Sen. Ted Cruz defended Donald Trump on immigration and called out “the Washington cartel” he says is ignoring the issue, in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”Hey, I thought Cruz really believed he could become president. Does he just want to be Trump's running mate?
“I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration,” Cruz said of his rival for the 2016 GOP nomination, adding that it “seems the favorite sport of the Washington media is to encourage some Republicans to attack other Republicans.”
“I’m not interested in Republican on Republican violence,” he told host Chuck Todd, adding that “bold … brash” Trump “has a colorful way of speaking.”
The Texas senator’s comments were similar to his defense of Trump during Fox & Friends on Tuesday.
“When it comes to Donald Trump, I like Donald Trump,” Cruz said on the show. “I think he’s terrific.”
I'm joking, of course. I imagine that what Cruz is thinking is that Trump is peaking now, and that when Trump drops out of the race, probably early in the process, Cruz will be in a position to pick up his voters.
Except that Trump is nine points ahead of Cruz in the latest CNN national poll of Republicans. Trump is seven points ahead of Cruz in the two latest polls of New Hampshire, from Suffolk University and CNN/WMUR. Trump is one point ahead of Cruz in the latest Quinnipiac poll of Iowa (and they're both well behind Scott Walker). Trump is nine points ahead of Cruz in the latest PPP survey of Michigan.
If Cruz thinks he can just bide his time until Trump drops out, I think he has the wrong strategy. It looks as if Cruz will be the one to drop out first, and then Trump will get his votes.
I think Trump has, as the saying goes, limited upside potential -- a lot of Republicans still don't like him and never will. In this way, he's like Ron Paul -- and, like Ron Paul, he'll probably stay in the race way past the point at which he's mathematically eliminated, just for the adulation.
But in the meantime, he's going to make Ted Cruz irrelevant (a process Cruz is abetting with his me-too-ism). I think, in the early states, he'll help drive Cruz out of the race.
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UPDATE: Looks as if it's a mutual admiration society:
On Saturday, Trump ... praised what he considers fellow candidate and Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s tough immigration stance, calling him “very brave.”I think this is a ticket.
10 comments:
Every GOP candidate is trying to get the bigoted, stupid and ignorant asshole votes!
Whoever finally wins, will have all of them.
Let's hope it's not enough to win the Presidency,
Don't think Cruz is going to drop out. Don't think he's rational enough to. You're right, he's trying to position himself to pick up Trump's votes when Trump drops -- which is inevitable. Trump has probably peaked and soon his candidacy is going to cost him some real money, so he's bound to drop out and his voters will be up for grabs. Plus running for President is not all sweetness and light and I don't think Trump is going to subject himself to much more continual criticism of the like he got for his Mexican comments.
But I think Cruz will remain in the race until the convention and maybe beyond. There are enough crazy billionaires to keep anybody funded in perpetuity. Go back and look at Cruz's announcement ceremony -- it looked like a coronation. Cruz may actually have the largest ego in Washington and that's saying something.
I can go with Jeff and Jim Carrey! Which one is jeff, and which is jim?
AND, who is on top?
Regarding my previous comment; Neither IDIOT is Dumb!
There is a saying like:
They are Smart by one and a half. Smart, and extreme, and NOT real!
Herman Cain was leading the GOP contest for a while last time. Gingrich had his big moment in winning South Cackalacky. Good Hair had the lead for a bit. Santorum will always have Iowa. Huckster had a quick run at the lead in 2008. Walker's been up, Walker's gone down, Walker's got buck and could well be back.
Trump won't be around once he has to comply with campaign filings that require actual numbers; he's not among those with actual serious campaign organizations; and if I'm not mistaken, a number of states (still) have minimum petition numbers for qualifying for being named on a primary ballot.
This is Jeb's to lose or Mitt's to steal.
This is Jeb's to lose or Mitt's to steal.
This.
Cheney vetted VPs for Bush, then swooped in for the position himself. Mitt might be planning something similar with Adelson.
It must be tearing Cruz up inside that so few people realise he's the smartest man in America and 10 times more suited to the White House than any of the doofuses polling better then him. He hasn't been this humiliated since 2000 when W said thanks for all your great work on the campaign and that's your desk in the DoJ there, down in the basement with all the other junior deputy assistant attorneys.
Let's hope and pray he doesn't even make the top 10 cut for the debates. He just might throw the biggest "You people don't deserve me" tantrum of all time.
A Trump/Cruz Constitutional Republican ticket! Now that would be something to behold.
Trump's bump in the polls may or may not last, but if you want to see the underlying reality of it, just go read the comments at this Hot Air post. Republican candidates who criticize him over the immigration comments are basically punching themselves in the face, as far as the base is concerned. I swear, I hope this brouhaha only gets bigger leading into the debate. "Let's have a show of hands, who disagrees with Mr. Trump on immigration?" And the live audience viciously boos down everyone who raises a hand.
Of course they are not criticizing each other, they are both pandering to the same voters: fucking assholes.
The Donald is finally exposing the media and the GOP for the trash they are. See Who Trump Will Clobber Next
The trash of the GOP are its voters.
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