Tulsa, OK
Posted on 08/18/2015 1:11:38 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
It's good to be Ted Cruz.
He may not have the buzziest campaign of the 2016 cycle thus far, ceding the stage to standouts — like Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina — who have hit a populist nerve. But Trump, Carson, and Fiorina — even more so than Sanders — are outsiders, and despite Cruz's penchant for making enemies and alienating people, he's playing a deeply inside game.
It's working like a charm. And his fellow insiders should be at least mildly terrified.
Here's the Cruz playbook. First, count on the other insider insurgents to flame out or fade. That's already happening to poor Rand Paul. (Things are so dire in the Paul camp that he's had to fall back on his father as a fundraising surrogate.) It's happening, in slow motion, to Scott Walker, whose lunkheaded approval of $80 million in public subsidies for a new NBA arena is just the latest indicator that he's not as conservative or compelling a candidate as his supporters had hoped.
The next puzzle piece to fall into place is Rick Perry. Even for Cruz, who has happily made himself a hate figure in the oh-so-collegial Senate, dumping on Perry would be bad form. It's essential to the Cruz campaign that Perry take himself out — and that's nearly a done deal, now, too.
With Cruz holding steady in the polls, the stage is just about set for him to emerge as the only "true conservative" in the race with the brains and the chops to match the purity. Although those qualities definitely prevent Cruz from beating Trump or Fiorina in the invisible populist primary, establishment types know full well that Cruz is the only viable candidate who the right's populists and elites can both stomach.
Of course, if Marco Rubio woke up tomorrow and decided to run to the right, that calculus would be upset in a hurry. But Rubio can't do that. He has to win the invisible elitist primary first. Rubio's playbook required that he keep pace with Jeb Bush, then let the party come to terms with the fact that Rubio had all the advantages of a Bush without the liability of the Bush name. But then Ohio Gov. John Kasich entered the race and showed surprising strength in the elitist primary, which makes Rubio's task more difficult and complicated — great news for Ted Cruz, because it means Rubio has to tack more to the center to protect his slice of the anti-populist vote from going either to Bush or Kasich.
Not long ago, people were convinced that more moderate candidates were destined to win GOP primaries. John McCain's and Mitt Romney's victories indicated that conservatives had to make do with vice presidential nominees. But neither McCain nor Romney had to contend with someone as savvy and put-together as Cruz. You don't have to be an Oscar-winning screenwriter to visualize how Cruz would have brought the boom down on those two.
Bush and Rubio are harder nuts for him to crack. But his ace in the hole is the populist vote, which at this point seems decidedly unwilling to settle for a Palin-esque consolation prize.
Then there are the billionaires. When Walker, Perry, and company falter and fail, the donors who backed them won't just take their marbles and go home. In fact, they're much more likely to bail beforehand, throwing their support to the most conservative candidate they think can stave off a full-blown populist revolt, sucking the disillusioned and disaffected back into the fold. And again, unless Rubio cuts right in a hurry, there's only one place for them to turn: Cruz.
That's why people jumped at the chance to believe recent (bogus) rumors that the billionaires, led by casino magnate Steve Wynn, had already decided to back Cruz. The logic behind that kind of backroom deal isn't some farfetched conspiracy theory. It's an open secret.
If you're a Republican who thinks Cruz can win in the general election, this is all great news. But if you don't, it's fairly scary. Because it means a sure loser has the surest path to the nomination — and the confidence to pursue it with no reservations.
Yes, that's right. Barring some unfathomable twist, Cruz will lose. For all his brilliant campaign strategy, that's one contingency Cruz still can't crack.
Carson is pro-abortion, anti-second amendment and doesn’t believe in defending our country against those who would come illegally over our borders.
I don’t understand his appeal.
I used to really like Rick but he has just become unappealing.
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Trump has been like Clorox...his presence has been sanitizing these mainstream turds floating around the primary “bowl”. They’ll be flushed one by one IMHO.
Take a look at the latest state polls Cruz is not exactly leading the pack or even close to it.
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Patience, Grasshopper.
The MSM has also taken a lot out of Cruz in terms of public perception. He has become the punchline of many late night comedian jokes. Unlike Trump, he cannot rebound or thrive from it.
And Cruz has been seen as the odd man out, which doesn't help him with the GOPe types. He is not a team player. It is a good for most of us, but it doesn't help him with many of the voters. Trump is the true outsider who has more credibility when he rails against the Washington Cartel, as Cruz describes it.
Bottom line: Cruz lacks the charisma and energy to attract dissatisfied voters compared to Trump. And he has feet of clay when it comes to the immigration issue.
One other matter. Do you believe Cruz is a natural born citizen as described in the Constitution?
From your keyboard to God’s ears!
“I don’t understand his appeal.”
He has a way with words. A casual style? Plus he keeps reminding everyone what a brain surgeon he is?
He seems like a nice guy. Too bad he’s not even close to being a conservative.
“One other matter. Do you believe Cruz is a natural born citizen as described in the Constitution?”
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I don’t know all the facts. Was his US Citizen mother over age 18 when he was born in Canada?
Yes. But Canada has birthright citizenship as does the U.S. So what is your definition of a natural born citizen?
OK, thanks. Since his US citizen mother was of maturity (18 years or older) when he was born in Canada while she was temporarily overseas, he is a natural born citizen.
And I’m not interested in getting into a pissing contest with you, so go bother someone else.
Does anyone seriously think that if Hitlery is the Rat candidate that she will ever allow any debates at all? She’s not quite that stupid, she knows she’ll get creamed.
Disagree. Cruz, due to his overwhelming intellect and debating skills, has a unique ability to change minds as demonstrated by his handling of Code Pink here.
Agree... And I still suspect Trump is a fraud. I’ll consider Trump if Cruz drops out and all that is left is Trump and Bush.
LOL So Cruz is, according to you, a natural born citizen of two countries? Does a child born in the U.S. of illegal alien parents qualify as a natural born citizen?
Tulsa, OK
I think Cruz would crush Bernie. Go Bernie!!
Posted on 8/30/2013, 3:02:15 PM by Jim Robinson
"Argue it all you wish. But if he runs, this site will support him to the hilt. Those who get nasty about it and or attack us or our good patriotic conservative friends like Mark Levin or our very best grassroots conservative candidates may find they no longer have accounts here."
44 posted on 8/30/2013, 4:00:44 PM by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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Is Ted Cruz a natural-born citizen eligible to serve as president? [Yes! And I support him! JimRob]
Thank you for your post. I refuse to engage in a pissing contest with this gentleman on this issue.
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