Posted on 01/18/2016 2:33:22 PM PST by Isara
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blasted 2016 rival Donald Trump on Monday, questioning his ties to Democrats and previous support for liberal positions as the two battle for the top spot in Iowa.
"If he's giving checks to Democratic politicians and he supports their views... then it starts to suggest, 'gosh if he publicly supports their views if he finances their causes,'" Cruz told Boston radio station WRKO. "Then suddenly when he announces as a candidate for president, every single one of his views changes - listen if he has had a change of heart, I am thrilled."
Cruz, who is competing with Trump for the GOP nomination, added that if Republican voters want a nominee who will "cozy up to Chuck Schumer - by the way he's written checks to Chuck Schumer, I never have - then you ought to be backing him."
The Texas Republican's comments come after Trump told ABC's "This Week" that Cruz is a "nasty guy" and "nobody likes him. Nobody in Congress likes him."
The two candidates have been locked in an escalating rhetorical battle this month after Cruz said that Trump represents "New York values."
Trump, in return, hit Cruz over previously undisclosed loans he accepted from Goldman Sachs and Citibank to help finance his Senate run. Cruz, on Monday, suggested that Trump's criticism was hypocritical, calling it "more than a little rich."
"You want to assess who stands with Wall Street? Then look at the actual records of the candidates," he added. "Donald Trump vocally and enthusiastically supported TARP, the bailout of the big banks. He vocally and enthusiastically supported Barack Obama's stimulus plan."
Trump suggested that the loans underscored that the senator is controlled by the banks.
While Cruz had long been reluctant to take on Trump directly, the two have stepped up their rhetorical barbs as they head toward the Feb. 1 Iowa caucus.
Trump has led the Republican field in recent Iowa polling, but Cruz claimed the top spot in a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll released last week.
Trump is planning to campaign in Iowa this week with stops scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
While Cruz on Monday urged primary voters to study candidates' records, he sidestepped directly calling Trump a "fraud" or a "hypocrite."
"Those are your words," he told radio host Jeff Kuhner, adding, that he doesn't plan to get into a "food fight or personal insults."
However, he noted that "Donald seems very rattled right now. ...He's been launching an awful lot of attacks in the last couple of days."
“My opinion Cruz is losing. Trump is winning. Trump can remain positive and uplifting while Cruz feels he must go negative. Not an enviable position and nobody feels good about it.”
Trump may well be winning and Cruz losing — the jury’s still out on that until we start counting actual votes. But to say that Trump is “positive and uplifting while Cruz feels he must go negative” is an indication that you are either not paying attention or blinded by the Trump cult.
Recall that up until a few weeks ago, Cruz had said virtually nothing about Trump, while Trump had made a couple remarks about Cruz being a “maniac” and “not too many evangelicals come from Cuba” — both of which Cruz mostly laughed off. Then Trump went full birther for roughly 10 straight days leading up to the debate and began personal attacks on Cruz. Cruz responded by opening up the “New York values” line of attack, and things have spiraled from there. I see very little that is “positive and uplifting” about the way Trump is dealing with Cruz. Hardly any talk about actual issues, differences in policies, etc. It’s all birtherism and “Cruz is a nasty person”, etc.
Actually, it was Donald Trump who spewed forth NY values in the Russert interview that Ted Cruz cited:
Trump on New York values: "I'm very pro-choice. And again, it may be a little bit of a New York background because there is some different attitude in different parts of the country, and I was raised in New York. . . Hey, I've lived in New York City in Manhattan all my life. So my values are a bit different than if I lived in Iowa."
At least you could have rotated the text on the T-Shirt to make it look like it is supposed to be there.
Have a little pride in your trolling.
Thanks. I am better at Photoshopping than you are at defending your liberal hero, your liberal ideology and/or your attacks on the only conservative in the race.
</i>That was typical trump spin. Cruz was speaking about NYC being a very democrat city. Trump tried to the chagrin of others to push 9/11 into it. Cruz should have flat out called trump out on it. That is the only mistake he made throughout the exchange.</i>
The only mistake Cruz made in the last debate was by not mentioning 9/11 first when he had the floor in the exchange. He could have mentioned how New Yorkers lead the way in uniting America against terrorism post 9/11 and how he would work to emulate that, unlike the current president who is a divider.
That would have taken that comeback Trump had away and instead given Trump a handle on a different cudgel to swing.
“What exactly is the problem with answering what I asked?
Being warm to Cruz as a person, and then not is FAR different than Cruz’s line that Trump is a fake...blah blah blah, when he was OK with being allies with him, and letting him run crazy over the other candidates, and becoming the prohibitive polling leader in the primaries.”
It is now clear that the “bromance” between Trump and Cruz was a strategic calculation on the part of both men. Trump made a calculation that warming up to Cruz would give him credibility with the conservative movement — which it did and still does (though it may start to slip if he continues to ratchet up the attacks). Cruz made a calculation that warming up to Trump would position him to inherit many of Trump’s voters when/if he imploded. Cruz always maintained he had nothing personal against the Donald, and he also said that there would come a time down the road when their policy differences would be discussed.
While I think Cruz would have preferred to wait a little longer to have that debate, Trump forced his hand by going full birther on him and attacking him personally by calling him a “nasty person.” But note that Cruz’s responses have been about policy differences — that’s what the “New York values” debate is about — Trump’s positions being largely informed by his Manhattan roots (paraphrasing Trump’s own words when he was already 54 years old and very well-developed in his thinking).
And yes, I think Cruz was OK being allies with Trump when Trump was drawing attention to important issues like immigration, and burning down the GOPe — which Cruz is undeniably an enemy of. As long as they had that common enemy (the GOPe), Cruz (and I would guess many of his supporters) were willing to largely overlook Trump’s numerous inconsistencies on policy over the years.
Was this a mistake? Maybe. But I believe there was a well-thought out reason for the strategy. Had Cruz attacked early on in the summer when his polling was 5%-7%, he could have suffered the same fate as Perry, Jindal, and others who went after Trump and whose attacks ended up looking gimmicky and like attempts to garner attention. So Cruz chose to wait to have the debate about policy differences (of which he has always maintained there were several, so no inconsistency there) until he was a clear top tier candidate with a strong base of support of his own. When you’re running with a guy like Trump in the field, there is very little precedent for what strategy will work and what won’t, and most candidates seem to have gotten it wrong. As far as I can tell, thus far, Cruz’s strategy has been as good as anyone else’s. We shall see very soon (once the actual votes start getting counted) who had the best strategy.
What's the weather like in your fantasy world?
“It is now clear that the “bromance†between Trump and Cruz was a strategic calculation on the part of both men. “
So Cruz compromised his “true Christian conservative” consistency why?
He was fine with Trump well enough as long as he could skate through the fall while letting Trump do all of the work, and not having to confront any other candidates.
If I was Trump, I would be PO’d to when he then tries to use him to catapult to the nomination.
“Had Cruz attacked early on in the summer when his polling was 5%-7%, he could have suffered the same fate as Perry, Jindal, and others who went after Trump and whose attacks ended up looking gimmicky and like attempts to garner attention”
And this is the person some people want to send up against Hillary? I don’t think so.
Don’t confuse people with the facts Isara! :P
Trump is for continuing a progressive tax code. Cruz is for the abolition of the IRS and a simple fair tax.
For that reason primarily, I will be casting my vote for Cruz. Might I add, those who go on parroting the notion that Ted Cruz is some how aligned with the democrats or is a liberal are flat wrong.
As solicitor general of the great state of Texas, he sued the Obozo administration on behalf of the citizens of Texas dozens of times and many of those...won. As a senate candidate, he was out spent by his establishment opponent, David Dewhust and wound up beating him in a primary run-off due in large part to the Tea Party folks down here in Texas. As senator, Cruz has come against the establishment leadership time and again. They HATE Cruz. Boehner and McConnell conspired against Cruz, Mike Lee, Sessions, Gohmert to kill every piece of legislation they've brought.
Texans are very proud of Ted Cruz for the work he’z done on behalf of Texans. He has my vote as does he have the vote of everyone I personally know and work with.
I understand this is a primary race, but Trump has attacked other candidates with sophomoric, cheap shots.
Rude, obnoxious and childish mannerisms unbecoming of a president describes Trump to a tee. This Northeastern Yankee character trait I truly believe will kill his chances of winning the deep South and Texas.
Cruz 2016
“Ted Cruz and terrorists have something in common.”
Freeper, coming to the defense of Andrew Cuomo, Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg and “Comrade” Bill De Blasio.
Interesting transformation of the Free Republic web site from a pro constitution/ free market web site to a corporatist, progressive blog.
Cruz also backed the bailouts.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/02/ted-cruz-president-obama-stimulus-lawyer
Except cruz was explicitly against deportations in 2013.
“Cruz also noted that he had not called for deportation or, as Mitt Romney famously advocated, self-deportation.”
Cruz has the same policy as W. Bush, no deportations, and remember W. Bush was supposedly against amnesty too.
Reagan signed abortion legislation as governor of california.
You mean Cruz who was against deportations in 2013?
“Cruz also noted that he had not called for deportation or, as Mitt Romney famously advocated, self-deportation.”
Cruz even admitted it, the only reason why immigration is an issue is due to Trump.
Actually, Cruz did defend the bailouts in 2009.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/02/ted-cruz-president-obama-stimulus-lawyer
I agree. Cruz needs to separate himself from Wall Street as soon as possible.
Keep those graphics coming!
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