Posted on 02/13/2015 3:45:51 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
This column is so easy to pick apart, it's amazing that the Washington Post actually published it.
This is by far the strangest column I’ve read on Senator Ted Cruz’s potential — he hasn’t even announced yet — candidacy. It’s written by Jennifer Rubin, who basically argues that Cruz is unpopular because he’s too “extreme.” He behaves, she writes, like an “angry young man,” and is not “presidential” at all.
The “evidence” she uses? He’s “only” polling at 5%, she says, at RealClearPolitics.
OK, so let’s look at RCP’s poll of polls. And what do we see?
Jeb Bush is supposedly leading the pack – which makes me laugh, honestly: the guy is as unpopular among the conservative base as a Republican could possibly be. He’s followed by Christie (9.4%), Huckabee (9%), Paul (8.6%), Carson (8.4%), Walker (5.8%) and Cruz (5.2%). Behind Cruz there are people like the new darling of the establishment, Marco Rubio (4.6%), Rick Perry (4.2%), and Bobby Jindal (2.8%).
What’s most remarkable about this is that Bush, Christie and Huckabee all have problems with the conservative constitutionalist base. Bush and Christie are seen as too moderate (or even downright progressive), whereas the only conservative part of Huckabee is his social conservatism. His record as Arkansas governor made Bill Clinton look conservative in comparison.
Sooner or later the base will turn against these three individuals. They may do fairly well right now, but some if not all of them will be ferociously attacked by conservative activists. That’s going to hurt their poll numbers going forward.
Secondly, although Bush doesn’t have national experience as such, he is a former president’s brother and another former president’s son. He’s known — very well known — and has a national network to work with. The same can be said for Huckabee (after all, he already ran for president twice) and Rand Paul (who simply took over his father’s network). Cruz doesn’t have that network yet, but has begun building it. Once that gains traction, he’ll almost certainly rise in the polls.
Thirdly, although Cruz is chastised by Rubin for being too unpopular to win the nomination because he only polls at 5%, why is it that Scott Walker is considered one of the frontrunners, while he polls… 5% as well? The difference between him and Cruz is 0.6%, which is easily within the margin of error.
Fourthly and most hilariously of all, Rubin writes that Cruz will probably have to follow in Rick Perry’s footsteps. Perry learned, she explains, to communicate his message in a slightly different (read: less polarizing and downright conservative) manner and that supposedly helped him. I quote:
Maybe the best thing for Cruz would be to run. There is nothing like the verdict of voters in those early states to sober up a politician. Losing is one thing; losing in embarrassing fashion is quite another. Perhaps — like Rick Perry — he needs that sort of humbling experience to redirect his focus and his approach to politics. If so, that would be to his and Republicans’ benefit.
If that helped Perry, as Rubin argues, how can she explain that he’s only polling at 4.2%, a full percentage lower than Cruz? He’s doing worse than Ted, Jennifer, and that while he actually ran for president once and, therefore, has somewhat of a national organization!
Is she any relation to Clinton Crime Family capo Bob Rubin?
I have no idea. I would research it if she was actually an interesting person, but alas...
She got a bad case of the CDs or Cruz Derangement Syndrome.
She’s a Hollywood hack lawyer who went to C-List schools whereas Ted Cruz is a top-flight Supreme Court-level constitutional lawyer who not only went to A-List schools but graduated with highest honors. A firm that Cruz worked for wouldn’t hire Ms. Rubin in a million years. That’s probably at the root of much of this.
I don’t think anybody understand why she has the post she has.
Cal Berkeley is rated in the top 10 law schools.
I realize it doesn’t have the famous grads like Harvard: Baraq Obama, Janet Reno, Chuck Schumer, Joe Kennedy etc.
Even her stupid articles about Ted gives clicks for the WaPo website.
Always defending your boy, even obliquely. LOL
Gee, she’s gonna self-destruct when she sees his debate performances.
“Maybe the best thing for Cruz would be to run... If so, that would be to his and Republicans’ benefit.”
I agree with the premise and conclusion here, just not the nonsense in between.
At least we can agree on something. Glad to know Jennifer Rubin cares so much about Cruz and the Republican party.
She has her finger on the pulse of grassroots politics like I am on top of the latest astrophysical and micro-particle theories.
He is holding on to that stick like he thinks it is another stick probably belonging to friend Regie.
She can just shut up! I’m sick of these people and their smear campaigns - they are such hypocrites.
Who’s her husband, the poor thing?
He’s an accountant named John.
Robert Rubin is married to Gretchen Rubin, who writes books about how to be happy. You can check her out on Amazon.
Cruzing with Ted.
ten buck$ says it uses that stick to take a picture of it's own azz...
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