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Ted Cruz Just Launched His Iowa Campaign
National Journal ^ | January 24, 2015 | Tim Alberta and Shane Goldmacher

Posted on 01/24/2015 3:51:41 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

The Texas conservative and his team are trying to lock down a state director for his White House run.

DES MOINES -- Ted Cruz's presidential campaign​ in Iowa is unofficially underway.

The Texas senator and his lieutenants have been making calls to top Iowa activists and consultants for the past two weeks, multiple Republican sources told National Journal, hoping to lock down a state director for his White House campaign.

Cruz has not yet made that critical hire, the sources said.

But he's making other moves in this first nominating state.

At the end of a fiery speech here Saturday to the Iowa Freedom Summit, Cruz instructed his cheering audience to send a text message with the word "Constitution" to the number 33733. Iowans all over the auditorium could be seen whipping out their cell phones and punching keys. Within moments, anyone who sent the text got this reply: "Together let's bring bold, clear leadership to America." The message included a link: " tedcruz.org."

It was an innovative way to collect contact information from masses of committed Iowa conservatives. It also erased any remaining doubts about Cruz's intention to run for president -- even if he downplayed the move, with a smile, when asked about it after his speech.

"What we're doing is, we're working to build a grassroots army in Iowa and all across the country," Cruz said. "Because the only way we're going to turn this country around -- it's not going to come from Washington. It's got to come from the American people. "

Judging from his performance Saturday, Cruz won't have trouble recruiting Iowans for his "army."

The Texas senator received a rock-star reception from the conservative crowd, which began cheering upon the first mention of his name. He delivered a speech full of conservative objectives – "repeal Obamacare" and "abolish the IRS," for instance – that was interrupted repeatedly by applause.

He suggested taking the 110,000 current employees of the IRS and sending them instead to guard the southern border. "Somewhat jokingly," he said of the plan. (The side benefit, he laughed, would the agents would scare away would-be illegal immigrants.)

Most notably, Cruz positioned himself to the right of all his potential rivals in the 2016 field. He warned the audience that all of the Republican contenders would fashion themselves as true conservatives when they are not.

"Talk is cheap," he said of his fellow Republicans. He then drew from the Bible – as he did elsewhere in the speech – saying, "The Word tells us, 'You will know them by their fruit.'" Many in the audience knowingly murmured the words along with him.

"Show me where you stood up and fought," Cruz challenged potential rivals on issue after issue, from Obamacare to gay marriage to the Common Core education standards.

The theme of Cruz's speech was "The Miracle of America" -- a message the senator was road-testing as a potential 2016 campaign slogan.

The message, as delivered here, touched on everything from promoting upward mobility to defending religious liberties to advocating a muscular U.S. foreign policy. Cruz told the crowd that "each of us have seen miracles every day," and shared with the evangelical audience how his father left him and his mother many years ago, only to become a Christian and come back to the family.

Cruz promised the crowd that even though times are tough in America, a "miracle" could be on the horizon. He said the country's current challenges are surmountable when considering the historic triumphs over Britain in the Revolutionary War and the Nazis in World War II.

"We have done it before," Cruz exclaimed. "We can do it again!"


TOPICS: Breaking News; Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Politics/Elections; US: Iowa; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 2016; 2016election; cruz; cruzpalin; cruzpalin2016; election2016; gop; iowa; republicans; teaparty; tedcruz; texas
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To: Sirius Lee

AMEN to that!


201 posted on 01/25/2015 11:13:41 AM PST by Biggirl (2014 MIdterms Were BOTH A Giant Wave And Restraining Order)
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To: knarf

He is also incredibly smart, well educated, and articulate


202 posted on 01/25/2015 12:19:12 PM PST by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama lied .. the economy died.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Now place of birth will be an issue for the Treasoncrats.


203 posted on 01/25/2015 12:47:33 PM PST by GrandJediMasterYoda (Obama: 8 acts of blatant treason and counting.)
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To: CyberAnt
Hmmmmm ..?? I’ve never heard Trump say a word about Ted’s birth

2 days ago...
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/national-politics/20150123-in-iowa-trump-calls-on-cruz-to-clear-up-eligibility-doubts.ece

204 posted on 01/25/2015 1:23:41 PM PST by conservative98
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To: FreeReign

I didn’t say you were tearing Walker down.

Read my posts.


205 posted on 01/25/2015 1:33:02 PM PST by Balding_Eagle (The Gruber Revelations are proof that God is still smiling on America.)
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To: SoConPubbie; proust

Go and sin no more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgLehjvgyOQ


206 posted on 01/25/2015 1:39:33 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.)
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To: Democrat_media

Huckabee lives in FL now, I believe. Evangelicals do not see him as a “socialist” from Arkansas but as a viable choice. He would practically work to deflect votes from Cruz if Cruz runs, and I am not convinced that he will. If so, I would favor Cruz over all the others by far.


207 posted on 01/26/2015 4:09:25 AM PST by Theodore R. (Liberals keep winning; so the American people must now be all-liberal all the time.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Talk is cheap," he said of his fellow Republicans. He then drew from the Bible – as he did elsewhere in the speech – saying, "The Word tells us, 'You will know them by their fruit.'" Many in the audience knowingly murmured the words along with him. "Show me where you stood up and fought," Cruz challenged potential rivals on issue after issue, from Obamacare to gay marriage to the Common Core education standards.

Of the likely challengers, I think only Scott Walker will be able to address this challenge adequately. None of the others have the accomplishments, especially under fire.

(I'm assuming Gov. Palin is not a "likely" contender at this time; she seems positioned to be more of a kingmaker than a candidate as things currently stand.)

208 posted on 01/26/2015 5:50:34 AM PST by kevkrom (I'm not an unreasonable man... well, actually, I am. But hear me out anyway.)
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To: houeto

How concerned should we be over Cruz’s Canadian birth? You know that will be used against him. Even though Obama has gotten away with it, we all know it isn’t a level playing field.


209 posted on 01/26/2015 6:50:13 AM PST by Lurkus Maximus
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To: 1010RD; txhurl

I guess it depends upon how you look at the state makeup and how they vote:

After the Nov. 2014 elections the state legislature is as follows:

If initial results hold, Republicans will run the Senate 19-14 and the Assembly 63-36. Those margins are not final, with GOP victories in two Assembly races very narrow.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/gop-increases-its-majorities-in-state-legislature-b99384991z1-281619171.html


210 posted on 01/26/2015 7:05:10 AM PST by deport
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To: CyberAnt

Ted Olson argued Bush v. Gore.


211 posted on 01/26/2015 7:56:45 AM PST by ReganDude (Give me liberty or give me death!! Cruz 2016!!)
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To: conservative98

I dunno about this.

I think Sarah could be a liability to the Cruz ticket.

While Republicans and Conservatives typically like her, the 20% unfavorability on our side and with moderate voters, and the nearly 100% unfavorability on the left, that might be a tough ticket to support for many American voters.


212 posted on 01/26/2015 8:11:49 AM PST by ReganDude (Give me liberty or give me death!! Cruz 2016!!)
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To: ReganDude

Really ..??

Ted Olson was not appointed until Bush took office .. and at the time of the 2000 election, Bush was Governor of TX; so it had to be Cruz.

The campaign might have hired Olson to help in the “recount” .. but it was Cruz’s job to defend his Governor.


213 posted on 01/26/2015 8:24:30 AM PST by CyberAnt ("The hope and changey stuff did not work, even a smidgen.")
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To: Lurkus Maximus
How concerned should we be over Cruz’s Canadian birth?

You and I both know that if Cruz starts gaining real traction then the MSM and Washington elites will attack with both hands and both feet with any and every issue they can think of.

214 posted on 01/26/2015 8:38:56 AM PST by houeto (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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To: SoConPubbie

Looks like the Establishment Republicans are going to start pumping Amnesty Walker here sooner than I expected..


215 posted on 01/26/2015 8:40:32 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (My Batting Average( 1,000) (GOPe is that easy to read))
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To: Lurkus Maximus; houeto; Jim Robinson

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3084490/posts

I wouldn’t be concerned, period.

Naysayers to the contrary, he is eligible under the law making him a citizen “at birth”. Because the controlling law recognized the truth that he was born to an American citizen mother. That the mother had a job in Canada at the time is not controlling. And the controlling law at the time did not, repeat not, require that his father have the same status as his American mother had.

This is old news.

Could someone try to make hay out of it?

What, the liars on the left lie about Cruz and the law??

However, Jim Rob says Cruz is good to go, and he won’t allow a thread highjacking over it. Believe me.


216 posted on 01/26/2015 2:48:38 PM PST by txrangerette (("...hold to the TRUTH; speak without fear". - Glenn Beck))
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

2nd generation American whose father suffered under the kind of state-establishments produced by the human nature America’s founders wanted to protect us from.

No Ivy league edumacation required.

CRUZ 16!


217 posted on 01/26/2015 5:55:11 PM PST by HLPhat (This space is intentionaly blank.)
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To: Lurkus Maximus
>>How concerned should we be over Cruz’s Canadian birth?

"And the children of citizens of the United States that may be born beyond Sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born Citizens"
http://www.indiana.edu/~kdhist/H105-documents-web/week08/naturalization1790.html

I think the folks who wrote that back in 1790 would vote for Cruz.

218 posted on 01/26/2015 6:02:39 PM PST by HLPhat (This space is intentionaly blank.)
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To: HLPhat

Thanks. That really helps me understand. We know his opponents will misrepresent the law and his status for the sole purpose of public opinion. Hopefully he and his team can overcome it.


219 posted on 01/26/2015 7:27:11 PM PST by Lurkus Maximus
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To: txrangerette
Could someone try to make hay out of it?

We all know that they will. Thank you much for your knowledgeable response txrangerette. I really appreciate it.

220 posted on 01/26/2015 9:07:29 PM PST by houeto (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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