Meet Ted Cruz: The dark horse Republican who could pip Donald Trump to the nomination

City A.M. ^ | January 8, 2016 | Kate Andrews

[2ndDivisionVet]

Senator Ted Cruz is the most interesting candidate in the US presidential race right now. As a darling of the Tea Party, in 2012, he swept into the Senate, representing Texas, having campaigned on deeply conservative principles and policies. At the time, many dismissed him as a rabble-rouser who would wind up as a less successful version of George W Bush. Now, not only is he leading in the polls in Iowa, but he has also beat out senator Marco Rubio as the dark horse of the race thus far.

Cruz has been criticised for having some of the most conservative views in the contest. Though his conservatism is rooted in a strict interpretation of the US constitution - not the modern populism that has propelled candidates like former senator Rick Santorum and former governor Mike Huckabee to call for heavy defence spending and further government interference - his extreme views on abortion and the death penalty have many questioning if he can appeal to moderate Republicans, let alone independents.

Despite these views, however, Cruz has found support in some of the most unlikely places. Alan Dershowitz, the famous liberal law professor at Harvard, said of Cruz: "One of the sharpest students I had... I've had 10,000 students over my 50 years at Harvard... he has to qualify among the brightest."

During his career, Cruz has worked as both a law clerk to Supreme Court justice William Rehnquist, as well as the solicitor general of Texas; a job which led him to argue several cases in front of the Supreme Court himself. His experience easily pegs him as the most knowledgeable candidate on state and individual rights, a helpful title to hold when vying for conservative votes.

With a few obvious exceptions - including his anti-immigration stance and support for building a wall at the Mexican border - many of Cruz's policy proposals adopt progressive conservatism, meaning they rest more on evidence than ideology. He strays from the pack when the facts are clear, evidenced just this week when, according to the Wall Street Journal, he became "the first leading presidential candidate to oppose the federal Renewable Fuel Standard" - a farming handout that is protected heavily by the agricultural lobby.

When the TV debates kicked off, many thought Rubio was the one to watch: moderate, charismatic, with both "grassroots" and "establishment" likability. But Cruz has come out far ahead in Iowa and, if the polls are to be believed, he will be determined the winner in that state's caucus in just a matter of weeks.

My bet is that Rubio still has a small edge on Cruz to secure the Republican nomination. While the Iowa caucuses play a pivotal role for under-performing candidates, for whom it is the last chance to stay in the race, its voters are very socially conservative and have failed to choose the candidate that resonates most with the rest of the party in recent years.

But this is still anyone's race, and Cruz's prospects are looking up. If he wins Iowa, the feat will deliver a crushing blow to Donald Trump and potentially trigger the billionaire's downfall. Trump's main pull is that he's a "winner" - when he's not winning anymore, his campaign will inevitably decline.

When it does, someone will reap the lost votes. Six months ago, Cruz seemed like an after-thought; today, he may be peaking at just the right moment.

[SmokingJoe]

I live in New York too and you are talking nonsense. I don't know anyone who is losing much deep over abortion. Most people I know are far more worried about a potential terrorist attack from ISIS (especially after Paris) and all these creeps that's have been slashing random women in the face(especially after that Chinese teenager was slashed from ear to ear) than worry about abortion. I don't know anyone who is worried abortion is going to be banned in New York.
Further, New York City does not represent the rest of the country, the south, fly over zone etc. Ted Cruz does not need to wi New York State to win the presidency. And Ted Cruz is beating Hilary Clinton in general election matchups right now.

[BlueMondaySkipper]

I think Cruz is the most conservative person in the race and I would absolutely LOVE to have him as my president.

That said, you are likely correct in that he won't be able to flip enough Democrat states to win the general. Cruz would be perfect to rebuild our country on conservative principals, but, like any construction job, you need a bulldozer to clear out the debris before you rebuild. Trump is that bulldozer. A Trump/Cruz ticket is our best shot at doing this right. IMHO

[NeoCaveman]

f he wins Iowa, the feat will deliver a crushing blow to Donald Trump and potentially trigger the billionaire's downfall. Trump's main pull is that he's a "winner" - when he's not winning anymore, his campaign will inevitably decline.

[SmokingJoe]

n 2016 - Trump owns the media -

He doesn't. The media have done such a good job on him that he is losing by up to a massive 11 % to Hilary Clinton in general election matchups.

He’s already won over huge swaths of crossover voters in blue states including many union workers.

Trumpets keep saying that with zero evidence the back it up. If he'd won all these people over, how come he is getting clobbered by up to 11% by Hilary Clinton?

[Junior_G]

Your support of people killing their own children “until viability” is considerably more extreme than Ted Cruz’s position. You are aware this isn’t a leftist message board right?

[thackney]

And how do you define what is a viable child still in the womb? 24 weeks or more?

[CatherineofAragon]

It used to be that hell would rain down on someone who made a post like this. But now, well...this piece of filth is anti-Cruz and pro-Trump, so the other Trump fans studiously ignore it.

[cripplecreek]

My union cousin and several of his co workers went to the Rump show in Grand Rapids (on the clock) and every last one of them will vote for Sanders in the primary. They hold some socially conservative views but are dyed in the wool marxists.

The Reagan democrats never returned to the democrat party and some 40% of union members tend to vote GOP anyway so they aren't new voters. In 2012 they went primarily to Santorum over Romney.

Any fantasies about turning blue states red are exactly that, pure fantasy. Campaign to conservatives or lose like Romney did.

Here's the big problem, Greta, for the Republicans. And I am a lone wolf on this. The rule of thumb in elections, both parties, 40 percent are going to vote Democrat automatically, whatever you do, 40 percent are going to vote Republican, automatic, no matter what you do. And in the middle, who do we have? The precious, God love them, independents and the moderates. And they are the targets. They are the focus of every election. And our brilliant campaign consultants tell our candidates they are the ones that know how to go get a majority of those independents. And we have, as Republicans, put ourselves in prison to this whole silly notion that you only win elections by moving to the center and getting great independents. Fine and dandy, but if you squander your base in the process, you haven't a prayer.

The Republican Party is trying to do something in this primary that is unprecedented. They're trying to split the conservative vote and win the primary with a moderate, with Romney. It's the other way around. You consolidate your base and then you move to the center in the general. The Republican establishment has decided they don't want any part of conservatism. And this is really not new. People are surprised to hear this, but the Republican Party formative event with conservatism is Goldwater's landslide defeat. That's what they think of when they think conservative. They don't think Reagan. They think Goldwater.

They believe what the inside-the-Beltway philosophy is about conservatives. They're racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe, Southern hayseed hicks. They're pro-lifers. They're embarrassing to have to go to the convention with them. And they're just embarrassed to have those kind of people in the party. They're dumb. They're not erudite. They're not educated in Ivy League schools. We'll take their votes on election day, but we really don't want to hang around with them. We don't want anybody in Washington thinking that we're really that close to them and aligned with them. So in the process -- you know, it's a very sophisticated electorate. The Republican primary voter can sense that the Republican Party really doesn't like them, really doesn't want them, thinks that they are the route to defeat. That's the problem in a nutshell. The Republican establishment thinks that a conservative nominee is the route to defeat because they think Goldwater landslides are going to happen because they believe what the popular misconception the left has created of conservatives -- they think everybody thinks that.

Rush Goes On the Record with Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren December 15, 2011

[ETL]

For PM or POTUS? TRUMP

No way. But he'd make a very entertaining press secretary!

[CatherineofAragon]

"It’s not extreme to think of the unborn as human- I certainly do. And I believe that life begins at conception. I’m a Catholic and a Christian and that is my faith.

However, I can’t square my religious beliefs with the secular laws of this nation and think that I should force my beliefs onto my fellow americans -people of all faiths and beliefs.

What I do know and believe is that once a fetus becomes viable to survive outside the womb as a human being independent of his/her mother - than that baby should be treated as an individual person with all the rights and protections as you and me.

Not even the staunchest atheist has ever been able to present a good argument for murdering a baby in the womb that could, by induced birth instead, be born into this world.

Remember, the bible says “vengeance is mine, sayeth the lord” which means that if there is any vengeance against sin here on earth, it is the Lord’s business to deal with not mine. So while I certainly think that abortion itself is a horrible sin, and that the women who have them will be called to account by their Creator - at the same time, as a fellow American, I’m not going to make them account to me."

Every single day, the posts made by Trump fans confirm to me that I made the right decision to support Cruz and to utterly reject progressive Trump.

Here is the latest.

[Servant of the Cross]

What do other people think?

I, for one opinion, think you're on the wrong forum.

[wagglebee]

Can I ask the Cruz supporters how they expect Cruz to win in a General when he has such extreme views on abortion?

Well, I see that you just joined Free Republic a few days ago. Perhaps you were unaware that this is a PRO-LIFE forum.

What exactly is "extreme" about not wanting to kill babies?

I'm a Catholic, and I am personally pro-life. But as an American living in a Nation filled with many faiths- believers and non-believers alike, I can fully tolerate a government that has legalized birth control and abortion up to viability or to save the life of the mother.

Got it, your "pro-life" stance is IDENTICAL to that of Hillary Clinton and most others on the left.

What do other people think?

I think your zot is imminent.

[FourtySeven]

It’s questions like yours that exemplify exactly what’s wrong with this country.

How far we have fallen when it’s not “too extreme” to believe it’s “not my business if a woman wants to have an abortion”, i.e. Kill her baby.

That’s what you’re saying, whether you realize it or not. You’re saying it’s ok for a woman to choose to kill her baby if she wants.

You’re saying it’s “too extreme” to believe abortion is wrong in every case. And again, this is how far we have fallen as a country. (And you call yourself Catholic! You should study the Chruch’s teaching on abortion and birth control and go to confession if you still think its “too extreme”)

You might want to ask yourself this question: Why am I opposed to abortion? And when is it “wrong” and when is it “ok” and why?

(You should realize that the only real reason to be opposed to abortion is because it’s killing a baby. If you don’t believe that you’re not really opposed to it)

Until you answer that with a reasonable answer you’ll never understand why Cruz’s position isn’t “too extreme”.

And just because Hillary will “use” Cruz’s position against him in the general isn’t a reason to change it. You might as well be suggesting he advocate killing babies outright, if the parents don’t want them. It’s the same thing.

If all one had to do to win an election was to say killing babies should be legal, would that make it ok to say that?

My goodness how far we have fallen into the pit of amorality!

[cripplecreek]

Every single day, the posts made by Trump fans confirm to me that I made the right decision to support Cruz and to utterly reject progressive Trump.

The fact that Trump, the GOPe, Democrats and media have all ganged up on Cruz confirms it for me.

[editor-surveyor]

.
The fact is that America is strongly pro life.

[EternalVigilance]

You’re right about the impending zot of the newbie, unless the mods have all died in the night.

But the fact is, Cruz fails the most basic test on abortion, just like the rest of this GOP field.

[editor-surveyor]

.
Trump has triggered his own irrelevance, with his mouth.

Don’t need to blame Ted Cruz.