What a Ted Cruz victory would mean (1 Viewer)

[roadkill1292]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Ted Cruz doesn't like rock music because he didn't like how rock music responded to 9/11

Ha ok, I don't think it's ridiculous to say that the fact this guy reads patriotism into everything from Bon Jovi to the fries he orders is an actual issue.

 

[ffldrew]

Ted Cruz doesn't like rock music because he didn't like how rock music responded to 9/11

Takes a simple question and wraps it in to 9/11 to show his false patriotism and makes 9/11 about him. Narcissist plain and simple.

 

[Joe Summer]

Ted Cruz doesn't like rock music because he didn't like how rock music responded to 9/11

...

“You know, music is interesting. I grew up listening to classic rock and I’ll tell you sort of an odd story. My music tastes changed on 9/11. And it’s a very strange—I actually, intellectually, find this very curious, but on 9/11, I didn’t like how rock music responded. And country music collectively, the way they responded, it resonated with me and I have to say, it—just as a gut level, I had an emotional reaction that says, “These are my people.” And so ever since 2001 I listen to country music, but I’m an odd country music fan because I didn’t listen to it prior to 2001."

That is warped.

I know next to nothing about the guy, but I find the fact that folks are zeroing in on this to be somewhat disturbing.

The guy called out a genre of music.

 

[ffldrew]

Ted Cruz doesn't like rock music because he didn't like how rock music responded to 9/11

...

“You know, music is interesting. I grew up listening to classic rock and I’ll tell you sort of an odd story. My music tastes changed on 9/11. And it’s a very strange—I actually, intellectually, find this very curious, but on 9/11, I didn’t like how rock music responded. And country music collectively, the way they responded, it resonated with me and I have to say, it—just as a gut level, I had an emotional reaction that says, “These are my people.” And so ever since 2001 I listen to country music, but I’m an odd country music fan because I didn’t listen to it prior to 2001."

That is warped.

I know next to nothing about the guy, but I find the fact that folks are zeroing in on this to be somewhat disturbing.

The guy called out a genre of music.

Pretty much giving Springsteen the finger

 

[tommyboy]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

I just find it interesting that a guy that has a minimal chance of being President draws such a kneejerk response from a wide range of liberal sources, be it media or this message board.

yesterday you had the New Yorker magazine call him "uppity".

its almost as if the things liberals say they believe in aren't really true when it comes to Ted Cruz.

 

[SacramentoBob]

I started eating more bacon on 9/11.

 

[ffldrew]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

I just find it interesting that a guy that has a minimal chance of being President draws such a kneejerk response from a wide range of liberal sources, be it media or this message board.

yesterday you had the New Yorker magazine call him "uppity".

its almost as if the things liberals say they believe in aren't really true when it comes to Ted Cruz.

Hitler had very little chance in becoming Chancellor - better be safe then sorry

 

[Joe Summer]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

I just find it interesting that a guy that has a minimal chance of being President draws such a kneejerk response from a wide range of liberal sources, be it media or this message board.

yesterday you had the New Yorker magazine call him "uppity".

its almost as if the things liberals say they believe in aren't really true when it comes to Ted Cruz.

He was all over Fox News and was a featured speaker at CPAC. That's not minimal.Or are you playing the "once saved, always saved" game?

 

[cstu]

Ted Cruz doesn't like rock music because he didn't like how rock music responded to 9/11

 

[Fennis]

I started eating more bacon on 9/11.

"hated muslims, more than he loved his heart"

 

[Fennis]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

I just find it interesting that a guy that has a minimal chance of being President draws such a kneejerk response from a wide range of liberal sources, be it media or this message board.

yesterday you had the New Yorker magazine call him "uppity".

its almost as if the things liberals say they believe in aren't really true when it comes to Ted Cruz.

and that lib rag The Wall Street Journal said Ted Cruz running for the nomination is 'a dream come true for Hillary'

 

[roadkill1292]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

I just find it interesting that a guy that has a minimal chance of being President draws such a kneejerk response from a wide range of liberal sources, be it media or this message board.

yesterday you had the New Yorker magazine call him "uppity".

its almost as if the things liberals say they believe in aren't really true when it comes to Ted Cruz.

You don't find it the least little bit interesting. It's just something to say from the saddle of your broken down old partisan horse.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

I just find it interesting that a guy that has a minimal chance of being President draws such a kneejerk response from a wide range of liberal sources, be it media or this message board.

yesterday you had the New Yorker magazine call him "uppity".

its almost as if the things liberals say they believe in aren't really true when it comes to Ted Cruz.

People like making fun of people, and Cruz makes himself an easy target. It's probably not the very best use of people's time, but it's a somewhat entertaining way to kill a few minutes in between discussing more serious matters, like which condiments to put on a turkey sandwich.

 

[Fennis]

I would like to see a politician have the guts to not answer one of those stupid questions. They should get annoyed at the press for wasting their time and instead insist they should discuss a policy question as they are running for the most powerful office in the world.

 

[B-Deep]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

I just find it interesting that a guy that has a minimal chance of being President draws such a kneejerk response from a wide range of liberal sources, be it media or this message board.

yesterday you had the New Yorker magazine call him "uppity".

its almost as if the things liberals say they believe in aren't really true when it comes to Ted Cruz.

currently he is the only person with any chance of becoming president, because he is the only one running

 

[TobiasFunke]

I would like to see a politician have the guts to not answer one of those stupid questions. They should get annoyed at the press for wasting their time and instead insist they should discuss a policy question as they are running for the most powerful office in the world.

True, but you can't really go on CBS This Morning with Oprah's Friend Gayle and demand to be asked only serious policy questions.

 

[General Malaise]

He is 40-1 to win the 2016 presidency. He was 50-1 last week. Momentum gaining!

 

[Fennis]

I would like to see a politician have the guts to not answer one of those stupid questions. They should get annoyed at the press for wasting their time and instead insist they should discuss a policy question as they are running for the most powerful office in the world.

True, but you can't really go on CBS This Morning with Oprah's Friend Gayle and demand to be asked only serious policy questions.

I would like to see someone do that. CBS This Morning is more serious than the other morning shows

 

[TobiasFunke]

I would like to see a politician have the guts to not answer one of those stupid questions. They should get annoyed at the press for wasting their time and instead insist they should discuss a policy question as they are running for the most powerful office in the world.

True, but you can't really go on CBS This Morning with Oprah's Friend Gayle and demand to be asked only serious policy questions.

I would like to see someone do that. CBS This Morning is more serious than the other morning shows

My bad, I'm not too familiar with the morning shows. I just assumed they're all like the Hoda and Kathie Lee footage they show on The Soup.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Is it really a surprise that people are talking about him? He announced his candidacy for president, and he's somewhat loony. As someone who considers himself fairly centered, I don't see the liberal vitriol at all that Tommyboy seems to be referencing. All I see are people making fun of Cruz and his lunacy.

 

[General Malaise]

Is it really a surprise that people are talking about him? He announced his candidacy for president, and he's somewhat loony. As someone who considers himself fairly centered, I don't see the liberal vitriol at all that Tommyboy seems to be referencing. All I see are people making fun of Cruz and his lunacy.

My FB feed is pretty full of people bashing Cruz for his hatred of teh gays and his dad's vision of rounding up all atheists in a concentration camp.

 

[Fennis]

Is it really a surprise that people are talking about him? He announced his candidacy for president, and he's somewhat loony. As someone who considers himself fairly centered, I don't see the liberal vitriol at all that Tommyboy seems to be referencing. All I see are people making fun of Cruz and his lunacy.

My FB feed is pretty full of people bashing Cruz for his hatred of teh gays and his dad's vision of rounding up all atheists in a concentration camp.

your feed sounds better than mine.

 

[General Malaise]

Is it really a surprise that people are talking about him? He announced his candidacy for president, and he's somewhat loony. As someone who considers himself fairly centered, I don't see the liberal vitriol at all that Tommyboy seems to be referencing. All I see are people making fun of Cruz and his lunacy.

My FB feed is pretty full of people bashing Cruz for his hatred of teh gays and his dad's vision of rounding up all atheists in a concentration camp.

your feed sounds better than mine.

I have a lot of liberal friends.

I also have a lot of conservative friends. There's no shortage of anger over Hillary and Obama.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Is it really a surprise that people are talking about him? He announced his candidacy for president, and he's somewhat loony. As someone who considers himself fairly centered, I don't see the liberal vitriol at all that Tommyboy seems to be referencing. All I see are people making fun of Cruz and his lunacy.

My FB feed is pretty full of people bashing Cruz for his hatred of teh gays and his dad's vision of rounding up all atheists in a concentration camp.

Mine has people calling him a hypocrite for getting his health insurance through Obamacare -- which is like criticizing Warren Buffett for taking advantage of low tax rates that he opposes. The fact that certain people want different rules does not make them hypocrites, IMO, for playing under the current rules in the meantime.

 

[tommyboy]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

I just find it interesting that a guy that has a minimal chance of being President draws such a kneejerk response from a wide range of liberal sources, be it media or this message board.

yesterday you had the New Yorker magazine call him "uppity".

its almost as if the things liberals say they believe in aren't really true when it comes to Ted Cruz.

He was all over Fox News and was a featured speaker at CPAC. That's not minimal.Or are you playing the "once saved, always saved" game?

I think Pat Buchannan probably was all over Fox and a CPAC guy in the past.

I really doubt the country would vote for Ted Cruz to be President. I'm sorry, I just don't.

Maybe I'm wrong. I'm willing to accept that. If it was Ted Cruz vs Hillary, I'd vote for Cruz just because I hate Hillary. But if its Ted Cruz vs Scott Walker for the GOP, yeah I want the guy that's successfully run a state, not the 1st term senator.

 

[General Malaise]

Is it really a surprise that people are talking about him? He announced his candidacy for president, and he's somewhat loony. As someone who considers himself fairly centered, I don't see the liberal vitriol at all that Tommyboy seems to be referencing. All I see are people making fun of Cruz and his lunacy.

My FB feed is pretty full of people bashing Cruz for his hatred of teh gays and his dad's vision of rounding up all atheists in a concentration camp.

Mine has people calling him a hypocrite for getting his health insurance through Obamacare -- which is like criticizing Warren Buffett for taking advantage of low tax rates that he opposes. The fact that certain people want different rules does not make them hypocrites, IMO, for playing under the current rules in the meantime.

Oh yeah, forgot about that. Yup, lotta anger about Ted using Obamacare.

 

[General Malaise]

Because of the astute election expertise Tommyboy exhibited in the 2012 election, I believe we should take his advice and pay Ted Cruz no more heed.

I just find it interesting that a guy that has a minimal chance of being President draws such a kneejerk response from a wide range of liberal sources, be it media or this message board.

yesterday you had the New Yorker magazine call him "uppity".

its almost as if the things liberals say they believe in aren't really true when it comes to Ted Cruz.

He was all over Fox News and was a featured speaker at CPAC. That's not minimal.Or are you playing the "once saved, always saved" game?

I think Pat Buchannan probably was all over Fox and a CPAC guy in the past.

I really doubt the country would vote for Ted Cruz to be President. I'm sorry, I just don't.

Maybe I'm wrong. I'm willing to accept that. If it was Ted Cruz vs Hillary, I'd vote for Cruz just because I hate Hillary. But if its Ted Cruz vs Scott Walker for the GOP, yeah I want the guy that's successfully run a state, not the 1st term senator.

Again, look at the odds. Vegas is truth serum and Cruz has no chance.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Is it really a surprise that people are talking about him? He announced his candidacy for president, and he's somewhat loony. As someone who considers himself fairly centered, I don't see the liberal vitriol at all that Tommyboy seems to be referencing. All I see are people making fun of Cruz and his lunacy.

My FB feed is pretty full of people bashing Cruz for his hatred of teh gays and his dad's vision of rounding up all atheists in a concentration camp.

Mine has people calling him a hypocrite for getting his health insurance through Obamacare -- which is like criticizing Warren Buffett for taking advantage of low tax rates that he opposes. The fact that certain people want different rules does not make them hypocrites, IMO, for playing under the current rules in the meantime.

Hypocrite? That's funny. - There was this big kerfuffle a while back where the GOP claimed that Congress had made their signing on to the ACA for their insurance and their staffs as well as a precondition for passage (or something like that), so then of course when it comes to do just that there was this big pushback wherein it was claimed that was never promised. I don't think it's just the ACA, it's a whole raft of laws that Congress does not subject itself to, or rather they exclude themselves from many things we all have to live by. - People ought to give Cruz credit for doing this with the ACA, he's not the only one I'm guessing but I wonder how many congressmen and their staffs who voted for it and passed it live under it.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Repost?

Students at Liberty "University" had to pay a fine if they didn't attend Cruz's circle jerk.

 

[General Malaise]

Repost?

Students at Liberty "University" had to pay a fine if they didn't attend Cruz's circle jerk.

The school's president, Jerry Falwell Jr., said that just because Cruz was making his declaration at Liberty University during a convocation, it should not be viewed as an endorsement. One student, who asked not to be identified because she is a Democrat, told BuzzFeed she viewed this as a seal of approval for Cruz regardless of what Falwell had to say. "At our school everyone is a Republican," she said. "You aren't allowed to have any Democratic groups. That's why I'm doing this anonymously because people will come after you. He told people what they wanted to hear and they are endorsing him, that’s what they are doing."

 

[WetDream]

My facebook feed is full of Ted Cruz nudes.

 

[CBusAlex]

My facebook feed is just a video of a boot stomping on a human face, forever. And it still sounds better than some of yours.

ETA: Not WetDream's

 

[Insomniac]

Ted Cruz doesn't like rock music because he didn't like how rock music responded to 9/11

...

“You know, music is interesting. I grew up listening to classic rock and I’ll tell you sort of an odd story. My music tastes changed on 9/11. And it’s a very strange—I actually, intellectually, find this very curious, but on 9/11, I didn’t like how rock music responded. And country music collectively, the way they responded, it resonated with me and I have to say, it—just as a gut level, I had an emotional reaction that says, “These are my people.” And so ever since 2001 I listen to country music, but I’m an odd country music fan because I didn’t listen to it prior to 2001."

That is warped.

I know next to nothing about the guy, but I find the fact that folks are zeroing in on this to be somewhat disturbing.

The guy called out a genre of music.

Does he make an exception for Ted Nugent?

 

[bigbottom]

I stopped liking flamenco music because it did not respond appropriately to the Fort Hood shootings.

 

[SacramentoBob]

I can't put my finger on it, but there's something that creeps me out about this guy every time I see him.

 

[Mister CIA]

I can't put my finger on it, but there's something that creeps me out about this guy every time I see him.

His various facial feature don't seem to go together. Maybe God was feeling a little tipsy when he created Ted Cruz.

 

[urbanhack]

I stopped liking flamenco music because it did not respond appropriately to the Fort Hood shootings.

I thought you had something against gypsies.

 

[Henry Ford]

I stopped liking flamenco music because it did not respond appropriately to the Fort Hood shootings.

I started listening to polka and just realized... these are my people.

 

[pantagrapher]

Don't look now. But here comes Ted Cruz.

NEW Iowa GOP poll - Quinnipiac

Trump 25%
Cruz 23%
Carson 18%
Rubio 13%
Paul 5%
Bush 4%
Fiorina 3%
(Others 2% or less)

 

[joffer]

now I'm scared

 

[The General]

You know he waves with just his fingers.

 

[Joe T]

Don't look now. But here comes Ted Cruz.

NEW Iowa GOP poll - Quinnipiac

Trump 25%

Cruz 23%

Carson 18%

Rubio 13%

Paul 5%

Bush 4%

Fiorina 3%

(Others 2% or less)

Update?

 

[bud29]

Latest CNN/ORC poll from Iowa:

Trump 33%

Cruz 20%

Carson 16%

Rubio 11%

Bush 4%

Paul 3%

Fiorina 3%

Christie 2%

Huckabee 2%

Kasich 1%

Santorum 1%

Graham 0%

Pataki 0%

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Ted Cruz Questions Donald Trump’s ‘Judgment’ to Be President Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has carefully avoided public criticism of Donald J. Trump, said this week at a private fund-raiser that the real estate developer was facing a “challenging question” about whether he has the “judgment” to be president.

Mr. Cruz, a rival of Mr. Trump’s for the Republican presidential nomination, is trying to position himself to be the beneficiary of any erosion of support for Mr. Trump, who is handily beating the rest of the field in opinion polls.

While he has said he does not agree with Mr. Trump’s latest provocative proposal, a restriction on Muslim immigrants entering the United States, he has taken pains to praise Mr. Trump for making immigration a focal point of his candidacy.

But inside a conference room Wednesday in a Madison Avenue office, with about 70 people pressed around a table, Mr. Cruz gave his assessment of the race, lumping Mr. Trump with another candidate whose supporters the Texas senator hopes to poach, Ben Carson.

“Both of them I like and respect,” said Mr. Cruz, according to an audio recording of his comments provided by one attendee. “I don’t believe either one of them is going to be our president.”

But he added, “You look at Paris, you look at San Bernardino, it’s given a seriousness to this race, that people are looking for: Who is prepared to be a commander in chief? Who understands the threats we face?”

He went on: “Who am I comfortable having their finger on the button? Now that’s a question of strength, but it’s also a question of judgment. And I think that is a question that is a challenging question for both of them.”

On the audio, after he described the “challenging question” facing Mr. Trump and Mr. Carson, Mr. Cruz went on to explain: “So my approach, much to the frustration of the media, has been to bear hug both of them, and smother them with love.”

He added: “People run as who they are. I believe gravity will bring both of those campaigns down” and “the lion’s share of their supporters come to us.”

Mr. Cruz later said he was “thrilled” that Mr. Trump was in the race because “he has framed the central narrative of this primary as who will stand up to Washington” and said he saw his own record as one of having “stood up to Washington.” After Mr. Cruz spoke, one person at the fund-raiser questioned Mr. Trump’s having “his finger on the Supreme Court button,” according to the attendees, a reference to the president’s ability to nominate the justices.

Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, declined to comment about Mr. Cruz’s remarks on Thursday.

Mr. Cruz, questioned about the remarks on Thursday after a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, said he was “not going to comment on what I may or may not have said at a private fund-raiser.”

“What I will say is this,” he continued. “In the course of a presidential election, the voters are going to make a decision about every candidate. And ultimately the decision is, who has the right judgment — experience and judgment — to serve as commander in chief? And every one of us who is running is being assessed by the voters under that metric. And that is exactly why we have a democratic election to make that determination.”

He received an ovation from the crowd.

In an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, the same day as the fund-raising luncheon, Mr. Cruz said he liked and respected Mr. Trump and “I don’t anticipate that changing at all.”

“The reason why I won’t get engaged in personal insults and attacks, I don’t think the American people care about a bunch of politicians bickering like schoolchildren,” said Mr. Cruz, adding at another point, “I’m grateful Donald Trump is running.”

Mr. Cruz has been notable in a field that has grappled with how to handle Mr. Trump for his refusal to publicly criticize his opponent.

Mr. Cruz and his team, who covet Mr. Trump’s supporters, are also keenly aware of the searing criticisms that Mr. Trump has lobbed at rivals who went after him. Those attacks have precipitated a decline in some of their standings in the polls.

Mr. Cruz moved ahead of Mr. Trump in a poll this week of Iowa caucusgoers. But a second poll later the same day showed Mr. Trump leading in the state by a large margin.

Mr. Cruz has in recent weeks nipped at Mr. Trump, but obliquely. He at one point described some rhetoric in the race about immigrants as “unhelpful,” the furthest he has gone in publicly criticizing Mr. Trump, who has drawn withering attacks from Democrats and some Republican leaders for his remarks on Muslims.

Mr. Cruz told reporters on Tuesday that he disagreed with Mr. Trump’s proposed barring of Muslims from entering the country, but went on to praise him for “standing up and focusing America’s attention on the need to secure our borders.”

Mr. Cruz was later asked if he would support Mr. Trump as the Republican nominee.

“I will absolutely support the Republican nominee,” he said, “but I hope and intend for that nominee to be me.”

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/10/ted-cruz-questions-donald-trumps-judgment-to-be-president/?_r=0

https://soundcloud.com/nyt-politics

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Our little bird says that when addressing Manhattan donors, Cruz strikes a more moderate and inclusive tone on social issues than he does when speaking to Iowa audiences. Some donors say that New York Cruz sounds different than Iowa Cruz. Look for the next audio track on a conservative news site early this week. The leaks are "> mallen@politico.com) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; dlippman@politico.com)

Good Monday morning. SIREN: An informed source tells Playbook there's more audio of "Cruz unplugged" leaking out of New York City fundraising events. Last week, the N.Y. Times posted audio, provided by an attendee, of Cruz questioning Trump's "judgment" at a Madison Avenue fundraiser. It turns out that several of Cruz's private fundraising events have been recorded, according to this source.

http://snewsi.com/id/15424595112

 

[3C's]

Ted Cruz Questions Donald Trump’s ‘Judgment’ to Be PresidentSenator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has carefully avoided public criticism of Donald J. Trump, said this week at a private fund-raiser that the real estate developer was facing a “challenging question” about whether he has the “judgment” to be president.

Mr. Cruz, a rival of Mr. Trump’s for the Republican presidential nomination, is trying to position himself to be the beneficiary of any erosion of support for Mr. Trump, who is handily beating the rest of the field in opinion polls.

While he has said he does not agree with Mr. Trump’s latest provocative proposal, a restriction on Muslim immigrants entering the United States, he has taken pains to praise Mr. Trump for making immigration a focal point of his candidacy.

But inside a conference room Wednesday in a Madison Avenue office, with about 70 people pressed around a table, Mr. Cruz gave his assessment of the race, lumping Mr. Trump with another candidate whose supporters the Texas senator hopes to poach, Ben Carson.

“Both of them I like and respect,” said Mr. Cruz, according to an audio recording of his comments provided by one attendee. “I don’t believe either one of them is going to be our president.”

But he added, “You look at Paris, you look at San Bernardino, it’s given a seriousness to this race, that people are looking for: Who is prepared to be a commander in chief? Who understands the threats we face?”

He went on: “Who am I comfortable having their finger on the button? Now that’s a question of strength, but it’s also a question of judgment. And I think that is a question that is a challenging question for both of them.”

On the audio, after he described the “challenging question” facing Mr. Trump and Mr. Carson, Mr. Cruz went on to explain: “So my approach, much to the frustration of the media, has been to bear hug both of them, and smother them with love.”

He added: “People run as who they are. I believe gravity will bring both of those campaigns down” and “the lion’s share of their supporters come to us.”

Mr. Cruz later said he was “thrilled” that Mr. Trump was in the race because “he has framed the central narrative of this primary as who will stand up to Washington” and said he saw his own record as one of having “stood up to Washington.” After Mr. Cruz spoke, one person at the fund-raiser questioned Mr. Trump’s having “his finger on the Supreme Court button,” according to the attendees, a reference to the president’s ability to nominate the justices.

Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, declined to comment about Mr. Cruz’s remarks on Thursday.

Mr. Cruz, questioned about the remarks on Thursday after a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, said he was “not going to comment on what I may or may not have said at a private fund-raiser.”

“What I will say is this,” he continued. “In the course of a presidential election, the voters are going to make a decision about every candidate. And ultimately the decision is, who has the right judgment — experience and judgment — to serve as commander in chief? And every one of us who is running is being assessed by the voters under that metric. And that is exactly why we have a democratic election to make that determination.”

He received an ovation from the crowd.

In an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday, the same day as the fund-raising luncheon, Mr. Cruz said he liked and respected Mr. Trump and “I don’t anticipate that changing at all.”

“The reason why I won’t get engaged in personal insults and attacks, I don’t think the American people care about a bunch of politicians bickering like schoolchildren,” said Mr. Cruz, adding at another point, “I’m grateful Donald Trump is running.”

Mr. Cruz has been notable in a field that has grappled with how to handle Mr. Trump for his refusal to publicly criticize his opponent.

Mr. Cruz and his team, who covet Mr. Trump’s supporters, are also keenly aware of the searing criticisms that Mr. Trump has lobbed at rivals who went after him. Those attacks have precipitated a decline in some of their standings in the polls.

Mr. Cruz moved ahead of Mr. Trump in a poll this week of Iowa caucusgoers. But a second poll later the same day showed Mr. Trump leading in the state by a large margin.

Mr. Cruz has in recent weeks nipped at Mr. Trump, but obliquely. He at one point described some rhetoric in the race about immigrants as “unhelpful,” the furthest he has gone in publicly criticizing Mr. Trump, who has drawn withering attacks from Democrats and some Republican leaders for his remarks on Muslims.

Mr. Cruz told reporters on Tuesday that he disagreed with Mr. Trump’s proposed barring of Muslims from entering the country, but went on to praise him for “standing up and focusing America’s attention on the need to secure our borders.”

Mr. Cruz was later asked if he would support Mr. Trump as the Republican nominee.

“I will absolutely support the Republican nominee,” he said, “but I hope and intend for that nominee to be me.”

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/10/ted-cruz-questions-donald-trumps-judgment-to-be-president/?_r=0

https://soundcloud.com/nyt-politics

Trump: that's not fair!

 

[Jobber]

This guy sucks. Nothing would push me to Hillary faster in the general than this guy.

 

[Joe Summer]

Ted Cruz takes lead in latest Iowa poll

Cruz = 31%

Trump = 21%

 

[3C's]

What a Ted Cruz victory would mean? http://www.religionnews.com/2016/02/04/ted-cruzs-campaign-fueled-dominionist-vision-america-commentary/

According to his father and Huch, Ted Cruz is anointed by God to help Christians in their effort to “go to the marketplace and occupy the land … and take dominion” over it. This “end-time transfer of wealth” will relieve Christians of all financial woes, allowing true believers to ascend to a position of political and cultural power in which they can build a Christian civilization. When this Christian nation is in place (or back in place), Jesus will return.

^ Sounds "a little" like ISIS and the Caliphate.