Posted on 01/29/2016 5:25:37 AM PST by 20yearsofinternet
In the final debate before Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, Ted Cruz had the worst night of the seven GOP presidential candidates on stage Thursday.
That's according to a plurality of the Republican members of The POLITICO Caucus - a panel of strategists, operatives and activists in Iowa and the other three February-voting states: New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. The insiders participated in the survey immediately following the debate in Des Moines, an event more notable for the absence of Iowa and national poll-leader Donald Trump than anything else.
More than 4-in-10 GOP insiders - given the choice of the seven GOP candidates on the stage, plus Trump - rated Cruz as the loser of Thursday night's debate, citing his defensive posture on his past immigration stances and opposition to ethanol subsidies.
"He seemed plastic and insincere," said one Iowa Republican, who, like all respondents, completed the post-debate survey anonymously. "The crowd clearly liked Gov. [Terry] Branstad a lot more than they like Ted Cruz."
*SNIP*
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
>>What he accomplished last night was literally an attempt to shut down debate.
Oh puhleeze. Do you really see these dog and pony shows as debate? I mean, real intelligent debate where each candidate answers and rebuts the same questions?
I haven’t watched it yet. I doubt I will. Nor did I watch the Trump event. I was tired after a long day and fell asleep waiting for them to come on.
More better.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Rubio surpasses Cruz and comes in second. The Trump-less debate seemed to have crippled Cruz.
It wasn't meant to be a debate, P-M. It was meant to be an ambush and political execution by the Propaganda Arm of the DC Uni-Party on behalf of the leadership of the DC Uni-Party in order to insure that the “Republican” candidate would be inferior to their selected figurehead...Hitlery Rodham Clinton.
When Trump determined their objective and tactics, he tipped over the board and forced them into begging him to return and when that didn't work, pulled out the set of questions to destroy the other, serious contender from the outside, Ted Cruz.
It doesn't matter how Ted did, last night, the mouthpieces from Fox were preloaded to give the debate to Bush or Rubio.
P-M, it is us against the DC Uni-Party. Regardless if Trump or Cruz gets the nomination, we have got to eradicate the DC Uni-Party.
Yeah, man, if Cruz still ends up winning Iowa, it’s going to be delicious to witness media and GOPe heads exploding on TV, and Trumpsters’ fury and anger being on full display here on FR!
I have no idea what to expect. I only know Cruz is my guy.
If putting a megalomaniac, narcissistic demagogue in the White House is the only way to stop the DC Uniparty, then maybe this country is lost already.
We already have a megalomaniac, narcissistic demagogue in the White House. We don't need another.
They know President Cruz will bring The Art of No Deal when they try to do business as usual. By Trump's own admission (bragging, he's actually proud of it) they've done much business with him before. They want the political marketplace to remain open for business and they're OK with Trump as the proprietor.
This cycle explained in one simple phrase..............
Cruz will do well to finish third in Iowa. The Media is out to finish him off today.
I really wanted a Trump/Cruz ticket all along, which is why I was so sorry to see them tearing each other down over the past two months.
They’ve surely damaged each other, and I don’t see repair at this point.
The GOPe was never going to support a Cruz nomination, NEVER. Equally true, Cruz was never going to win the General Election.
Cruz is now toast and the only way he will remain in the Senate until his term expires, is if he does exactly what the GOPe tells him to do. At the end of Cruz's current term, they will do everything they can to get rid of him.
Cruz let grandiose plans get the better of him. Dumb.
Yes, the anchor baby and the Canadian both did well...for whatever reason.
I liked Santorum and Huckabee's comments better.
Then vote for them.
DT and his supporters have no compunction shutting down their opposition - you and me - any way not prohibited by law. DT has defined the ‘pool’ of acceptable ROE and his army is starting to behave like fireants.
No, they’ll likely be cabinet positions. Cruz may be too, or even better, Supreme Court.
Unfortunately, most of the name-calling has been coming from you folks.
I sincerely hope that you are grown-up enough to accept Trump if the country does.
What you and others don't seem to comprehend is that the "deals" are only bad because Republicans keep making bad deals. They give away the store to the left. What us Trump supporters are hearing is "Not on my watch. I know a bad deal when I see it. I'm going to only make good deals for the country."
Well they have managed to convince a lot of Freepers that any opposition to THE ONE will not be tolerated. Not here. Not anywhere.
Watch out. Incoming!
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