Posted on 11/08/2015 6:47:32 AM PST by Isara
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| U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, meets with members of the Texas Federation of Republican Women after addressing the group Saturday in Lubbock. Cruz was the only presidential candidate to speak at the biennial convention of the organization. |
"For the first time in a long, long time, Texas is going to play a central role," the U.S. senator from Texas started to say Saturday, drawing perhaps the strongest reaction to anything else he uttered before this friendly audience.
Coming at the end of the biennial convention of the Texas Federation of Republican Women, the scene illustrated a budding hope among the GOP faithful that the state's earlier-than-usual primary will make it matter more than ever before in modern history. With the nominating contest still more than three months away, it has already become an unrelenting theme in Texas politics — and one that few speakers left unmentioned as they sought to rally hundreds of the state's top female Republican activists.
The red-clad audience ate up the talk of Texas-sized influence in 2016, which came from speakers ranging from state representatives to statewide officials like Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, who urged fellow Republicans to use the opportunity to pick a "conservative leader who’s going to shake up Washington." Addressing federation members Friday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke solemnly of the chance they have to shape the race for the White House after years of plugging away in Texas to make the state redder and redder.
“Now it’s our time," Patrick said. "For the first time, we’re going to really have a say in who the next president is. March 1 is going to be a big day."
Republicans like Patrick, who is the Texas chairman of Cruz's campaign, are specifically hoping March 1 is a big day for the U.S. senator, who has been working to consolidate home-state support ahead of then. After starting his remarks by calling women the "heart and soul" of the Republican Party — "and brains!" a member of the audience interjected — Cruz launched into a stump speech that was interrupted by shouts of "We love you, Ted!" and "We're Cruzin!"
Cruz's favorite-son status was affirmed by a straw poll taken Saturday that he easily won with just under half the vote out of 11 candidates. Cruz's closest competition was retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who netted 65 votes to Cruz' 203.
Cruz was the only 2016 candidate to show up at the convention, and on Saturday, he responded to a question about his attendance by asserting he is taking nothing for granted in his home state. At the same time, he expressed confidence he would be one of two last men standing in the GOP primary — the other being a more moderate Republican — with the field "winnowing out," a term he used four times while speaking with reporters.
Despite all the talk of the presidential race, just one other campaign was seriously represented here: that of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, whose wife, Janet, spoke Friday night. Cruz's team was the most active throughout the conference, maintaining one of the two booths supporting a presidential candidate — the other was for Carson — and dispatching his wife, Heidi, to mingle with federation members Friday night ahead of his speech the next morning.
Janet Huckabee, whose husband ended up getting only 2 percent in the straw poll, pitched him Friday as the only candidate with the depth of executive experience to handle the "don't-knows" of the presidency. She also spoke highly of the role Texas is playing in the nominating process, telling federation members, "People will be watching you in the next few months."
Another relative of a 2016 candidate, Land Commissioner George P. Bush, had a speaking slot Friday but appeared to take a pass on plugging the campaign of his dad, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
"Now some of you all may know who my bet’s on in 2016, but I won’t go into that," said George P. Bush, whose father ultimately received only 1 percent in the straw poll. "We’ve got great conservative candidates running for the highest office in the land because our country needs a new direction immediately."
Unsurprisingly, speaker after speaker were in universal agreement on who the next president should not be: Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Speaking Friday at the convention, Gov. Greg Abbott relayed a message from his daughter, Audrey, a freshman in college who recently turned 18 and has the opportunity next year to vote for the first time in a presidential election.
"She said she will join you in ensuring that Hillary is not the first woman president of the United States," the governor told federation members. Plus, Abbott added in a reference to one of his biggest beefs with Clinton as of late, "Audrey is aghast with Hillary Clinton for talking about confiscating weapons. Now that tells me she doesn’t know nothing about Texas history – or Texas women. Because the government once tried to disarm the people of Texas, and it was women who responded by making that flag that said, 'Come and take it.'"
Abbott was joined in the anti-Clinton chorus by at least three other elected officials who joked in their remarks that the Democratic field features a known socialist — plus U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Cruz, who has made the socialist riff a regular part of his stump speech, continued his needling of the scandal-scarred Clinton with an echo of his suggestion the next Democratic debate be held in Leavenworth, the federal prison in Kansas.
Another reliable foil at the convention was Battleground Texas, the group whose efforts to make Texas more competitive for Democrats were the talk of the state the last time the federation held its biennial convention. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas won chuckles at the closing luncheon Saturday for suggesting Battleground Texas be renamed "Burial Ground Texas," and speaker after speaker before him took turns ridiculing the organization for its setbacks last year — while raising the prospect it could be back again in 2016.
"Of course some of them would say things would be different in Texas' presidential elections. Are you worried?" Texas House Speaker Joe Straus asked the federation crowd Thursday, drawing loud "no"s. "Anyone who thinks the Democrats are about to start winning in Texas is either delusional or working for CNBC," Straus added, referring to the TV network that was criticized for its handling of the last Republican debate.
Straus was not the only person who provided some levity in the main hall at the Lubbock Civic Center. Also in the mix was a guitar-strumming Angela Paxton, the wife of Attorney General Ken Paxton, who introduced her husband Friday with a musical ode to his penchant for taking the federal government to court.
"I'm a pistol-packin' mama," she crooned, "and my husband sues Obama."
Go Cruz!
We don’t need a thrice married man to head this country. Always in IMHO, of course.
I’m thinking Trump fatigue has already started. You have to hand it to him though, he’s a fan of Cruz as he never attacks him. If he ever does, he’s (Trump) is finished.
I would have zero problems if Cruz got the nomination, but I have a feeling Trump is much more appealing to the general voter and would be more apt to totally and completely smash Hillary, even with massive voter fraud working for the rats.
A Trump/Cruz ticket would be unstoppable.
These are activists (ground pounders.)
“don’t need a thrice married man to head this country. “
Marriage is a promise. One of life’s most important.
Trump proved unfaithful twice to his wives.
Why do his supporters think that he will keep his promises to them?
He could be tossing red meat — knowing what the crowd wants to hear.
He supports government controlled health care.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/28/trump-pushes-single-payer-healthcare-tax-increase-on-wealthy/
Has supported aborting babies most of his life.
Is against free trade.
Plus he is weird as hell.
Please click on the pictures at the top of the columns for more details on the ratings of the candidates.
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More at Conservative Review: https://www.conservativereview.com/2016-presidential-candidates
Note: If you don't like the ratings for any reason, please contact Conservative Review's Editor-in-Chief, "The Great One," Mark Levin. But I have to warn you that you may get this response from him: "GET OFF THE PHONE, YOU BIG DOPE!"
Trump's Record on Free-market Issue: (from the Conservative Review)
Trump has a terrible record on free market issues. The only bright spot is the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing, but this glimmer is countermanded by his repeated support for bailing out Wall Street and the auto industry, and increased stimulus spending. Of particular concern is Trump's belief that the government can use eminent domain powers to seize private property in the name of private economic development. This comes as no surprise, given his support for using eminent domain to profit his own company.
Trump supported the Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of London, allowing public authorities to seize private land for economic development by private investors; Trump said, “I happen to agree with [the decision] 100 percent.” (National Review) This is no surprise given Trump’s attempt to use eminent domain in his own line of work. (Institute for Justice)
Trump supported President Obama’s 2009 stimulus, saying: “The word stimulus is probably not used in its fullest…you know, certain of the things that were given weren't really stimulus. They were pork, as we call it, or they were gifts to certain people. But overall, I think he's [President Obama] doing very well. You do need stimulus and you do have to keep the banks alive.” (CNN)
Trump supported TARP, saying, "You had to do something to shore up the banks, because ... you would have had a run on every bank." (CNN)
Trump supported the 2008 auto bailout, saying, “I think the government should stand behind them 100 percent. You cannot lose the auto companies. They’re great. They make wonderful products.” He also said that the federal government could “easily save the companies.” (Daily Caller)
Trump criticized the Federal Reserve’s intervention in the debt market, saying quantitative easing creates “phony numbers” that mislead the marketplace and “will not ultimately benefit the economy. The dollar will go down in value and inflation will start rearing its ugly head.” (CNBC)
Donald Trump has a history of using eminent domain to complete business deals. Multiple times Trump has supported the use of government agencies to take possession of homes and businesses for use in his private business plans. Eminent domain seizures are reserved only for public use of property rather than abuse by the government taking property from one individual and giving to another. (Washington Post)
Donald Trump has sought and received crony capitalist tax breaks for his commercial properties in New York. These tax breaks, and even an abatement, force the property taxes of other property owners to rise at the expense of the connected. Special treatment for one business or industry over another with the tax code conflicts with free market principles. (National Review)
In 2009, Trump supported Barack Obama's call for limits on the pay of executives. (CNN)
Isn’t it strange how for just one candidate the past has no consequence, it matters not in the least.
Sooner or later, his followers, especially Conservatives and/or TEA partyers, have to be honest to themselves.
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