S.C. Is Key Early Test of Cruz’s Southern Strategy

The National Review ^ | February 17, 2016 | Eliana Johnson

[2ndDivisionVet]

Simpsonville, S.C. -- At around 8:40 a.m. on Monday, the volunteers emerge from their rooms, line up against the walls, and put their hands on each other's shoulders to form a chain that runs the length of the hallway. Handmade signs line the walls. One reads: "Conservatives, Christians, and GRASSROOTS MATTER!" This is Value Place, an extended-stay hotel just off Interstate 385 in Simpsonville, S.C. Until the Palmetto State's primary concludes Saturday night, it is also Camp Cruz, home to those who have flocked here to volunteer their time for Ted Cruz's presidential campaign. Right now, they're packed three to a room. I ask if roommates knew each other beforehand.

"No, but they do now, very well," says Mark Hayes, a retired chief financial officer who's running the show here along with his wife, Nancy, a veteran of 19 Republican campaigns who also works for Joe the Plumber of "spread the wealth around" fame. At Iowa's Camp Cruz, dozens of volunteers packed an old college dorm in the months leading up to the caucus, at times cramming extra mattresses into rooms already housing two people. When I stayed over on the eve of the caucus, five grown men vacated a room for me. In South Carolina, Cruz's team is scaling up the data-driven ground operation that propelled it to victory in Iowa. The campaign's Iowa state director, Bryan English, is on the ground here coordinating with key surrogates, and a second Camp Cruz location at a Quality Inn & Suites in Greenville opened its doors on Monday.....

[napscoordinator]

First he needs to stop lying. It is becoming to naturally for him. tonight at the town hall, he said Clinton nominated Trump’s sister to a federal judgeship.............the guy can’t tell the truth if it hit him in the face.

Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
Barry, Maryanne Trump
Born 1937 in New York, NY

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
Nominated by Ronald Reagan on September 14, 1983, to a seat vacated by H. Curtis Meanor. Confirmed by the Senate on October 6, 1983, and received commission on October 7, 1983. Service terminated on October 25, 1999, due to appointment to another judicial position.

[Vision Thing]

Conservatives, Christians, and GRASSROOTS MATTER!

But for cruzers, I thought Tone Matters.

Too many things matter to these people.

Too unfocused.

[irishjuggler]

WRONG. What he said was that Clinton appointed her to the COURT OF APPEALS. And that’s TRUE. The fact that Reagan appointed her to her previous job is interesting, but it doesn’t make Cruz’s statement untrue. Nice try, though. Thanks for playing.

[Impy]

The court of appeals is a “federal judgeship” anyway. If those were the words he used.

Clinton obviously wouldn’t have PROMOTED her if she wasn’t a horrendous judge, which is the point.

[irishjuggler]

Exact quote from the town hall: "Last year, not very long ago, when talking about Supreme Court nominees, Donald said his sister -- now his sister is a court of appeals judge, was put on the court of appeals by Bill Clinton -- he said his sister would make a phenomenal Supreme Court justice."

100% true statement by Ted.

[napscoordinator]

/Cruz did not say it like that. I literally just finished watching it.

[irishjuggler]

Your memory is faulty.

This is from CNN's own transcription:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/17/politics/republican-town-hall-fact-check/

[M. Thatcher]

FTA:

"Cruz's goal is to unite evangelicals and tea partiers. Can he do it? The latest Public Policy Polling survey out of South Carolina suggests there is the potential for Cruz to get as hemmed in as Huckabee and Santorum before him. His favorability rating is underwater with voters of all ideological stripes except the 40 percent who identify themselves as very conservative. He remains decently popular among evangelical voters, above water by seven points, at 48 - 41. But even Trump, at 50 - 44, has a higher favorability rating among them...If the polling is accurate, it suggests that Cruz's effort to bring together very conservative voters and evangelicals is meeting with some resistance..."

[xzins]

So Cruz’s strategy is 2nd or 3rd place throughout the south? :?)

[Heart of Georgia]

“Cruz did not say it like that.”

Even if he didn’t say it exactly like that, the fact remains that Maryanne Barry was appointed by Bill Clinton, just as Cruz said.

You owe Cruz an apology. In a sane world, what you’ve done should cause anyone reading your posts to question what other lies you’ve been spreading about him.

[tjd1454]

Go Ted Cruz!

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

In a sane world, what you've done should cause anyone reading your posts to question what other lies you've been spreading about him.

In a saner world, I would have said: So a Cruz once bit Trump's sister? What's that got do with the article?

[dowcaet]

A South Carolina loss is more devastating to Cruz than either Trump or Rubio. You can’t be the most conservative candidate in the race and lose in a state like this to a northeastern liberal. The fact that it’s an open primary doesn’t matter. This state shouldn’t be such a struggle for Cruz, and it doesn’t bode well for him going forward.

[odawg]

CNN fact checkers, if anyone needs one on Trump and PP, said that Cruz was misleading, which means lying, on the Trump position on PP.

[DB]

CNN fact checkers.

Is that an oxymoron?

[Dr. Sivana]

First he needs to stop lying. It is becoming to naturally for him. tonight at the town hall, he said Clinton nominated Trump’s sister to a federal judgeship.

No lie. The following is from Wikipedia:

A Republican,[1] Barry was nominated to be a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by President Bill Clinton[7] on June 17, 1999, to replace H. Lee Sarokin, who had retired in 1996.

Regardless of who nominated her to what before she had much of a track record, she was in fact nominated by Bill Clinton to the Federal Court by Bill Clinton. That is a fact. To say she wasn't nominated would be the lie.

[Dr. Sivana]

So Cruz’s strategy is 2nd or 3rd place throughout the south? :?)

That's where he was in Iowa until the actual polling. He may win, he may not win in South Carolina. Trump moves fast, very fast, and he is very good at bouncing back. Sometimes he says a bit too much. Four things distinguish South Carolina from Iowa and New Hampshire.

1. It is a primary state, not a caucus state like Iowa.

2. It allows crossover voting. I believe there is no "party registration" in Iowa, and the Dem primary isn't as interesting in SC this time.

3. Iowa's electorate is VERY different from New Hampshire's, and Trump's comparatively secular/New York values personality doesn't play as well there. 4. The South Carolina primary is a big deal, but it is not as etched into the state's psyche like Iowa and New Hamp[shire are. You have to work to get out the vote.

I believe points one and two favor Trump. I believe points three and four favor Cruz.

Cruz' strategy is to TURN OUT HIS VOTERS. Everyone says it, Cruz really follows through. He's not exactly Fred Thompson. At times, it is annoying, just like it's annoying to be reminded for the 10th time to take out the trash. Sometimes it has to be done.

This Saturday, here in Georgia is a county party vote. I have received three reminders to turn out at the county convention in order to be a delegate at the state convention. For the first time in a while, no real request for money. They want me to show up an do my job.

[Dr. Sivana]

A South Carolina loss is more devastating to Cruz than either Trump or Rubio.

I wouldn't quite call it devastating. A Trump sweep of the SEC primary would be devastating. Cruz wants the win, but a clear second place keeps the Establishment from anointing Rubio, John Ellis Bush or Kasich. Rubio doesn't have all that much to devastate. A third place in Iowa, a fifth place in New Hampshire, a guy with name recognition and a pile of money who might be satisfied at this pointy of just taking him out of the picture, and no consensus in the "Establishment" lane is what he has working against him.

[jimbo807]

Ted’s “truth” is why people don’t, as a general rule, like lawyers very much. Twist it all the way until it almost, but not quite, becomes an outright lie.

He is a despicable person and I hope he loses badly to Trump and Rubio.