh...so the current situation is just ‘ducky?’ I screamed bloody murder from my phone and E-mails when the kenyan altered the PPACA with E.O.’s stating how it was illegal to do so....and you state a fear of more dictatorship from a man who loves the country?...CONGRESS f’d up along with the judicial branch and they did it while taking a paycheck and whatever else they could skim/scam.....piss off with your late to the party comment .....it falls on deaf ear’s just as my valid scream’s to my “so-called representatives and senator’s.....do what a grown up does nod yes and do what is in your best interest....I hope you understand how far gone legal procedure is. I think you still have faith in the current bloated and totally corrupt federal/state system. If you need a non-violent revolution I feel that Trump is the answer...otherwise your on your own...I have felt that way ever since I decided not to re-up with the U. S. Army.....
Got to bring the A game or don’t come to play.
Which is why you should realize that even though you think of it as Pee-Wee Herman antics, most Americans don’t.
There are too many people going out of their way to see candidates to just ignore their views on such matters.
Cruz is like a cup of green tea. It is a steady sip that keeps you going. And you know what is expected of it. There are neither super highs nor super lows. It has own set of peculiarities, but it gets the job done. Cruz will get the job done.
Trump is like meth. He gets you high and feeling invincible... but you also become an addict and seeing things crawling inside your own skin. Eventually, it will destroy you.
Say not to meth, kids.
What does lil Ricky expect will come of his ad?
What a prat
I favor strong language being used for fighting the issues. Think of strong language as capital. You have so much and no more. Why waste it on calling one of the best conservative thinkers in America a racist (Scalia), or a fellow conservative candidate child molester like? That is using your capital for friendly fire. You will lose the war that way. In the big picture, Scalia is more important than any of the current candidates. He has a lifetime appointment.
I think extremely highly of you DoughtyOne. It boggles my mind why you support Trump over Cruz. I hope we can be friends anyway.
Yeah, and that's why his kids are all messed up and his business associates all failures. (/sarc)
But I think the real issue here is can a straight down the line conservative (for those who believe that is what Cruz is) lead our country out of the hell it has become ?
Or will it need someone more daring, more challenging ?
F.R. is an open DEBATE FORUM.
Without at least TWO SIDES, there is no debate.
Everyone I run into here on FR who has a ‘different’ opinion than I do is an opportunity to learn more about what others think, and to evaluate what I think. New information can always change one’s opinion.
Maybe what we learn here supports our belief in our candidate, maybe it doesn’t. But we should take advantage of the opportunity to find out.
Otherwise we could just go to some other website and randomly spew out our thoughts to no one in particular as a feel good exercise.
Wouldn’t it just be a lovely poke in the eye if it was Cruz, Trump, Carson (in that order) after Iowa votes? Take THAT GOPe!
That’s the funniest description of any candidates to date. I never thought of Cruz as green tea or Trump as meth but now that I do I can’t stop laughing!
I like that. Well said.
“Wouldn’t it just be a lovely poke in the eye if it was Cruz, Trump, Carson (in that order) after Iowa votes? Take THAT GOPe!”
Unfortunately, we have The Cabana Boy in third place by a couple of points. Things won’t really gel until The Cabana Boy, Carson and Little Yebbie are out of it.
Do you have any idea how happy the MSM, GOPe and the Dems would be if Cruz pulls out a victory in Iowa?
They'll glow hot and gloat for weeks!! They'll spend the whole time trying to convince everyone that Trumps rise is finally over, and ignore that Huckabee and Santorum won it the last time two times. One can already hear them salivating over the possibility
Folks should think about this when choosing sides.
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