Republican Cruz taps Fiorina as No. 2 in bid to revive presidential prospects

[Grant]

Hey did you happen to listen to Trump's Foreign policy speech today? Brahhhhhaahahahaha

Did you listen to Obama's foreign policy speeches,the vacuity and see the consequences? Or Hillary's? Yet these two are still popular and one of them, despite an FBI investigation, is a serious candidate for the Presidency of the USA. And you think a foreign policy speech is going to sway voters?

People are now less inclined to listen to many of these 'analysts' anyway, most drink from the same well, and will vote more with their gut. If Trump destroys foreign policy and the economy it seems the country was well along that road anyway. He can do little added harm but may do some good. That seems to be the prevailing attitude.

It was a brilliant move for Cruz to announce Carly tonight. I knew it was coming. Indiana is going to Cruz.

Cruz is history. His desperation is apparent and unseemly.

 

[Grant]

Rather humorous coming from someone with a signature, "VOTE TRUMP". Looks like you folks are reaping the rewards of the lack of critical thinkers among us. Those who have to be told by Fox News who to support in this primary because they have no critical thinking skills and need someone to tell them what to think!

It's not clear that the supporters of Bernie or Hillary are very clear thinkers either, and gain their information from CNN and MSNBC.

 

[Anthony60]

Perhaps Cruz believes if he acts all presidential and picks a VP, the path to the white house will clear.

In all seriousness though, he's still betting on a contested convention, which has a slim chance of happening.

Hey, remember when Obama started using a Presidential like seal on his podiums in his first campaign? Unfortunately, elections these days are not about getting the small number of informed people to vote for you, it's about deceiving the vast number of low information voters to vote for you.

The people that can't even name a few people in the President's cabinet will decide who is President next. And the Democrats have been much better at misleading people than the Republicans. It's pretty much at the core of what they do.

But, Trump is pretty good at it. Cruz is easily the sharpest, most qualified person in the race, but will likely not be the nominee, though he still has a chance.

 

[Abbazorkzog]

I hope the GOP nominates Kasich and then implodes immediately thereafter.

 

[bubbabgone]

Not even Fiorina and her family would be so stupid as to think naming Fiorina as your VP running mate would be a move that would advance your run for the nomination.

SNL wouldn't even think of this as parody, being too idiotic and pathetic to be funny.

It is, however, a very welcomed move for those of us who think a Cruz nomination would be a disaster for the Republican Party.

Significant efforts are required to avoid mouth-vomit watching Cruz. I never thought it would be possible, but I'd rather see the very obnoxious President Obama on TV than any of the 2016 lineup, either side.

I just posted this on another thread but it's pretty interesting ... to me anyway ...

Months ago, before the Republican race was whittled down to just three candidates, a very curious thing happened. The Ted Cruz super PAC ‘donated’ $500,000 to the Carly Fiorina super PAC, CARLY for America. A few articles popped up at the time, and the Federal Election Commission even issued a letter asking the Cruz super PAC to better explain what the donation was for.
“This is very rare, I can’t recall another instance in which one super PAC contributed to another super PAC supporting an opponent, ” election law expert Paul Ryan said.

The Mysterious Case of Ted Cruz PAC’s $1/2 Million ‘Donation’ to Help Carly Fiorina | LawNewz

Now, keep in mind, this donation/transfer was done before Carly dropped out and PACs can do pretty much what they want as log as there's no coordination with the candidates.
So ... what on earth could make a Cruz PAC give money to an opponent's PAC unless the candidate thought it was a good idea?
The article suggests a reason and some curious, um, coincidences.
It's an interesting read to say the least.

 

[vesper]

Perhaps Cruz believes if he acts all presidential and picks a VP, the path to the white house will clear.

In all seriousness though, he's still betting on a contested convention, which has a slim chance of happening.

Funny thing on the way to the nomination of a candidate in 1860, it went to a contested convention. A candidate by the name of Abraham Lincoln had only 22% of the vote yet ended up with the nomination and went on to win the presidency. If Trump wins Indiana he will have a path still open to reach 1237. If he loses, a contested convention will be inevitable.

There seems to be a lot of ignorant people out there on how the process works and has worked for hundreds of years. First off, all states have different rules and laws on how their delegates are bound. There will not be any clear winner until the first vote at the convention. All the delegate counts you see listed at the moment are just estimates. There are a few hundred unbound delegates that no one knows with any real certainty how they will vote on the first ballot. Because the Cruz team has been so successful getting his supporters to the state conventions to vote for delegates, they have successfully insured a good majority of those delegates are committed to him, some on the first ballot and many on the second ballot at a contested convention. Of course many of these unbound delegates do not show up in the current count. The last 10 states to vote this primary season are not pushovers for Trump. If Trump can't secure well over 50% of the vote from here on out, he will not make it to 1237.

 

[vesper]

Did you listen to Obama's foreign policy speeches,the vacuity and see the consequences? Or Hillary's? Yet these two are still popular and one of them, despite an FBI investigation, is a serious candidate for the Presidency of the USA. And you think a foreign policy speech is going to sway voters?

People are now less inclined to listen to many of these 'analysts' anyway, most drink from the same well, and will vote more with their gut. If Trump destroys foreign policy and the economy it seems the country was well along that road anyway. He can do little added harm but may do some good. That seems to be the prevailing attitude.
Cruz is history. His desperation is apparent and unseemly.

They said that about Lincoln too. Lincoln was a very intelligent man who had strong principles. He didn't come from an elite family with loads of money. He wasn't a handsome candidate either but his grassroots supporters were loyal and worked tirelessly to get him to the convention because they shared his strong principles. People mocked Lincoln's looks, his mannerisms his principles and thought he was weird, creepy much like people have said about Cruz.

 

[chuckiechan]

You sound like an old fart

Getting old is a long and dangerous journey. I hope you make it sonny!

Trump is not as smooth or as polished as the politicians he is running against. He has not honed his craft through years at the public megaphone. Cruz may have his good points, but the bottom line is he is weak because voters are making him weak by not voting for him. Cruz's message to the conservative voter is to embrace the very same wedge issues the Democrats use to eviscerate Republican candidates every election cycle.

We are tired of losing on principle and turning the country over to activist social warriors. Win first.

In case you haven't noticed, things are changing around people like you who act as if you are personally threatened by a change in the status quo. The changes with an new president are a lot like steering a barge in a current. It is a measured and steady change of course. Obama has run us into the bank with a moribund economy, a world on fire, and more countries pointing bigger guns at us than ever.

 

[Grant]

They said that about Lincoln too. Lincoln was a very intelligent man who had strong principles. He didn't come from an elite family with loads of money. He wasn't a handsome candidate either but his grassroots supporters were loyal and worked tirelessly to get him to the convention because they shared his strong principles. People mocked Lincoln's looks, his mannerisms his principles and thought he was weird, creepy much like people have said about Cruz.

I'm not sure the comparison of Lincoln/Cruz works all that well. Nor was Abraham Lincoln able to avoid a bloody Civil War which, to my mind, makes him hugely over-rated.

As we know perception is politics and the perception of Cruz as 'creepy', with flexible morals. seems too embedded in the public mind to be altered significantly between now and the convention. Trump is largely the result of eight years of Obama and a way for the 'Silent Majority' to stick it to those who feel they know best, the political elites, as to who should be running the country.

That Cruz was never liked in Washington was at one time a plus for him but he now doesn't seem to be that well liked outside DC either, despite his obvious intelligence and political acumen.

 

[AlbqOwl]

:agree: I am still a Kasich supporter because he is still more qualified than any of the others running - he has a resume of accomplishments that can't be duplicated by anyone from either party - but I also believe that what is meant to be will be, even though we may not understand it at the time. The entire world is watching what is happening here, and there is probably much bartering going on behind the scene that we don't know about yet, IMO, but no doubt the truth will emerge in due time..... :shock:

Trump, Cruz, or Kasich (or anybody else among the 16 original GOP contenders) would be less dangerous for our liberties, our economy, our international standing, and the integrity of the courts than Hillary Clinton will be. Or Sanders if he is the default candidate if Hillary is indicted--there's a snowball's chance in hell that will happen though.

Kasich has won one state and he couldn't get 50% of the vote even there. If the GOP manipulated him as the candidate, I don't know. I think there would be so much resentment and anger among the Trump and Cruz supporters that he would have a very tough road to hoe. He is a good guy and everybody likes him--he caught my eye as a rising star and presidential material during the Clinton administration. But he is pure establishment, I think would maintain the status quo much more than he would effect needed change, and he just doesn't excite people or inspire enthusiasm.

Cruz comes across as an angry evangelist these days, and his unpopularity with his peers could be problematic for him too if they decided he would be the logical replacement for front runner Trump. The overwhelming national yawn when he chose Fiorina yesterday underscores my fear that he will be so unappealing to anybody other than his staunch supporters that he cannot beat Hillary, even as underwhelmed as her supporters are about her. Cruz was my guy for quite awhile, and I could still vote for him. But he has disappointed me with some unattractive character issues that have surfaced and I am less enthusiastic about him than I was.

And the Donald? Who knows what we would get with him? But for those who are disgusted, fed up, disappointed in, and/or angry with the GOP and Democrats, he's your man. He is beholden to no political party and is neither obligated to one or emotionally attached to one. For those who are tired of ideology dictating everything, no matter how silly it gets, he's your man. He is no ideologue as is testified by his shifting positions on those social issues that should not be the business of the federal government in the first place.

How will he govern? I have no clue. He could be brilliant and he could be awful. But my gut tells me the man is smart, a pure professional when he gets down to business to do something, and somebody who is skilled and experienced at achieving consensus, cooperation, and gets things done. Everything I've read about him and those who know him best suggest he is an honorable Christian man who does many nice things for people quietly and without publicity--people who have no way to pay him back or benefit him in any way. That says something about his character. And I think his colossal ego is such that he will do his damndest to make an honorable and admirable legacy for himself. There's nothing in it for him to do bad things.

I will be voting for whomever the GOP nominee is, but I will be a little excited and curious and hopeful if Trump is our nominee and our next President. My instincts and my gut tell me that he could be okay. And even if he isn't, he will be better for us all than Hillary will be. And I think Kasich would make him a great vice president.

 

[vesper]

Getting old is a long and dangerous journey. I hope you make it sonny!

Trump is not as smooth or as polished as the politicians he is running against. He has not honed his craft through years at the public megaphone. Cruz may have his good points, but the bottom line is he is weak because voters are making him weak by not voting for him. Cruz's message to the conservative voter is to embrace the very same wedge issues the Democrats use to eviscerate Republican candidates every election cycle.

We are tired of losing on principle and turning the country over to activist social warriors. Win first.

In case you haven't noticed, things are changing around people like you who act as if you are personally threatened by a change in the status quo. The changes with an new president are a lot like steering a barge in a current. It is a measured and steady change of course. Obama has run us into the bank with a moribund economy, a world on fire, and more countries pointing bigger guns at us than ever.

To the bolded- Trump is not the outsider so many claim him to be. Up until just months before he decided to run, he was funding the campaigns of leftists from diBlasio, Weiner, Clinton, Schumer, and just yesterday it came out he gave 25,000 to Terry McAuliffe's campaign you know McAuliffe the governor of Virginia and good friends with the Clintons who just bypassed the Virginia constitution and gave millions of felons the right to vote? Trump for over 40 years has been supporting people who have trashed our constitution and turned us into a country that no longer enforces their own laws. All the problems we face as a nation can be traced back to lawlessness on behalf of the politicians who are in bed with crony capitalists and their lobbyists. And yet the ignorance in this country is so great that they think a candidate whose profession is a real estate mogel who has spent his life getting wealthy by buying favors like every other cronie is the outsider. For cripe sakes he has Washington lobbyists running his campaign who have lobbied not just in this country for favors for clients but for clients in countries who are not our friends. People like Trump are no different than the politicians who have squandered this country step by step turning it into something it was never meant to be. And until we get leadership that will restore constitutional first principles we are currently positioned circling around the drain for the final flush that will end this Republic once and for all. That's a fight worth having in my opinion to keep that from happening.

 

[disneydude]

Democrats have been much better at misleading people than the Republicans. It's pretty much at the core of what they do.

LOL.....Seriously? Three Words: Axis of Evil....BWAHAHAHA......

 

[vesper]

I'm not sure the comparison of Lincoln/Cruz works all that well. Nor was Abraham Lincoln able to avoid a bloody Civil War which, to my mind, makes him hugely over-rated.

As we know perception is politics and the perception of Cruz as 'creepy', with flexible morals. seems too embedded in the public mind to be altered significantly between now and the convention. Trump is largely the result of eight years of Obama and a way for the 'Silent Majority' to stick it to those who feel they know best, the political elites, as to who should be running the country.

That Cruz was never liked in Washington was at one time a plus for him but he now doesn't seem to be that well liked outside DC either, despite his obvious intelligence and political acumen.

He certainly isn't liked in NE states where Republicans seldom win in a general. But he seems to be well supported in other states where he has had landslide victories. He has actually put Wisconsin and a few other states where Hillary didn't do well into play in the general where Cruz had solid wins. Wisconsin hasn't gone Republican for decades in the general.

 

[disneydude]

:agree: I am still a Kasich supporter because he is still more qualified than any of the others running - he has a resume of accomplishments that can't be duplicated by anyone from either party - but I also believe that what is meant to be will be, even though we may not understand it at the time. The entire world is watching what is happening here, and there is probably much bartering going on behind the scene that we don't know about yet, IMO, but no doubt the truth will emerge in due time..... :shock:

Kasich has imploded in the last week. Anyone who witnessed his interviews over the last week after the shady deal he cut with Desperate Lyin' Cruz saw that Kasich was unprepared and came across as an unprepared, angry, frustrated man. His time is done.

 

[disneydude]

He certainly isn't liked in NE states where Republicans seldom win in a general. But he seems to be well supported in other states where he has had landslide victories. He has actually put Wisconsin and a few other states where Hillary didn't do well into play in the general where Cruz had solid wins. Wisconsin hasn't gone Republican for decades in the general.

Cruz hasn't had a landslide victory in any of the states. Even his home state of Texas couldn't be classified as a "landslide'. You want to talk landslide....look at the last five contests. Desperate Lyin' Cruz got slaughtered and finished in last place in 4 of the 5.

 

[CanadaJohn]

LOL coming from a Canadian that's choice. I hear you have some real issues in Canada these days due to the leftist the Canadians chose in their last election.

I don't disagree - Canadian's chose an idiot for Prime Minister, similar to the idiot the US has had in the White House since January 2009. I give you props for the irrelevant non-sequitur.

So what's your point?

 

[CanadaJohn]

I just posted this on another thread but it's pretty interesting ... to me anyway ...




The Mysterious Case of Ted Cruz PAC’s $1/2 Million ‘Donation’ to Help Carly Fiorina | LawNewz

Now, keep in mind, this donation/transfer was done before Carly dropped out and PACs can do pretty much what they want as log as there's no coordination with the candidates.
So ... what on earth could make a Cruz PAC give money to an opponent's PAC unless the candidate thought it was a good idea?
The article suggests a reason and some curious, um, coincidences.
It's an interesting read to say the least.

Good morning Bubba - hope all is well with you.

Seems simple to me, if I remember things correctly. At the time, Fiorina was in an all out war with Trump during the debates, calling him a misogynist among other things and she was doing damage to Trump and those who support Cruz must have felt that benefited their guy.

 

[chuckiechan]

To the bolded- Trump is not the outsider so many claim him to be.

Trump's fortunes rise and fall with the overall economy and how much disposable income Americans and tourists have to spend. So like us, every dollar shoveled into the government furnace is a dollar no available for citizens to spend on their own lives.

Politicians, Cruz included, know that a rising tide of Washington wealth makes their boats rise above ours.

 

[matchlight]

I have yet to see anyone elaborate on what the basis is for viewing Ted Cruz as "creepy." I don't see anything frightening about him. Just the opposite--it reassures me to think of a president who takes the Constitution very seriously. It is Donald Trump who gives me the willies, because he so obviously does not understand basic subjects any president should understand. If you don't know what the nuclear triad is, just say so, and have the questioner explain it, instead of throwing up a lot of witless blather that makes very clear you don't know what the hell you're talking about. And I do not like to see a candidate for president say, in effect, that the military would have to obey an illegal order from him. We've already got a president who acts as if he wishes he could be a dictator.

 

[disneydude]

I have yet to see anyone elaborate on what the basis is for viewing Ted Cruz as "creepy." I don't see anything frightening about him. Just the opposite--it reassures me to think of a president who takes the Constitution very seriously. It is Donald Trump who gives me the willies, because he so obviously does not understand basic subjects any president should understand. If you don't know what the nuclear triad is, just say so, and have the questioner explain it, instead of throwing up a lot of witless blather that makes very clear you don't know what the hell you're talking about. And I do not like to see a candidate for president say, in effect, that the military would have to obey an illegal order from him. We've already got a president who acts as if he wishes he could be a dictator.

Desperate Lyin Cruz is extremely creepy....just watch his snide little smiles whenever he thinks he has said something witty or inspiring. I've never seen someone who comes across so smarmy.......he just reeks of greasiness.

 

[Anthony60]

LOL.....Seriously? Three Words: Axis of Evil....BWAHAHAHA......

Um, that doesn't exactly help your argument, LOL.

 

[Grant]

To the bolded- Trump is not the outsider so many claim him to be. Up until just months before he decided to run, he was funding the campaigns of leftists from diBlasio, Weiner, Clinton, Schumer, and just yesterday it came out he gave 25,000 to Terry McAuliffe's campaign you know McAuliffe the governor of Virginia and good friends with the Clintons who just bypassed the Virginia constitution and gave millions of felons the right to vote? Trump for over 40 years has been supporting people who have trashed our constitution and turned us into a country that no longer enforces their own laws. All the problems we face as a nation can be traced back to lawlessness on behalf of the politicians who are in bed with crony capitalists and their lobbyists. And yet the ignorance in this country is so great that they think a candidate whose profession is a real estate mogel who has spent his life getting wealthy by buying favors like every other cronie is the outsider. For cripe sakes he has Washington lobbyists running his campaign who have lobbied not just in this country for favors for clients but for clients in countries who are not our friends. People like Trump are no different than the politicians who have squandered this country step by step turning it into something it was never meant to be. And until we get leadership that will restore constitutional first principles we are currently positioned circling around the drain for the final flush that will end this Republic once and for all. That's a fight worth having in my opinion to keep that from happening.

Yes, it is a fight worth winning but donations are different fom actions and it is Hillary Clinton and those people you name who have created the problems America faces. And of course a largely ill-informed electorate who McAuiliffe and Clinton encourage. Everyone knows who the convicts in his state will vote for and this will be supported by the leftists. Of course they'll also support open borders and unlimited immigration because elctions are more important the the well being of the country.

The Americans of yesterday would have easily seen through this charade but a couple of decades of anti American propaganda, in America, has changed all of this.

 

[soot]

Desperate, maybe. But still brilliant. Nullifies the whole "war on women" that Hillary is surely hoping to bring up. Adds the whole "leadership/business" angle that many are looking for in the Donald. It will be fascinating to see how it all turns out.

If that was the play then he could have picked a female executive who actually had a successful career, demonstrated sound leadership strategies, wasn't pretty much universally hated and vilified by virtually everyone she ever worked with, and hadn't already been shown to be someone that the American people had no interest in putting in the Executive office.

This is just one more indication, as though we needed any more, of Ted Cruz's hubris, disdain for the will of the voters, and tone deafness.

We already know how this is going to "turn out'.

Trump is going to take 1237+ delegates in to the convention, win the nomination on the first ballot, and then go on to defeat Hillary Clinton in the general in November, and then Make America Great Again.

But by all means continue enjoying the side shows.

 

[Grant]

If that was the play then he could have picked a female executive who actually had a successful career, demonstrated sound leadership strategies, wasn't pretty much universally hated and vilified by virtually everyone she ever worked with, and hadn't already been shown to be someone that the American people had no interest in putting in the Executive office.

This is just one more indication, as though we needed any more, of Ted Cruz's hubris, disdain for the will of the voters, and tone deafness.

We already know how this is going to "turn out'.

Trump is going to take 1237+ delegates in to the convention, win the nomination on the first ballot, and then go on to defeat Hillary Clinton in the general in November, and then Make America Great Again.

But by all means continue enjoying the side shows.

I can't see any Democratic candidate saying they would "Make America Great Again". That really isn't their goal.

 

[vesper]

I have yet to see anyone elaborate on what the basis is for viewing Ted Cruz as "creepy." I don't see anything frightening about him. Just the opposite--it reassures me to think of a president who takes the Constitution very seriously. It is Donald Trump who gives me the willies, because he so obviously does not understand basic subjects any president should understand. If you don't know what the nuclear triad is, just say so, and have the questioner explain it, instead of throwing up a lot of witless blather that makes very clear you don't know what the hell you're talking about. And I do not like to see a candidate for president say, in effect, that the military would have to obey an illegal order from him. We've already got a president who acts as if he wishes he could be a dictator.

Over 60% of Republicans agree with you in one sense or another and do not want to see Trump get the nomination. He is scary. Most populists are because they have no core principles they stand on. They support something one day when it is popular and change their views when it becomes unpopular. Take his stance on Libya not that very long ago when he was out there supporting Obama and Hillary to go into Libya and get rid of Gadhafi while conservatives were screaming don't do it. And please don't mistake Republican for conservative as many do. It has turned out just as many conservative voices feared it would. Libya is now a cesspool of terrorism and very unstable. Simply because now it as seen as a very unpopular move by this administration is when Trump changed his views. Whatever is popular at the moment is what he will support. Scary stuff. There's a lot of Republicans out there that did not vote for Cruz in a crowded field but are damn well hoping he can keep Trump from reaching 1237 for good reason.

And another note worth making is Trump's popularity is much in part the making of the MSM. I never thought I would see the day that Fox turned its network into a super pac for Trump. Maybe CNN and MSNBC but Fox? It's a 24/7 trumpathon over there. I saw for several weeks they have lost viewership and came in second to CNN. People who do not support Trump are tuning them out. But the dirty little secret is Roger Ailes is a Hillary supporter as most of the MSM are and like every election they play up the Republican candidate that will be easiest for the Democrat to knock off in the general.