It’s actually a big whatever for me. I think it is either a dishonest stunt by Conservative Tree House, and/or or a dirty trick sent out by Trump since he needs the big turnout. Do you think Donald Trump is above resorting to dirty tricks? I don’t. And finally, I can’t imagine any campaign sending such a mailer in their own name, can you? Something smells rotten about this whole article, but the reality tv droolers who blindly follow the bright orange hairpiece don’t even think to question it.
Present the evidence, and the FR court will rule.
Get over yourself your “god” Cruz did this and it is very hoser of him.
I can’t imagine them sending it out either. But Independent Review claims Cruz’s campaign confirmed it. And from what I can tell, IJReview been around for a while, and are reasonably respected.
And no, I don’t think Trump would stoop to sending something out in someone else’s name. If Cruz had denied it, my suspicion would fall on Rubio who is trying to climb into 2nd place.
UPDATE 5:00am: It looks like Howie might have found the culprit within the Ted Cruz campaign. A guy named Christopher Larimer works for Ted Cruz, and previously put a stunt like this together in Alaska. As outlined in a 2014 PBS article:
[...] “Why would they think that shaming would make people comply?”
Because, well, it does. That’s according to Chris Larimer, associate professor of political science at the University of Northern Iowa. And he’s done the research to prove it.
“We found that when you make people aware of the norm of voting and that somebody else is going to observe whether or not you vote, people are more likely then to vote,” he said.
The letter from the so-called Alaska State Voter Project is nearly identical, word for word, to one that Larimer and other researchers tested in Michigan, right down to the typography and punctuation. In that 2006 research, Larimer and colleagues sent voters one of four different letters.
The softest message just urged people to do their civic duty and vote. The most aggressive letter matched the Alaska mailer. It included the addressee’s voting history as well as those of their neighbors, and contained something of a threat by promising a follow-up letter to show the results of the upcoming election. Larimer says they got complaints, but the technique worked quite well. (read more)
That emboldened segment describes the current Cruz Campaign mailer 100%. Also, Chris Larimer is noted in this recent Texas Tribune article about the controversial debate:
[...] For Cruz, the No. 2 candidate in many polls, Trump’s snub could make him the center of action at the Iowa Events Center, a role that comes with both risks and rewards.
“If Trump’s not there, it affects the strategy other candidates take toward Cruz,” said Christopher Larimer, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa. “Do they treat Cruz like the frontrunner, or do they talk about Trump?”
At the same time, Larimer added, the debate could be a “lost opportunity” for Cruz to challenge Trump on his conservative credentials in what’s likely their last meeting before the caucuses. (read more)
Looks like another one of those ever brilliant political consultant types sold the Cruz campaign on a version of their already extensive “psychographic analytics”. Wouldn’t be surprised if billionaire Phd Robert Mercer, via Cambridge Analytica targeting - isn’t involved in the engineering of this too.
Son you are in denial. The Cruz campaign admits sending out the VOTING VIOLATION mailer saying they think its a good idea.
I doubt Donald would do this. A man who sleeps with other men's wives and is proud of it and thinks he has no need of forgiveness is capable of pretty much anything. But whatever else Trump may be, he isn't stupid. And this would be a very stupid trick. It might work in Iowa, but, eventually it will be tracked back, and somebody is going to be hurt badly by it in the long run. If it came from a campaign rather than a misguided PAC, that candidate is dead.
Obama did it and got away with it, but the press was still in full suck-up mode with him at that time (and still are pretty pathetic), so it never really saw the light of day.