Ted Cruz Just Launched His Iowa Campaign

National Journal ^ | January 24, 2015 | Tim Alberta and Shane Goldmacher

[2ndDivisionVet]

The Texas conservative and his team are trying to lock down a state director for his White House run.

DES MOINES -- Ted Cruz's presidential campaign​ in Iowa is unofficially underway.

The Texas senator and his lieutenants have been making calls to top Iowa activists and consultants for the past two weeks, multiple Republican sources told National Journal, hoping to lock down a state director for his White House campaign.

Cruz has not yet made that critical hire, the sources said.

But he's making other moves in this first nominating state.

At the end of a fiery speech here Saturday to the Iowa Freedom Summit, Cruz instructed his cheering audience to send a text message with the word "Constitution" to the number 33733. Iowans all over the auditorium could be seen whipping out their cell phones and punching keys. Within moments, anyone who sent the text got this reply: "Together let's bring bold, clear leadership to America." The message included a link: " tedcruz.org."

It was an innovative way to collect contact information from masses of committed Iowa conservatives. It also erased any remaining doubts about Cruz's intention to run for president -- even if he downplayed the move, with a smile, when asked about it after his speech.

"What we're doing is, we're working to build a grassroots army in Iowa and all across the country," Cruz said. "Because the only way we're going to turn this country around -- it's not going to come from Washington. It's got to come from the American people. "

Judging from his performance Saturday, Cruz won't have trouble recruiting Iowans for his "army."

The Texas senator received a rock-star reception from the conservative crowd, which began cheering upon the first mention of his name. He delivered a speech full of conservative objectives – "repeal Obamacare" and "abolish the IRS," for instance – that was interrupted repeatedly by applause.

He suggested taking the 110,000 current employees of the IRS and sending them instead to guard the southern border. "Somewhat jokingly," he said of the plan. (The side benefit, he laughed, would the agents would scare away would-be illegal immigrants.)

Most notably, Cruz positioned himself to the right of all his potential rivals in the 2016 field. He warned the audience that all of the Republican contenders would fashion themselves as true conservatives when they are not.

"Talk is cheap," he said of his fellow Republicans. He then drew from the Bible – as he did elsewhere in the speech – saying, "The Word tells us, 'You will know them by their fruit.'" Many in the audience knowingly murmured the words along with him.

"Show me where you stood up and fought," Cruz challenged potential rivals on issue after issue, from Obamacare to gay marriage to the Common Core education standards.

The theme of Cruz's speech was "The Miracle of America" -- a message the senator was road-testing as a potential 2016 campaign slogan.

The message, as delivered here, touched on everything from promoting upward mobility to defending religious liberties to advocating a muscular U.S. foreign policy. Cruz told the crowd that "each of us have seen miracles every day," and shared with the evangelical audience how his father left him and his mother many years ago, only to become a Christian and come back to the family.

Cruz promised the crowd that even though times are tough in America, a "miracle" could be on the horizon. He said the country's current challenges are surmountable when considering the historic triumphs over Britain in the Revolutionary War and the Nazis in World War II.

"We have done it before," Cruz exclaimed. "We can do it again!"

[txhurl]

Our nation has been attacked and nearly grinded down by the left since ‘08, and some freepers are acting like we’re the same political landscape as 2005 or something.

Scott Walker is a great guy but has produced no plans to box up and seal and bury the communists who have brought us to our knees over the last 6 years. Only a Constitutionalist can un-do the damage, and we only have ONE of those now, Ted Cruz.

[1010RD]

Walker hasn’t backed down on RTW. He’s tactically smart on it and strategically placed to both implement what his ‘rebellious’ legislature pushes at him. He gets to avoid the big fight, while winning the whole time.

Have you read Sun Tzu?

[1010RD]

All three of those positions are smart and none of them means he is backing down. You still haven’t laid out your campaign to turn the SSM issue around during 2015 and into 2016. Think about all the pitfalls there.

[SoConPubbie]

That’s the matchup to beat. A Sen v. Sen match goes to Clinton.

Why?

What crystal ball do you have?

Better yet, what are your assumptions?

You do realize that for the Governor/Governor matchup between Carter and Reagan they were saying the same thing, right?

In fact, Reagan was down by 30%+ in the General Election run-up, and the race was also between a far-left-wing demogogue facing off against a principle Conservative who wa s a great communicator. The setup was the same, and those in the media, in the DNC, and the GOP were saying the exact same things you are saying, and yet, the principled communicator won that election.

Go figure!

CRUZ or LOSE!

[1010RD]

He has been a strong rallying point for conservatives in the House. His positions with Rand Paul and Mike Lee have made a lot of Senators very nervous, as they should be.

As I said earlier, the Shutdown fight was a big win. No matter what they were going to reopen, but the Establishment lost the Internet when have government ‘shut down’ didn’t really hurt America.

He’s great a political theater and then when the MSM tries to Palin him, he is firm, moderated and thoughtful. He’s a dream of a Senator.

[SoConPubbie]

Walker hasn’t backed down on RTW. He’s tactically smart on it and strategically placed to both implement what his ‘rebellious’ legislature pushes at him. He gets to avoid the big fight, while winning the whole time.

Have you read Sun Tzu?

He is backing down. It will never get fixed now because it collided with his POTUS ambitions.

He had a once in a life-time opportunity and threw it overboard because it got in his way of being POTUS.

The Irony of this situation is that if he had done the right thing, he would have only strengthened his hand with the base. Couple that choice with not backing down on Gay Marriage and not supporting the GOP-E over the Tea-Party, and holding the line on border issues and you and I would not be having this conversation because Scott Walker would be the Pre-eminent Conservative running for POTUS instead of Ted Cruz.

Too bad, he did have a lot of potential.

[SoConPubbie]

You’ve been added to the Ted Cruz Ping List!

[FreeperCell]

I agree. Go time.

[1010RD]

Go review what Reagan did and what happened during that election to swing it. I also don’t think the polls were accurate.

Listen, I’m not against Cruz.

[1010RD]

All Cruz has is the TEA Party. Walker has won with the TEA Party, plus Reagan Democrats. Which is the historical winning ticket in America?

[Hardens Hollow]

He has my support even if he doesn’t run. I’m done voting for RINOs that the liberal Republican establishment tries to force on us. If Cruz doesn’t get 4he nomination, it will be yet another RINI that will further advance the Cloward-Pivan strategy.

[txhurl]

I’m sorry, I can’t defend you. You are too much into the scorecards and stats to understand you are being shelled.

Your arguments made sense pre-2009. You have no situational awareness regarding the true State of our Union. You are applying WWI operating assumptions to WWIII, which started when the left coalesced enough power to effectively take down the USA, and Europe.

Your playbook is completely ineffectual in our Brave New World. In fact, you have proven yourself to be a throw-back.

Our nation and planet will perish soon if bookies like you are heeded.

[1010RD]

Your reply is too cryptic for me. Our nation’s survived worse. We’ll get better. On so many fronts we’re winning. Obama has done more damage to the pro-government side than anyone in US history. He’s undone all of FDR’s ‘good works’.

Right now, more than anything, we must win the fight to keep the Internet government free. When was the last time a public utility benefited, let alone fought for, liberty?

We need the free flow of information to pin liberalism to the graveyard of history. FDR’s legacy was an invention of a leftist monopoly of information.

Take heart. We’re winning and they know it. That’s why they fight so hard. We need to take it to them, all ways and always.

[Hardens Hollow]

“We need a Gov/Gov ticket. Cruz is ideal in the Senate.”

I agree that Cruz is needed in the Senate and that governors with a proven track record can run on that record. BUT Cruz is also the one I trust most to not let the power that corrupts in DC get to him. He’s proven that. He holds firm to principles and can articulate them in a manner that inspires, much like Reagan.

I don’t want any one whose biggest asset is that they can compromise (ie, cave). I’m done voting for those pansy-you-know-what candidates.

[make no mistake]

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608044374577579816&w=73&h=110&c=7&rs=1&qlt=90&pid=3.1&rm=2

[make no mistake]

someday I will learn how to post pics on Free Republic.

[txhurl]

Well... Walker’s taking it to the RATS in Wisconsin.

Cruz is eviscerating the RATS in DC, who have run us into the ground in six short years.

Cruz has the executive upper hand against our national enemies.

If Walker leaves WI, all the good work he’s done will be undone over a holiday weekend if he leaves the Governor’s Mansion.

I adore Walker, but we simply don’t have the time for him to machine up against Zero’s minions. Cruz has those minions in his cross-hairs NOW.

I normally advocate a Governor for POTUS, but these are extraordinary times, and it’s the Man, not the office held, which must rollback all this damage, which is mostly legislative. I don’t think Scott’s trained on the ways to most quickly repeal, ditch, rollback the damage as Cruz is.

[Hardens Hollow]

“Ignore them, time’s too short to argue with our resident LIVers who don’t get how close we are to losing IT ALL.”

I sadly think it’s too late. But I’d like to be proved wrong by seeing a real conservative incorruptible candidate win the nomination.

What does LIV mean?

[1010RD]

That’s fine, just realize that you’re electing politicians. It’s their job to compromise effectively. Reagan did it.

[txhurl]

LIV - low-information voter.