Ted Cruz, Outsider? Member GOPe?

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Big Red Car here while The Boss is skiing. Apparently, it’s even snowing in Steamboat.

So while I have had some time on my hands, I’ve been studying this notion of folks being “outsiders” as that appears to be a desirable trait.

Right alongside it is the notion that a person may or may not be a member of the GOPe — the Republican establishment.

Then, there’s the issue of whether someone is a conservative and what is necessary to earn that title.

I have to tell you it makes a Big Red Car tired to just try to figure it out — outsider, GOPe, conservative?

So, in studying the claims of certain folks, I stumble upon Ted Cruz and find out the following:

1. Ted Cruz is educated at Princeton and Harvard — a double Ivy Leaguer. He did well at both schools, very well.

2. Ted was a top adviser to President George W Bush’s 2000 campaign and worked on recruiting Chief Justice John Roberts.

3. Ted clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist for two years.

4. Our Ted worked for the US Department of Justice followed by a stint as the director of the Office of Policy Planning at the Federal Trade Commission.

5. Then he became the Solicitor General of the State of Texas where he argued eight cases before the Supreme Court. He was appointed by then Attorney General and now Governor of Texas Greg Abbott.

6. A self-described “ultraconservative” he defeated a former Lt Governor for the Senate seat vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison. He caught a lot of people by surprise and enjoyed broad Tea Part support.

7. He had a very short stint in private practice wherein he represented the NRA (National Rifle Association).

In reviewing Ted Cruz’s credentials, work history, and employers it is difficult to see him as anything other than a very traditional member of the GOPe. Can you see it a different way?

But then, the story deepens with Cruz’s actual behavior in the Senate wherein he famously calls Mitch McConnell a liar (no argument from the Big Red Car — Mitch could be Barack Obama’s long lost twin brother based on his actions) and throws up a 21-hour filibuster on — can you remember what?

Haha, Big Red Car remembers. It was in opposition to Obamacare.

It was not until 2014 that Ted Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship (dual American and Canadian citizenship) to run for President. Odd timing.

Then there is this:

1 Ted is married to Heidi Suzanne Nelson Cruz, a formidable California woman equal to her husband on all matters. They met and were married while both worked for George W Bush.

2. She worked variously for Condoleeza Rice in the White House for the NSC and at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker.

3. She moved to Texas from DC to be with her husband and then worked for Goldman in Houston.

4. Her credentials are impressive.

What they are also is very establishment oriented.

It is difficult to see Ted Cruz as an “outsider” or as anything other than a fairly standard member of the establishment. One has to give him credit for screaming that he will “abolish” the IRS — good luck with that.

Final report card: Ted Cruz is a very standard member of the GOPe who wants to be an “outsider” but who is a full blooded member of the establishment married to another member of the GOPe.

Sorry.

But, hey what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car.

 

 

2 thoughts on “Ted Cruz, Outsider? Member GOPe?”

  1. Sigmaalgebra – Great review of the facts! I agree.
    I struggle with the Insider/outsider conversation. Change management experience has shown me that you can’t change others or process whole cloth. True change is when others choose to change, forced change leaders are short lived roles.
    Ted has been the guy that is bright and hangs around despite his annoying personality. Competent but Annoying. His speech cadence sounds like a preacher and choice of words is more telling then empathetic. To use the old phrase seek to understand not be understood Ted is a “you need to understand I am Right” guy! He could take a lesson from Clinton and “Feel anothers’ Pain”
    A month or so ago I spent time in DC with old friends who all know Ted in DC, as BRC states he has been there his entire career. The most common comments are “never have seen him social, don’t know what he does when not grabbing news coverage”
    As Obama has shown the POTUS needs to work with all, listen and influence or be isolated. In business this leader gets canned, in government like a union your job is protected until the electorate wakes up or term limits hit.
    On policy he is a wash, as leader he is a zero, as lawyer high marks. Perhaps the SCOTUS role fits him.

  2. As a voter, it is my responsibility to investigate and evaluate the candidates.

    Here I do that for Ted Cruz.

    At least for now, this is my evaluation of Cruz; if others want to make use of the quotes and references here, fine with me.

    Background

    Okay; okay; okay; Cruz is a bright guy, ambitious, hard working, determined with an impressive background.

    Cruz knows a lot of stuff.

    Then there is a generic statement from a voter to a politician:

    We don’t care how much you know until we know how much you care.

    In life, I’ve had to learn, the hard way, paid “full tuition”, that just because a person is bright with a good education and a lot of good experience, sadly, we can’t conclude we know very much, really next to nothing, about how much they care.

    Indeed, I’ve seen cases where a background along the lines of that of Cruz really means that they are ambitious for themselves and perfectly willing to stick it to, that is, hurt, others.

    That background doesn’t mean the person is nasty, but it also doesn’t mean they are nice. To settle on nice/nasty, we have look at more.

    BUT ON ISSUES:

    Climate Change

    There is a good interview for Yahoo by Katie Couric of Cruz on climate change at

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_xVWfGjk0o

    Cruz was good.

    Climate Change: Grade B.

    Since in that interview he consistently evaded some smaller questions, Cruz gets a grade of B instead of A.

    Constitution

    At

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w22fp0LXrQE

    is a similar interview but on the US Constitution. Cruz was good:

    US Constitution: Grade A.

    Illegal Immigration:

    As in

    http://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-immigration-washington-post-2015-11

    reprinted from The Washington Post in an answer to NBC’s Chuck Todd, Cruz essentially refused to say what to do with the supposedly 11 million illegal immigrants.

    So, Cruz doesn’t really want to solve the problem. So,

    Illegal Immigration: Grade F.

    Further, Cruz was evasive and not forthright. So,

    Being Forthright: Grade F.

    The article claims that Cruz

    has supported a huge expansion of the H-1B visa program

    Character: Grade F.

    Illegal Immigration: Grade F.

    Character

    As at

    http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/30/iowa-official-criticizes-cruz-campaign-over-mailer/

    and

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/04/ted-cruz-voicemails-ben-carson-exclusive-audio/

    in the Iowa primary, Cruz acted like a dirt bag in two respects, (A), from the NYT piece, the e-mail with title “Voter Violation” and the (B), from the Breitbart piece, the claim that Carson had dropped out of the race.

    As in

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/us/politics/ted-cruz-wall-street-loan-senate-bid-2012.html?_r=0

    in his Senate race in 2012, Cruz received personal loans from Goldman Sachs and Citibank but neglected to report them as required:

    Neither loan appears in reports the Ted Cruz for Senate Committee filed with the Federal Election Commission, in which candidates are required to disclose the source of money they borrow to finance their campaigns.

    Character: Grade F.

    Taxes

    In the transcript of Republican primary debate, March 3, 2016, hosted by Fox News, by The Washington Post at

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/03/the-fox-news-gop-debate-transcript-annotated/

    Cruz stated:

    And we will pass a simple flat tax and abolish the IRS.

    No he won’t. Not a chance. Total BS.

    Tax Policy: Grade F.

    Being Forthright: Grade F.

    Being Honest: Grade F.

    Being Truthful: Grade F.

    Such a tax would totally stick it to the little guy and be a great gift to the rich.

    Caring about the Voters: Grade F.

    Judgment

    Listening to Cruz in the debates, at times I got an impression that he is legalistic, that is, equates what can get away with legally as what is right, moral, and ethical and, otherwise, is like Javert in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables who believed that it was his Christian duty to enforce the law, “The letter of the law.”

    So, as at

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/opinion/the-brutalism-of-ted-cruz.html

    is in part

    In 1997, Michael Wayne Haley was arrested after stealing a calculator from Walmart. This was a crime that merited a maximum two-year prison term. But prosecutors incorrectly applied a habitual offender law. Neither the judge nor the defense lawyer caught the error and Haley was sentenced to 16 years.

    So, Cruz didn’t want the error corrected and took the case all the way to the SCOTUS trying to get the full 16 years. In the end Haley was released after 6 years.

    So, the situation was not despicable, evil Javert with an OCD case going after Jean Valjean — the noble peasant imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread — and, instead, was the entirely similar despicable, evil with an OCD case Cruz going after Michael Wayne Haley for stealing a calculator.

    Judgment: Grade F.

    Character: Grade F.

    OCD Health: Grade F.

    Cruz appeared on Meet the Press on February 28, 2016 with transcript at

    http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-february-28-2016-n527506

    and was talking about releasing tax returns, his and Trump’s, and said in part

    And it’s natural to wonder, “Well, what is it that he’s hiding in his taxes?” Maybe it’s that Donald Trump doesn’t earn nearly as much as he has so loudly told everyone. Maybe he’s not as rich as he says he is. Who knows, maybe it’s the case that Mitt Romney is richer than Donald Trump. He can answer that by releasing his taxes. On the other hand, maybe it’s the case that he has given large sums of money to left-wing groups like Planned Parenthood.

    You know, he praises Planned Parenthood in the debates over and over again. Maybe he’s been a big financial supporter of that. All of those questions Donald can put to rest. Or you know, maybe it is the case that Donald, there have been multiple media reports about Donald’s business dealings with the mob, with the mafia. Maybe his taxes show those business dealings are a lot more extensive than has been reported.

    So, Cruz is saying that Trump might be guilty so should prove that he is innocent.

    Character: Grade F.

    We have to correct the grade

    US Constitution: Grade A.

    to

    US Constitution: Grade F.

    Cruz seems to be against funding Planned Parenthood, apparently even if Planned Parenthood has abortion services stopped or very separate. Planned Parenthood does a lot of women a lot of good. Bummer.

    Caring, Compassionate: Grade F.

    Cruz was on Face the Nation on Sunday, March 6, 2016 with transcript at

    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-transcripts-march-6-2016-trump-cruz-clinton-priebus/

    There Cruz said in part:

    And then I think an awful lot of reporters — I can’t tell you how many media outlets I hear have this great expose on Donald, on different aspects of his business dealings, or his past, but they said, you know what, we’re going to hold it to June or July. We’re not going to run it now.

    So, Cruz is accusing Trump of doing something that will be the subject of an “expose” but won’t say what that something is or (later in that interview) what were the “outlets” or “reporters” who told him.

    So, Cruz is saying that Trump is guilty and has to prove that he is innocent and without knowing what he is accused of being guilty of. To, Cruz learned this dirt in law school?

    The same law school the lawyer of “Fat Tony” Salerno went to?

    So, to defend, Trump has to take the set of all possible topics of an expose and for each one prove that he is innocent?

    US Constitution: Grade F.

    Cruz doesn’t actually believe in the spirit of the US Constitution. Apparently what he believes is right, moral, and ethical is whatever he can get away with legally. Bummer.

    Character: Grade F.

    Judgment: Grade F

    Lying

    In the transcript of Republican primary debate, March 3, 2016, hosted by Fox News, by The Washington Post at

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/03/the-fox-news-gop-debate-transcript-annotated/

    was the exchange:

    BAIER: Mr. Trump…

    TRUMP: So we’re listening to the all-talk, no-action politician, and he was the primary supporter of John Roberts, who gave us Obamacare.

    CRUZ: That’s flat-out wrong.

    TRUMP: No, it’s not. You take a look. He was the primary supporter. He pushed John Roberts, and pushed him, and pushed him, and Bush ultimately appointed him. He got appointed. And when it came his time to raise his hand and kill Obamacare, not once, but twice, he let us down, and he did the wrong thing.

    This is the man that was the primary supporter. And you can read law journal, you can read whatever you want to read — I’ve read plenty of it. There was no stronger supporter of John Roberts than him. And it was a very, very big mistake.

    BAIER: Quickly, Senator Cruz.

    CRUZ: You know, Donald has a tenuous relationship with the truth.

    (LAUGHTER)

    I wrote one op-ed supporting President Bush’s nomination after he made it. I would not have made that nomination. But let me point out…

    TRUMP: Not what you say in the op-ed.

    CRUZ: … if Donald actually cared about…

    TRUMP: That is not what you said in the op-ed.

    CRUZ: But, Donald, please, I know it’s hard not to interrupt. But try.

    TRUMP: Yeah, I know it is. But it’s not what you said in the op-ed.

    CRUZ: Breathe, breathe, breathe.

    TRUMP: Lyin’ Ted.

    Trump was exactly right; Cruz was lying. For the details, see the Cruz op-ed

    Ted Cruz, “The Right Stuff”, The National Review, July 20, 2005.

    with the first sentence

    John Roberts should be a quick confirm.

    Cruz went on with unrestrained, unqualified, glowing praise of Roberts — just have to read it to fully appreciate it.

    Cruz was lying — flat-out, total lie.

    Being Truthful: Grade F.

    Dirt Bag: Grade A

    Now with the Internet and various transcripts, actually can compare what candidates say now with what they said and did before. The result should be much better government for the US.

    For Cruz being smart, he doesn’t look that way here.

    Maybe Cruz is really campaigning for a SCOTUS slot.

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