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Conservative legend Thomas Sowell turns on Ted Cruz
The Daily Caller ^ | 2-19-2014 | Jamie Weinstein

Posted on 02/19/2014 4:18:55 PM PST by servo1969

A leading tea party intellectual has turned against the tea party movement’s favorite senator.

Economist Thomas Sowell, who has long been revered among conservatives, has slammed Sen. Ted Cruz in his last two columns, accusing the Texas Republican of being self-serving and comparing him to President Obama.

“Freshman Senator Ted Cruz says many things that need to be said and says them well,” Sowell wrote in his syndicated column Tuesday, before going on to compare Cruz to President Obama. “Moreover, some of these things are what many, if not most, Americans believe wholeheartedly. Yet we need to remember that the same was true of another freshman Senator, just a relatively few years ago, who parlayed his ability to say things that resonated with the voters into two terms in the White House.”

Sowell continued, suggesting Cruz is only looking out for himself.

“Senator Ted Cruz has not yet reached the point where he can make policy, rather than just make political trouble,” Sowell wrote. “But there are already disquieting signs that he is looking out for Ted Cruz — even if that sets back the causes he claims to be serving.”

Sowell seems to have been most recently irked by Cruz’s actions surrounding the Senate vote to increase the debt ceiling. Cruz threatened to filibuster, forcing several Republicans to either vote for cloture or force a fight over the debt ceiling increase. Republican leaders were seeking to avoid such a politically-risky fight and another possible government shutdown in order to focus on the failures of Obamacare heading in to the 2014 midterm elections.

“Senator Cruz’s filibuster last year got the Republicans blamed for shutting down the government — and his threatened filibuster this year forced several Republican Senators to jeopardize their own reelection prospects by voting to impose cloture, to prevent Cruz from repeating his self-serving grandstand play of last year,” Sowell wrote in his Wednesday column. “The Republicans need every vote they can get in the Senate — plus additional votes by defeating some Democrats who are running for the Senate this fall. It can be a very close call. Jeopardizing the reelection of current Republican Senators is an act of utter irresponsibility, a high risk with zero benefits to anyone except Ted Cruz — and the Democrats.”

In his Wednesday column, Sowell also lashed out against the so-called Republican establishment.

“However unjustified Senator Cruz’s actions, the very fact that a freshman Senator can so quickly gain so many supporters, with so much enthusiasm, ought to be a loud warning to the Republican establishment that they have long been a huge disappointment to a wide range of Republican voters and supporters,” he wrote.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: cruz; obama; sowell; teaparty; tedcruz; texas; thomassowell
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To: Egon

There is no pragmatism in the face of the country’s destruction.


61 posted on 02/19/2014 5:43:39 PM PST by Olog-hai
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To: selfdefense

And Reagan was an actor who spent a lot of time in Hollyweird. One can never tell.


62 posted on 02/19/2014 5:45:19 PM PST by Olog-hai
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To: selfdefense

Oh, for heaven’s sake, really? We’re going to start giving the side eye to Ted Cruz because of where his wife works?

As for him graduating from Harvard, it seems pretty evident he took advantage of what it had to offer while rejecting what he couldn’t use.


63 posted on 02/19/2014 5:45:31 PM PST by CatherineofAragon ((Support Christian white males----the architects of the jewel known as Western Civilization.))
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To: nascarnation
Two things make me nervous about Cruz

1) Harvard Law grad
2) Wife is a Managing Director @ Goldman Sachs

Yea he would be more credible if he only had a GED and she was a geeter at Walmart< /sarcasm >
64 posted on 02/19/2014 5:48:35 PM PST by lewislynn (What does the global movement and te Fairtax movement have in common? Disinformation)
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To: nascarnation

OH yea, they might even drive Volvos.


65 posted on 02/19/2014 5:49:53 PM PST by lewislynn (What does the global movement and te Fairtax movement have in common? Disinformation)
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To: House Atreides
My opinion of Thomas Sowell has just plummeted.

Maybe you should actually read Dr. Sowells article.

66 posted on 02/19/2014 5:50:23 PM PST by SunTzuWu
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To: servo1969
Sowell is still playing the Grand Old Party's party game--"just get us elected first, THEN we'll fix stuff, we promise."

Cruz recognizes that if he wants to make real changes, he needs more colleagues who owe their seats to the people, not to the establishment, GOP or otherwise.

67 posted on 02/19/2014 5:54:15 PM PST by Joachim
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To: McGavin999
Has this country become so bad that people can not express their opinions at all?

He expressed his. Now we're expressing ours. What's the problem?

68 posted on 02/19/2014 5:55:09 PM PST by Theophilus (Not merely prolife, but prolific)
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To: servo1969

I respect Dr. Sowell’s opinion very much. He has always been a steady conservative. I have not reached a conclusion on this piece. Being in the Daily Caller I can promise you each of Sowell’s quotes are taken out of context.

My own opinion. I don’t care if Cruz is grandstanding. That’s what the country needs. If calling out this lawless bastard boy king is grandstanding so be it. Obama ignores the constitution and breaks the law on a daily basis. the house and senate both ignore the constitution. If Cruz calling the congress out as the liars they are is grandstanding so be it.

However, I vehemently disagree with Sowell that Cruz is an Obama in the respect that a junior rep. is making noise for the sake of making noise to gain the white house. Obama’s cry from day one is “I’m black, I’m Kenyan, Vote for me. Melanin uber alles.”


69 posted on 02/19/2014 5:55:51 PM PST by Organic Panic
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To: servo1969
So Sowell needs to tell us how he would stop obama from getting us further and further into debt. When is enough that we do something? $25 trillion? $30? Are we to just give him whatever he wants? The problem is that the rinos won't confront obama on anything.
70 posted on 02/19/2014 5:56:02 PM PST by Linda Frances (Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.)
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To: House Atreides

Sorry. I read the wrong article.


71 posted on 02/19/2014 5:57:17 PM PST by SunTzuWu
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To: ExTxMarine
I think Cruz wanted to flush out some of those who have been stabbing him US in the back!

FTFY

72 posted on 02/19/2014 5:57:43 PM PST by Theophilus (Not merely prolife, but prolific)
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To: McGavin999

Who stopped anyone from expressing an opinion?


73 posted on 02/19/2014 5:59:05 PM PST by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
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To: servo1969

The daily caller is doing hit pieces on tea party. Just read another hit on a different tea party candidate that Sarah endorsed. Who owns and runs it?


74 posted on 02/19/2014 5:59:28 PM PST by Linda Frances (Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.)
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To: SunTzuWu

I agree, He is now THom Ass-Sowell


75 posted on 02/19/2014 6:01:00 PM PST by Zenjitsuman (New Boss Nancy Pelosi)
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To: Linda Frances

Just another Leftist Media website I guess


76 posted on 02/19/2014 6:02:25 PM PST by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
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To: servo1969
Republican leaders were seeking to avoid such a politically-risky fight and another possible government shutdown

"Leaders" that suppress the truth are not men of truth and therefore they are not fit, by any measure, to be our "Leaders." They must be exposed and removed.

Exodus 21
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness;

77 posted on 02/19/2014 6:03:31 PM PST by Theophilus (Not merely prolife, but prolific)
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To: eddie willers
We may love Ted and we may think all the polls are doctored, but the polls show that the liberal attacks are sticking and that Ted is getting no traction outside of us.

Which polls are showing that "liberal attacks are sticking" to Ted Cruz? Thanks.

78 posted on 02/19/2014 6:03:50 PM PST by Jane Long (While Marxists continue the fundamental transformation of the USA, progressive RINOs assist!)
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To: D-fendr
Mr. Sowell, please understand, the "anointed" stink and we must clear the air.
79 posted on 02/19/2014 6:07:19 PM PST by Theophilus (Not merely prolife, but prolific)
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To: servo1969; All

Dr. Sowell, like so many conservative intellectuals, has accepted the idea that opposition to the RINO credo of perpetual losses, is merely a foolish exercise in a shameful, egocentric behavior.

The concept of a principled warrior for Liberty to Dr. Sowell and other Republican Intellectuals, vanished as a lost cause long, long ago.

They define themselves as being grounded in the practical reality of always losing to the Federal Politicians in “both” political parties who find no limit to the expansion of the US Federal Government.

Thus, any challenge to their basic assumption of continuous financial and political Conservative failure must be put down as soon as possible.

Senator Cruz understands the value of attacking the enemy at multiple points of weakness.

RINO politicians, consultants, strategists, advisors, donors, volunteers, supporters and RINO voters do not understand this, as they tend to focus on one or two points of attack for the entire election campaign.

In this manner, the RINOs ignore the day to day fluctuations of opponent revealed weaknesses, and plod on to their usual, and very comforting defeat.

For example, in 2008 Loser Emeritus “Wacko Birds” McCain publicly admonished those who questioned the validity of then Senator Obama’s sealed birth certificate, thus assuring McCain of another very successful RINO-Style Defeat.

Another example is when RINO Speaker Boehner just last week chose to cave in to his overriding personal phobia of being bad-mouthed by the Left Stream Media, and took off the House calendar the necessary House Debate on the size of the National Poverty Debt Limit, thus guaranteeing the Conservative Democrat and Republican voters will from then on know that RINOs really stand for unlimited Federal Spending.

BTW, notice how many times RINO Rove says: “Republicans should let that go and concentrate on this one point.”

Senators Cruz, Lee and sometimes Rand Paul are wise enough to attack on many fronts, and the double down whenever a weakness is detected.

RINOs have refused to learn that the first rule in Federal Politics is to attack, Attack, ATTACK!

The second rule in Federal Politics is to savagely attack ALL weaknesses as they are revealed.

The third rule of Federal Politics is to accept, without question, that “ALL FEDERAL POLITICS IS NATIONAL.”

Newt, for a brief moment in time, used that wisdom to construct his very successful National “Contract with America.”

Newt’s wisdom soon quickly rejected by the rank and file RINO failure leadership.

No political Wing of any political party has ever enjoyed losing as much as the now obsolete, failed RINO Wing of the Republican Party.

House Member elected, House Sobber Boehner even lends a Soap Opera touch to many RINO cave in losses by sobbing frequently.

Democrats and all RINOs still believe the “Tipsy’” O’Neal failed con slogan which states: ‘All politics is local.’

Democrats and RINOs have used this failed slogan with great success to expand the number of non-working, non-taxpayers on their ballooning Welfare Plantation, paid for by borrowing to increase the National Poverty Debt.

In summary, RINOs belong in the Museum of Failed Politicians, (MOFP), and not on the taxpayer’s payroll.

Make 2014 the year of the extinct Federal RINO!


80 posted on 02/19/2014 6:07:43 PM PST by Graewoulf (Democrats' Obamacare Socialist Health Insur. Tax violates U.S. Constitution AND Anti-Trust Law.)
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