CRUZ or lose.
Posted on 02/13/2015 2:43:13 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The early dinner crowd near the Capitol on Thursday yielded at least one notable pairing, with overtones of the presidential election cycle to come: Sen. Ted Cruz and former Ambassador John Bolton.
Sharing a meal at Johnny’s Half Shell before Bolton was set to appear on Fox News, Cruz launched into a discussion of 2016 strategy audible to anyone within earshot, including a reporter for the Washington Examiner.
Bolton has himself flirted with the idea of running for president in 2016, but his conversation with Cruz suggested the Texas senator, at least, views Bolton as a source of valuable input, not as a potential challenger.
In a discussion spanning roughly one hour, Cruz appealed to Bolton for policy advice and gamed out the potential 2016 landscape with him, including sizing up other potential Republican candidates.
“It seems to me that Rand is running,” Cruz said of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has stepped eagerly toward the presidential campaign trail, although he has yet to announce his candidacy.
Cruz seemed unintimidated by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who last month ended his show on Fox News to weigh a presidential bid. Huckabee is viewed as having strong appeal among many of the same conservative Republicans Cruz would be courting — but Cruz predicted he would be able to take a bite out of Huckabee’s base.
And Cruz noted Mitt Romney’s assessment, reported in multiple press accounts as the former Massachusetts governor toyed with a third bid for the presidency, that the Republican field as it is developing is inherently flawed.
The stickiest point of strategy for Cruz seemed to be fundraising, which at this stage of the invisible primary is the focus among likely candidates. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has crisscrossed the country looking to lock up the Republican Party’s biggest donors, in hopes of posting a “shock and awe” first fundraising quarter for his Right To Rise political action committee.
Bush is perceived as a major fundraising threat to most other Republicans, but he will likely prove especially strong in Florida, his home state, and Texas, the power center of his family’s political network — eating in to fundraising by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Cruz.
In his conversation with Bolton, Cruz acknowledged the tough fundraising climb ahead.
“I view the Jeb operation as, they’re going to have all the money they need,” Cruz said, “whereas we need sufficient grassroots support to get the message out.”
Cruz has acknowledged he is looking at running for president, and he has said publicly that he will decide by June. In the meantime, he has acted unmistakably like a candidate: traveling to Iowa recently to speak at the Freedom Summit, with plans to return to New Hampshire next month. Cruz also joined Paul and Rubio last month for a forum hosted by the Koch brothers network of outside groups, which any Republican contender for the presidency would be wise to court.
Cruz’s political operation is also beginning to take shape. At the helm are Jason Johnson, who engineered Cruz’s unlikely Senate victory in 2012, and Jeff Roe, a Republican operative based in Kansas City. This week, former Newt Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler signed on with Cruz’s Jobs, Growth and Freedom PAC as a senior communications adviser.
Now, Cruz is looking to build a stable of policy advisers to help shape his campaign platform, he told Bolton.
“We are putting together policy advisers,” Cruz said, “and I would love your thoughts on that.”
Tyler, Cruz’s spokesman, characterized the meeting as a standard one for anyone looking at a bid for president, as Cruz is.
“Sen. Cruz is seriously considering a run in 2016, and he is actively seeking advice from other thoughtful leaders,” Tyler said Friday. “John Bolton would certainly qualify as someone you’d want to reach out to, particularly on national security issues.”
He is toast.
They think it can. I’m sure Karl Rove has a plan.
Cruz for Pres, Bolton for SoState.
Bingo!
All Cruz has to do is peg Jeb as Obama-lite and the next “guy in line” like Juan McCain and Mitt. Easy win.
I’ve got my donation ready for Ted. And while I realize he could use it right now, he won’t get my money until I hear him say “My name is Ted Cruz and I’m running for President”.
Just as soon as he declares, his coffers will be happy with millions upon millions giving.
If 5 million people give an average of $100 to Cruz, he'll be right w/ Jeb's 100 people who give him $5 million.
The grass roots little donors keep him competitive until he can take over with his ideas, his communication skills, and his strategy.
So many pols play so they can be in the game - Cruz plays to win.
CRUZ or LOSE!Hmmmm ..?? Any plans Karl Rove has will be used for Jeb Bush .. not Ted Cruz.
That would work for me.
Excellent observation: Cruz plays to WIN.
Agree...once Cruz announces, the $$ will flow in.
If he were senate majority leader, the filibuster would already be gone.
After the filibuster was repealed then he would use reconciliation to put a full repeal of 0bamacare on the president’s desk.
He would stop the muslim facist DOJ, IRS [replace with nrst], EPA, etc.
He would use the power of the office to advance his agenda [you know, like the dems do.]
I think Cruz would make a great president. But he is also an important part of the Congress. I’m ambivalent about him leaving the Congress - but all in all we need him at the top imo. He can be a senator for decades after he’s president... or get onto USSC. But he has to stay in a place where he has major influence over the direction of the country.
I’m saving money to send him when he announces and I hope others are too.
Sarah has 4.5 million FB followers, and probably another 4.5 who don’t FB. When she asks them to pony up $20.16 a month for a year for Cruz.... you do the math, using whatever adjustments you think appropriate.
Or $2,016 if you’re able.
$20.16 X 12 = 241.00 times even one million people = 241 million... I don’t think money’s gonna be a problem for Cruz.
As I’ve said, he’ll get $2 million just from my efforts.
I find this curious. Senator Cruz is one of the smartest individuals ever to have sought the presidency. Obviously, he knew this hour-long conversation with Bolton was loud enough to be heard by anybody nearby, and obviously he knew there was press nearby.
It would seem that he wanted some very important information to get out in the wild. He wanted an hour to do it in without being interrupted by a reporter's lame questions, such as whether he believes in evolution or birth control, for instance. Perhaps most intriguing is that he wanted the illusion of an off-the-record statement, but one that he knew would be reported and sourced.
I'm very curious to know what his intended message was, and whether the Washington Examiner even reported it here. These are very short excerpts of an hour-long conversation, and we don't know a single word that John Bolton said.
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