Posted on 03/11/2014 7:42:24 AM PDT by SoConPubbie
Lots of people in the Republican party are fed up with Sen. Ted Cruz, but Sen. Rand Paul is the guy who is doing something about it.
On Monday, the conservative news website, Breitbart News, published an op-ed by Paul, where the senator from Kentucky took Cruz to task -- without ever actually naming the guy who may be beloved by the Tea Party conservatives, but has earned some pretty impressive dislike from the elected members of his own party -- for his hijinks that Paul said have encouraged divisions within the party:
"I don't claim to be the next Ronald Reagan nor do I attempt to disparage fellow Republicans as not being sufficiently Reaganesque. But I will remind anyone who thinks we will win elections by trashing previous Republican nominees or holding oneself out as some paragon in the mold of Reagan, that splintering the party is not the route to victory."
Paul based the whole thing around Reagan, the guy that every Republican with presidential aspirations wants to grow up to be. Cruz has bucked the authority of party leaders and has made it routine to oppose anything that smells of compromise while likening himself to President Ronald Reagan. Because the Gipper is second only to God among Republicans, comparing yourself with him is on the level of calling yourself the Lord and Savior. In some circles -- the ones on the far sides of the inter-party divide -- it's worse.
Paul went over how one does not become the "next Reagan" by pretending to do what Reagan would have done.
"Every Republican likes to think he or she is the next Ronald Reagan. Some who say this do so for lack of their own ideas and agenda. Reagan was a great leader and President. But too often people make him into something he wasn't in order to serve their own political purposes."
Of course, Paul and Cruz are both angling to be on the top of the 2016 Republican ticket, so it's not exactly a shock to see Paul call Cruz out in a backhanded fashion over Cruz's claims to Reagan's legacy. At the same time Paul himself is hoping a little of that Reagan magic rubs off. He put out the op-ed in Breitbart pleading for people to find some tolerance and stop splitting the Republican party up.
The Paulista is a sell out.
I tend to agree with you but its way too early to say Randy Paul is my guy. Can’t he buy a vowel and finish his name? Just sayin’.
The party deserves bashing
Agreed
Agreed. Of the two men being discussed here one is a morality based individual with solid principles and the other is a political opportunist who will cave on the key issues when pushed into a corner. Of those two choices it is an easy choice for me. I'll take morals any day of the week.
You may have me there. Cruz is more conservative, Rand grew up in a Libertarian atmosphere, so he does have a bit of it. I think Rand will not force any Libertarianism on America.
First and foremost I am a Cruz supporter. Either of them I will vote for in a New York minute.
Jeb or Chris, I may have to hold my nose so hard it’ll require surgery. After the mcLame nose holding, my tolerance is way down, even if Sarah throws in with them.
I’m not saying Rand is the best either, but I’m surprised anyone on this blog would stay home of he were to become the nominee. He’s preferable to 90% of the republican names being circulated, and at least leans concervative.
I would point out to the gentlemen that the party has no demonstrated clue about the route to victory...and remind him that the eGOP has declared war on the Tea Party.
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