Posted on 11/30/2015 9:00:27 AM PST by Isara
I often come away from the conservative/Christian conferences I’ve attended around the country with the feeling that we’re trying to drive the car by hitting the gas and the brakes at the exact same time.
Although I have met many wonderful people at those events, and received no shortage of inspiration from the speeches I have heard, there is also a shadow that looms over everything. This shadow taunts us with visions of an army, whose soldiers run away or whose weapons jam right at the very moment in the fight when resolve and execution matter most.
And those shadows have names.
McCain. Romney. Boehner. McConnell. We may preach the antithesis of their failure theater at our gatherings, but they snuff out our song nonetheless with equivocation and platitudes. We may wave the flag for a new birth of freedom, but they break off the flag stick and stab us in the back with it.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Are we are tired of it? Yes. But how tired are we, really? Many in the conservative punditry class seem like they would give anything for Donald Trump to stop upsetting the applecart so they could simply go back to peacefully writing their nagging columns about what’s wrong with Democrats. All the while never really coming close to drawing the enemy’s blood or actually risking their lives, fortunes or sacred honors. My colleague here at CR, Daniel Horowitz, not-so-graciously refers to this far too prevalent wing of the conservative movement as the “thumb suckers brigade.”
We insist that isn’t us. That we are the tried and true foot soldiers of American Exceptionalism. That if only we had our chance to seize the battlefield’s high ground, we’d take it and never look back.
Well, then, this Christmas is the time to ante up.
A field general with an organizational army of over 100,000 volunteers. A supply train of cash as rich as anyone could hope to amass. A consistent track record of putting principle over position. And the valor to be the first one to charge into battle, and take a bullet for the cause, is standing taller than we could have possibly hoped for when the 2016 GOP presidential field began auditioning last January.
His name is Ted Cruz, and while I have long been a supporter of his, I am also stunned by the simple arithmetic now undeniably calling his name forward.
The deepest presidential field in our lifetime, including the last two Iowa Caucus winners, figured to be a battle royal from the outset. So many respectable candidates would be vying for the same conservative base that even a narrow top three finish would be viewed as a huge success.
Yet with a dozen candidates still in the race, there are only two left who, barring disaster, seem to have a shot at securing 30 percent of the vote when the Iowa Caucus sorts things out roughly 60 days from now: Trump and Cruz.
If you are an actual conservative who has supported somebody other than Cruz up to this point, let me put in plainly: I couldn’t care less what your inner child thinks about that. In politics, it is the rare man who should be considered bigger than the movement. And if that does happen, such a man will have grown to that stature exactly because he is the most capable embodiment of what that movement stands for and hopes to achieve.
Everybody has had a chance at pulling the sword from the 2016 presidential stone. If Huckabee, Santorum, or Rubio (or several others) had built the campaign Cruz has, I would happily be on board. But they didn’t. Cruz did.
A population of die-hards who have attended more conservative book signings and rallies than they can count should no longer be starry-eyed about what is going on here. We can’t proceed as if we are little more than baseball card collectors or NASCAR fans obsessed with a single driver.
None of our gatherings have frankly been worth a warm pile of spit if we can’t coalesce now around a man who can grant American Exceptionalism the booster shot it desperately needs. So if you have a book shelf at home full of preachy tomes and autographed conservative memorabilia, but are still waffling about the path to victory in this race, you missed the whole point of our movement. If indeed a movement we really are, as opposed to an industry.
The 2008 and 2012 Iowa Caucus/GOP presidential primary involved a genuinely difficult decision for voters. That is not the case this time. Either gather around Cruz, on behalf of the values that won the American Revolution, or Trump’s “burn it down” French Revolution will likely win.
For this cycle is about revolution, which is why all the non-revolutionary candidates have been weighed, measured, and rejected by GOP primary voters. And this revolution will be televised, too. It’s just a matter of which revolution’s mission—American or French—will smile for the cameras.
As I wrote here earlier this week, Trump could be unstoppable if he wins Iowa. While his loyalists are people conservatives have often shared common cause with in recent months, and who are justifiably angry by the state of their country and their personal fortunes, let us not pretend we haven’t known all along how raw and unfocused the Trump road into the future will likely be.
And I say that as someone very appreciative of Trump undeniably destroying Jeb Bush and the GOP establishment’s stranglehold on the primary process. Our movement owes him a debt of gratitude for that. But let us also not pretend, on the other hand, that someone who held progressive positions on virtually every meaningful issue just a couple of years ago is really one of us.
If the conservative movement has been about anything other than glorified water cooler talk these many years since Ronald Reagan walked off into the sunset, there is a far better way for them to champion their cause. The pagan-progressive moment that is currently unravelling us has the most to fear from Cruz. If only we will acknowledge he has done everything we have asked for from a standard bearer. He has fought every fight we’ve ever asked someone to take on, and built a professional campaign the likes of which we’ve never seen from a conservative presidential contender.
He has earned our movement’s support. Now it is time for our movement to show it is one, after all, and put all our book sales and sold-out conferences where our mouths have been since the Reagan Revolution.
If not now, at this tipping moment for America, then when?
It’s not about Cruz. It’s about Trump. Look his past actions in the face and defend him. It seems to me the only way you defend Trump is by attacking Cruz. How about defending Trump?
GREAT NEWS! Cruz told campaign event:
He is holding off on attacks on Trump because “he does not think trump has a chance at the nomination! off to google more, this was from FNC tease.
Sometimes it ain’t worth debunking. So much opinion disguised as fact. When you can parlay $2 million into $2 Billion in 20-30 years I’ll believe you that all it took to do that was self promotion and noteriety.
As I said, I do not expect trump to act graciously.
Your posts increase in incoherence. I will ignore you from now on. Parting advice: seek treatment.
You can continue to congratulate yourself on your purity. I think a pragmatic approach may accomplish more. Without Trump I can see Hillary from my windows and that is a descent into madness and third world America. In my opinion Cruz doesn’t have any traction and will not win in any case.
Cruz's ideology trumps Texas' interests, businesses complain
Robert Mercer, one of the largest contributors to the Keep the Promise SuperPAC supporting Ted Cruz, has been the target of radical, pro-illegal immigration activists. Mercer has contributed $11 million. Evidently, Mercer believes Cruz won't be beholden to groups soft on illegal immigration.
"A demonstration was outside the offices of an American citizen, Robert Mercer, who supports our U.S. Immigration Laws and the Candidates who support keeping our borders safe. However, these Illegal trespassers and their Marxist-Leftist-Union handlers want NO U.S. immigration laws -- for them --and Robert Mercer is 'the Enemy'."If you're curious, some of the other major contributors to the SuperPAC are named here: PAC Built by Ted Cruz Mega-Donors Gets Evangelical LeaderTrespassers 'Say NO' U.S. Immigration Laws-For them (NYC) 7-10-15"
Bear in mind, the Cruz for President campaign has received more than 450,000 contributions originating from nearly half of all the zip codes in America. The largest percentage of the donations, by a large margin, are from retired people. The average of the contributions is $73.
Was he “rescuing and upholding the Constitution when he voted for fast track authority for Pres Obama thinking that he would have “cover” by voting against the overall deal?
I have no complaint about Cruz’s bona fides(conservative, Christian, etc.) with the exception that he has showed, through votes this past year, that either he is constrained by donors/potential donors, or he has exhibited bad judgment on those votes. You can say that they all make mistakes, and that is true, they do, but for someone who is touted as being the smartest guy in the room, it was either extremely calculated, caused by pressure from donors, or just a very bad decision. Either way, a signal, to me, at least, he is not ready for President or cannot be “on his own” with respect to policy.
I don’t think hitlery will win. I will not vote for trump.
but I'm incoherent
Missed that Civics lesson in 9th grade hun?
Clinton Revolution is the same as the Obama Revolution to make America a failed socialist state—the go full blown Communist with enforcement at the point of a gun. Hillary is Obama’s 3rd Term. She will appoint him as Sec. of State and he will make a hash of foreign policy. Trump will be a pause from that—will he make America Great? Hard to say. But its worth a try.
It is gong to take a lot longer than that. You forgot to mention Roosevelt, Wilson, Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Bush, and Bush.
My question wasn’t about Trump, it was about ANY Politician in Trump’s current Polling position. It never happened yet you hope that Trump will be gracious? Why aren’t all the 1% Candidates being gracious?
Heck, Nixon Won the 1960 Presidential Election but he was “gracious” in letting the Democrat Voter Fraud elect Kennedy because he was worried about the effect it would have on the Country. Gracious gets you nothing in Politics.
Being “gracious” got us Obama after eight years of President Bush letting the Democrats control the language.
His usual “it’s just Politics” line in response to the continuous Lies and Slander from the Democrats and the Left got us where we are today.
Keep the dream alive because that’s all it is, a dream.
Actually Cruz and his wife owned by Goldman Sachs are more crony capitalists. Add in Cruz willingness to increase foreign work visas and his crony capitalist credentials are apparent.
ping
“Count me in the “Burn it down†camp.
We’ve tried everything else.”
Except, you know, nominating a conservative...
Think maybe we can try that first?
Or Saunders. That “Seven Mountains” stuff is waaaay too creepy. The left would have a blast with Cruz.
I have looked at Trump's past actions. I have read three of his books, I have watched nearly all of his speeches, and read hundreds of articles about him, his family, and his history.
I wasn't sold on him when he first entered the race. In fact, I didn't pay any attention to him at all.
Once he started making waves I decided to check into him and I liked what I found.
I like that he comes from a strong, responsible family. I like that he went to military school and from all reports was extremely disciplined and a good leader.
I like that he worked with and for his father and learned his way up from the bottom by cleaning garages, and working along side maintenance and construction workers.
I like that he spent every weekend and summer working for his father and even his school mates felt sorry for him for having to do it.
I like the fact that instead of running wild in college he instead bought run down houses and flipped them.
I like the fact that education is so important to him and he believes we need to return respect and discipline to the classroom.
I like the fact that he borrowed a million dollars from his dad and accomplished what his dad didn't believe anyone could do.
I like the fact that he believes in law and order and strict adherence to law with real punishment for lawbreakers.
I like the fact that he supports our military and vets and was doing good things for them long before he ran for office.
I like the fact that doesn't think welfare should be a hammock and that able bodied people should work for a living.
I like the fact that he wants to control our immigration nightmare by deporting those here illegally, building a wall, tripling the number of border patrol and giving them the tools they need, emptying our prisons of illegals by sending them back, and enforcing the laws already on the books.
I like the fact that he wants to reduce the tax burden on the middle class and business along with reducing the size of the IRS.
I like the fact that he is loyal and true to his word and that no one can find any ex employee or friend who will say otherwise.
I like the fact that he has raised a beautiful, hard working family who also spent their time learning by working from the bottom up in his company. The sons operated bulldozers and laid brick. I'm not sure what Ivanka did but I am sure it wasn't glamorous.
And I like the fact that none of his kids ran around or did drugs but rather worked hard and studied hard.
In short, Trump's life is literally an open book and I know more abut him than I could ever find out about Cruz and I like what he is and what he has to offer.
He is giving up a very comfortable life to do this and I am convinced that his only goal is to "Make America Great Again"!
Trump supporters please add what I have forgotten about the things we know about Trump.
Trumps father Fred left The Donald an empire featuring 27,000 housing units in and around NYC. And you believe his spin that he inherited just $2 million! That explains much.
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