Posted on 12/30/2015 5:33:29 PM PST by VinL
Allies of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are plotting a multi-pronged offensive against Ted Cruz as the Republican presidential race enters the final month before the Iowa caucuses.
A pro-Huckabee super PAC is among the central players in the anti-Cruz push, which is already taking hold in mailboxes and on the radio across the Hawkeye State. The group, known as Pursuing America's Greatness, is not ruling out TV advertising as it seeks to undercut Cruz's claim of being the purest conservative in the GOP field.
"All options are on the table from our perspective," said Blain Rethmeier, a spokesman for the group. "We believe Sen. Cruz is a fraud, and we hope to make that apparent to the conservatives taking part in the process in Iowa."
Rethmeier described the anti-Cruz campaign as "easily a six-figure effort" up through the Feb. 1 caucuses, with an increased level of activity in the near future. The super PAC plans to zero in on three areas where it believes Cruz is most vulnerable: immigration, faith and ethanol.
Word of the anti-Cruz campaign comes as he prepares to blitz the state for a six-day, 36-county bus tour starting Monday. It also comes as polls show Cruz emerging as a front-runner for the caucuses, with Huckabee struggling to gain traction in a state whose nominating contest he won eight years ago.
"As Sen. Cruz blankets the state during his bus tour ... expect us to hold his feet to the fire on his statements and any mischaracterization he makes," Rethmeier said.
A Cruz spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the super PAC’s offensive. However, in an interview Monday, Cruz's Iowa state director, Bryan English, said he is confident that caucus-goers would be able to distinguish fact from fiction as the attacks on the Texas senator increase.
"I think Iowans have a unique ability to cut through the noise and ignore things that cross the line from a legitimacy perspective,†English said. "I just think Iowans have an ability to take those attack ads with a grain of salt and they go and look at their records."
The group got its start on Cruz last week, when it pounced on a report that Cruz told an attendee at a fundraiser that fighting gay marriage is not a "top-three priority" for him. A radio ad released by the super PAC warned Iowans that the episode shows there are "two Teds" running for president.
"Listen to Cruz raise money in New York City from liberals who don’t share our conservative Iowa values," a narrator says in the 30-second spot. "Remember, the next time Cruz tells you he shares your values, there are two Teds."
On immigration, the super PAC is echoing an argument made by another Cruz rival, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, whose campaign has aggressively worked for weeks to show the Texas senator is not as tough on border issues as he says he is. A mailer the pro-Huckabee group distributed this month claims Cruz "supports amnesty" for people in the country illegally, an accusation Cruz vehemently denies.
"Do you really know where Sen. Ted Cruz stands on illegal immigration?" the mailer asks. "Think Ted Cruz is going to get tough on illegal immigration? Think again!"
Regarding social issues, the super PAC plans to draw what Rethmeier described as "a distinction between what a social conservative is and what a 10th Amendment conservative is." That contrast is apparent in how the two candidates approach marriage, according to Huckabee allies: Cruz wants to leave it up to the states, while Huckabee's opposition to gay marriage is more categorical.
The head of the pro-Huckabee super PAC, Nick Ryan, is also involved in America's Renewable Future, a pro-ethanol nonprofit group that has been hammering Cruz for weeks over his opposition to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which sets a minimum amount of biofuels that must be blended into the gasoline supply. America's Renewable Future signaled Wednesday that it does not plan to let up on Cruz in the final month before the caucuses, promising that its "efforts will resume after the holidays."
Another outfit aligned with Ryan, the Iowa Progress Project, is already running commercials against Cruz in the Hawkeye State. In recent TV and radio spots, the nonprofit group takes on both the Texas senator and one of his most prominent supporters in Iowa, U.S. Rep. Steve King, suggesting King turned his back on Iowans by endorsing an anti-RFS candidate.
While Huckabee cannot coordinate with the super PAC supporting him under law, he has made clear he believes the group is raising legitimate questions about Cruz, at least on the the topic of marriage.
"Conservatives are being asked to ‘coalesce’ around yet another corporately-funded candidate that says something very different at a big donor fundraiser in Manhattan than at a church in Marshalltown," Huckabee said in a statement shortly after Politico released the audio of Cruz's fundraiser remarks. "Shouldn’t a candidate be expected to have authenticity and consistency, instead of having to look at a map to decide what to believe and what to say?"
In the recording published by Politico, Cruz responded no when asked if fighting gay marriage was one of his top three priorities, but went on to put in the context of a broader goal: "defending the Constitution." The super PAC ads omit the latter part of Cruz's reply.
In an interview Sunday on Fox News, Huckabee defended the spot, saying there is "nothing selective, there's nothing deceptive" about it. Huckabee went on to repeat the super PAC's assertion that the episode has revealed Cruz as two-faced, saying candidates should not "take a different or slightly nuanced position because it would help you or hurt you with Manhattan fundraisers."
That may very well be the strategy, but Rubio is already toast. It’s been established that he sweats a lot and doesn’t like to work much.
In the end Trump is not the enemy, the Republican Establishment Trump has devastated is the enemy.
For Trump and Cruz supporters to fight each other would only help Rubio and the GOPe to get themselves up off the floor before the ten count is over.
I think you hit the nail on the head with your “territorial drive” comment.
That big group of Christian Conservative organizations just endorsed Cruz. Huck was ticked, but his comments about it revealed a strong sense of entitlement over the endorsement. Not only because of his evangelical preacher credentials, but also because he was expecting a quid pro quo for years of supporting THEIR causes.
ROTFL!!! This Cruz conspiracy camp thinking has become a cottage industry here.
I mean, if TRUMP who is smoking the field can spurn gazillions in PACs, use his own wealth, he really needs a single mouthpiece like Huck to drag him over the line, don’t you know? Hell, he doesn’t need anyone, even on the ticket! LOL!
.
Huck is Bill Clinton without the rapes.
Who benefits from taking Cruz out in Iowa? I can think of three. The ethanol lobby, Trump and Rubio/GOPe.
It is one of the three. I don’t like Trump but he doesn’t need the Huckster or Santorum’s help. He can just do ad blitzes on his own promoting himself and he has also already started downplaying Iowa. As much as I would love to blame Trump I just don’t see it.
The GOPe and Rubio would just run Rubio ads slamming Cruz to take out Cruz and promote the new golden child at the same time. Since that doesn’t seem to involve also rans further splitting the vote...
That leaves the ethanol lobby. They have money and two out of contention candidates will line their pockets courtesy of King Corn. Cruz losing Iowa would be a message to all candidates present and future from King Corn - don’t mess with our free government money. Or else.
In his private thoughts, Huck thinks,’EVERY republican knew those were supposed to be MY Christian conservatives... NOBODY ELSES!!! Gosh. In another time, Ted Cruz would have a vigilante group coming after him with lit torches for what amounts to Horse Stealing! Not that I’m going there, mind you!”
Thank you, Vin! I do hope you and your dear ones had a fine Christmas Day too! Happy New Year! See you next year, God willing, and may we all have a truly good January.
Yes. Juan did miserably in Iowa but came in second in NH against Romney, and the media treated Juan as front runner In the next primary Huckster and Juan combined their votes to give McLame a win.(W VA). Graham got Juan SC, Crist the Fag got him FLA. by then Romney was not getting much funds coming in so he quit. Huckster won nothing, but stayed in the race doing nothing thru all the primaries so he could pick up a few delegates and say he “beat” Romney. I HATE Mr “Moral”.
As much as it pains me to agree with you on anything concerning Trump, I agree he has nothing to do with getting the Huckster to help him with anything. Why would he? Trump would just come right out and do it himself if he felt the need. That is the Trump way of doing things.
Cruz just said that Marriage was not his TOP priority. I agree. take care of the huge problems first.
Does Huck think he can win? (delusional)
Is he taking a payoff in kind somewhere?
Or, Does Huck think he is doing the nation a service by talking about something he believes to be true?
You know, you may be right. This is what they’ve always done to us. Maybe this time we’ll get smart? I will have to give this some serious thought.
So much wisdom in your post.
BTTT
Well you are very generous to say so. I do appreciate it, and, obviously, we both appreciate reality. Thank you very much. Rita
That accusation has no basis in fact and is not even plausible in the seven different universes of string theory.
For 8 years we yelled and screamed for GWB to fight back, and he refused to do so. Now, Cruz is employing the same strategy - smiling and allowing others to define him. He’s very weak in this area.
That is precisely the plan.
Did he? I seemed to always have to pick lint off socks when he was on. :)
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