Posted on 11/24/2015 5:28:49 AM PST by VinL
Over the course of his brief, polarizing career in electoral politics, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has been called many names, especially by liberals. "Dirty Syrup Guzzler" (Jon Stewart). "Creature from the Nether Regions" (Cher). “"The Most Dangerous Canadian in America" (the Huffington Post).
Yet so far the most indelible description of Cruz has come from a fellow conservative. In 2013, when Cruz decided to protest U.S. drone policy by filibustering the nomination of incoming CIA chief John Brennan, John McCain told reporter Jon Ward.. now a senior political correspondent for Yahoo News .. that his junior colleague was a "wacko bird."
The sobriquet stuck. It was emblazoned on T shirts. It appeared in countless headlines. Cruz himself proudly displays a black WACKO BIRD baseball cap with a picture of Daffy Duck on it in his Senate office.
By using that particular moniker, McCain was, in effect, dismissing Cruz as both flighty and crazy. And for the most part that is exactly how the Texan has been characterized in both the press and the public imagination since he alighted on Washington, D.C., nearly three years ago and immediately set about trolling his fellow Republicans and hijacking the legislative process: as an irresponsible far right demagogue prone to behave in irrational, counterproductive ways. Cruz's showy obstructionism suffers from "basic logic problems" and "just doesn’t make sense," wrote the Atlantic's Molly Ball in 2013. "Zealot leaders" like Cruz "forget that the key to leadership is essentially getting results by moving agendas ahead," added Inc. magazine.
Many pundits were skeptical when, in a speech at Virginia's evangelical Liberty University on March 23 , Cruz became the first Republican to announce he was entering the 2016 presidential race. As the New York Times' Nate Cohn put it at the time, "The most interesting question about Mr. Cruz's candidacy is whether he has a very small chance to win or no chance at all."
But suddenly it seems that Cruz is running what even Dan Pfeiffer, a former top aide to President Obama, concedes is "the best campaign on the other side." (snip)
News flash, Cruz was standing up to the GOPe when the most significant thing on Trumps mind was who to fire on “Celebrity Apprentice”.
“News flash, Cruz was standing up to the GOPe”
And what does this have to do with the actually campaign now?
All of that registered jack squat in the actual campaign as people dont pay attention to the inside baseball stuff in the Senate.
So whatever he did, it simply does not broadcast well in the heat of the campaign. Trump’s easily understandable statements do. People were not going to dissect all of the maneuvering on bills and committees in the Senate in order to flesh out Cruz’s activities.
If it wasn’t for Trump making these big statements that the average person could grasp, you may not be seeing them be part of everyday conversation in the 2016 election.
It’s a simple matter of Pedantic Vs Pedestrian.
A “positive” article about Our Man Ted from Yahoo?
Don’t believe it.
This is just “anyone, anything but The Donald”.
That’s all this is.
I could live with Trump/Cruz.
Tag along Palin as Energy Secretary and you will see Lib heads a’ poppin’ all over this grand, fruited plain of ours.
Kind of early to be hitting the sauce...
More and more it’s becoming apparent, even to those on the other side of the aisle, that Cruz is a force to be taken seriously.
Really? From the top
TPA before getting reamed on facebook/twitter/etc
Promoting American trade will create more opportunity in the country, and so we strongly urge our colleagues in Congress to vote for trade-promotion authority.
TPA after getting reamed
Cruz Now a 'No' on TPA
Syrian Refugees Feb 2015
Sen. Ted Cruz Discusses Syrian Refugees with Greg Palkot"
The money quote
We have welcomed refugees -- the tired, huddled masses -- for centuries. That's been the history of the United States, We should continue to do so."
Nov 2015 Ted Cruz said the Obama Administration's plan to resettle roughly 10,000 Syrian refugees is "nothing short of crazy"
H1B visas April 2015
Ted Cruz wants to increase H-1B visas from 65,000 to 325,000 annually
Nov 2015
Cruz also called for a suspension of the H1B visa program for six months while it was audited, while proposing other changes to the program, such as an advanced degree requirement.
Immigration Ted Cruz's 180-degree reversal on legal immigration
What, are you obtuse? That directly contradicts your contention that Cruz only follows Trumps lead and takes “no positions first”
There are many who only expect Senator Cruz to be perfect. They must perceive that he is someone who can be held to a higher standard.
When Trump gave his announcement speech, I wrote down each and every position he took on the issues. He sounded just like Cruz on every issue except he left out religious liberty and abolishing the IRS. To say that Cruz took his issues from Trump is just a$$ backwards. Trump just had the name recognition and celebrity to bring the attention to him, but even Trump says he and Cruz agree on the issues 100%.
Don’t feed the troll. These bogus talking points have been debunked dozens of times here on this forum.....by Jim R on certain occasions and the Trumpophiles are well aware of this.
They behave much as the Paulbots in both their willful ignorance of the facts and attacks on their opponents.
Remember Mark Twains advice when it comes to “arguing with a fool”
Ok....
Whatever Cruz has done before the election does not matter if his campaign style does not translate to people that are not interested in the nuances of Senate debating or maneuvering.
If it was then he would be where Trump is.
Trump’s style has. And he has defined the issues and the way the public wants it presented in this election cycle. Like it or not.
Cruz is not the type of person to have ever connected to voters the way Trump has, so he was fine to let Trump do the things that he is not very good at, while tailing him and echoing the sentiments. Or at least not wanting to be critical.
That is the reality of the perception. Trump goes in hard, Cruz follows in.
Didn’t say that it was 100% “fair”, just the reality.
I did not say he took the issues.
“Trump just had the name recognition and celebrity to bring the attention to him”
So?
He also used that to define the issues of this election far better than anyone else, and thus is the #1 candidate.
You think no other candidate wouldn’t want that advantage?
I got most of the way through it but there was so much snark that I quit.
Fiorina fizzled. Carson crumbled. Rubio and Yeb never took off. I have cautioned people here for months that when Cruz's turn would come (and I always believed it would inevitably come) the drive-bys would---as they did with Carson and Fiorina---tout him as "winning." This is always done for the singular purpose of knocking out Trump, the one who not only CAN win but can effect massive change in the White House.
See if I'm right: If Cruz gets the lead, anywhere, for more than a poll or two, the adulatory pieces will stop and all of a sudden he will be Hitler to the drive-bys.
this article is brilliant.
i think it also gives more credence to what many here have hoped for, that is, if Trump wins the nomination, that Cruz would be VP. I remember reading how early on back in the late 80s Dan Quayle began strategizing to become Bush’s VP. Obviously he was successful....to the surprise of all insiders. Don’t know details, but that is sort of an impressive anecdote.
Obviously ...Cruz has SOME sort of master plan. That will presumably include some plan B as to what he will do if Trump wins the nomination. And, it seems, whatever he schemes for, will likely come about!
(All of which is not to deny that he could end up as the nominee).
Your term 'flip-flop' is nothing more than criticism of someone who ultimately makes the right decision based on the facts as they are THEN known.
Cruz is the quintessential conservative candidate, steady in his beliefs and smart enough to make the right decisions at the right time.
We will agree to disagree FRiend.
you are on to something....and it’s not a bad something.
Everyone should read the portion of the article where Cruz and Abbott sort of run Texas’ appellate litigation strategy.
Pretty clearly...Abbott...who is exceptionally likable...was pleased with the strategy, but also clearly, it was Cruz’s strategy and it succeeded greatly.
Cruz doesn’t have to be President to fundamentally affect the course of the country.....and for a time, it might even be better if he were Trump’s strategist.....
You said that all Cruz had to do was agree with Trump. It was actually the other way around.
I’m not criticizing Trump’s celebrity, just stating it as the fact he is so high in the polls.
I’m concerned about Trump in a debate with Hillary. He has survived the debates thus far on his popularity, not on his ability to argue the issues.
That is the same line I get from the climate change people (Man made global warming) when I provide proof that the climate is not warming. Well I provided documentation to back up my assertions, the ball is in your court.
BTW this is called vetting a candidate, it is kindof important to vet a possible GOP nominee. You can be sure the democrats will bring up every issue I have brought up.
And he's been hit from his left by Freepers as well.
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