Posted on 01/20/2016 10:30:02 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Bob Dole, the former Kansas senator and 1996 Republican presidential nominee, has never been fond of Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. But in an interview Wednesday, Mr. Dole said that the party would suffer "cataclysmic" and "wholesale losses" if Mr. Cruz were the nominee, and that Donald J. Trump would fare better.
"I question his allegiance to the party," Mr. Dole said of Mr. Cruz. "I don't know how often you've heard him say the word 'Republican' - not very often." Instead, Mr. Cruz uses the word "conservative," Mr. Dole said, before offering up a different word for Mr. Cruz: "extremist."
"I don't know how he's going to deal with Congress," he said. "Nobody likes him."
But Mr. Dole, 92, said he thought Mr. Trump could "probably work with Congress, because he's, you know, he's got the right personality and he's kind of a deal-maker."
The remarks by Mr. Dole reflect wider unease with Mr. Cruz among members of the Republican establishment, but few leading members of the party have been as candid and cutting. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
And where better to get advice than from the conquering hero of the 90’s.
Who cares what Bob Dole thinks?
Where is the polling data showing Trump doing better than Cruz in the general election? All I’ve heard is opinions.
“I want a Trump/Cruz ticket.”
No, putting Cruz as a VP would be a waste of his talent. I would much rather see him as Attorney General or to remain in the Senate.
Bad news for Trump. He had all the right enemies until now.
I think Trump will pick Allen West.
Me thinks reverse psychology in play here ...
Those sneaky bastages over at the New York Slimes are in cahoots with the GOP establishment ...
And why not? It’s the Uniparty circling the wagons!
So, they have their man Dole praise Donald Trump - well of course! Let’s have one of the GOPe’s worst losers put his stamp of approval on Trump - That should do him in! Dole proves that Trump is not 100 percent pure conservative ... He ain’t got “the right stuff.”
Yeah ... The establishment is in full blown panic mode.
"Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is doubling up his attacks, targeting rivals Donald Trump and Marco Rubio in one fell swoop.
Cruz on Wednesday said the GOP establishment is lining up behind Trump because they think Rubio is faltering.
"Right now the establishment is abandoning Marco Rubio," Cruz said, according to the Washington Post.
"They're making the assessment that Marco can't win this race, and the Washington establishment is rushing over to support Donald Trump. We're seeing that every day. And Mr. Trump is welcoming the support of the Washington establishment."
The comments came on the same day 1996 GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole questioned Cruz's ability to work with Congress if he were to be president, while heaping praise on Trump.
"I question his allegiance to the party," Dole said of Cruz. "I don't know how often you've heard him say the word 'Republican' - not very often.
"If he's the nominee, we're going to have wholesale losses in Congress and state offices and governors and legislatures," he added.
Dole added that Trump, on the other hand, "can probably work with Congress, because he's, you know, he's got the right personality and he's kind of a deal-maker."
Cruz used these comments to launch an attack against Trump, questioning his commitment to conservatism.
"Indeed, Mr. Trump said that they should support him, because - he said - 'Ted won't go along to get along. He won't make deals with the Democrats.' Well, I don't think there are a lot of Republicans who think the problem with Republican leadership is that they won't make deals with the Democrats," he said.
"We are seeing more and more the establishment calling out their support for Donald Trump," Cruz added.
"Look, Donald Trump was very candid. On the Sunday shows recently, seven months ago, he said he was the establishment. Well, that hasn't changed. There's a reason the establishment is attracted to Donald Trump."
didn’t West do kind of lousy when he ran?
does he bring a state with him?
blacks dont vote black. they vote dem.
I just don’t get why FReepers don’t read Free Republic.
And don’t search before posting.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search?m=all;o=time;q=quick;s=dole%20cruz
Well, of course, Bob Dole, who famously won his first Presidential election in a landslide and then went on to crush his pitiful opponent in his second, should know best how to win the White House! So we should ALL listen to him and do what he says!
Oh, wait. This is the other Bob Dole? The one from my timeline? Who lost?
Never mind....
If I recall, Bob Dole has disliked Cruz from day one. I don’t disagree with him in this article, but it seems when Cruz was on the floor, almost totally alone, Dole was criticizing him when he should have stood up for him.
Cruz is no coward, unlike the phonys in Congress on our side who are.
Cruz’s day will come, and it will come big time. We need people like him in office and on the SCOTUS.
They skewered Palin the first go around. Cruz is unprepared for this kind of onslaught, but I think it will teach him.
Hopefully, in the end we all coalesce and support our guy or gal.
I went back and re read the article. I fail to see how this supports Ted Cruz. It blasts him.
well if there is anyone who’s qualified to tell us about cataclysmic losses it would be Bob Dole. But thanks anyway for playing Bob but I’ll take my chances with Ted.
“Bob Dolt”
Yep. Your typical “hand the election to the democrats on
a silver platter” republican candidate. Just like Romney,
McCain and Jeb. At least they have a pulse.
Yet the losers still chime in.
".....[Donald] Trump: This is the best time to think like a champion. As an example, the house is being foreclosed. You go see your bank -- maybe you can make a deal, maybe you can't. But you can make a deal with a bank on another house, and much better than the one you're living in. ... They'll do any deal to get rid of their product.
They have houses by the thousands. And you go see that bank and you make a deal.
[Larry] King: How do you assess [Barack Obama]?
Trump: Well, I really like him. I think that he's working very hard. He's trying to rebuild our reputation throughout the world. The previous administration was a total disaster, a total catastrophe.
And, you know, the world looks at us differently than they used to. ... He was handed a pretty bad deck of cards. And I'm not saying I agree with everything he's doing. ... I do agree with what they're doing with the banks. Whether they fund them or nationalize them, it doesn't matter, but you have to keep the banks going.
King: Do you assess him as a champion?
Trump: Oh, yes, he's a champion. I mean, he won against all odds. When he first announced, people were giving him virtually no chance. And he's just done something that's amazing."....
Trump would deliver all the other deals that Bob Dolt and the GOPe wanted to make with Obama but couldn’t because of a few good men like Ted Cruz.
Wow... Another democrat endorsement.. Looks like my theory is picking up steam.. See tagline...
I am still disappointed to see palin go by the way of coulter.. I guess the democrats pay better..mor maybe it’s their large spotlight for the glory hounds. Dole... Seriously, next up Carter. Carter might be too busy telling Obama that creating a hostage crisis is the. Best deflect and redirect from an economic disaster.
With so many Establishment types hawking Trump, how can I support him? I don’t want someone willing to work with Congress, to compromise. We’ve had years of compromise and see where it’s gotten us.
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