Posted on 01/29/2016 10:10:15 AM PST by BlackFemaleArmyColonel
Not too long ago, Ted Cruz looked poised to win a crucial early victory in Iowa. But his polling numbers of late have not been trending in a good direction. In new poll after new poll, Cruz seems to be falling further behind Donald Trump. And at Thursday's GOP debate in Des Moines, he clearly hoped he could turn his fortunes around with a strong performance.
He didn't.
The moderators and Cruz's rivals onstage subjected him to some very uncomfortable questioning -- and he didn't hold up to it all that well. Nearly all of his major vulnerabilities (except his Canadian birthplace) got ample airtime. At one point, he complained about the moderators' fairness, and didn't come off well.
And Cruz couldn't land a glove on the guy he really needs to take down, Donald Trump, because Trump wasn't even there.
Now, let's not overstate how bad the night was for Cruz. He didn't have any truly major gaffes or blunders. Plus, it's not at all certain that Cruz is even behind Trump in Iowa -- the polls could be modeling turnout incorrectly, and Cruz's ground operation is thought to be far better than the billionaire's.
But, in the most crucial days of Cruz's campaign yet -- just when he most needs to close the sale to Iowans -- he ended up having his rockiest debate of the cycle.
Cruz did not have an easy time of it from the Fox News moderators -- who made sure that the main attack lines on Cruz got a lot of air time. For instance, Rubio has been attacking Cruz as weak on national security, and this was echoed in several moderator questions referencing Cruz's opposition to intervention in Syria in 2013 and a vote he took to limit the NSA's surveillance powers.
(Excerpt) Read more at vox.com ...
Thanks so much, paid Trump bot!
Isn’t Vox on par with The Guardian?
Cruz got pummeled by the moderators. He held up well, in my opinion. The other candidates who tried to jump in didn’t come off so well.
And Trump was vindicated. Baer, Kelly, Wallace, embarrassments to their profession.
Wow!
TWO voxplanations about how Cruz is a loser just minutes apart!
Vox must be a little nervous about him.
Cruz did lose it. He should have come right out and said “Ya know everyone wants to comment on Trump, but we have more important issues...like an ahole president whos in bed with the saudis.”
So no respect for him. Hes done.
Cruz made a strong and accurate response.
He did NOT support amnesty. He introdued a poison pill amendment. Senator Sessiosn, the leading amnesty opponent, says Cruz has consistently opposed amnesty. Senator Schumer, the chief sponsor of the Gang of Eight bill, says that it would have passed, but for Ted Cruz.
Schumer said that there could be no bill without the path to citizenship — it was Cruz’s amendment that aimed to remove that provision.
Those are the facts. As Cruz said last night. And that was a very tough response.
The media simply wants to make it out to be weak so that they can take down the conservative candidate.
Rubio was much weaker, yet the media is proclaiming his response brilliant (despite the fact that Jeb Bush shot so many holes in it that he turned it into Swiss cheese.) Rubio couldn’t explain his flip flops on HIS OWN BILL, which he asked others, including Gov. Bush, to support — yet the media backs him up, to destroy the anti-Establishment conservative and take control of the process.
He got Trumped!
Ted Cruz had six debates to corner Trump. He couldn’t.
Ted Cruz had one debate without Trump in it. Did he win it? No.
We have been led to believe there is no better debater than Ted.
Evidently the only conclusion a Crewz member can have today, is that Ted is just too much of a gentleman to win a debate.
The only conclusion a Trump supporter can have, is like everything else about Ted, his debate skills are vastly over-rated.
I wish they were considered embarrassments by their profession but they're more likely considered heroes.
Rubio is tough on national security. Ridiculous on its face. He never served. He wants Mexicans coming in. He wanted Syrians in. And wants internal domestic spy agencies to watch the American people.
Why gosh, that’s almost as bad as RedState’s production of anti-Trump diatribes which get posted here within seconds.
This is the story of a boy named Ted
and his mother said
Ted be good
he wasn’t.
Comedic timing is everything - when he said "another mean question and I'm leaving," it was a joke I didn't get for awhile and I think some people still haven't. The problem was that certain of the questions really were mean and everybody knew it.
Overall, not the best night for Cruz, I think, but it could have been worse.
It may not have been his finest moment when he challenged the moderators on getting others to go at him like they in fact were, but, with that said he did acquit himself quite well in most other respects. My only thought is he would do better to inject more humor his deliveries...something Regan was particularly adept at doing.
What the Cruzers never address is why, given his education, debate experience, etc., Cruz isn’t mopping the floor with the likes of Kelly, Baier, and Wallace.
For months we were told “Just wait til the debates, Ted will knock it out of the park!”. Instead, he’s striking out.
We’ve been down this road with an inexperienced, overhyped Harvard lawyer before.
No. He didn’t. I watched. I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder.
But Cruz did great.
what does that picture mean?
you’re happy a conservative, one of the few, was hammered and set up by fox?? are you a RINO?
would have to be or ill informed. only one of two choices.
you seem to think because trump is good, ted is bad.
that’s weak and sad.
you must LOVE fox
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