http://www.queerty.com/homophobia-helped-ted-cruz-win-the-iowa-caucuses-20160202 -------------------- Voters in Iowa upset the political wisdom tonight by picking a weasel over a blowhard. . .
He counted on the support of the state’s evangelicals, who turned out in record numbers for him. In his stump speech, Cruz called his supporters “the body of Christ,” which apparently resonated in a way that the rhetoric of a thrice-married casino magnate from New York could not.
Cruz also had the backing of the fringiest of the right wing fringe, amassing an impressive number of homophobes to back his campaign. . .
Notably absent from his campaign so far is gay PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel, who bankrolled Cruz’s Senate race. Thiel has been sitting out the current election cycle, preferring to focus on initiatives to revive nuclear power and detect bad steaks. . .
With a neck-and-neck finish in Iowa, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will be debating each other for a while, allowing the political press the chance to write about a horse race that exists only in their imaginations. Barring a catastrophe, Hillary is bound to be the party’s nominee. As for Republicans, the catastrophe will be whoever the nominee is. ====
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/us/politics/donald-trump-ted-cruz-republican-establishment.html -------------------- Donald Trump or Ted Cruz? Republicans Argue Over Who Is Greater Threat By JONATHAN MARTIN JAN. 21, 2016
. . .
[T]wo powerful factions of their party are now clashing over the question: Which man is more dangerous?
Conservative intellectuals have become convinced that Mr. Trump, with his message of nationalist-infused populism, poses a dire threat to conservatism. . .
However, the cadre of Republican lobbyists, operatives and elected officials based in Washington is much more unnerved by Mr. Cruz, a go-it-alone, hard-right crusader who campaigns against the political establishment and could curtail their influence and access, building his own Republican machine to essentially replace them. . .
[M]any members of the Republican influence apparatus. . . say they could work with Mr. Trump. . ., believing that he would be open to listening to them and cutting deals. . . “He’s got the right personality and he’s kind of a deal-maker,” said Bob Dole. . .
[E]ven if Mr. Trump somehow found his way into the White House, the longtime Washington hands envision him operating as a pragmatist, leaving their power unchecked.
“We can live with Trump,” said Richard F. Hohlt, a veteran lobbyist. . .
Some of what turns the Washington class of operatives and elected officials away from Mr. Cruz, and toward Mr. Trump, is personality. Mr. Cruz is viewed by many Republicans in Washington as stubborn and overweening. . .
“You can coach Donald,” Mr. Black said. “If he got nominated, he’d be scared to death. . ." . . .
Mr. Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard, said the personal contempt for Mr. Cruz among some Republican insiders was blinding. “Cruz is so hated in Washington that there’s this distortion about him that he’s outside the bounds of what is plausible in American politics,” he said. . .
“Trump won’t do long-lasting damage to the G.O.P. coalition,” said John Feehery, a Capitol Hill aide turned lobbyist. “Cruz will.” ====
http://www.queerty.com/homophobia-helped-ted-cruz-win-the-iowa-caucuses-20160202
ReplyDelete--------------------
Voters in Iowa upset the political wisdom tonight by picking a
weasel over a blowhard. . .
He counted on the support of the state’s evangelicals, who turned out
in record numbers for him. In his stump speech, Cruz called his supporters
“the body of Christ,” which apparently resonated in a way that the
rhetoric of a thrice-married casino magnate from New York could not.
Cruz also had the backing of the fringiest of the right wing fringe,
amassing an impressive number of homophobes to back his campaign. . .
Notably absent from his campaign so far is gay PayPal billionaire
Peter Thiel, who bankrolled Cruz’s Senate race. Thiel has been sitting
out the current election cycle, preferring to focus on initiatives
to revive nuclear power and detect bad steaks. . .
With a neck-and-neck finish in Iowa, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders
will be debating each other for a while, allowing the political press
the chance to write about a horse race that exists only in their
imaginations. Barring a catastrophe, Hillary is bound to be the party’s
nominee. As for Republicans, the catastrophe will be whoever the
nominee is.
====
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/us/politics/donald-trump-ted-cruz-republican-establishment.html
--------------------
Donald Trump or Ted Cruz? Republicans Argue Over Who Is Greater Threat
By JONATHAN MARTIN
JAN. 21, 2016
. . .
[T]wo powerful factions of their party are now clashing over the
question: Which man is more dangerous?
Conservative intellectuals have become convinced that Mr. Trump,
with his message of nationalist-infused populism, poses a dire threat
to conservatism. . .
However, the cadre of Republican lobbyists, operatives and
elected officials based in Washington is much more unnerved by
Mr. Cruz, a go-it-alone, hard-right crusader who campaigns against
the political establishment and could curtail their influence
and access, building his own Republican machine to essentially
replace them. . .
[M]any members of the Republican influence apparatus. . .
say they could work with Mr. Trump. . ., believing that he would
be open to listening to them and cutting deals. . .
“He’s got the right personality and he’s kind of a deal-maker,”
said Bob Dole. . .
[E]ven if Mr. Trump somehow found his way into the White House,
the longtime Washington hands envision him operating as a pragmatist,
leaving their power unchecked.
“We can live with Trump,” said Richard F. Hohlt, a veteran lobbyist. . .
Some of what turns the Washington class of operatives and elected
officials away from Mr. Cruz, and toward Mr. Trump, is personality.
Mr. Cruz is viewed by many Republicans in Washington as stubborn
and overweening. . .
“You can coach Donald,” Mr. Black said. “If he got nominated,
he’d be scared to death. . ." . . .
Mr. Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard, said the personal
contempt for Mr. Cruz among some Republican insiders was blinding.
“Cruz is so hated in Washington that there’s this distortion about
him that he’s outside the bounds of what is plausible in American
politics,” he said. . .
“Trump won’t do long-lasting damage to the G.O.P. coalition,”
said John Feehery, a Capitol Hill aide turned lobbyist. “Cruz will.”
====