Posted on 12/22/2015 2:26:41 PM PST by Isara
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a candidate for president of the United States, celebrates his birthday on Tuesday. The Quinnipiac Poll has given Cruz the sort of birthday present that any man with aspirations for high office would want. The poll indicates that Cruz has surged to within four points, inside the margin of error, of the frontrunner Donald Trump in a national survey of registered Republicans. Trump comes in as 28 percent, with Cruz nipping at his heals at 24 percent. Sen Marco Rubio, R-Florida and Dr. Ben Carson follow at 12 and 10 percent respectively.
Cruz's surge can be explained by two developments. First, Carson continues to drop in the polls and the senator from Texas seems to be picking up the lion's share of his supporters. Second, as Hot Air explains. Cruz seems to be improving his likeability rating among Republican voters.
Part of Cruz's recent strategy has been to work on his public likeability. The slam against Cruz, largely unfair, is that he is so abrasive that no one likes him, especially his fellow senators. He has already burnished his image as an uncompromising conservative, which appeals to both tea party people and evangelicals who are weary of Republicans who compromise too much. Now, Cruz is showing his softer side in public, using good humor to show that he is not given to yelling all the time about Obamacare and illegal immigration. If the strategy sounds like something that Ronald Reagan, given as he was to disarming his enemies with a quip and a ready smile, used to do, it is no accident. Cruz has been modeling himself on the Gipper ever since he entered elected politics.
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(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
Quick — someone tell Jennifer Rubin!!!
I would rather have the kinder, gentler Ted Cruz than the pompous blowhard Trump.
I like Cruz but that poll is an outlier.
Latest rolling poll from Rueters is much more in line with the rest of the polls:
Trump 37
Carson 11
Cruz 11
Rubio 8
I’d really like to hear about the Jesus who saved Christmas. Donald, with fewer pretensions to influential piety, might actually make more room for that.
Cruz is a fine Christian gentleman and I would be pleased to pull the lever for him should he become the nominee.
Now having said that, can any of my fellow Cruz admirers tell me HOW Cruz can expand his appeal to traditional ‘RAT blue state voters, i.e., the old ‘Reagan Democrats’?
No question Ted Cruz will have a lock on the South and the Western states, but how does he emulate Trump who would be very likely to carry New York State (a ‘RAT stronghold) and northern post-industrial areas like Michigan?
The ‘RAT voters who would be inclined to vote for Trump are not guaranteed to see any reason to crossover for Cruz, as I see it. How does he remedy this?
When you got a problem with even worse blowhards, who’s the man of the hour?
When you got a problem with even worse blowhards, who’s the man of the hour?
... also you have to look at just who Trump gets that way with. There is a proverb about responding to a fool according to his folly; it’s in the tradition of sarcasm and irony. He isn’t slapping greater America in the face so far; only its fools.
He ought to pick up a few points just based on the cuteness of those little girls.
I agree.
Cruz is a textbook conservative. So he’ll get that vote with no problem.
Trump is a populist with conservative leanings. He’ll get a lot of conservatives and many of the old “Reagan Democrats”, the blue-collar guys who like his brand of populism.
So right now, it’s advantage Trump.
At this point, I don’t see it. I think Cruz has an Electoral disadvantage running against Hillary. I also think Hillary would just have to concentrate on the battleground states, whereas I believe Trump would force Hillary to have to defend/attack more states. Doing the latter would increase the likelihood Hillary wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace for the duration of the campaign.
Contrasted to a 'card' from 0 and family.
I agree: the Q poll is an outlier - two indicators are that they poll “Voters” not “Likely voters,” and the fact their “poll” shows 8% of “Republicans” voting for Hillary and 6% of “Republicans” voting for Bernie!
Jesus H. Christ! What has happened to our country that this group of petulant pedants should be our “First Family???”
Like him. But I think he has no chance of democrat crossovers. I think Trump can get significant black and blue collar and union votes.
It isn’t even insane to think of him taking New York.
I see Cruz as someone who could win the GOP nomination, and wind up like Romney on election day. In shock, conceding.
-— Latest rolling poll from Rueters -—
Key word is rolling.
The Quinipiac poll, if accurate, would indicate the continuance of a trend. Three other polls that show Cruz tied with Trump in SC and gaining ground in NH and FL confirm this trend.
“Now having said that, can any of my fellow Cruz admirers tell me HOW Cruz can expand his appeal to traditional ‘RAT blue state voters, i.e., the old ‘Reagan Democrats’?”
Simple answer? He cant.
His appeal isn’t broad-based. It is leaning heavily on “evangelicals” to score some primary wins. If Trump isn’t around, the people showing up at his rallies aren’t looking for another candidate. They walk.
He needs to flip VA, OH, MI, WI, IA, NM.
Not one of them. ALL of them.
If they have a national strategy, outside of hoping there are enough church ladies to outvote Dem victim groups, I sure have not heard it.
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