You might want to sit down for this: GOP ‘insiders’ don’t think Ted Cruz can win

Hotair ^ | 03/27/2015 | Noah Rothman

[SeekAndFind]

This might surprise you, but it appears that key GOP activists and influential party members do not see Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) as having much of a shot at becoming the party’s 2016 nominee. Now, anyone looking at the early state polls at this stage of the race might say the same thing. Cruz is not polling competitively in Iowa as of today, and he’s certainly not over-performing in New Hampshire. But these “insiders” who responded to a Politico Caucus survey don’t think Cruz can win either primary state. What’s more, they do not believe he can prevail against Hillary Clinton if he were to miraculously win the nomination.

The quotes provide to Politico via unnamed but reportedly influential figures within the party are illuminating, and they reflect a conventional wisdom about Cruz that appears accurate: He is a deeply polarizing figure, even among Republicans.

“The shutdown made him infamous to most and loved by a vocal few,” said a New Hampshire Republican.

“His supporters see his fight as a badge of honor,” said an Iowa Republican. “Undecided caucus-goers will likely see his shutdown strategy as a major blunder.”
…
“His fighter mentality will play well with conservative activists and those who listen to talk radio,” said an Iowa Republican, “but it’s not like he has scored any real accomplishment on rolling back the Affordable Care Act.”

“Ted Cruz has a legislative record that has no positive accomplishments,” said another. “He will be in a field with many people that can point to positive accomplishments, either as governors or senators.”

“He is the reason Democrats can call Republicans ‘the Party of No,’” said a third Republican.

Sometimes, the conventional wisdom isn’t wrong, and Cruz’s approach to legislating since he took a seat in the Senate 26 months ago has been confrontational, self-aggrandizing, and alienating to adversaries and allies alike. Just because Cruz is a polarizing figure who fails to appeal to Republicans outside the most deeply conservative elements of the GOP coalition, however, does not mean that this talented orator and capable operator cannot outperform expectations.

In the commentary community, the race for the GOP nomination in 2016 has increasingly come to be characterized by lanes; a moderate lane, a tea party lane, an evangelical lane, a libertarian lane, et cetera. Rarely do these lanes merge. At least, not until the early state primaries are out of the way. For The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake, Cruz is better positioned than anyone in the field of Republican candidates to dominate multiple lanes.

So, Cruz is, without question, the dominant figure in the Tea Party lane. What that means — particularly in the early stages of the primary process in places like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — is that he will likely be able to win, place or show repeatedly, wracking up enough strong-ish performances to keep going even as the Establishment lane and the Social Conservative lane begin to thin out. (Cruz’s ability to raise money, which remains a question, is less important for him than it is for other candidates — especially those in the Establishment lane. His people are going to be for him no matter how much — or little — communicating he does with them.)

And, according to The New York Times, Cruz’s strategy is to stay in his tea party lane, so to speak, while building inroads with the social conservative community. He reckons that this is the cycle that the Republican Party’s moderate wing, crowded as it is with capable 2016 prospects, will fail to unite behind one candidate in time to muscle the more conservative Republican out of the race.

Mr. Cruz’s early entry into the race, according to people briefed on his strategy, is a deliberate effort to recapture the attention of his party’s right wing as he seeks to build a coalition of Tea Party conservatives and evangelical Christians to try to cut through a crowded field of Republican contenders.

Does Cruz have the ability to prove all those voices who doubt his staying power wrong? That remains to be seen. The junior Texas senator has his own crowded field of conservative and evangelical candidates to best before he can make the case to the GOP electorate to take a chance on a firebrand in 2016. If the commentary class is right and the GOP insiders are wrong, however, Cruz could be in this race well into the spring of next year, if not longer.

[DaveA37]

Its not that he can’t win, its that they don’t want him to win.

[Lumper20]

Wrong. Palin and her pals do not influence National Elections. Most of the folks who like Cruz voted Libertarian or sat out. Walker is a much better candidate.

[Lumper20]

Wrong. Palin and her pals do not influence National Elections. Most of the folks who like Cruz voted Libertarian or sat out. Walker is a much better candidate.

[gwgn02]

Wise Food storage also

[gwgn02]

Walker is toast...the guy’s campaign is a disaster.

[Yosemitest]

Walker sold out the the "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS".
Look at his FLIP-FLOP on AMNESTY.
You can NOT TRUST Walker.
I quote his answers to "On The Issues".

Endorses path to citizenship for immigrant workers

Scott Walker distanced himself from House Republicans debating a new immigration bill by endorsing a path to citizenship for immigrant workers.Walker acknowledged that a substantial number of Wisconsin farms depend on migrant workers, some of them here illegally.
He also was sharply critical of how difficult the federal government makes it for those workers to come to this country.
"If people want to come here and work hard and benefit, I don't care whether they come from Mexico or Ireland or Germany or Canada or South Africa or anywhere else," he said.
"I want them here."
The Democratic-led U.S. Senate passed an immigration bill last week that features a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.
Many conservative House Republicans oppose the bill, viewing it as rewarding law-breakers.
He said as a gubernatorial candidate in 2010 that he would sign an Arizona-style bill, which would allow local police to stop suspected illegal immigrants.
Source: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, "Endorses path to citizenship" , Jul 3, 2013

Make it easier to enter the country legally

Walker said he is in favor of the Senate immigration bill--that features a path to citizenship--but called it a backward "Band-Aid" approach,
saying elected leaders should make it easier for people to enter the country and become legal citizens in the first place.
"Not only do they need to fix things for people already here, or find some way to do it, there's got to be a larger way to fix the system in the first place," he said.
"Because if it wasn't so cumbersome, if there wasn't such a long wait, if it wasn't so difficult to get in, we wouldn't have the other problems that we have (with people living here illegally)," he said.
Walker's stance on immigration reform evolved over the years.
Source: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, "Endorses path to citizenship" , Jul 3, 2013

2010: stop suspected illegals; 2012: that's a distraction

Walker's stance on immigration reform evolved over the years.
He said as a gubernatorial candidate in 2010 that he would sign an Arizona-style bill, which would allow local police to stop suspected illegal immigrants, if he were elected.
Then, in December 2012, Walker said he no longer favored such a bill, telling reporters that such legislation would become a "huge distraction" from accomplishing his agenda for the state.
Today, Walker said he would support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants under some circumstances.
Source: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, "Endorses path to citizenship" , Jul 3, 2013

[Lumper20]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/on-campaign-trail-scott-walker-kick-starts-regular-joe-image-b99466312z1-297201151.html

He damn sure is looking fine.

[Lumper20]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/on-campaign-trail-scott-walker-kick-starts-regular-joe-image-b99466312z1-297201151.html

He damn sure is looking fine.

[SoConPubbie]

He has all of 5.6 % now.

Sure he does.

[wolfman23601]

The Iowa causus is 10 months away, which is an eternity in politics. To even pretend to know who can and can’t win is dishonest. Heck, Michele Bachmann was in the lead 5 months from now last time. If Walker is the candidate that has the best chance to knock off Jeb Bush by the time we get to Virginia (if I even have a choice), I’ll vote for him, but as of now, I am rooting for and funding Ted Cruz... and I really couldn’t care less about either Sarah Palin or the libertarians. FWIW, I voted for Romney while holding my nose and I will not do the same if Jeb Bush is the nominee.

[Lumper20]

Good. He has the support of everyone I know.

[duffee]

The GOP-E is probably as right about who can’t win as they’ve been about who can win.

[nikos1121]

They said the same thing exactly about Reagan, giving the nod and support to Bush as I recall. In fact, I think Bush won New Hampshire.

Hey, Ted, like Reagan, will have to earn the support of these people if he wishes to be president. I don’t have a problem with that.

[duffee]

The GOP-E is probably as right about who can’t win as they’ve been about who can win.

[Yosemitest]

For those of us who watched him and others in the GOP, Walker is a KNOWN SELL OUT.
Walker will lose, and generate votes for the DemocRATS,

JUST TO TEACH THE "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS" A LESSON !

[2ndDivisionVet]

[2ndDivisionVet]

Dr. Krauthammer is a Democrat.

[dfwgator]

Got news for ‘em, Jeb Can’t Win.

[Lumper20]

Cruz cannot get the votes you think. Libertarians do not control this country. The only way to win is to vote for whoever gets the R nomination and if that is Cruz I will vote for him as opposed to a Dem. Sad as some libertarians will not vote if Cruz does not win the nomination.

[Yosemitest]

Yes we will.
SUPPORT CRUZ, or BE DEFEATED !