Ted Cruz made solemn promises to the conservative voters in Texas during his run for the U.S. Senate. He has honored his promises and done so much more to fight our political battles. Despite withering criticism and attacks from leadership in both the Republican and Democrat Party, Cruz was faithful to our conservative principles and didn't retreat from a fight in the vicious snake pit of corruption, backstabbing and betrayal that is Washington, DC. Contrast that with the complete betrayal of promises made to conservative and TEA Party voters in Florida of Marco Rubio by leading the Gang of Eight amnesty plot once elected to the Senate.
It's incredibly difficult to trust politicians today. Cruz is the first to say we shouldn't trust their words, including from him, but rather look at their actions once elected. Thus far, he hasn't given me serious cause to doubt his trustworthiness, integrity, or motives for serving in the U.S. Senate.
People like to characterize Donald Trump and Ben Carson as "outsiders", but they haven't proven their commitment to conservatism in the white-hot fires of Washington, DC. In my mind, these two men are outsiders in the sense they do not currently hold elective office. In contrast, Ted Cruz is a proven philosophical outsider to the Democrat/Republican Washington Cartel culture of self preservation and betrayal. A warrior in the lion's den is vastly more meaningful to me than one standing outside the cage cheering him on. Cruz has done this in the most difficult political circumstances imaginable, often in face-to-face encounters in his daily workplace with his most bitter adversaries.
On the topic of obligations to major contributors, there is ample evidence in Texas that Cruz has remained faithful to his principles and opposed major contributors for the public good. Because of his opposiiton to the U.S. Export-Import Bank, calling it "crony capitalism", Cruz has upset major contributors to his Senate campaign representing big businesses in Texas. Bear in mind, the Cruz presidential campaign has received more than 450,000 contributions from all over the nation. The average of the contributions is $73. I know from personal experience in prior fundraising for Cruz, he feels beholden to every small contributor and the faith they have placed in him.
I've followed Ted's career very closely for 12 years since his days as Solicitor General of Texas, having read and listened to most of his writings and speeches to the present day. I trust Ted more than any person I've voted for in the past forty years. I even include Ronald Reagan in the mix, but only because I never had any personal contact with that great man. I've had the good fortune to be around Ted in a friendly group setting out of view of the media on a few occasions and he is the same honorable, Christian man that you see in public. He has my vote and commitment of time and money.
Please don't ask me to trust candidates who began championing conservative ideals only a short five months ago with the same fervor of trust I've held in Ted Cruz for many years. In fact, don't expect me to trust these other "outsiders" at all because they haven't earned it in my opinion.
Thanks for the sanity post.