Posted on 01/26/2016 5:53:42 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says if rival Donald Trump won't face the entire GOP field in Thursday's Fox News debate, then he wants to go one-on-one.
"If Donald is afraid of Megyn Kelly, I would like to invite him on your show to participate in a one-on-one debate between me and Donald, mano y mano," Cruz said during an interview on "The Mark Levin Show," adding that Trump could choose the moderator.
"And the fact that Donald is now afraid to appear on the debate stage, that he doesn't want his record questioned, I think that reflects a lack of respect for the men and women of Iowa, that he's unwilling to go to Des Moines and be questioned."
Cruz also argued that Trump dropping out of the debate shows that the front-runner isn't qualified to be president.
"This is a job interview, you need to be willing to answer the questions of the American people, and if Donald is afraid to defend his record, that speaks volumes," he said.
"And if he thinks Megyn Kelly is so scary, what exactly does he think he'd do with Vladimir Putin? I promise you Putin is a lot scarier than Megyn Kelly."
Cruz added that Trump needs to explain to voters "how he is prepared to be commander-in-chief if he's terrified of a television host."
The comments came shortly after the Trump campaign announced Tuesday that he would not participate in the Fox News debate on Thursday.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Trump referred to Kelly as "lightweight" and said that she's "not a reporter."
I wonder what Ted Levin would say if the Donald said... ‘Yes, I’ll debate you at Trump Tower with Sheriff Arpaio being the moderator’...
No. They starve them for air time.
“Did you or did you not cheer when Cruz took to the floor to oppose obamacare and led the fight that resulted in the government shutdown?”
No I did not, because, unlike you, I knew it was a lost cause from the beginning, and although I like people who tilt at windmills generally, I don’t like it when it was going to cost the taxpayers a lot of money, and nothing at all would be achieved, which is exactly what happened. I vehemently oppose Obamacare, and Trump will cure that ill (pardon the medical pun). He’ll do it in a way that will stick.
I would rather go up against the enemy the way that Trump wants to do, where it doesn’t cost the taxpayer any money. Example, he will build a wall on our southern border with Mexico, and it will be MEXICO that pays for it, not the American taxpayer.
Soooo, that’s why he’s turning tail and running from Kelly?
Then, I would think that he'd want to undercut the MSM by scoring big ratings elsewhere in a debate with Cruz, yes?
I'll bet you thought that up all by your awesome self, didn't you?
“Soooo, that’s why he’s turning tail and running from Kelly?”
No, he’s just ruining her career at Fox, lol. She will lose all clout there, in particular when he becomes President. Payback is a b*tch.
Cruz is a ratings downer.
“Then, I would think that he’d want to undercut the MSM by scoring big ratings elsewhere in a debate with Cruz, yes?”
Basic political rule: never give your enemy a platform, especially when you are winning and they are losing.
Trump will never debate Cruz one on one. He doesn’t have to, he’s winning, Cruz isn’t.
No offense, but you’re missing what’s going on. It’s going right over your head. The msm are shills for the Democrat party. They try to destroy the Republican they fear most, by whatever method that works, whether that be by starving him for air time or trying to smear him. The msm tried the latter approach with Trump when he came out with his strong immigration policy. The only problem is, it backfired. He didn’t back down like they expected. He hit back, spoke directly to the people, and won them over, and attacked and discredited the media in the process.
They initially gave him air time to try and make him look ridiculous, but instead of that happening, he used that air time to expose them and damage their credibility. He stuck to his guns, the people started to support him, and the media was left scratching their heads.
Add to that whole dynamic, the fact that in spite of their initial adversarial stance with Trump, they enjoyed the ratings boost he was giving them. He’s actually won some of the media over by rewarding them with interviews while snubbing some of their rivals who did not treat them fairly. So, he’s exploited the competitive dynamic that exists in journalism. Besides being biased and motivated by ratings, they’re also people too. When members of the media treat him right, he treats them well, invites them on his plane, lets them feel like big shots. After 8 years of being treated with disdain by the very President they did everything they could do to elect, a lot of them, on a personal level, appreciate the change.
“There used to be a time when Freepers were in full support of the shutdown strategy in order to push the conservative agenda through instead of compromising with the Democrats.”
That never happened, did it.
“Hmm, Constitutionalist vs Celebrity
A real tough choice.”
You lie like a rug. It’s Constitutionalist “lawyer” versus real estate empire “businessman” for 30 years, who also was a success on TV with huge money making shows, as part of his over 500 business enterprises. T’was the sin of omission on your part, wasn’t it. And no, it’s not a real tough choice. It’s an easy one. Trump for President in 2016!
Trump might want to fight the MSM but he’s already scored well against them by quitting the debate. He doesn’t need to do much more for now.
Given that, I don’t see why Trump would make any agreement that would not profit his campaign.
He’s already leading, so what has he got to gain by debating Cruz?
Moreover, we both know that in a debate with Cruz, Trump would lose big time. Trump probably knows it too.
He won’t do it because he doesn’t need to, and he’s too smart to take the risk of a big hit on his credibility.
And you actually believe that?
LOL!
RE: That never happened, did it.
By “that”, exactly what are you referring to?
RE: Cruz is a ratings downer.
Oh, so the presidency is now a ratings show. What’s happened to this country -— we’ve become a reality show.
RE: I wonder what Ted Levin would say if the Donald said... ‘Yes, I’ll debate you at Trump Tower with Sheriff Arpaio being the moderator’...
I think they’ll gladly accept it.
No offense, but that is a grossly simplistic analogy failing even Occam's razor.
Rush loves Trump because Trump fight like Rush has been telling people how they needs to fight....Rush gets Trump....more than any one else.. Rush get him
I bet you’re jealous, you can use it if you want to.
Cruz is destroying himself. Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad...
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