January 16, 2016

For the annals of nonapologies — Ted Cruz.

Ted said:
So, today, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City all demanded I apologize....Who am I say to no? I will apologize. I apologize to the millions of New Yorkers who have been abandoned for years by liberal politicians. I apologize to all the hard-working men and women in New York who like to have jobs, but Governor Cuomo banned fracking, so they don't get the jobs the people of Pennsylvania have. I apologize to all the New Yorkers who are pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-Second Amendment, who were told by their governor — Governor Cuomo — that there is no place for them in state of New York because that's not what New Yorkers believe. I apologize to all the small businesses that are fleeing New York City because of the crushing taxes and regulations that are making it impossible to survive. I apologize to all African American and Hispanic school children that Mayor de Blasio tried to throw out of their charter schools that were giving them a lifeline and a chance at the American dream. And I apologize to all the cops and all the firefighters and all the 9/11 heroes who were forced to stand up and turn their backs on Mayor de Blasio because over and over again, he sides with the looters and criminals instead of the brave men and women.
He ends with the sarcastic "Now I hope that was the apology they were looking for."

91 comments:

Humperdink said...

Cruz pulling a Trump. Apology? Screw you.

campy said...

If only the repubs had started doing stuff like this 50 years ago; they might have staved off extinction.

Mid-Life Lawyer said...

Trump is blasing him on Twitter right now. About 5 tweets about his Canadian citizenship and bank loans in the last thirty minutes.

Humperdink said...

From the archives.

"When asked, the Governor of New York, David Paterson, responded that if he had known Rush Limbaugh would leave the state of New York, he would have raised taxes sooner."

Michael K said...

Cruz needed to do that on TV after the exchange with Trump.

The "birther" issue probably has some importance and he needed to settle that before running. I think he is right but Trump is also right that some Democrat SoS will use to keep him off a ballot somewhere like New York.

rehajm said...

High paying fracking jobs? This is 2016 Ted, get with the times.

Phil 314 said...

Who will own the mantle of angriest guy?


We know things are bad — worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is: 'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone.'
Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get MAD! I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot — I don't want you to write to your congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first you've got to get mad. [shouting] You've got to say: 'I'm a human being, god-dammit! My life has value!'

Rae said...

I've learned that New Yorkers are thin-skinned. Who invented the phrase "flyover country"? It was either New Yorkers or Los Angelenos.
A little push back and they lose it. Toughen up.

Big Mike said...

I didn't watch the debate, but I've belatedly come to understand that Trump's allegedly devastating response was to wrap the New Yawkuhs up in the mantle of their response to 9-11. Cruz had a devastating riposte available, had he thought of it.

Fundamentally the response of the people of New York to 9-11 was pretty much the same as you'd expect from any group of Americans in any city in the country (well, maybe not Madison, WI). Americans are tough and Americans are resilient, and Americans fight back. That's what the Dumbocrat politican leadership doesn't get about the American people, and our enemies take their cue from fools like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama. The day of reckoning has already come for the first two, and the day of reckoning is coming for our enemies as soon as the buffoon now inhabiting the White House is conveyed offstage.

jr565 said...

It may not be the best idea to insult Nyers if you intend to get them to vote for you. then again, how likely is it that Nyers would ever vote for Cruz anyway, so f them (i live in NY so I can say that).

And liberals have essentially been saying what Cruz has been saying about themselves. They have different values. According to themselves. So if Cruz points out what they themselves have said about themselves, why is that a problem?

Cuomo famously said for example that pro life republicans are not welcome in NY.
"Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are RIGHT TO LIFE , PRO ASSAULT WEAPON, ANTI-GAY ? Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are.
So, Cuomo is making a point about NY values and saying if you don't hold those values you are not even welcome in the state.

Noted.

wendybar said...

So when is Governor Cuomo going to apologize to conservatives in NY?? http://nypost.com/2014/01/18/gov-cuomo-to-conservatives-leave-ny/ What he said is worse than what Ted said. You can read into it what you want, but he was talking about the communist mayor, Bloomberg,(the big gulp killer) schumer, and the other assorted democrats who are bringing back NY of the 70's. The dirty, sleazebag NY that I guess democrats miss so much.

Beaumont said...

Cruz is a parasitic genius.

Michael K said...

Cruz may have been correct but it was still a mistake. Mark Steyn pretty much says what I think.

Despite all the attention to this issue in the last week, still only 46% of Iowa Republicans are aware that Cruz was not born in the United States. In fact, there are more GOP voters in the state who think Cruz (34%) was born in the United States than think Barack Obama (28%) was. Donald Trump knows what he's doing when he repeatedly brings up this issue- 36% of Cruz voters aren't aware yet that he wasn't born in the United States, and 24% of Cruz voters say someone born outside the country shouldn't be allowed to be President.

There is already one lawsuit filed.

Sebastian said...

"they might have staved off extinction." Are you referring to the party that is in its strongest political position, in the country and in Congress, since the 1920s? We can argue about what it's doing with that strength, of course.

Original Mike said...

"but Trump is also right that some Democrat SoS will use to keep him off a ballot somewhere like New York."

There is no way Cruz is winning New York, but I suppose it would happen somewhere he'd be competitive.

Original Mike said...

It took me a moment to realize he actually did apologize to conservative New Yorkers.

The Godfather said...

Cruz won the round.

As for the birther issue, he should ignore it. He has to, really. If he goes to court for a ruling on the issue, all he does is dignify and publicize the claim that he's not a natural born citizen. Courts probably wouldn't adjudicate the issue, but if they did it couldn't be resolved in time for the election. If birther claims didn't derail Obama's candidacy and presidency, they aren't going to derail Cruz's.

William said...

I've heard a rumor that Cruz is married to a Goldman Sachs banker. If this is true, Cruz not only embraces NY values but actually espouses them. Do we want a Goldman Sachs banker in the White House?

David said...

Cruz is smart but he is arrogant. Like Trump. But Trump is more jolly about it. He has a warmth that Cruz lacks. That will tell in the long run.

Unknown said...

he JUST got my vote.

MountainMan said...

This is off-topic but I wanted to let Michael Kennedy know I read your book and enjoyed it very much. Not only was it very entertaining but I really learned a lot about what goes on in the ER and the situations you have to deal with. Your explanations were very clear and really added a lot to what I recall about human anatomy from my human biology class in high school almost 50 years ago. You are a good storyteller. I highly recommend it to others on this blog.

mccullough said...

Well played. Good to see Cruz upping his game. Time for Cruz to start talking about Donald's friend Hillary attending his third wedding in 2005 and showing that photo of them.

Birches said...

Ha Ha. That was good.

Humperdink said...

Time for Cruz to get down and dirty with Trump. Trump has enough baggage to fill a 747. If not, Cruz will go the way of Mittens.

grimson said...

I have seen a lot of coverage of how Trump won the exchange, and Cruz has alienated New Yorkers, but I have not seen anything for which Cruz needs to apologize or by which NYC should be insulted.

Cruz is saying NYC is liberal. That should elicit nothing more than a yawn.

Conversely, Trump says "I saw something that no place on Earth could have handled more beautifully, more humanely than New York." That, especially the "more humanely," is insulting to every non-New-Yorker.

Trump is the one who should be apologizing, for hiding behind 9/11 and insulting everyone outside the New York media bubble.

dwick said...

"There is already one lawsuit filed."

So what?
Per Mark Levin on his Friday radio program, there were numerous lawsuits filed both before and after Obama's election protesting his eligibility - even at least one in 2012! Most of the courts repeatedly dismissed or declined to hear the cases. Especially after the 2000 Bush v. Gore fiasco, the courts are more reticent than ever to get enmeshed in political squabbles.

Limited blogger said...

I'm from NY. I apologize to Ted Cruz for having to apologize to me.

Roy Lofquist said...

Trump's whole shtick is that he's the greatest, he's invulnerable, he's Superman! Well, Cruz tugged on Superman's cape and the Donald lost it.

Birther? That's so 2008. We all know, thanks to the NYT and WAPO, that birthers are mentally unbalanced, more to be scorned than pitied.

Cruz tweaked New Yorkers, something that seems to play well in Peoria. The Donald responded with a rousing chorus of Amazing Grace sung to the tune of I've Got You Under My Skin.

Now that it's a two man race (sorry Rubio fans, I like him too) the choice is between Jerry Springer and Darth Vader. Given the current mood of the country I think that Jerry should think about renegotiating his TV show contract.

Meade said...

Who's to blame? Canada, of course.
Canada is who should be made to apologize.

dwick said...

"William said...
I've heard a rumor that Cruz is married to a Goldman Sachs banker. If this is true, Cruz not only embraces NY values but actually espouses them. Do we want a Goldman Sachs banker in the White House?"


Geesh... talk about lazy. Just typing 'Ted Cruz's wife' in Google would provide all the information you need to know. Heidi Cruz joined Goldman Sachs in 2005 as a private wealth manager working in Texas. Cruz married her in 2001 - 4 years before she evidently became, as you say, 'a banker'... (I'm surprised you didn't just unmask yourself and use the normal unhinged liberal 'bankster' perjorative...)
So now anybody anywhere who happens to be married to 'a banker' embraces and espouses NY values? Paint with a broad brush much?

Jimmy said...

Meade said...
Who's to blame? Canada, of course.
Canada is who should be made to apologize.
I gotta agree with Meade here. Justin Bieber? Michael Bublé? that should prove my point right there. Not agreeing with me would make you far left democrats. Or Capt. Kirk fans. Kirk or Picard? Ok, Picard is English, but still. I mean, the constitution aside, this is a pretty clear cut issue.

Tank said...

If AA has an opinion on whether or not anyone could get a case heard on the question of whether Cruz is eligible, I'd like to hear it. Put aside, whether he is eligible, is it even likely to be heard and a substantive decision rendered?

Big Mike said...

Meade is right!

Sebastian is right and campy is wrong. The total number of seats held by Republicans in the 114th Congress is a record, though percentage-wise the 71st Congress had a larger percentage of the seats (the Lower 48 states were in place, but Hawaii and Alaska wouldn't be admitted for decades yet). The 71st was so long ago that the President Pro Tem of the Senate was named Moses (true!).

MaxedOutMama said...

Taking the "passive" out of passive-agressive.

We await the NYPost response.

Isn't this just theater and free advertising??

Paddy O said...

"It was either New Yorkers or Los Angelenos."

New Yorkers. Manifest destiny and all that means North America tilts West, so for Angelenos flyover country is the Pacific.

Bill Peschel said...

"We can argue about what it's doing with that strength, of course."

I agree. From what we've seen so far, Sebastian, they might as well be Democrats.

I'm not paying attention to what they say; they screwed us over repeatedly. I'm looking at what they do, and they haven't done shit.

jr565 said...

Michael K wrote:
Cruz may have been correct but it was still a mistake. Mark Steyn pretty much says what I think.

Despite all the attention to this issue in the last week, still only 46% of Iowa Republicans are aware that Cruz was not born in the United States. In fact, there are more GOP voters in the state who think Cruz (34%) was born in the United States than think Barack Obama (28%) was. Donald Trump knows what he's doing when he repeatedly brings up this issue- 36% of Cruz voters aren't aware yet that he wasn't born in the United States, and 24% of Cruz voters say someone born outside the country shouldn't be allowed to be President.

There is already one lawsuit filed.

That's Donald Trump trying to push the democratic talking point to take Cruz out of the race. It's a frivolous lawsuit, and he give it credence by pushing it as a meme. Evne though he says "it's not me, its the democrats." well then why bring it up?
Note, I had a problem with birthers going after Obama on this too, because at the end of the day, his mom was a citizen. So why would it matter if he was born in Kenya or not? So long as she met the residency requirements why did it matter if he wasn't born in the states.
That seems to be how we treat natural born (versus naturalized) citizens since the founding of our country. And its based also on English law which carried over to the US.
Why are we giving birthers all this leeway to peddle what is essentially revisionist history.

jr565 said...

Original Mike wrote:
It took me a moment to realize he actually did apologize to conservative New Yorkers.

He should have said "I'm sorry New Yorkers have to live in such a socialist hell hole"
But seriously. We voted in Diblasio. How is that not a reflection on NY values? You get the govt you deserve, and we deserve what we got.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Awesome! And done without the smarmy slimy "I'm sorry if you are wrong" non-apologies that shitheads like deBlasio,Cuomo, and Clinton have issued in their public statements.

commander0 said...

Ny is utterly irrelevant to Cruz. And he was 100% correct about NY values. Look who they elected mayor Council speaker. It is an insult to all the brave first responders to assign their heroic acts to the vast majority of New Yorkers who wouldn't have done anything of the kind. I'm a New Yorker. Born in Brooklyn and have lived in the state 56 of my 59 years. Cruz is right and for Donald to for one second try to don the mantle of the firemen and police is despicable. By the way, it has been 14+ years since 9/11. They still aren't finished down there. Disgusting.

Anonymous said...

Heidi Cruz is a member of the CFR. She was promoted to a Goldman Sachs VP days after Cruz won the Senate seat.

Cruz had a small loan of a million dollars, from Goldman, for his campaign prior to winning. Undisclosed.

More undisclosed donations are apparently coming out. But hey, he married her before all that shady stuff, so let's ignore it!

theo said...

As a New Yorker (upstate) I have to agree with the Cruz "apology". I am sorry to live in a state who has twice elected the likes of the childish Andrew Cuomo and his horrible father.

Unfortunately the NYC area foists these clowns on the rest of us. I have to laugh at the thin skinned response from Trump et al and ALL the NYC papers. Folks from NYC pretend that they are tough and brave but when they step away from their well paved and cramped enclave they are nothing more than spineless jelly fish. Between their fear of leaves, grass and wildlife, their false bravado and rather loud speech they come off as little children.

Cruz could carry upstate if there weren't powerful Democrat machines in the larger cities up here and those large cities tend to be corrupt shit holes that have been ruled/ruined by Dems for decades.

Birkel said...

Dear NYC,

Toughen up, buttercup. You sound weak and silly when you cannot take some gentle ribbing from a politician.

Signed,
All the cousin-humping, racist, ignorant, cross-eyed and toothless Southerners you have alleged exist

Original Mike said...

Well said, Birkel.

deepelemblues said...

Cruz should pound Trump within an inch of his scummy life for the tweet Trump just put up.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/688445495174393856

What a total piece of shit Trump is.

Our politics would get a lot better if some of these politicians simply got beat for the lack of manners and dickishness they seem to love so much.

Cruz should too he's not innocent.

Of course there's plenty of non-politicians involved in politics who could do with a good thrashing as well.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Like Aaron Rogers Said:

R E L A X.

Sheesh, like we all ain't Jews.

Original Mike said...

"Cruz should pound Trump within an inch of his scummy life for the tweet Trump just put up."

Trump is a fuck-stick. I really hope I don't have to end up voting for him.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Consider: humans of all stripes and abilities others characterize within labels like demographics or sociology et al.

What is wanted by whom?

How can the decider's know but the Prince-influenced Rumsfeldian "known unknown/unknown unknown" paravox (and dox too mind you)?

And that leaves us all (American, as in, Sovereign like successful no other "people" concurrent, since of regret, but let us never forget first foremost*).

*Sure sure there are Roman and Greek and Khan and Mao and whatnot dynasties of shit, but c'mon, we are in the age of mass transit knowledge spoken effervescently.

I, as example the perfect Martyr of history (with a fucking Capital fucking "H" by the way I think) keep tellying you over and over, BUSH good, TRUMP wild/bad.

BUSH good/TRUMP wild/bad.

BUSH good/TRUMP wild/bad.

BUSH good/TRUMP wild/bad.

BUSH good/TRUMP wild/bad.

BUSH good/TRUMP wild/bad.

Sam L. said...

I think it was a perfect apology for something deliberately misconstrued.

Sam L. said...

I think it was a perfect apology for something deliberately misconstrued.

Guildofcannonballs said...

What is funny here is how stupid you are.

https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=rush+limbaugh+blocked+nfl&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Limbaugh wanted to buy the Rams, along with others as part of a group, and now the Rams are fucked.

Ha.

Think. Think. Think.

Guildofcannonballs said...

How many libs in St. Louis cooked the golden goose, and how hard shall our laughter be?

I won't stop, laughing at these racists, even though having been born in racism as that's I believe man's nature that America has overcome to an extent admirable.

Piss on that shit state of St. Louis for their racist refusal of decency. Slamming the door on Limbaugh's successful ways doesn't pay save retribution most unChristian.

Kevin said...

New Yorkers would never think of mocking the rest of the country...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvua6zPIi7c

Guildofcannonballs said...

Hey hold on.

I forgot.

I really did, just like Mel Gibson in "Maverick" and other films of your youth.

Only by the Grace of God do I not go there; only because I am blessed by Jesus Christ am I able to have stumbled this far so stupidly without being fucking dead.

I owe Wisconsin, America, the World, the Universe, but only (and mostly) God an aweful lot.

cubanbob said...

Trump so far has been lucky that Cruz as yet hasn't concern trolled Trump's inability to get a gaming license in Vegas. Have to be very clean to get a license in Vegas. Just saying.

As for NY, does anyone in the states Cruz needs to win give a crap about insulting De Blasio, Cuomo and Schumer voters?

As for the birther issue when push comes to shove those who would vote for a Republican aren't going to vote for Cruz and vote for Hillary who needs to import voters to win?

Gospace said...

I live in rural upstate NY. One of the places where every other house has a "Repeal the SAFE Act" sign in front of it. Where any house with a flagpole is flying a Gadsden flag, either alone or with the Stars and Stripes. Where the sheriff isn't going to enforce SAFE Act provisions. My neighbors and I know Cruz wasn't talking about us.

The Reynolds v. Sims decision is the single biggest contributor to the tyranny of the majority over the minority that our founding fathers feared. For all practical purposes, rural voters and residents of sparsely populated counties with vastly different needs then city residents have no voice in NY state government because of that horrendous decision. If liberals could figure out a way to apply that decision to the makeup of the senate, they would. But then, the 17th amendment all but destroyed the purpose of the senate to represent the states.

Lydia said...

In its intent and effect, how is what Cruz said any different from Obama's "bitter clingers" comment? Aside, of course, from targeting different groups of people.

Karen of Texas said...

Having my roots in Oklahoma although I now reside farther south, I would like to point out the response from my fellow Okies when Tim McVeigh gutted the Murrah Federal building. Although the loss of life was obviously substantially less, the disbelief and pain and grief were the same. The response was no less amazing. Many outside the beltway who came in to report really couldn't wrap their brains around that response.

So take that, Trump. And NYC.

traditionalguy said...

Get real. Trump is defending the New York values of its ultra educated Jews and WASPS that sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron living out the ideal of New Amsterdam Dutch Tolerance of all lifestyles as its religion.

Cruz is smoothly playing on the country dumb jealousy of all things liberal that dare to tolerate Evil Lifestyles among them.

Cruz really doesn't believe a word that he is saying as he feeds the jealous hatreds of New York to snow a few hicks.

The question is when will Cruz's marks wake up and figure out what he is shoveling.

Oso Negro said...

Actually traditionalguy, many us really don't give a fuck about New York, New Yorkers, or your fucking New York values.

cubanbob said...

@harrold the corrective would be limiting the vote to actual citizens in full possession of their civil rights and who also are not on unearned welfare benefits.

traditionalguy said...

@Oso Negro...You've got it, by Jove you've got it. That don't give a fuck comment was the epitome of New York Values.

Birkel said...

As tedious as The Crack Emcee, Cedarford or Shouting Thomas....

"traditionaguy" is throwing his troll hat into the All-Time ring.

chickelit said...

I could never vote for Cruz for reasons I hinted at back Lem's a while ago: link
I don't think that anything's changed. Deep down, Ted has Goldman Sachs values which translates to erasing international borders. Now, he'll say anything to get elected. In that way, he's the Hillary Clinton of the right.

We need to stop electing Senators with law degrees to POTUS. On the other hand, I've always thought that Cruz would be an outstanding SCOTUS Justice.

chickelit said...

Cruz really doesn't believe a word that he is saying as he feeds the jealous hatreds of New York to snow a few hicks. <-- This

Cruz is the only one of the bunch who has actually listened to what Donald Trump says and how his message connects. The difference between Trump and Cruz is that Trump is original whereas Cruz is derivative.

Cruz also has zero crossover appeal.

traditionalguy said...

@Birkel...I am very flattered that you view me in Crack Emcee's and shouting Thomas's category. They are both top notch minds with points of view based on truth as they know it.

But please take back that part about me being like C4. That is beyond the pale.

My comments about the Nazis are that they should all be shot on sight.

chickelit said...

Lydia said...In its intent and effect, how is what Cruz said any different from Obama's "bitter clingers" comment? Aside, of course, from targeting different groups of people.

Not much.

Birkel said...

chickelit,

So Cruz goes to Harvard, where his classmates knew him to be conservative. He clerks for Rehnquist. Then he goes to Texas and is known as a conservative. He practices law defending Texas law, which is conservative. He authors judicial briefs, which reflect a conservative mindset. And he votes as a U.S. Senator, as a conservative despised by McCain, Graham and the other RINOs.

That is some really deep cover for somebody without settled, conservative values.

Birkel said...

"Not much."

Except one of these groups has the power to impose its culture on the rest of the country (NYC) and the rest wishes to be left alone (flyover country).

chickelit said...

@Birkel: You seem to think that I doubt Cruz's conservative credentials, which I don't. If anything I despise him for having the notion of vastly expanding H1-B visas as a "conservative" value. I've seen too many lives and dreams destroyed by those "Republican" values. So maybe I'm ditching the hardcore conservatives on this one. Shit happens. lol.

Birkel said...

chickelit,

Do you think the United States is going to restrict immigration? Under what circumstances?

I would prefer everybody follow the law. I would prefer the law be applied stringently. Do you see a possibility that the political will exists to accomplish that?

I don't, even as I wish I were wrong.

Birkel said...

"traditionalguy"

I lump you in with that group because you are predictable and boring.

chickelit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chickelit said...

@Birkel: The terms "Republican" and "Democrat" are largely synonymous. That the elite of both parties are against the same person (Trump) is the ultimate tell. Just back up and look at it. They are for all intents and purposes the same.

chickelit said...

Trump risks losing supporters who may connect him to monied interests in NYC, DC, and Boston. He can't afford to let that happen. Instead of blasting Cruz with photos of 9/11, Trump should be saying to Cruz, you know what, you're right about how you did that apology.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

A rare thoughtful commentary on the rise of Trump from a member of the establishment GOP.

Birkel said...

checklist,

The Democrats and Republicans are against Trump? That must be why the MSM gives him so much free press, eh?

If that is so, what does that say for how they feel toward Cruz.

Birkel said...

A rare, reasonable link from "AReasonableMan" above.

Bay Area Guy said...

Trump 1, Cruz 0

I think Trump wins this exchange. The non-apology apology by Cruz is somewhat funny, but it's playing catch-up. Trump's quick retort about 9/11 values was nimble. The mistake by Cruz was to go too broad. "New York City" values may have been more mock-worthy than "New York" values. But who knows -- and who cares?

Cruz is damn smart, and damn conservative. Trump, though, if you can believe it, has a broader appeal. His 10 years on "The Apprentice" was really invaluable -- it gave him access to millions of Americans, enough of whom seem to really like him.

I'm supporting any politician who runs against Hillary and can beat her.



Jim S. said...

If anyone wants to read a real takedown of New York liberal values, read "Grave Reservations" by Michael Flynn in his collection The Forest of Time and Other Stories. It's brutal. Absolutely brutal.

Beaumont said...

As the national voter demographic accelerates toward a more ethnically and racially diverse electorate, for this upcoming presidential election the Republicans have two options, become even more aggressive in ginning up their base (harken back to the Rove/Bush 2004 campaign) or attempt to broaden their appeal. With all their efforts to restrict voting and incite fear, it looks like the Republicans i.e. Cruz and Trump with help from the conservative media are putting their eggs in the former basket. After the upcoming November 2016 election, it will be interesting to see how the Conservative-Corporate-Media Complex attempts to blunt these demographic trends over the next two or three election cycles. Even more voting restrictions? Changes to the electoral college that reduce the impact of this diversity on the political process? even greater polarization? Does anyone have any other guesses?

grackle said...

… fools like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama. The day of reckoning has already come for the first two …

Well, they are not majority leaders anymore but they are still leaders and being members of congress with no danger of any serious primary challengers in their home districts is a pretty good situation for any politician. A real “day of reckoning” for those two would be if they were defeated for re-election by a Republican but that is not going to happen.

Trump risks losing supporters who may connect him to monied interests in NYC, DC, and Boston. He can't afford to let that happen.

If you are an east coast billionaire real estate and entertainment mogul you are rubbing shoulders with moneyed “interests” by definition. To not be connected with moneyed “interests” would be the atypical situation. The commentor is trying to elevate the obvious and ordinary into the ominous and unusual. It hasn’t hurt Trump yet and I do not believe it will in the future. We Trump supporters love it that he’s wealthy. We believe it inoculates him from big donor influence.

The terms "Republican" and "Democrat" are largely synonymous. That the elite of both parties are against the same person (Trump) is the ultimate tell. Just back up and look at it. They are for all intents and purposes the same …

This is my view also – except I believe the eGOP will fall in behind Trump after Trump gets the nomination for the simple reason that they will make themselves irrelevant if they do not. They are silly but they’re not stupid. By that time it should be increasingly obvious that Trump will win the general and the Trump bandwagon will start taking on a lot of passengers who didn’t want to ride before. You’re either on the bus or off the bus.

grackle said...

As the national voter demographic accelerates toward a more ethnically and racially diverse electorate, for this upcoming presidential election the Republicans have two options, become even more aggressive in ginning up their base .. or attempt to broaden their appeal. With all their efforts to restrict voting and incite fear, it looks like the Republicans i.e. Cruz and Trump with help from the conservative media are putting their eggs in the former basket.

This is what is known as a “false dichotomy.”

http://tinyurl.com/7ycz74g

We Trump supporters believe Trump is fully capable of both options. Trump will gin up the base while simultaneously broadening the GOP’s appeal. The commentor should Google the phrase “Trump crossover” and read a few of the results.

grackle said...

I have to laugh at the thin skinned response from Trump et al and ALL the NYC papers

The “New York values” canard was a tactical mistake for Cruz. There is a “smell of death” emanating from the Cruz campaign.

Time for Cruz to get down and dirty with Trump. Trump has enough baggage to fill a 747 …

Trump is probably the most vetted politician we’ve ever seen. He’s been in the public eye for all of his adult life. Trump’s so-called “baggage” is really just a carry-on, easily fitting into the overhead. But keep hoping if it makes you feel better.

grackle said...

If birther claims didn't derail Obama's candidacy and presidency, they aren't going to derail Cruz's.

This Cruz is no Obama.

I have seen a lot of coverage of how Trump won the exchange, and Cruz has alienated New Yorkers, but I have not seen anything for which Cruz needs to apologize or by which NYC should be insulted.

Trump won the exchange and the debate. Pay attention to next week’s polls. What you will see is what has been seen after every GOP debate: Trump up – opponents down. Trump doesn’t lose debates. But keep hoping.

There is already one lawsuit filed.” So what?

Here’s what: The lawsuit, if Trump continues tweeting and talking about it, will create doubt. Doubt is a politician’s worst nightmare.

Well, Cruz tugged on Superman's cape and the Donald lost it.

In your dreams.

Who's to blame? Canada, of course. Canada is who should be made to apologize.

It’s those darn Eskimos! They sneak out of their igloos, put on their mukluks and right away the insults. We need to take away their kayaks. That’ll show’em.

Beaumont said...

Blogger grackle said...

This is what is known as a “false dichotomy.”

I believe Trump has more crossover appeal, by virtue of his demeanor and personality, than Cruz when it comes to independents and Democrats, however it is yet to be seen whether he can carry enough independents and Democrats to win the election. I believe that Cruz will struggle to garner many independent and swing democratic voters, relative to Trump.

Again, though the demographic tide is moving away from the Republican's evangelical and populist conservative base and it will be interesting to observe what strategies, tactics, and methods, the party will employ to win national elections four, eight, and twelve years from November 2016 (obviously national and world events can alter the effects of this trajectory). Rove's strategy in 2004 churned up the republican base, leading to the last popular vote victory the Republicans have had since 1988.

In a sense your assertion about the 'Trump Crossover" supports the contention that the electorate has changed and Trump cannot rely primarily on turning out the Republican base to win a la Rove in 2004. Was Rove's 2004 strategy the swan song for a base churning win for the Pubs. Will the Republican party on a state and national level continue to tighten voter registration requirements to disrupt the non white vote, will they make efforts to modify the electoral college to mute the impact of racially and ethnically diverse voters, or will they alter their tone and policies to broaden their base?

Sammy Finkelman said...

Ted Cruz:

Governor Cuomo banned fracking, so they don't get the jobs the people of Pennsylvania have

The big problem with banning fracking is not the jobs, which affect relatively few people, but the fact that that keeps the price of electricity higher. By the way, has Ted Cruz notied that the price of oil is dropping and fracking jobs are beinbg lost?

told by their governor — Governor Cuomo — that there is no place for them in state of New York because that's not what New Yorkers believe

He did that in 2013. Then he kind of immediately backed off of that and said he was talking only about politicisns and so on, not ordinary people. Then he dropped the subject.

Mayor de Blasio because over and over again, he sides with the looters and criminals

What looters? There were no looters. He was just siding with criminals in general, or with the complaints aganst the police, anyway. Dropping the appeal of a lawsuit that alleged the police were stopping people they shouldn't stop. But no looters.
How familiar is Ted Cruz with what goes on in New York?

They were seizing guns, by the way, because they can always be admitted into evidence, once seized, unlike drugs. If you are really, really, strongly pro-gun, maybe you should be against the police doing that and you should say more teenagers should get guns and gun licenses.

Sammy Finkelman said...

mccullough said... 1/16/16, 9:56 AM

Time for Cruz to start talking about Donald's friend Hillary attending his third wedding in 2005 and showing that photo of them.

According to Meet the Press (near the end) Cruz is now running some sort of an ad (in Iowa?) showing Donald Trump saying how much he is friends with Hillary and Bill Clinton. That is different from this ad I think:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/watch-cruzs-new-ad-on-trumps-new-york-values/article/2580705?custom_click=rss

A Trump ad a week ago shows Hillary Clinton with Cosby. (among other photos)

http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/01/08/hillary-and-her-friends-new-trump-ad-shows-clinton-cosby-weiner

Birkel said...

My guess:
Beaumont is an ignorant troll.

grackle said...

Will the Republican party on a state and national level continue to tighten voter registration requirements to disrupt the non white vote …

So typical of progressive boilerplate. The GOP wants to keep the minorities down. Campaign fraud? Not a problem.

… will they make efforts to modify the electoral college to mute the impact of racially and ethnically diverse voters …

More of the same tired meme.

… or will they alter their tone and policies to broaden their base?

It looks to me that the GOP is moving toward the center of the political spectrum. The leading candidate in the polls is not a conservative. Us Trump supporters are not looking for ideology. The GOP needs a more moderate base and I believe Trump is leading it there. For example his tax plan is definitely reformist yet not radical.

Cruz and Paul have a value-added(VAT) tax in their plans. The VAT is a dodge used by European politicians to bilk their citizens out of money without the citizens being aware of it. Products are taxed at every stage of development. By the time the product is purchased by the consumer the product has already been taxed several times. Corporations like it because it allows them to defer all or part of their tax by simply raising prices and, in effect, the consumer pays all or part of the corporations’ taxes for them.

http://tinyurl.com/q4y5b64

The opposite is true of the Democrats. Bernie’s supporters are fine with total socialism. Hillary is forced away from the center out toward the left wing of the party in order to contend with the heat that Sanders is generating. This all began during the Carter era and continued, with fits and starts, through Slick Willie, Obama and now Hillary.

Joe said...

Cruz's answer was boring as hell.

It should have gone something more like "I apologize for insulting you liberal assholes."

Seriously.

Sound bites, not polemics.