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Posted on 06/10/2015 11:34:48 AM PDT by SoConPubbie
Ted Cruz needs to pick off enough libertarian votes to hobble Rand Paul, and his data-analytics team thinks it has identified a way to begin to do so.
The recent fight over the expiration of the Patriot Act provisions that provide the legal basis for the National Security Agency’s controversial phone data-collection program offered a window into each campaign’s strategy. Cruz supported reforming the provisions, while Paul staged a ten-hour filibuster calling for their repeal. Cruz’s camp believes that Paul is overlooking a growing fear of international terrorism among libertarian-leaning voters, and that he erred by pushing to gut the NSA’s program rather than supporting a Patriot Act–reform bill that had already passed the House. It’s one instance of a data-analysis effort that Cruz’s team will use to try to target libertarians and other critical voters in the primaries.
Cruz’s campaign has identified about 18,000 Iowans who will support the Texas Republican next year provided they participate in the caucuses, according to Chris Wilson, the director of research and analytics for the presidential hopeful. Wilson claims they have identified another 110,000 Hawkeye voters — over three times the number of people needed to win the state — who could be persuaded to back Cruz, and they have researched what issues most motivate those voters. “Not only do I know their issues, but we are also scoring them on personality type,” he tells National Review.
Perhaps surprisingly, Cruz’s team discovered that national security is a prominent and growing concern among libertarian voters. “There is a plurality of libertarians whose top issue is national security today,” Wilson says, pegging the figure in the mid-30s. “Now, I doubt that was the case in 2008. It may not have been even in 2012. But today it is.” Consequently, he believes that Cruz’s support for the USA Freedom Act, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell backed begrudgingly after failing to pass a bill reauthorizing the Patriot Act, hit the sweet spot in terms of appealing to libertarians who dislike the NSA but fear ISIS.
Both candidates are doing a balancing act and taking risks to win over new supporters.
That analysis may rely too much on the expectation that those libertarian voters recognize the USA Freedom Act as a middle ground between their national-security fears and their opposition to the NSA program. “That’s a little bit of a false premise to say that because people are concerned about ISIS that somehow they’re more supportive of a robust domestic-surveillance program,” says a Republican operative who is backing Paul. “What I want to know is, does it actually impact the way that somebody votes? And, if so, what solution and what proposal or idea is moving them?”
Paul’s camp assumes that he has too much credibility among libertarians, especially the ones who supported his father, for Cruz to make inroads as an alternative defender of privacy. They believe Cruz’s failure to back Paul on the Patriot Act won’t help him eat into their core supporters. “I think his not supporting Rand [in the NSA fight] hurt him in that base,” Munisteri says.
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Ted Cruz Ping! You can capture the Libertarian votes by promising to legalize drugs. Nothing else will get their full attention.
Steal?
Since when is persuading someone to vote for you, stealing?
Cruz has already said he would leave states that vote to legalize weed alone.
Cruz’ data-analytics team is wrong.
Since Cruz is already hemorrhaging anti-ObamaTrade voters like me from supporting him, he does not stand a chance, with Rand voters, who are also anti-ObamaTrade.
The Middle Class Standard, which is the voting base for Conservatives and Libertarians, is to NOT SUPPORT ObamaTrade.
When Cruz supported ObamaTrade, he did not support the wishes of Conservatives or Rand Supporters.
So Cruz will not be getting my vote, the Conservative vote, or the votes of Rand supporters.
And the award for the most ignorant thing I've seen on FR in quite some time goes to....YOU!!!
Dang straight. It’s none of the federal governments’s business except for interstate commerce.
So on every Cruz thread now you are spouting the same talking points over and over, but have not answer my question, rank your candidates and defend them. If not, stop being a seminary poster.
Actually, the libertarian position on drugs, is zero restrictions on drugs, or the new creations, combinations, and concoctions that the drug labs can come up with, and on marketing and advertising those drugs.
Except for tobacco evidently, they don’t seem to have cared much during the 40 year war against tobacco, including the Obama administrations’ and new laws still being passed against tobacco, even in recent years and months.
It seems to be true, on another drug thread today, a libertarian was promoting a pro-abortion, pro-homosexual agenda libertarian as a shining example of being pro-drugs and successful.
Rand isn’t going to do well anyway, his pro-abortion, pro-gay, anti-military, anti-conservative stuff, will hurt him.
ObamaTrade is about absolute subjugation of every single man, woman, and child in America.
Are you so ready to kneel in submission to your next Master?
Incorrect. Some ignorant, worthless statist was attempting to troll a freedom loving, registered Republican. Unfortunately, the ignorant, worthless statist troll had no clue what they were talking about, much like now.
ansel12 is a statist troll. Not only will they kneel, but they will also lick the boot of their masters, and harass you for not doing the same.
As the old cowboy said, the SOB hasn’t been born yet, and Rand Paul doesn’t stand a chance, he is too far left, and too pandering, too rino, and too immature and shallow.
I’m writing in Jeff Sessions for President of the United States.
He’s against ObamaTrade and for good reason.
He knows it’s evil intent.
I lean strongly libertarian, and have voted for Libertarian candidatates. Cruz has or could easily capture my full attention with any number of proposals that don't involve drugs - eliminate the income tax, roll back the surveillance state, gut property confiscation laws, drastically shrink the role and influence of the federal government...
You are claiming that Johnson isn’t pro-abortion and pro-gay?
Or are you claiming that freerepublic is statist for being pro-life and against the homosexual agenda?
You sure seem fluid in your voting commitments.
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