Posted on 03/18/2014 1:37:04 PM PDT by Colonel Kangaroo
Editor's note: Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America."
(CNN) -- ...The weaknesses of both men—Cruz in terms of his style and Paul in terms of his rhetoric—point out how desperate the GOP is to find someone who can build a broad coalition, something that is essential for a presidential victory, particularly when Republicans will likely be facing a formidable candidate.
The problems of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have been a huge blow to the party, and there are not many alternatives at this point who are willing to run to replace a figure who, in terms of style of governance and rhetoric, would have a better chance of appealing to voters beyond the base. This is the reason former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is getting so much buzz, as potentially the only other person who can fill this void.
If Republicans can't find some alternative and the primaries revolve around the tension between Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, Democrats will be in excellent position to retain the White House in 2016.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
It’ll be Jeb...just wait
Jeb is one who might repel the electorate more than Hillary.
if a Cruz/Paul ticket is a road to nowhere,what does that make a Wasserman/Dean ticket? a road that leads to a cliff?or a pile of horse manure?
Is this author someone with no axe to grind? Does he share the Constitutionalist viewpoint? Or is he a self-styled pragmatIst with no feeling for or interest in maintaining a Constiutional Republic?
Based on what I read here this guy’s opinions carry no weight with me.
Thanks liberals! It’s good to know you’re helping us!
I was all for Cruz/Paul. But I am disheartened. I don’t hear anything from them about a new foreign policy direction, one that puts guarding our own southern border as the priority. There’s no one in either party that has a vision that will stop the US from falling into the trash heap of failed civilizations, soon.
Probably...but when you examine how the GOP works, he’s the most likely choice for them. (Besides, he’s a Bush, and it’s his turn!)
Cruz/Paul, Paul/Cruz.
Palin/Paul/Cruz/West/Nugent...
Pick two and let’s get out in front of this before we end up with Ryan/Jeb/Willard/or worse...
Wholly unsubstantiated rhetoric in terms of fact and truth.
With all their faults Cruz and Paul will look pretty good, especially if the opponent is Hillary who can be portrayed as a personification of the mistakes and faulty judgment of her husband, W and Obama.
Rand Paul will win.
you have to keep in mind that with a Cruz/Ticket, an hispanic on the ticket,especially as president will take those western states Obama took,especially New Mexico/Colorado/Nevada.
This is a very positive sign. The other way to interpret this is that far left is very much worried that a president Cruz or Paul won’t play by their rules. The more they focus on them, the stronger they surely are.
For a change, Republicans need to do what Custer did in Little Big Man: do the opposite of what they advise.
The Right knows the problem and has the answer. THE problem of the day is big government and the answer is the free market economy. I like Paul because he seems like the strongest proponent for seriously cutting government and taxes and seems to best understand the alternative - the free market.
Whatever else happens, the Right needs to educate itself on how to best present and promote the free market economy as our best and IMO, only, way out of this mess.
Seems to me like everytime the Pubs run an RHINO they lose; and when they run a true-blood conservative to the core, they win. Someone has defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting things to change.” Washington needs to be “turned upside down,” the status quo is no longer relevant, they are only serving to be nails in America’s coffin.
Julian Zelizer is a liberal who argues that Obamacare didn't go far enough and the Democrats should emulate Ted Kennedy.
His point of view is pretty predictable, but he gives his opinions a spin or twist. Even that gets predictable, as the spin or twist always seems to be that Democrats should be bolder and more aggressive, that there's too much bipartisanship in Washington, at least on the Democrats part.
Cruz versus Paul, though, doesn't look like a great choice. On the other hand, when is the last time there were really great choices in presidential elections?
Both guys are an improvement over some of the candidates in the last race. Limited experience, though is a problem both men face (I know -- lack of experience didn't hurt Barack Obama, but how did that work out for the country?).
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