‘Fair Trade’: Ted Cruz Rejects GOP Orthodoxy, Joins Jeff Sessions Populist Revolt

Breitbart ^ | 3/31/2016 | Michelle Moons

[lodi90]

Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz pledges to “stand up for fair trade” in a new state-wide Wisconsin ad hitting on international trade deals, a signature issue of frontrunner Donald Trump’s campaign.

“Free trade” is generally seen as a globalist policy in which restrictions on imports and exports are kept to an absolute minimum. “Fair traders,” on the other hand, argue that purely free trade can have negative consequences for the citizens of a particular country, especially when it comes to wages and employment opportunities for the lower and middle classes. They recommend that sovereign nations negotiate and implement trade deals that prioritize their own people first. This debate has been a centerpiece of the 2016 primary season as both political parties have seen populist factions revolt against their respective establishments over what they view as unfair free trade deals.

Cruz, speaking directly to the camera, says:

Wisconsin is a beautiful place where the people place solutions over slogans.

Our campaign is for the working moms, the truck drivers, the mechanics, and the machinists with calluses on their hands. It’s for the farmers and factory workers and the families who worry about prices going up while paychecks stay flat. It’s for the young people coming out of school unable to find a job.

I’m going to stand up for fair trade, and bring our jobs back from China.

We will see wages going up. We’ll see opportunity again.

We’ll see a President who will stand with the people of Wisconsin, and Americans everywhere.

This is a significant change in policy and rhetoric for Cruz away from Republican party’s limitless trade orthodoxy.

[Innovative]

“We’ll see a President who will stand with the people of Wisconsin, and Americans everywhere. “

Does Cruz really think Hillary will do this?

Because that is who is going to be president, if Cruz would get the R nomination.

Why do you think the Dems are pulling out all the stops trying to defeat Trump in the primaries, so Hillary won’t have to face him in the general elections?

GOPe is in bed with the Democrats for a Hillary presidency.

See:

Tech billionaires (major Dem donors) plot with GOP leaders at exclusive island resort to stop Trump

http://nypost.com/2016/03/08/tech-billionaires-plot-with-gop-leaders-to-stop-trump-at-exclusive-island-resort/

[niki]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qO4YveBKdg

Laura Ingraham eats Ted Cruz alive on Trade

[LongWayHome]

Thanks for posting this. She makes Cruz sound like a raving idiot. Wow.

[Sun]

“Trump has managed to make people who used to be decent and great debaters here on FR hateful.. Like trump they don’t want to debate issues, ....”

So I’ve noticed. Trump has lowered the bar on decency.

Trump does things like insult his opponent’s face, finds a bad picture of another opponent’s wife, and tweets it, lies about another opponent, etc.. Trump is just a mean man, and has caused otherwise decent people to think it’s cool to be cruel.

Trump is a loose cannon, and his revengeful nature would follow through if he ever became president. I would not put it past him to take revenge on anybody he was angry with, including IRS audits.

He’s also a control freak, and did not want me to be able to vote in the GOP primaries when he was considering running in the NY gubernatorial race. He said that he would not run IF there was a primary.

Ed Cox, the NY GOP chairman, basically told him he would have to follow the same rules as everybody else.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

God bless you Cruz supporters for caring so deeply, but your patriotism is being contorted and reshaped like a plastic explosive. The fruits of your labors will be a verbal detonation on the convention floor.

Here’s what I mean.

First off, Heidi Cruz. I’ve been slow to criticize her. But come to find out she did indeed support at least one globalist treaty [and probably more]. I challenged her most effective defender on an opinion she herself wrote. So far no response. [Will post a followup.]

Cruz has been silent on smart trade [aka fair trade] while his wife supports a trade deal that doubles down on NAFTA. His lengthy silence is even worse than Trump supporting Big Ethanol. At least that’s home-grown, and it’s only half as hypocritical.

Now Cruz panders to Wisconsin, Harley Davidson country:

FLASHBACK: Reagan puts 45% tariff on Japanese motorcycles to rescue HARLEY DAVIDSON...
http://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/02/business/us-raises-tariff-for-motorcycles.html

~~~

And what about ‘Build that Wall’?

~~~

Cruz is also the latecomer on immigration. Trump condemned illegal immigration as far back as 2000 [in his book, ‘The America We Deserve’].

Not sure if Cruz did the same before working for GW Bush. Best I can tell, Cruz is the latecomer then too and was more concerned with pushing for Roberts to be a supreme court justice than immigration.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Cruz is for free trade [only pandering now] while his wife is a globalist.

nclaurel:

‘I finally found the NAU and read it. Heidi Cruz’ comment is under Additional and Dissenting Opinions on pages 33 and 34 of the paper. I would say from reading it that it is one of the additional opinions and not dissenting. Taken directly from the paper.’

[quoting Heidi Cruz ...]

I support the Task Force report and its recommendations aimed at building a safer and more prosperous North America. Economic prosperity and a world safe from terrorism and other security threats are no doubt inextricably linked. While governments play an invaluable role in both regards, we must emphasize the imperative that economic investment be led and perpetuated by the private sector. There is no force proven like the market for aligning incentives, sourcing capital, and producing results like financial markets and profit-making businesses. This is simply necessary to sustain a higher living standard for the poorest among us—truly the measure of our success. As such, investment funds and financing mechanisms should be deemed attractive instruments by those committing the capital and should only be developed in conjunction with market participants.

— Heidi S. Cruz

[central_va]

I support the Task Force report and its recommendations aimed at building a safer and more prosperous North America. Economic prosperity and a world safe from terrorism and other security threats are no doubt inextricably linked. While governments play an invaluable role in both regards, we must emphasize the imperative that economic investment be led and perpetuated by the private sector. There is no force proven like the market for aligning incentives, sourcing capital, and producing results like financial markets and profit-making businesses. This is simply necessary to sustain a higher living standard for the poorest among us—truly the measure of our success. As such, investment funds and financing mechanisms should be deemed attractive instruments by those committing the capital and should only be developed in conjunction with market participants.

Signifying nothing.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

This isn’t the first time Cruz thinks his supporters are stupid.

1. While opposing the muslim ban, he comes up with his wackadoodle ‘patrol the muslim neighborhood’ plan. Even if he somehow tries to beef up their surveillance power, the courts would gavel it down.

Some Cruz supportes claim this accusation is a lie. If so, I would appreciate being corrected.

2. Cruz tried to blame Trump for the rent-a-mobs. Once again, he counts on stupidity.

3. If Cruz really cared about widespread immigration and all the fallout that goes with it, he would not risk a floor fight at the convention. His only core value is ‘stop Trump’. He thinks his supporters are too stuid to realize it.

[TornadoAlley3]

My first thought too! “40 hour week for a livin’...”

[Dr. Sivana]

Thanks for your concern. Ted Cruz, not Heidi Cruz, is running for President. I don't believe that Melania's positions on Planned Parenthood and homosexual anything would come close to much of us, but I have been willing to overlook it as she is not going to be president. She is a pretty serious Seventh Day Adventist, and the religion as a whole doesn't strike me as being friendly to New World Order type stuff.

The issues you list are not the only ones. In these kinds of elections there is likely to be some degree of what you consider pandering; whether it's Jesse Helms on tobacco subsidies, Ted Cruz on H-D, or Donald Trump on ethanol.

Cruz has been documented as a full-spectrum Reagan conservative since his adolescence, and has a coherent approach to these things, and he tends not to be "malleable" on the things many of us don't want him to be malleable on.

The default position of a Reagan position is Milton Friedman-style free trade. Heck, Reagan himself proposed a NAFTA style agreement way back in 1980, in both his 20 minute and 5 minute announcements for president, and no one batted an eye then. Whether Cruz is maturing or simply responding to political pressure, if it gets him to do the right thing, it's all good.

You listed vulnerabilities that are reasonable to point out. There is no perfect candidate, and previous candidates who focused on these issues tended to never go anywhere or have a quick flame out (Pat Buchanan, Tom Tancredo come to mind).

I believe very firmly that Ted Cruz is extremely well equipped to be an exceptional president, one of the best we've ever had.

My priorities may be different than yours, and you have had the good sense to not badger people like me to say, in effect, "Watsa matter with you?! If you don't adopt my priorities the country is finished!"

For my part, while I don't trust Trump, I am willing to take a SERIOUS upgrade over what we have now, scramble to help reassemble a better Republican Party out of the rubble, and hope to be pleasantly surprised if he proves my doubts unfounded. I have NEVER been someone to say "Trump can't win", I've seen what the polling always looks like at this point, and Trump is a hard man to game. With him, years of seven state strategies are down the tubes.

Either Trump or Cruz will actually fight hard for the whole thing, NO ONE no McCains or Romneys here. If either of them would lose against a horrible, weak candidate like HRC we are too far gone for a political solution, and this is gonna play out a bit longer.

On those who say that Trump alienates too many women, I suggest this:

In a Trump vs. HRC race, HRC will try to drive down negatives, and Trump will amplify with such an easy target. When the negatives of both are sky high, women will be driven from Trump, but women's turnout will also be weakened, whereas men will in some cases be weakened less, and in some cases will be motivated more.

I support Cruz because I think he'd be the best president, but I recognize Trump's political strengths.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Heidi Cruz is on record supporting a globalist plan. So can someone explain to me how that is a dissent?

‘I support the Task Force report and its recommendations aimed at building a safer and more prosperous North America.’*

She then followed up with praise for free market forces which all sound exactly like Milton Friedman. Which is excellent for a sovereign nation.

But the CFR plan? How to make North America more like the European Union.

And she ‘supported’ it in her ‘dissent’?

‘... Her contribution to the report was narrowly focused on economic issues,’ Rick Tyler** told WND. ‘She said as much in her dissenting view included in the report.’*

Is the Cruz campaign being truthful? Was her support a dissent? What am I missing?

How involved would she be in a Cruz White House?

Could it be that Cruz was slow to talk about ‘Fair Trade’ because he agrees with her?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Your post is thoughtful and polite.

But actually you give me too much credit.

I think what Cruz is doing is very dangerous at this point.

He can’t get the delegates through the primary, and now he’s gambling on convention rules not yet written and trying to infiltrate Trump delegates with trojan horses.

That’s not the way to unify. It’s not leadership. And it exposes a ‘deal breaker’ character flaw IMHO.

So Trump supporters might need to double down on him for the good of the country.

You are a patriot. And God bless you.

I hope you understand my thinking.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

‘Heck, Reagan himself proposed a NAFTA style agreement way back in 1980 ...’

Valid point. But when it comes to trade? I prefer a winning strategy.

And Ted is saying that he does too now.

Pat Buchanan cited an interesting history factoid:

http://buchanan.org/blog/trump-is-right-on-trade-124822

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3399142/posts

[snippet]

As father of a united Germany, Chancellor Bismarck said, when he decided to build Germany on the American and not the British model, ‘I see that those countries which possess protection are prospering, and that those countries which possess free trade are decaying.’

[Dr. Sivana]

You are a patriot. And God bless you.

I hope you understand my thinking.

God Bless You and Yours, too.

I do understand your way of thinking. Some folks have this "If you don't believe my conspiracy theory, you must be part of it" attitude which is maddening because it cannot be disproven.

Chesterton writes (I think in "Orthodoxy") that the madman is completely consistent. His reasoning works in a perfect circle, only his circle is very small.

Trump, Cruz, GOP-E Mystery Stooge, any option will turn off large chunks of people and or money. Fortunately, we are not running against JFK, Obama, or FDR. We are running against a poorly aging widely-disliked and feared, less philosophical version of Lady MacBeth/Madame DuFarge recovering from something like a stroke.

This is the time to strike with a serious conservative or an independent populist/nationalist. There will be no more opportunity to reform the party, and bring in the disenfranchised working Americans, and chase out the old money cronies and the new money social anarchists.

We'll have to let it play out. If there must be an anti-Trump (and there must be), it may as well be Cruz.

[Dr. Sivana]

As father of a united Germany, Chancellor Bismarck said, when he decided to build Germany on the American and not the British model, ‘I see that those countries which possess protection are prospering, and that those countries which possess free trade are decaying.’

And another infamous German, Karl Marx, was all for Free Trade. Those of us who are Constitutionalists have to notice that tariffs are one of the few tax mechanisms explicitly acknowledged in the original U.S. Constitution.

I like to joke with the libertarian absolutist types, paraphrasing Mao Tse-Tung, "Capitalism in One Country!"

[ecomcon]

Laura Ingraham eats Ted Cruz alive on Trade

And how.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Here’s more by Buchanan:

Patriots look to Alexander Hamilton and those post-Civil War Republicans who built the greatest national industrial powerhouse the world had ever seen.

Indeed, what great nation did free trade ever build?

[unquote]

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

‘Trump, Cruz, GOP-E Mystery Stooge, any option will turn off large chunks of people and or money.’

True, but then you factor in the energy level.

There is no enthusiasm for trojan horse delegates and worse. Those are dampers. Too risky.

[Dr. Sivana]

There is no enthusiasm for trojan horse delegates and worse. Those are dampers. Too risky.

Agreed. Cruz delegates, and many Trump delegates are fighting for their families, their country, not paychecks or payoffs.

Push back will come from folks in safe seats down ticket who are RINOs and/or corrupt. Also, regardless, some will suffer in any of the three scenarios depending on where they are located. Oddly, Trump should ultimately benefit northeastern Republicans overall depending on how he runs his campaign, and if they will play nice.

I suspect that the south didn't turn out to be the Cruz stronghold I had hoped as the South in general had never been so much against government per se. Cruz has been doing better out west (Montana, Idaho, Dakotas) where there's never been anything but Indian wars and Trumps idea of greatness (in the large, powerful sense) potentially scares them. Nevada, Arizona and California are obvious exceptions for demographic and other reasons.

[servantboy777]

Cruz is my senator. He has done all that he has promised for the citizens of Texas...you know, the most conservative state in the union. He won Texas resoundingly because Texans trust him. Is he perfect? Hell no. Is Trump perfect...hell no.

Remember, democrats in Texas are more conservative than republicans in New Jersey and the North/Northeast/West/NWest. Must be why Atlantic city, NJ is bankrupt.

In fact, the whole Northeast is and has been governed by liberals (republican and democrat) for decades. NE, West and NW state governments are a mess, driven into the ground by liberal policy. Outrageous cost of living, high taxes, overburdening regulation on business. This is the exact reason business is fleeing from those states and relocating to Texas.

Furthermore, the republican establishment had been aligning themselves to battle Ted Cruz, not Donald Trump. They hated Ted Cruz for standing up against the weak kneed liberal republican leadership. He called them out and in fact exposed their lies...even lies to their own party members who were the CONSERVATIVE wing.

Donald entered the race months after it was learned Cruz was to run/announced. Trump is riding a wave of nationalism and rightfully so. This IS NOT about Trump or Cruz. It is about a nationalistic rebellion against those in government. Just as folks on the left are utilizing Sanders as their vehicle...to battle the establishment they feel has failed them.

It is the liberal media that has duped folks into this brawl against the candidates to distract from the real core reason these guys have been propelled the way that they have. Citizen Rebellion. Sad to say, we have to many stupid damn people allowing themselves to be led by the nose ring by dumb @$$ media reports causing this ridiculous sparring match between candidates, thus distracting folks from core issues. Citizens suck it up, hook, line and sinker. Happens every single presidential election cycle.

If Trump gains the nomination, then fine. I will support him. What really puts a burr under my saddle are folks who pickup and parrot soundbites. Folks want to have a foe, so they pic Ted Cruz. Ok...I get it, but to call him a liar, cheat and all sorts of other nonsense is just plain sophomoric in nature.