Posted on 02/01/2016 10:28:42 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
I tip my cap, unreservedly, to Ted Cruz. With everything on the line - and so many GOP colleagues cowed and intimidated - he took on Donald Trump and won. Late last year I wrote that the GOP needed an actual leader, someone who would step up and take on Trump directly:
Now is the time. A presidential campaign is an early test of leadership, a proving ground for dealing with the challenges of the world's most difficult job. I don't want the last man standing. I want the guy who took down the king. If Trump can absorb the best shots from the Republican party's best young talent, then he deserves the nomination. If one of the two talented freshman senators can dethrone The Donald, then at least we have some assurance that they can first stand strong against the coming Clinton onslaught and then have the strength of will to lead a nation desperate not just for wisdom but for the right kind of tough-minded leadership.
Cruz challenged the king of polls - the man who'd intimidated so many others - and he won. And he did so when the conventional wisdom said that he'd lose - that the larger the turnout, the greater the chance that Trump would win. Instead, with record Iowa turnout, Cruz won.
This is a deeply encouraging moment for the conservative movement. To his immense and undying credit, Cruz refused to pander on ethanol, he defied Iowa's popular governor, and he stuck to his conservative principles - and he won.
Yes, Marco Rubio exceeded all expectations, but tonight was Ted Cruz's night. There is much hard fighting ahead, but had Trump won, we would even now be shuddering not just for the future of the conservative movement but for the future of a nation bounded and governed by constitutional principles. Cruz stood up when others fled. Iowa rewarded him for his courage, and tonight Cruz is ascendant, Trump is in retreat, and the conservative movement breathes the air of new life and new hope.
New Hampshire represents a different challenge, and the race is far from over, but Cruz deserves the accolades - and momentum - he'll get from Iowa. Well done, Ted. You did your part for your country on this crucial night.
From “youngcons.com”? LOL! You got that right. Look over there...
Excellent work as always. People will be surprised a week from today too. I wonder if donnie has thought about ground games yet? Or maybe not alienating any more voters with his bragging and trashing.
Cruz beats donnie by 8 points head to head in NH. Can’t remember what the total was that would never vote for him in NH but seems it was at least double that of Cruz.
Cruz was true to his beliefs - ethanol(thank goodness he has core beliefs) and won Iowa - nobody thought he could do that. NH is going to be a yuge game changer, won’t be pretty for the trumpees.
Meanwhile, Bernie is giving Hildebeast and Slick heartburn. Go Bernie, you unreconstructed Stalinist you! Remember George McGovern? One State -- Taxachusetts! LOLOL!
Go, Bernie, beat the Beastwoman!
Now THAT is better. More like it.
Impressive
“.........Editor’s note: Earlier tonight, reports have surfaced, based on claims from the Bernie Sanders campaign, that 90 out of the 1,600 precinct results are missing, and the @iowademocrats have called the campaigns to help find the missing precinct results. Shortly after, an official from @iowademocrats told reporters @gdebenedetti and @kyletblaine that ‘we are currently getting results from our small number of outstanding precincts, and results continue to be reported on our public website. The reports of precincts without chairs are inaccurate ... We have reached out to the campaigns for help in contacting the chairs for our outstanding precincts. We are not taking results from the campaigns.’ - Imana......
http://www.breakingnews.com/item/2016/02/02/with-99-of-precincts-reporting-in-iowa-democratic/
Not necessarily. A well-trained evangelist does not use the same approach for every prospective convert. I would not preach the Gospel the same way to a backslidden Baptist as I would to a Muslim, though the core message would be the same.
Besides, Ted set it out in his speech at Liberty, IIRC, that he wants to bring in the evangelical vote in a big way. If that works, it could change the dynamics of the race on a large scale, including states that typically vote further to the left.
That, of course, is why, per Alinsky, all the attacks on Cruz focus on the one or two areas that should be his greatest strengths, character, and consistency as a conservative. These are designed to put a wedge between him and his key strategic constituency, evangelicals. Whether that anti-Cruz defense mechanism will work remains to be seen.
Peace,
SR
Well said.
Cruz is a fine example of ethics and high standards over crass reality tv showmanship.
That’s a fact!
Trump is polling three times what Cruz is in NH
Cruz got out the vote in Iowa no doubt
But he has no vote to get out in New Hampshire
Crotchety New Englanders love Trump
I’ll be fine either way but your scenario is unlikely
Iowa turned out roughly like most figured
Scary part is Rubio got what he did
Both Trump and Cruz and Trump or Cruz folks here should be concerned
That is the establishment game plan and who will now be touted
Trump is leagues ahead in Nevada and South Carolina too
Just saying
I fear Iowa will make the Cruz or FTW people here go off the deep end
I’m fine either way but Rubio will now get pimped non stop on Fox and so forth
Keep your powder dry for the real threat
I didn't hear a single "I" or "me" or "mine".
Everything was a product of "we, the people", an expression of our rights, which were gifts from God.
Trump had the YUUUUGE rallies, and polls that said he was going to beat Cruz by 10pnts or something like that. Who cares!
Yes!
: )
Of course, they will. But they will fail. Every one of them.
They've already filed suit in the first five primary states. And all five have been rejected.
God knows whats next....but congrats to Cruz on a victory well deserved
With only 1 precinct left to report, here is the final allocation of Iowa’s 27 Republican delegates:
Ted Cruz 8 on 51,649 votes or 27.7%
Donald Trump 7 on 45,416 votes or 24.3%
Marco Rubio 7 on 43,132 votes or 23.1%
Ben Carson 3 on 17,393 votes or 9.3%
Rand Paul 1 on 8,478 votes or 4.5%
Jeb Bush 1 on 5,235 votes or 2.8%
Congratulations to Ted Cruz on his big win tonight.
Sources:
http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/02/01/iowa-caucuses-2016-delegate-tracker/79636466/
http://graphics.latimes.com/election-2016-iowa-results/
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