Posted on 09/17/2015 8:09:01 AM PDT by Isara
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"Though shalt not speak ill of any Republican," was Reagan's oft-repeated mantra.
Nearly everyone involved in Republican politics anticipates Wednesday night will be a brawl, as candidates take turns swiping at real estate developer Donald Trump. And yet one of the most polarizing candidates on the stage, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, has little to gain from entering the fray.
The Texan's lower-tier Republican rivals are desperate for attention, and the quickest way to earn that is to engage Trump. And candidates polling higher than Cruz, like retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, spent the time since the last debate tangled up in a war of words with Trump.
Cruz, meanwhile, is polling comfortably in the middle of the pack. He's neither desperate for attention nor has he gotten caught up in Trump's wrath.
For any candidate, taking on Trump is risky. Since Trump entered the race, the attacks exchanged between him and other Republicans centered around religious sincerity, professional acumen, personal appearance and other characteristics — a far cry from the old Reagan mantra.
Ahead of Wednesday night, there was a sense of anxiety among GOP presidential candidates. Some campaigns are terrified of networks excluding their candidates from future debates and worry about a lack of opportunities for a national audience until the next debate on Oct. 28.
It is true that there are high-profile Republicans who are in a panic that Trump as a nominee could be catastrophic for the party up and down the ballot in the general election. But some of the attacks on Trump have as much to do with candidate survival. More than money, attention is the prize at this point in the campaign, and there is no better way to take center stage than to take on Donald Trump.
Last week, CNN expanded the Reagan Library stage lineup to the 11 candidates who topped national polls (the previous debate included 10). Wednesday's debate will now include former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
Fiorina found herself in the lower-tier debate in early August but emerged as the breakout star of that night.
There is no guarantee that forthcoming debates will feature as many candidates or will even host an undercard debate. Candidates ranked nine, 10 and 11 in national polls could face a possibility of being left out of later debates’ main stage.
To take on Trump means instant news coverage, but many in GOP politics now say that former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s decision to do just that in July was the beginning of the end of his campaign. After a summer of lagging fundraising, Perry suspended his campaign on Friday.
Cruz chose a different direction. He avoids criticizing Trump, and as recently as a week ago, he appeared with billionaire at the U.S. Capitol in a joint rally to rail on President Obama’s Iran deal.
Rather than alienate Trump, Cruz has telegraphed that his aim is to pick up Trump followers, should the frontrunner collapse.
As a result, Cruz is not expected to be part of the ongoing spats between Trump and at least half of the people appearing on the stage. Trump has sparred with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Fiorina and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
The never-ending engagements, often nasty in tone, have led to expectations that CNN moderators will coax Trump and his rivals into side fights.
Cruz, however, is already aiming to turn the debate into a fundraising opportunity and indicated to supporters that he will be relevant.
"You see, immediately after tomorrow night's GOP debate I'm going to come under some vicious attacks," he wrote to supporters. "The elite media, left wing pundits and politicians and leftist blogosphere are already planning a full on frontal assault on me and my campaign."
The infighting is beginning to wear thin in the early nominating contest states. At least one top Iowa Republican is ready for a change in discourse.
“At some point, the candidates are going to outline their differences on policy rather than personality,” said Iowa GOP Co-Chairman Cody Hoefert. “Iowa voters are really starting to make up their minds and getting serious about who they’re going to caucus for.”
Ted Cruz is playing it smart and hoping conservatives realize he would be the right choice for President.
There’s no telling how long the Trump boomlet will last.
I love how both Cruz and Trump have figured out the formula and have decimated the GOPe and have put them into disarray.
And they have done this, it appears, without spending any significant amount of money! The GOPes and their establishment backers have blown tens of millions on ineffective ads! LOL!
Ted Cruz is a class act and a great conservative record. And he has the B*ll$ to take on the establishment. I’d like to see him rise to the top!
Cruz is my first choice. But he MUST change up his delivery to reach more people somehow. It’s like he’s giving a stump speech every time he answers a question. If he could just answer in a more natural conversational manner, he’d be golden.
Everybody was taking control of the debate jumping on Trapper to take the mic, I was saying C’mon Ted they are not being ignored take your opportunity it was frustrating for me to see him just stand there while others were forcing themselves into the debate, but as it turned out he was demonstrating his wisdom letting the others make fools of themselves as their forcefulness turned up empty rhetoric.
In hindsight I think he did very well and demonstrated maturity far beyond any of the others.
But does such an approach work today in Idiocracy America?
I’ve been for Sen. Cruz since the beginning.
I think he’s the real conservative in the crowd.
Of course I will vote for whichever Republican candidate is on the ballot, but some of them I would have to hold my nose while casting the vote.
I’m not all that excited about Trump-——
Hang in there Ted. If Trump crashes and burns you’re my backup. If Trump succeeds he’ll need a good man as his VP. I think he already knows who could fill that spot.
There may be some truth to that. Mark Simone on WOR 710 is saying that Cruz is going nowhere in the debates because he has a weird look and voice.
I have said as much from the very beginning. He’s my first choice but I wish he would just be a little more serious (he sometimes comes across as too “nice” in his efforts to be diplomatic but it makes him seem less serious to me. He doesn’t have to be Trump or offensive - just more serious - stick to the facts), tell fewer jokes, “campaign” a lot less and be himself more. I have seen him in one-on-one interviews or small groups and he comes across much more natural and believable (and likable). He’s not a great speaker (IMHO) and I have already gotten flamed several times for saying so - but he could use some pointers in this area. He seems to have a great organization and enough $$$ so I hope his “day” is on the horizon soon!
I agree, Cruz kind of pontificates when answering questions.
I think he does have to kind of try hard to get his accomplishments out because he never gets much face time. That is not the other candidates fault but it is the fault of moderators.
Nope, the electorate has changed.
I held my nose and voted for McCain in 2008 because Obama was so much worse.
I held my nose and voted for Romney in 2012 because Obama was so much worse.
I just don't think I can hold my nose next year and vote for Jeb Bush. There is not a rat's ass worth of difference between him and Hillary Clinton. Either way, we are totally fvcked.
I think I could hold my nose and vote for just about anyone else on the stage last night against Hillary. Cruz is still my first choice.
Exactly. On the stump he’s great. In a debate setting he’s too scripted. He needs to loosen it up during debates.
Cruz is playing the long game he has the $$$$$ to do so. The early debates are crucial for some not for others, as per Sun Tzu:
“He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.”
The herd will thin then Cruz can make his case. He will be visible in Congress fighting the establishment. These actions will speak louder than the words of many of his competitors.
I love his positions, but for some reason, he just doesn’t come across well. I don’t know what it is. I’m not attacking him, and I’d vote for him, but I don’t think he’d win because there is simply some communication gap.
If Carson were a white guy with the exact same qualifications would he still be on the stage? It seems that if there were a white guy with the exact same qualifications as barky, he would have been laughed off the national stage on day 1 for not having qualifications. Is it because they are blacks who are “clean and articulate”.
I like Cruz’s values but he is too cerebral for the masses to stay awake. Politics is a street brawl, not a moderated high school debate. Cruz needs to jump off the academic ivory towers and land on some heads, then get in their face. The masses will respond better to that (if Trump is any indication) than a boring debate. He has the substance, but not the style.
Pathetic, isn’t it!
I give for this once proud land……...
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