Exactly, Cruz is and has always been a real conservative. No one with a brain questions that fact.
Well I guess what perplexes me then is what about his time (4 years?) in the Bush administration would lead you to believe he isnāt what he says he is? Are you saying that simply being associated with Bush disqualifies his credentials? Did he do something at the FTC that disproves his constitutional conservatism?
Having Cruz as President would put all of the squishy spine Republicans in a tough position. Suddenly all of the things they campaign on could become a reality if they draft legislation, pass and send it to the president.
Would they do it? Maybe. But would they win their next election if they pass on a chance to do what they have always claimed they wanted to?
Exactly. Shining a light on these RINOs is going to go a long way in assuring that the types of bills that finally do reach his desk will be a lot more in line with what was promised to constituents than the kind of bullshit that gets passed now.
To add to this, the President has a much larger bully pulpit from which to garner support directly from the American people for any cause worth fighting for. The media can try and spin things any way they want, but they have to put what he says out there. Again, RINOs have been getting ousted en masse at the ballot box from an increasingly angry, increasingly activist populace. They can hate Cruz all they want, but they arenāt going to go against him at the expense of losing their jobs.
As for your conjecture that Ted Cruz is pulling a multiyear con on the American people leading him all the way to the highest office in the history of the worldā¦Iām sorry, I honestly am having trouble believing that you can actually believe this. It sounds hokey as hell to me. We know pretty well which politicians are going to betray our trusts. We know that from their records. Cruzās record, once he finally moved himself into a position of power (and well before that, for that matter) has been pristine. To suggest that he has just been biding his time because he always knew he would become President, getting to that point by pissing off most of the Republican Establishment and butting heads with nearly every person of power in Washingtonā¦does that not sound looney toons to you? Seriously?
Yes, it would put pressure on RINOs, by the wrong kind - in the exact same way Obama put pressure on the moderate Democrats in Congress by challenging their squishiness in making them take liberal votesā¦he will make sure they lose their jobs.
How many moderate Democrats paid with their careers for being forced to toe Obamaās line?
Now, imagine how many conservative bills will come to Cruzās desk after Republicans lose the House and Senate when Democratic moderates get elected to the seats previously held by RINOs because the districts actually want a moderate politician and not a CC?
And you want to repeat this failed strategy? Do āconservativesā learn nothing from recent electoral history?
I did, read above. Wouldnāt it be better if you start with what I said above re: Cruzās approach at the FTC? I gave you something to react to - whatās your reaction?
The house cleaning thatās been going on on the Republican side has not been happening to candidates who were too far to the right, TB. Not by a long shot. Itās been those lukewarm ones getting spit out. And that also explains the Democrat house cleaning, if you think about it.
Well, no, that isnāt what I said, and if you read my posts, youāll see where I clarified.
Cruz is a right-wing conservative, sure - heās no liberal in disguise or anything like that. But heās acting as though heād govern as a āconstitutional conservativeā if elected - but will he? You think he plans on delivering those goods?
I just really donāt get all of the ire from OUR side for someone who does what he says heās going to do, who has done so for years now, totally consistently, and who follows the principles of the Constitution drafted by our Founding Fathers.
Weāve tried the āpractical,ā āmoderateā Republicans. They tend to either lose elections or drive up spending into the trillions and move us toward a leftist agenda anyway. Why keep doing the same thing that isnāt working?
Not in the swing districts. And legislative control is simple arithmetic. And if you lose the swing districts, no control. And if you have a president who will cause th āsquishesā to lose, you lose swing districts.
Thereās no value in running up the score in highly conservative districts - you have to win and keep winning districts that are not.
Obama screwed this up royally in the name of his own vanity.
Hereās how I would describe the problem using politics as a basketball game. The conservatives (broadly) are down by 20 points (in getting a conservative agenda enacted, reducing government, etc.). At the timeout, everyone is discussing the strategy to come back. The āconstitutional conservativeā keeps saying āput the guy in who can shoot a 30 pointer!!!ā
There are no 30 pointers. You canāt get the lead back in one possession - you have to get it back a possession at a time.
Thinking Cruz will come in and start raining 30 pointers is ridiculous. It shows a lack of grasp of electoral politics. And heāll doom a party already (as we have seen from this nomination process) on rickety foundation.
But you said he wonāt be able to get all of those things done anyway. So what is there to worry about?
Your argument makes no sense. On the one hand you are claiming Obama did exactly what you fear Cruz will do. Pushing moderates to vote for conservative legislation (as Obama pushed moderate democrats to vote for far left legislation) thus dooming them in the next election. During the same breath you claim that it cannot be done so quickly.
Which is it?
I have some issues with Cruz. I like much about him. Heās undeniably intelligent. Cares about many of the same issues as I. And, seems sincere enough on the issues (I can respect that, even when I disagree). However, he seems too stubborn in conservatism. Iām afraid heās going to accomplish less for conservatism, because heās going to insist that everything coming across his desk be pretty much through and through conservative. As Iāve said, Iām even willing to trade off tax raises on the wealthiest in exchange for real entitlement reform that results in real significant spending cuts (it absolutely must be done, starting now). Iām afraid he wouldnāt even consider the deal. In fact, Iām afraid heād insist on getting tax cuts and entitlement reform ( if my above compromise is unlikely to pass, this one is a no hope proposition), or nothing (so no entitlement reformā¦)).
Further, heās more hawkish than me. His reaction to Iranās picking up our sailors was too much. I mean, give it a bit and wait and see if the diplomats are getting it done before making threats, at least? And while I appreciate his speaking out against expanding torture (Trumpās proposal), his support for water-boarding and his refusal to call it torture are disheartening.
I honestly think Kasich might be the best bet in the General, and for actually getting SOMETHING done as President as opposed to doing NOTHING in attempt to accomplish EVERYTHING. But hereās the problem, can the republicans use the convention to leap past Trump AND Cruz? Skipping over Trump alone, I believe the party could recover. He is highly controversial within the party. Enough conservatives/republicans are confused as to what even makes him a republican (considering past statements on issues). Though wounded and confused, the party would recover. But then to also not give it to the next guy in the delegate count, who conservatism isnāt really questioned (an issue here or there aside, heās got the record conservatives can feel confident in)ā¦Iām not entirely sure an overly ambitious conservative Cruz presidency could damage the GoP more than not just one, but two, instances of ignoring the delegate count. Especially when with one of the candidateās is on record as actually being rather darn conservative (as opposed to Trump.). That kind of action might be as destructive to the GoP as a Trump nomination.
I think passing by Cruz might just be going one too far.
Completely agree. The issue, as you mention, is leaping over the two leaders who many people voted for. I donāt see how that could be justified unless the convention is at a dead lock for multiple ballets with no end in site. Voters are going to feel wronged if Trump doesnāt win, but they will be really pissed if Trump and Cruz donāt win.