Posted on 01/08/2016 12:27:17 AM PST by 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.
From your computer to God’s ear.
There is no other sane choice but Cruz. These are serious times we’re living in: ISIS, resurgent Russia and China, both flexing their muscles. The last thing we need now is another clown in the White House.
“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.”
Feat, crushing blow, trigger, downfall...nice emotional language. Unfortunately, it just isn’t true.
Personally, I don’t heavily weigh the opinions of 26 year old female Brits...
As much as I admire Senator Ted Cruz, his appeal is a narrow base of tea party conservatives and evangelicals. Will that base attract the broader independents and Democrats who swing to the Republicans? I would hope so, if those who hate Trump take him out. And, we must not think our nominee won’t be facing Biden. Biden is in the wings if Hillary gets indicted this Summer (I get word that she will be indicted). Biden, as much he is stupid as all get out, would get the sympathy vote by those voters who want to punish the Republicans for their part in destroying der Hildebeast. Will that sympathy translate to bringing a larger share of the electorate over to Biden? I hope not.
The same people who never questioned the background and qualifications of B. Obama cannot face the threat that a brilliant and honest person like Ted Cruz could become President. The same people that never questions the criminal activities of Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton cannot stand the thought of someone like Ted Cruz would work to clean up the corruption in Washington D. C. if elected POTUS. The same people that never write about the unlawful activities and treasonous acts of BHO are focusing on a non-story about the citizenship of Ted Cruz. The same people that never pursue the corrupt activities of the BHO presidential administration or the constant flow of Muslim Brotherhood terrorists into the White House for secret meetings with BHO are desperate to find any tidbit of inconsequential and hopefully damaging lines about Ted Cruz. Why? Is it because they want to see the destruction of the greatest fundamentally Christian nation in the history of the world destroyed? If so, WHY? Likely it is because they are demonically possessed individuals who are in great need of spiritual guidance and likely should be cleansed of their demonic possession.
Nonsense. Ted Cruz is currently beating Hilary Clinton in general election head to head matchup polls. A guy whose support is restricted to just Tea Partiers can't be doing that yet the crazy Trumpbots keep repeating this nonsense on every Cruz thread thread.
For PM or POTUS? TRUMP 2016!
“pip”?
Whatever. Go Cruz!!
The fact that Trump, the GOPe, the democrats and media have joined forces to target him tells me that I am 100% correct to support Ted Cruz.
Yeah, no thanks. We tried nominating your moderates in 2008 and 2012... didn’t work out so well as I recall. Cruz 2016!
I think that they are simply evil, most are just possessed with the!selves.
“If he wins Iowa, the feat will deliver a crushing blow to Donald Trump and potentially trigger the billionaire’s downfall.”
Yep, no doubt about it. Iowa was the key for Santorum and Huckabee. Or was it Ron Paul that won Iowa, or did Romney? Oh my, little Iowa the king maker. A crushing blow....to TRump’s campaign.
ANother morning, we wake up to mental masturbation from yet another two bit intellectual.
CRuz is a good man. He was the “faith based” guy needed to replace Reagan. Instead we get a series of losers...
I want Trump for now. IF Cruz is his VP all the better, and then followed by Ted Cruz for eight more years. IOWs, I can think of anything better for our country and the world right now, than 16 years with these two leading us.
CRuz, I think would steer Trump into being more dedicated to his faith. I think now he doesn’t fear God.
Keep smoking Joe. Cruz has absolutely zero chance in the general amd not just because he won’t be the nominee. If you can name me one state that he could flip from 2012 I might take your comment seriously. I’ll give you the following that Trump will flip and it won’t be close. Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado, Virginia amd Maine. Then I’ll tell you he could win in NY, NJ, CT and MA if things roll right. Now tell me with a straight face if any of the states ive named can be won by Cruz, with his narrow campaign aimed at religious voters?
The Cruz people who sit here and tell me that national polls don’t matter when Trump is up 25 over Cruz, are the same ones who tell me he can beat Hillary because they are tied. Cruz will lose by Goldwater like proportions, but keep telling yourself he can win.
Iowa does not matter to leading candidates. Even if a leading candidate does worse than expected, the setback can *usually* (see Hillary 2008) be easily recovered from in the next primaries.
Iowa matters to second-tier candidates, who can get a big boost by outperforming expectations, or can be forced out of the race by disappointed financial backers.
Iowa is a microcosm of the country we used to be. Then you head to the NE and people get squirrely...Trump appeals to the masses. Like it or not, he does. I see a team of he and Cruz leading us back to where we should be.
Obama will leave a bigger mess than Carter did. It will take a couple generations to undo it.
Look at the ME all these young kids growing up with a new found hatred for us and Israel.
Trump is the short term answer, CRuz and some of the other young men are the long term.
With the right kind of campaign, Cruz could destroy Hillary. While most voters are not evangelicals, that word is thrown around too much. Most of us are Christians, and all Christians are getting fed up by things like this:
THE REAL HILLARY CLINTON: Episode #6 - Defiling the White House Christmas Tree
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/812710/posts
[porno Christmas tree, viewed by children.]
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