Meet the ‘New Ted Cruz’

[mystery-ak]

 Meet the ‘New Ted Cruz’

He was supposed to battle Hillary Clinton for the White House. Now, he’s playing nice with the GOP establishment he once scorned—and making friends with Donald Trump.

By Tim Alberta

January 23, 2017

It was a sleepy Wednesday morning last June when Ted Cruz tipped his hand.

John McCain had sponsored an amendment to expand the FBI’s online surveillance capabilities, and it was a no-brainer for the many devout constitutionalists on Cruz’s Senate staff. Rand Paul and Mike Lee—two reliable Republican allies in the fight for civil liberties—were adamantly opposed, and it was presumed throughout the upper chamber that Cruz would be too. When the vote came, however, the Texas senator stunned his colleagues by siding with McCain and the GOP leadership. The amendment failed to advance, but Cruz’s vote sent tremors through his Senate office. The previous month he’d quit the 2016 race and returned to Congress, yet he was still in campaign mode, anatomizing daily decisions on calls with his political team. This particular vote—which was influenced, several sources recall, by data suggesting Cruz’s flirtation with libertarianism made him vulnerable on national security during the GOP primary —was the first clear indication that he was making the necessary course corrections to run again, and lent credence to a rumor on Capitol Hill: that his presidential brain trust would annex his Senate office in preparation for reelection in 2018 and a second shot at the White House in 2020.

more
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/meet-the-new-ted-cruz-214681

[Mom MD]

disappointing.  I will have to watch him closely over the next 2 years.  If he sides with the establishment he will have lost my support. I though we finally had a true constitutional conservative to back.

[Bigun]

Yeah!  Right!   

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I have no worry on Ted.

Folks ought to be worrying more on Marco, who just might kill Tillerson's nomination today.

[Victoria33]

@mystery-ak

"siding with McCain"

When Cruz considers a bill, he isn't voting for the PERSON who introduced the bill, is not saying he loves the person who brought the bill and will be at his/her side forever after that.  If I was a Senator, I would do the same - consider the bill and not the person who introduced it.  Also, one bill does not decide what Cruz is going to do the rest of his life.  I think this article is a nothing, just a weak idea the author used to write an article. 

[mystery-ak]

@mystery-ak

"siding with McCain"

When Cruz considers a bill, he isn't voting for the PERSON who introduced the bill, is not saying he loves the person who brought the bill and will be at his/her side forever after that.  If I was a Senator, I would do the same - consider the bill and not the person who introduced it.  Also, one bill does not decide what Cruz is going to do the rest of his life.  I think this article is a nothing, just a weak idea the author used to write an article.

Remember this is Politico

[Mom MD]

Just bears watching.  Hopefully Cruz will not compromise.

[skeeter]

Meet the ‘New Ted Cruz’

He was supposed to battle Hillary Clinton for the White House. Now, he’s playing nice with the GOP establishment he once scorned—and making friends with Donald Trump.

By Tim Alberta

January 23, 2017

It was a sleepy Wednesday morning last June when Ted Cruz tipped his hand.

John McCain had sponsored an amendment to expand the FBI’s online surveillance capabilities, and it was a no-brainer for the many devout constitutionalists on Cruz’s Senate staff. Rand Paul and Mike Lee—two reliable Republican allies in the fight for civil liberties—were adamantly opposed, and it was presumed throughout the upper chamber that Cruz would be too. When the vote came, however, the Texas senator stunned his colleagues by siding with McCain and the GOP leadership. The amendment failed to advance, but Cruz’s vote sent tremors through his Senate office. The previous month he’d quit the 2016 race and returned to Congress, yet he was still in campaign mode, anatomizing daily decisions on calls with his political team. This particular vote—which was influenced, several sources recall, by data suggesting Cruz’s flirtation with libertarianism made him vulnerable on national security during the GOP primary —was the first clear indication that he was making the necessary course corrections to run again, and lent credence to a rumor on Capitol Hill: that his presidential brain trust would annex his Senate office in preparation for reelection in 2018 and a second shot at the White House in 2020.

more
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/meet-the-new-ted-cruz-214681

Interesting read. But its loaded with the writer's own characterizations and subjective interpretation of events. Which may reflect reality or, if Politico's treatment of Cruz in the past is any indication, it may be fiction.

[TomSea]

Y'all understand, Ted Cruz is so much better than Rick Perry who risked his public career under threat of jail, trumped up charges and signed pro-life legislation into law so many times, he is so much better than the double-talker Marco Rubio, who questioned the man sitting next to Cruz in the Senate hearings, Tillerson, about Putin's character.

[libertybele]

Let's see .... Cruz's voting record v. Politico story ... I'll go with Cruz's voting record.  Let's see ... Cruz's speeches and actions while in the Senate (the Sierra Club and McConnell come to mind) v. Politico story ... I'll go with Cruz's speeches and actions.  Let's see ...  Cruz's work in the D.C. v. Heller case v. Politico ... I'll go with his work in the D.C. v. Heller case.

It's going to take a whole lot more than a Politico hit piece to change my mind on Cruz.

Ted Cruz.  Reigniting the Promise of America!!   

[libertybele]

Y'all understand, Ted Cruz is so much better than Rick Perry who risked his public career under threat of jail, trumped up charges and signed pro-life legislation into law so many times, he is so much better than the double-talker Marco Rubio, who questioned the man sitting next to Cruz in the Senate hearings, Tillerson, about Putin's character.

Really? If you'd like to start matching up Cruz's record vs. Perry's or Rubio's, I'm game.  You go first, but I would invite you to read up and do a little research on Cruz's participation in the Medellin v. Texas case, Perry's affiliation(s) with the NAU/TTC and Rubio's participation with the Gang of Eight and then get back to me. 

[Bigun]

Let's see .... Cruz's voting record v. Politico story ... I'll go with Cruz's voting record.  Let's see ... Cruz's speeches and actions while in the Senate (the Sierra Club and McConnell come to mind) v. Politico story ... I'll go with Cruz's speeches and actions.  Let's see ...  Cruz's work in the D.C. v. Heller case v. Politico ... I'll go with his work in the D.C. v. Heller case.

It's going to take a whole lot more than a Politico hit piece to change my mind on Cruz.

Ted Cruz.  Reigniting the Promise of America!!   

I'm wit YOU!   

[skeeter]

Really? If you'd like to start matching up Cruz's record vs. Perry's or Rubio's, I'm game.  You go first, but I would invite you to read up and do a little research on Cruz's participation in the Medellin v. Texas case, Perry's affiliation(s) with the NAU/TTC and Rubio's participation with the Gang of Eight and then get back to me. 

"Ted Cruz" is TomSea's "Pop Goes the Weasel".


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

[Just_Victor]

Really? If you'd like to start matching up Cruz's record vs. Perry's or Rubio's, I'm game.  You go first, but I would invite you to read up and do a little research on Cruz's participation in the Medellin v. Texas case, Perry's affiliation(s) with the NAU/TTC and Rubio's participation with the Gang of Eight and then get back to me. 

I would simply start here: 
Perry Endorses Dewhurst
10:12 AM, Apr 19, 2012

[jmyrlefuller]

The Trump endorsement, after all of Trump's false attacks, says everything you need to know. He had a chance to be a conscience and rejected it.

[Bigun]

I would simply start here: 
Perry Endorses Dewhurst
10:12 AM, Apr 19, 2012

And that should end the discussion right in its tracks!

[Bigun]

The Trump endorsement, after all of Trump's false attacks, says everything you need to know. He had a chance to be a conscience and rejected it.

He did that only when there was only the choice between Trump and Hillary as he saw it!  Perry endorsed Dewhurst right out of the gate in that one!  See the difference?

[Idiot]

 

Really? If you'd like to start matching up Cruz's record vs. Perry's or Rubio's, I'm game.  You go first, but I would invite you to read up and do a little research on Cruz's participation in the Medellin v. Texas case, Perry's affiliation(s) with the NAU/TTC and Rubio's participation with the Gang of Eight and then get back to me. 

[skeeter]

The Trump endorsement, after all of Trump's false attacks, says everything you need to know. He had a chance to be a conscience and rejected it.

If Trump manages to derail ACA, if he finally manages to establish control of the border, if he can significantly reduce regulatory pressure on the economy - or any one of these things - then Cruz's decision to endorse him will have in effect meant he set aside his pride in order to advance his principles.

[Cripplecreek]

Really? If you'd like to start matching up Cruz's record vs. Perry's or Rubio's, I'm game.  You go first, but I would invite you to read up and do a little research on Cruz's participation in the Medellin v. Texas case, Perry's affiliation(s) with the NAU/TTC and Rubio's participation with the Gang of Eight and then get back to me. 

I researched Medellin vs Texas extensively and it was a primary deciding factor in my decision to support Ted Cruz. In winning that 1 single case, Ted Cruz did more for Americans than the entirety of congress has done for us in the last 2 or 3 decades.

In Medellin vs TX the supreme court ruled that while the president has the authority to make treaties with foreign governments, those treaties are non binding for the states without accompanying legislation to bind the states being passed by congress. The ruling goes far beyond that one death penalty case. Many states are refusing to comply with lifting the sanctions against Iran and my state is citing Medellin vs TX.

August 31, 2015
Dear Governor,
In coordination with Russia, China, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, President Obama
has  proposed  an  executive  agreement  with  Iran  in  which  Iran  agrees  to  gradually  limit  its  nuclear
program  in  exchange  for  the  lifting  of  economic  sanctions  agai
nst  its  regime.  The  deal  welcomes Iran  as  a  participant  in  the  world  community conditioned  only  on  marginal  changes  to  its  nuclear program,  allowing Iran  to  maintain  technology  that  would  lead  to  a  nuclear  weapon,  and  allowing
Iran  to  continue  its  human  rights  abuses,  sponsoring  of  terrorism,  imprisoning  of  American
hostages, and threats to close American allies, including Israel.
President Obama chose to pursue this major international accord as an executive agreement, rather than as a treaty, in order to circumvent the Constitution’s requirement of two thirds approval by the U.S.  Senate  for  enactment.
U.S. CONST Art.  II, 

2.  However,  because  the  Constitution  clearly  contemplates  that  such  agreements,  fundamentally  reordering  the  relations  between  the  United States and a foreign country, shall be concluded as treaties, the Iran agreement does not constitute
the “Supreme Law of the Land,” U.S.CONSTArt. VI, binding upon the States.
Indeed, in Medellin v. Texas, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that even treaties are not binding upon the States unless they
are  self-executing  or  are  accompanied  by  implementing  legislation  enacted  by  Congress.  552  U.S.
491, 504- 06 (2008).

https://www.ok.gov/oag/documents/AG%20letter%20to%20states%20re%20Iran%20sanctions.pdf

Medellín v. Texas, 552 U.S. 491 (2008), is a United States Supreme Court decision that held that even if an international treaty may constitute an international commitment, it is not binding domestic law unless Congress has enacted statutes implementing it or unless the treaty itself is "self-executing." Also, the Court held that decisions of the International Court of Justice are not binding domestic law and that, without authority from the United States Congress or the Constitution, the President of the United States lacks the power to enforce international treaties or decisions of the International Court of Justice.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medell%C3%ADn_v._Texas

And I always enjoyed seeing Chris Hayes admit to how terrified democrats were of Ted Cruz.

In october 2007 I sat in the media gallery of the united states supreme court and watched the solicitor general of texas argue on behalf of the state that he should have the ability to put to death a mexican national, Jose Medellín, who had been convicted of raping and murdering two teenage girls in houston. He won that argument and he (Medellín) was executed by texas on august 5th , 2008 , despite the objections of the united nations and the international court of justice . at the time, I had no idea who this man arguing on behalf of texas was. but all I could think was holy crap , this guy is good. it was one of his nine times arguing before the supreme court and he was witty, incredibly fast on his feet and clearly had a brilliant legal mind. it is to this day one of the most impressive displays i have ever seen before the court and i have had the good fortune to spend a lot of time there. so you can imagine my horror in 2012 when i tuned into the texas senate race. i hadn't been paying much attention to. and realized that lieutenant governor david dewhurst , the republican establishment candidate, was being prepared by a tea party candidate who was the same guy i saw kick ass in the supreme court in 2007 . i thought that night, night i made that connection, oh, this is trouble. and trouble that man has been. trouble in every direction. as he vies to be the singular voice of the right wing grassroots and as he has very quickly assumed a leadership role in movement.


http://www.nbcnews.com/video/all-in-/52805483#52805483

[Polly Ticks]

I'm willing to bet the "new" Ted Cruz looks just like the old Ted Cruz.  That's what I like about him.

[Bigun]

I'm willing to bet the "new" Ted Cruz looks just like the old Ted Cruz.  That's what I like about him.

I'll bet you are exactly right! 

[Cripplecreek]

@mystery-ak

"siding with McCain"

When Cruz considers a bill, he isn't voting for the PERSON who introduced the bill, is not saying he loves the person who brought the bill and will be at his/her side forever after that.  If I was a Senator, I would do the same - consider the bill and not the person who introduced it.  Also, one bill does not decide what Cruz is going to do the rest of his life.  I think this article is a nothing, just a weak idea the author used to write an article.

There are also procedural votes that detractors like to point to as evidence of politicians 'selling out' etc.

I remember when his detractors screamed about Duncan Hunter Sr selling out on border control. He did vote to throw the doors open wide but explained that he voted for something his moderate colleagues could never accept and they killed the bill for him.

Same when they accused Cruz of voting to increase H1-B visas by 500%. He did do that but when he introduced the bill he said it would be killed because despite giving the open border crowd everything they wanted he was including strong accountability, native hiring requirements, and enforcement measures. The open border crowd killed the bill just like Ted Cruz expected them to.

I want to see the reactions to the bill introduced by Mike Lee the other day. Let's see how many of these conservatives really are willing to strip some power away from the presidency,.

Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Global Trade Accountability Act Friday, a bill that would subject all Executive Branch trade actions (including raising tariffs) to congressional approval.


http://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=press-releases&id=8DA8C6CF-3413-4D60-9985-3CB8CAE83157

[Sanguine]

Politico trying to preemptively cut Cruz off at the knees?

[Bigun]

Politico trying to preemptively cut Cruz off at the knees?

They've been doing that since day one!