Posted on 04/07/2015 1:00:32 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The Texas senator said he was "glad to welcome" Paul into the race.
Ted Cruz warmly welcomed Rand Paul into the 2016 race Tuesday morning, calling him a "good friend"—even after his rival wrote him off.
"I am glad to welcome my friend Rand Paul into the 2016 GOP primary," the Texas senator and presidential contender said in a statement on his website Tuesday morning. "Rand is a good friend, and we have worked side by side on many issues."
It was a decidedly different tone from the one Paul used when Cruz launched his White House bid last month. Appearing on Fox News' The Kelly File the night Cruz announced his campaign, the Kentucky senator, who officially joined the race Tuesday, drew contrasts between himself and his Senate colleague, a tea party conservative.
"I guess what makes us different is probably our approach to how we would make the party bigger," Paul said. "I'm a big believer that you should stand on principle, ... but I also think we should take those principles and try to bring in new people with them."
Paul also knocked Cruz's rhetoric for its apparent lack of substance.
"I've spent the last couple years trying to go places Republicans haven't gone," he said. "And maybe not just throwing out red meat, but actually throwing out something intellectually enticing to people who haven't been listening to our message before."
On Tuesday, Cruz took a more congenial route.
"I respect his talent, his passion, and the work he has done for Kentuckians and Americans in the U.S. Senate," Cruz said. "His entry into the race will no doubt raise the bar of competition, help make us all stronger, and ultimately ensure that the GOP nominee is equipped to beat Hillary Clinton and to take back the White House for Republicans in 2016."
The kind words may be an indication of how Cruz intends to deal with his colleague in the 2016 fight—or it could be the last nicety until the nomination.
Definitely try from home. I had no trouble.
the site works fine, and it has for millions
I disagree. I think it’s smart for Cruz to at act as if he’s on good terms with most of the candidates. Wait until the debates and let them polish their own positions without attacking one another, except Jeb
It also, just coincidentally, happens to be an astute political move. It sets the tone and makes Cruz into the de facto leader. And dare I say it lends a certain...presidential...tone to his public persona.
I heard clips of Paul’s announcement today. Honestly, he struck me as one of the worst speakers I’ve ever heard, and I can’t even put my finger on the reason why. He just sounded unnatural, unpleasant...sort of fake.
It does not matter how friendly Senator Cruz, Senator Paul, Governor Walker, Governor Huckabee, Governor Jindal and all others running in 2016 to each other.
They will clear the path for the Rino-est of all, Jeb Bush.
There are only so many Tea Party voters, evangelical voters and ultra conservative voters. You can bet your bottom dollar those voter will split their votes.
The GOPe is much more savvy. They will field ONLY ONE candidate..Jeb Bush. And the 35% or so RINO voters in the country will be enough for Jebster to win nomination.
Rinse and repeat of 2012. Santorum, Newt, Cain, Bachmann divided conservative voters, clearing the path for Romney who had trouble crossing 30% in the initial primaries.
Be-Baw, that sounds great to read, but when the primaries come, these guys like Rand Paul will do little more than bleed off support that should go to Cruz.
This happens over and over again. People who will never be elected, cause a guy like Cruz to lose to people like Bush.
With Democrats voting to help select our nominee, this becomes even more important.
Diversification of the vote, only allows a moderate to Leftist like Bush get the support he needs to gain the nomination.
Paul will amount to nothing more than a spoiler.
“It’s called class.”
That’s the same, exact word that came to my mind as I was reading the article.
Heaping hot coal of kindness upon his head.
Just building a future Cabinet....
Back in the days of Goldwater, I made a suggestion to the delegates to the Republican National Convention of 1964 that they also create a “Shadow Cabinet”, made up of other luminaries of the Republican Party, and run them in conjunction with Goldwater, so the election would be not only for Goldwater, but of the team that would take office with him. Some several said they were “intrigued” by the idea, and they may have passed around the concept to other members of the National Convention, but nothing ever came of it.
Which was an idea, probably either too soon or too late for the times, that I still believe has merit. Scott Walker may or may not be the eventual nominee, but he can sure bust trail for Cruz, going forward, perhaps taking some fire, but he has already shown that he is covered with the very best grade of Kevlar body armor, and as point man, it would be good to keep him close.
Build the current and future bench well, and build it deep. That alone keeps the opposition off kilter, and forces them into “catch-up” after one or another of their potentials manages to breathe up all the oxygen in the room.
The way of Reagan.
Taking the high road, and Rand will self destruct and folks will be sick of his (Daddy’s) fanboys.
Inhteresting idea.
There are leaders and then there are people that are not.
There are winners and then there are losers.
Yup
This is already different from 2012.
In 2012, no Conservative Republican candidate immediately jumped out to dominate the Tea Party and Evangelical wings of the party as Ted Cruz has done barely a week after announcing his candidacy.
Also, no Republican candidate in 2012 had as much charisma or had as strong a history of sticking to his Conservative principles, even to the point of shutting down the government, as Ted Cruz. And no 2012 candidate was a magna cum laude graduate of the Harvard Law School or had won national debating championships during his college years.
Rand Paul and Jeb Bush are amateurs compared to Ted Cruz in every way except their having been born into political families with wealthy donor bases.
But what good will all the fat-cat money in Republican America do against a candidate like Ted Cruz who is quickly on his way to so dominating the Conservative base that no other Republican candidate will be able to attack him without losing the Conservative vote in the primaries and therefore the nomination?
Ted Cruz can afford to be nice to Rand Paul, but Rand Paul can’t afford NOT to be nice to Ted Cruz, and since Rand Paul has never exhibited much friendliness on the political scene, that will be a tall order.
Probably the firewall. Worked seamlessly for me.
That’s because Rand Paul has no chance.
The best thing that I see about Rand is that he is not McConnell. He’s not a RINO, but he is a WHINO!
Like Cruz, and think he is about the best we have to offer. (Unless Sarah gets in)
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