Posted on 01/29/2016 12:51:37 PM PST by Red Steel
Just three days before the Iowa caucuses, longtime Republican Gov. Terry Branstad ripped into Ted Cruz - mocking him for his Thursday night debate performance and asserting that his prospects in the state are dimming.
"Ted Cruz was ahead in Iowa, but as people have figured out his stance on issues that are important to the economy of the state" he's lost support, Branstad said during a Friday morning taping of CSPAN's "Newsmakers," pointing specifically to Cruz's opposition to ethanol subsidies - an issue of central importance to Iowans. "He was ahead on polls, but now he's dropped below Trump."
The interview, which is set to air on Sunday, was conducted by reporters from POLITICO and the Washington Post.
Branstad's remarks followed a debate that saw Cruz come under attack from several of his rivals, and one in which he faced aggressive questioning over his consistency on immigration reform.
"It was a poor performance on his part," Branstad said, noting that Cruz had been booed during the debate while sparring with a moderator. Other candidates onstage, the governor said, performed better.
Branstad, the longest-serving governor in American history, has faced off against Cruz in recent days. After the Iowan called for Cruz's defeat last week, Cruz pushed back - labeling the governor part of the Washington insider class that has lined up against him.
Asked about that remark, Branstad fired back.
"I think he obviously doesn't know me. He doesn't understand that I'm governor of the state of Iowa, and that I have chosen time and again not to run for national office."
The governor said that he would support Cruz if he were to win the Republican Party nomination, but said he felt it was important to "inform" Iowans of Cruz's position on ethanol.
Branstad, in contrast, had flattering words for Donald Trump, who is in a neck-and-neck race with Cruz in the state. He noted that during his 2014 reelection campaign, a Republican Governors Association-sponsored fundraising event benefiting him was held on a Trump golf course.
"Donald Trump is a very interesting and unconventional candidate," Branstad said. He declined to criticize the billionaire for skipping the debate, saying only that, "I wouldn't have advised it."
Branstad wouldn't go so far as to predict a Trump victory on Monday, calling the race unpredictable and noting that many Iowans - including himself - had yet to make up their minds as to whom to support.
My parents lived in Iowa before they retired to Florida. My Dad was one of those who had nicknames for people he didn’t think much of. His name for Brandstad was “Terry Braindead”.
Branstad protecting the ethanol racket - just like the Trumpster....
In other words, Cruz has fallen because he refused to pander to the Iowa ethanol lobby.
But it's Trump who can't be bought. Riiiiiiight.
POLITICO - and that’s all you need to know.
This governor is a piece of work, just what you’d expect from the GOP establishment. In his mind, it’s great public policy to ruin the engines and the fuel economy of everyday Americans by making us put food into our gas tanks because if we are made to do that, then his farm constituents will be more likely to keep voting for him.
Lots of Snark against Cruz.
Should Trump win, lets see how his supreme court picks are.
How his deals go with Pelosi and Shumer. Spending and entitlement spending. And defunding planned parenthood.
This is it Cruzers, we gather up now or are stuck to vote Trump in general and only to be disappointed in 2017.
Trump Time Capsule 2017
Cruz ain’t no Issac Newton, otherwise, he’d understand that gravity applies not just to Trump and Carson, but to himself as well.
Ethanol is the only factor in Braindead’s thinking. He has said so repeatedly.
Big Ethanol speaks.
Take heart that Cruz is just a youngster.
Four more election cycles before he even hits the threshold of prime politician age (mid 60s).
To our fellow FR Cruz supporters;
Hang in there a little longer.
The pain will be over very soon
this coming Tuesday morning.
I HOPE this RINO is dead wrong, just like most of them!
So the POTUS should be elected based on their stance on ethanol. Got it.
Hillary is harmful to women. Grave dereliction. Corruption. Crimes. Bad for the economy and bad for national security. Treason. John Haung. Charlie Trie. Whitewater. Cattle futures. Sally Perdue / Miller. Willey.
On and on. Remember y’all?
Vince Foster. Chelsea Hubble.
Hopefully, Cruz runs against Bernie. Or at least Trump against Bernie and the FBI leaks like a sieve.
Otherwise the brave Clinton women now talking may be harmed.
He may be Braindead but he is a four time governor. His organization definitely has clout.
King Cornhole Rules.
Did not work out that way for the Huckster of for Santorum.
I did actually watch the entire debate. Even though it wasn’t as entertaining without Trump, it was informative. I thought Cruz’s response to the question about ethanol and the gratuitous cut to Branstad sitting in the audience was right on the money.
Cruz pointed out that it is not the government’s role to pick winners and losers. He stated that he has nothing against ethanol, per se, but that he wants to remove ALL government subsidies and to let the free market pick winners and losers, not the government via regulation or executive fiat.
In both constitutional and raw economic terms, he’s right.
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