The contradiction that is Ted Cruz

The Examiner ^ | October 8, 2015 | Sylvia Van Peebles, San Diego Politics

[2ndDivisionVet]

Ted Cruz is called the pit bull in Congress because he relentlessly sinks his teeth into battles that he is passionate about such as defunding Planned Parenthood and defeating the Iran Nuclear Deal. He has no fear in calling out fellow Congressional leaders who support the status quo over the will or well-being of the people-even if he is alone. Cruz staunchly supports the Constitution and calls out those who circumvent it, all the way to the White House. He stands strong in his Christian faith and is not shy about sharing his testimony. All-in-all a perfect candidate.

However, if you look at the polls and Cruz's debate performances, you may not agree with that analysis. Wednesday the National Review asked the question many are thinking, "Where’s Ted Cruz?" Cruz is running at about 6 percent nationally, including key states such as Iowa and New Hampshire - well behind outsiders Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, and Ben Carson. Because of this, the press has mostly ignored him.

NR points out that it would be a huge mistake to underestimate Cruz. After all, back in August of 2013 he began meeting with Iowa activists to plan his path to presidential victory only nine months after he was elected to the Senate. According to some of his rival's strategists, Cruz may be one of the last men standing in this campaign....

[Fai Mao]

“They all do, but to openly admit he didn’t think Trump would get the nomination and that his supporters would go to him is beyond the pale. And, they call Trump egotistical.”

No, it isn’t. If Cruz did not think he would win the nomination he should drop out. For his to win means Trump won’t. You would not support a sports team that said “We can’t win” so why would you support a candidate that says he cannot win?

Cruz must say that he thinks Trump can’t win the nomination or he must drop out there is no other logical course.

[ETL]

Cruz must say that he thinks Trump can’t win the nomination or he must drop out there is no other logical course.

Exactly. In every political campaign the candidates are always about me me me. They are trying to sell themselves to the voters.

[marron]

Though not perfect, Cruz is the best candidate we’ve had in decades.

Why he can’t get more traction mystifies me.

He and Trump are the only ones running that interest me. The rest are ciphers. I like some of them, but they are placeholders.

[Cold Heat]

Trump has been sucking up all the media oxygen.

I expect that to change when we start into the primary season.

In the interim, cruz has been building a solid organization and his donations look good...

Campaigns are like the weather. You can predict some things 10 days out, but it’s hard to predict when it will rain or if it will rain on one particular place on any one day.

Politics is like catnip. You don’t know what the crazy beast will do next so all you can do is watch.

Combine the two and frankly speaking, anyone who thinks they know, really does not know anything.

[skr]

Please explain how supporters of a failed candidate could be “stolen”?

[John Valentine]

They all do, but to openly admit he didn’t think Trump would get the nomination and that his supporters would go to him is beyond the pale. And, they call Trump egotistical.

Let me ask you these questions:

Which of the candidates (other than Trump himself) are openly stating that they think Trump WILL win the nomination? NONE.

What’s the difference between not thinking Trump will win the nomination and thinking that Trump will not win the nomination? NOT A THING.

If Trump does not win the nomination, where do his supporters go?

Jeb!? I don’t think so.

Kasich? He’ll be history long before anything bad happens to Trump.

Pataki? Sure, right.

Jindal? I don’t know that he can last.

Paul? Some, maybe, but I’m not sure he will be around.

Fiorina? She will fade fast, can’t keep her story straight.

Carson? If he’s still viable, yes, Carson would stand to gain.

Graham? LOL! Rubio? Maybe he’ll get some. I don’t know about Rubio’s finances and his position on illegal immigration is not compatible with Trump’s.

Huckabee? Maybe, but I don’t see Huck as a viable candidate and I think he will be gone before any thing happens with Trump.

Cruz? He’ll be there, his policies are in line with Trump for the most part, he has funding and grass roots organization, very viable for the long haul.

So why would Cruz not inherit a good part of Trump’s supporters if something happened to Trump’s candidacy?

And what’s strange or egotistical to point out this political reality?

[eartick]

I do not believe Sen. Cruz is the type that hides in the grass or slithers.

Also, he is not the type that is a staunch supporter of eminent domain as The Donald is.

How did The Donald, put it...”Eminent Domain is Grrrrreat. We need to use more of it”.

With comments like that you would think he was running against Bernie Sanders on the Demonrat ticket.

BUT the fawners keep eating it up and graveling for more of the same lines.

[hotsteppa]

That's the hypocrisy I see here sometimes. If Carson or Cruz or anyone else attacks it's all gravy and part of politics. But when Trump does it then he is critized. All I know is for once in a long time we have a real outsider leading and he is on our side.

[MNJohnnie]

Really? What was he suppose to say? “Oh yeah Trump is going to win. I don’t know why the rest of us are running”

It was an amazingly stupid question and to get bent out of shape about it is to fall into the trap the media is trying to set with these stupid questions. They want us shooting at each other so they continually try to foster division in the Conservative movement with these moronic divide and conquer questions.

Don’t fall for it.

[MNJohnnie]

If Carson or Cruz or anyone else attacks

Neither of them have attacked Trump. Really? What was they suppose to say? “Oh yeah Trump is going to win. I don’t know why the rest of us are running” It was an amazingly stupid question and to get bent out of shape about it is to fall into the trap the media is trying to set with these stupid questions. They want us shooting at each other so they continually try to foster division in the Conservative movement with these moronic divide and conquer questions. Don’t fall for it.

[hotsteppa]

I was not addressing you and I am not bent out of shape about it.

[erod]

[PoloSec]

Well all that is true but those things don't matter anymore, what matters is charisma, personality, wealth, good looks, tons of hairspray and a slick tongue for good words and fair speeches that deceive the hearts of the simple.

 

 

 

[SuzyQue]

Hiding? He’s been in plain sight the whole time. Maybe you need glasses?

[cripplecreek]

[slowhandluke]

I’ll tell you where Ted Cruz is - hiding in the grass waiting for Trump to fall so he can slither in and try to steal his supporters.

Nasty bit of rhetoric there, using the terms slither and steal.

This is a race, so of course Cruz is waiting for Trump's support to wane. And the definition of 'wane' is that he loses supporters. Those supporters are then NOT Trump supporters at that point, so they are fair game for Cruz to pick up.

Stealing supporters is what the other republicans are trying to do when they bash Trump.

[Isara]

These ratings are based on deeds, not words.

For Conservative Review ratings, they are compiling many years worth of actions, not one year, to prevent career politicians from voting conservatively on their re-election year to bump their ratings in order to fool their constituents back home.

Presidential Candidates Comparison (Cruz vs. Trump)

Budget, Spending & Debt
Civil Liberties
Education
Energy & Environment
Foreign Policy & Defense
Free Market
Health Care & Entitlements
Immigration
Moral Issues
Second Amendment
Taxes, Economy & Trade

More at Conservative Review: https://www.conservativereview.com/2016-presidential-candidates

[sand88]

I love Cruz and hoped he would have caught fire by now. However, while he is intellectually fantastic on the Constitution and most issues he has failed to "emotionally" connect to the people.

He doesn't seem to have a true Warrior mentality.

Our Founders started a D*amn revolution!! It doesn't get any more Warrior than that.

Cruz has to clearly understand that most Americans are red-hot furious over illegals invading every corner of our Repubic.

Yet, I can't see to recall ever state that he would DEPORT all those who cross our border and are currently here illegally.

If from the beginning if he would have went with his gut and grabbed just the immigration issue in the way Trump has, he would be in the lead --- that one issue, that simple.

People know we are losing our Republic, they gravitate to someone that they believe emotionally first on this Republic-destroying issue.

Cruz should be very honest and state now in clear, simple terms if he will push to build a wall and deport ALL those who are here legally. On Immigration, I don't want him speaking in generalize platitudes and politician talk -- he needs to repeatedly use the phrase I will work to deport ALL those who are here illegally. That simple phrase would have ignited his campaign early on.

Then again, maybe by not doing so he has caused the general public to perceive (rightly or wrongly) that he is truly weak on immigration. That is my conclusion and hence my decision to slowly move from supporting to Cruz to now supporting Trump.

Instead, Trump grabbed that issue and here we are...

[deport]

Here is a listing of some polling data over the last two weeks or so. True things will
change but we are less than four months until the actual selection process begins.

Polling Data

Poll	Date	Trump	Carson	Fiorina	Rubio	Bush	Cruz	Kasich	Huckabee	Christie	Paul	Santorum	Jindal	Graham	Pataki	Spread
RCP Average	9/17 - 10/4	23.2	17.2	10.4	9.9	8.4	6.2	3.2	2.9	2.6	2.3	0.6	0.6	0.3	0.3	Trump +6.0
PPP (D)PPP (D)	10/1 - 10/4	27	17	6	13	10	7	4	4	2	2	2	1	1	1	Trump +10
IBD/TIPPIBD/TIPP	9/26 - 10/1	17	24	9	11	8	6	4	2	2	3	0	1	0	0	Carson +7
USAT/SuffolkUSAT/Suffolk	9/24 - 9/28	23	13	13	9	8	6	2	2	1	2	0	1	1	0	Trump +10
Pew Research*Pew Research*	9/22 - 9/27	25	16	8	8	4	6	1	2	1	2	0	0	1	0	Trump +9
NBC/WSJNBC/WSJ	9/20 - 9/24	21	20	11	11	7	5	6	2	3	3	1	1	0	0	Trump +1
FOX NewsFOX News	9/20 - 9/22	26	18	9	9	7	8	4	3	5	2	0	0	0	1	Trump +8
BloombergBloomberg	9/18 - 9/21	21	16	11	8	13	5	4	3	4	2	1	1	0	0	Trump +5
QuinnipiacQuinnipiac	9/17 - 9/21	25	17	12	9	10	7	2	2	2	1	0	0	0	1	Trump +8
CNN/ORCCNN/ORC	9/17 - 9/19	24	14	15	11	9	6	2	6	3	4	1	0	0	0	Trump +9

[sand88]

Why he can’t get more traction mystifies me.,

See my post #38 above for an example of why.