The Ted Cruz Train Wreck

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:11 pm

That's because Cruz would impose a single flat rate on wages and salaries, get rid of most tax breaks, eliminate whole taxes like the payroll tax, and tax businesses at a single broad-based consumption rate...

...There is one big way, however, that Cruz's plan is very much like his Republican competitors' in the race for president: It would explode the nation's debt over time, unless unrealistically large spending cuts are imposed. ..

...Another way Cruz's plan echoes that of his fellow GOP candidates: It would disproportionately benefit the rich...

The Cruz plan would cut taxes for everyone in 2017 by an average of $6,100, boosting after-tax income by 8.5%, according to the Tax Policy Center.

But the bulk of those tax cuts would flow to the richest of the rich. The analysis estimates that the top 0.1% of filers (those with incomes over $3.7 million) would see a boost in after-tax income of $2 million on average, or nearly 29%.

Middle-income filers would get an average tax cut of $1,800, providing a 3.2% boost to their after-tax income.

The lowest-income filers, however, would barely notice a difference -- enjoying an average tax cut of just $46, or 0.4% of income.

By 2025, the analysis finds that those in the lowest income group might even see their taxes rise a bit, by $116 on average.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 11:26 pm

For all people complain about money's influence in politics, tax policy is where greed gets naked.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 12:49 am

Was listening to Sympathy for the Devil on the way home from Tahoe tonight and I was thinking that I'd any of the candidates running for president were actually the antichrist, it would be Cruz.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 1:46 am

Pyperkub wrote:Was listening to Sympathy for the Devil on the way home from Tahoe tonight and I was thinking that I'd any of the candidates running for president were actually the antichrist, it would be Cruz.

I don't picture Ted Cruz as the antichrist...

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 9:43 am

You think of Ted Cruz as Mr. Peanut?

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sun Feb 21, 2016 11:18 am

That works too.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Feb 22, 2016 11:28 pm

CNN

Ted Cruz asked his communications director Rick Tyler to resign Monday after Tyler distributed a video that falsely depicted Marco Rubio dismissing the Bible.

The incident comes a day before the Nevada Republican caucuses and in the wake of accusations from rival campaigns in recent weeks about Cruz's campaign tactics. Donald Trump has called Cruz a "liar" and Rubio and Ben Carson have also blasted the Texas senator.
...
"I have made clear in this campaign we will conduct this campaign with the very highest standards and integrity," Cruz told reporters Monday, adding that Tyler is a "good man."

"This was a grave error of judgment. It turned out the news story he sent around was false but I'll tell you, even if it was true, we are not a campaign that is going to question the faith of another candidate," Cruz said.
...
Tyler had apologized late Sunday for the incident.

"I want to apologize to Sen. Marco Rubio for posting an inaccurate story about him here earlier today," said Tyler, the spokesman, wrote in a Facebook post.
...
The story mentioned by Tyler was about a video that shows Rubio walking into a hotel lobby past Cruz's father Rafael and a staffer reading the Bible, and subtitles in the video misquote Rubio as saying, "Got a good book there, not many answers in it."

In a corrected version of the video tweeted by Rubio's communications director, Alex Conant, the subtitles quote Rubio saying, "Got a good book there, all the answers are in there."
...
Tyler continued, "Since the audio was unclear, I should not have assumed the story was correct. I've deleted the post because I would not knowingly post a false story. But the fact remains that I did post it when I should have checked its accuracy first. I regret that mistake."

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon Feb 22, 2016 11:42 pm

"This was a grave error of judgment. It turned out the news story he sent around was false but I'll tell you, even if it was true, we are not a campaign that is going to question the faith of another Republican," Cruz said.

Fixed.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 4:26 pm

We're going to need some bigger trucks

Ted Cruz said Monday night that he would use federal immigration officers to round up and deport all 12 million people in the country illegally — a markedly tougher stance than he has struck in the past.

“Yes, we should deport them,” Cruz told Fox host Bill O’Reilly. “That’s what ICE exists for. We have law enforcement that looks for people who are violating the laws, that apprehends them and deports them.”
...
Just five weeks ago, he explicitly rejected the idea of a “deportation force” of the sort proposed by Trump, who has unabashedly called for the federal government to actively round up people in the country illegally.
...
On that point, Trump seemed to strike a harder line on illegal immigration, until Monday night. Cruz boasts that he’s actually tougher, though, because Trump would let deportees eventually return to the United States, while he would bar them forever.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 5:37 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:We're going to need some bigger trucks

Ted Cruz said Monday night that he would use federal immigration officers to round up and deport all 12 million people in the country illegally — a markedly tougher stance than he has struck in the past.

“Yes, we should deport them,” Cruz told Fox host Bill O’Reilly. “That’s what ICE exists for. We have law enforcement that looks for people who are violating the laws, that apprehends them and deports them.”
...
Just five weeks ago, he explicitly rejected the idea of a “deportation force” of the sort proposed by Trump, who has unabashedly called for the federal government to actively round up people in the country illegally.
...
On that point, Trump seemed to strike a harder line on illegal immigration, until Monday night. Cruz boasts that he’s actually tougher, though, because Trump would let deportees eventually return to the United States, while he would bar them forever.

no one's escalated to "shooting illegals on sight" yet?

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 10:12 pm

Don't encourage Trump.

raydude · Post by **raydude** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 10:18 pm

hitbyambulance wrote:
Isgrimnur wrote:We're going to need some bigger trucks

Ted Cruz said Monday night that he would use federal immigration officers to round up and deport all 12 million people in the country illegally — a markedly tougher stance than he has struck in the past.

“Yes, we should deport them,” Cruz told Fox host Bill O’Reilly. “That’s what ICE exists for. We have law enforcement that looks for people who are violating the laws, that apprehends them and deports them.”
...
Just five weeks ago, he explicitly rejected the idea of a “deportation force” of the sort proposed by Trump, who has unabashedly called for the federal government to actively round up people in the country illegally.
...
On that point, Trump seemed to strike a harder line on illegal immigration, until Monday night. Cruz boasts that he’s actually tougher, though, because Trump would let deportees eventually return to the United States, while he would bar them forever.

no one's escalated to "shooting illegals on sight" yet?

Part of me actually wants to see one of them suggest that, if only so I can see whether that would be the final straw for people to invoke Godwin's Law. And also so I can mark which states have the highest percentages of Nazi sympathizers.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 10:38 pm

Would you like to [make America
Great] again, my friend?
All you have to do is follow the worms.
Would you like to send our colored cousins
Home again, my friend?

All you need to do is follow the worms.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Thu Feb 25, 2016 9:35 pm

Say hello to the assh*le - hello Ted Cruz! Say hello to Ted Cruz - hello assh*le!

Ted Cruz is standing in the way of a bipartisan Senate bill to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Flint, Mich., and other communities that need to upgrade their drinking water infrastructure.

Senate Democrats blinked when they agreed this week to pay for federal aid to address lead-tainted drinking water in Flint by cutting a program prized by the state’s senators.

Now they say it's Republicans' turn — but at least one GOP holdout is blocking the bill.

Cruz, who is campaigning ahead of Thursday's Republican debate, has placed a "soft hold" on the aid package to give him more time to study the details of the proposal, the Texas Republican's spokeswoman Rachael Slobodien said Thursday.

raydude · Post by **raydude** » Fri Feb 26, 2016 10:58 am

Pyperkub wrote:Say hello to the assh*le - hello Ted Cruz! Say hello to Ted Cruz - hello assh*le!

Ted Cruz is standing in the way of a bipartisan Senate bill to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Flint, Mich., and other communities that need to upgrade their drinking water infrastructure.

Senate Democrats blinked when they agreed this week to pay for federal aid to address lead-tainted drinking water in Flint by cutting a program prized by the state’s senators.

Now they say it's Republicans' turn — but at least one GOP holdout is blocking the bill.

Cruz, who is campaigning ahead of Thursday's Republican debate, has placed a "soft hold" on the aid package to give him more time to study the details of the proposal, the Texas Republican's spokeswoman Rachael Slobodien said Thursday.

OMG, I can't believe that last line in the article. That's like straight out of the prosecution of Jesus. "You say you want to condemn this innocent man? Alright, my hands are still clean. It's all on you."

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Fri Feb 26, 2016 11:32 am

In good news, he's not the Zodiac killer

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Fri Feb 26, 2016 3:23 pm

Gawd, I saw some of his squawking at Trump last night, he even sounds like The Penguin. I was willing to join the ABT contingent (Anybody But Trump), but Cruz is actually worse. No wonder his daughter cringes away from him.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 1:22 am

Yeah, I tuned into the debate for a bit just to hear him speak, since I have not had the "pleasure" yet. My God that guy comes off as a slimy, greasy, weasel. How anybody could have elected him to office is beyond me.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 6:58 pm

I have to admit, Cruz is starting to make more sense

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 7:32 pm

That...might actually be better than Star Wars Trump. Holy crap. Its perfect.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 7:45 pm

Defiant wrote:I have to admit, Cruz is starting to make more sense

PLW · Post by **PLW** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 7:49 pm

The bit with him and his wife was AMAZING!

Post by **godhugh** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:38 pm

YellowKing wrote:Yeah, I tuned into the debate for a bit just to hear him speak, since I have not had the "pleasure" yet. My God that guy comes off as a slimy, greasy, weasel. How anybody could have elected him to office is beyond me.

Texas Republicans are a special breed.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 10:53 am

I like how Ted Cruz is telling Rubio that he should probably just drop out:

On Wednesday night, Cruz tried a new strategy to convince Rubio to drop out, revealing that he definitely would have quit if he hadn't won in Texas. "Listen, everyone recognizes Donald Trump is a unique phenomenon. And we were encouraged by internal numbers, but you know, I asked the team what do we do if we lose Texas?" Cruz told reporters in Kansas. "And we had reached the conclusion, if we had lost Texas, that would've been the end of the road."

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 12:06 pm

I don't blame him for trying. It's a good strategy.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 12:09 pm

A little convenient to claim this after his win in Texas and not before.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 1:08 am

“I like Ted Cruz,” she declares. “I think he’s very conservative and a great constitutionalist and a very articulate man. I haven’t endorsed him or anything like that. But I also think, he’s an evangelical Christian, and probably one of the worst ones when it comes to trans issues.”

“I get it. The Democrats are better when it comes to these types of social issues. I understand that.” So why support Republicans? “Number 1, if we don’t have a country, we don’t have trans issues. We need jobs. We need a vibrant economy. I want every trans person to have a job. With $19 trillion in debt and it keeps going up, we’re spending money we don’t have. Eventually, it’s going to end. And I don’t want to see that. Socialism did not build this country. Capitalism did. Free enterprise. The people built it. And they need to be given the opportunity to build it back up.”

Jenner reveals she met Cruz prior to her transition, more than a year ago, “and he was very nice.”

“Wouldn’t it be great, let’s say he goes on to be president,” she tells me in relating a conversation on the tour bus. “And I have all my girls on a trans issues board to advise him on making decisions when it comes to trans issues. Isn’t that a good idea?”

“You’re going to be Ted Cruz’s trans ambassador?” I respond.

“Yes, trans ambassador to the president of the United States, so we can say, ‘Ted, love what you’re doing but here’s what’s going on.'”

She wasn’t joking.

http://www.advocate.com/caitlyn-jenner/ ... ace-jenner

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 1:33 am

“I like Ted Cruz,” she declares. “I think he’s very conservative and a great constitutionalist and a very articulate man. I haven’t endorsed him or anything like that. But I also think, he’s an evangelical Christian, and probably one of the worst ones when it comes to trans issues.”

“I get it. The Democrats are better when it comes to these types of social issues. I understand that.” So why support Republicans? “Number 1, if we don’t have a country, we don’t have trans issues. We need jobs. We need a vibrant economy. I want every trans person to have a job. With $19 trillion in debt and it keeps going up, we’re spending money we don’t have. Eventually, it’s going to end. And I don’t want to see that. Socialism did not build this country. Capitalism did. Free enterprise. The people built it. And they need to be given the opportunity to build it back up.”

She likes Ted Cruz because he seemed "nice". She also likes the idea of a fiscally conservative Republican, sure, no problem. But beyond that, she just contradicts herself. Because Cruz's agenda is the opposite of everything mentioned here (including having a strong economy...his flat tax idea would decimate the federal budget, not fix it).

Oh, and she's clearly just another person that doesn't really understand how the national debt works. Nothing new here.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 1:46 am

Just another celebrity with an opinion. She sounds like some of the Trump people that were interviewed in that Vogue(?) article I mentioned. "He seems nice".

As gilraen said, Cruz's fiscal policy is not viable, so any belief that he's the conservative to reign in deficient deficit spending is a pipe dream. At which point you're left with...what? He likes God? And almost literally no one will work with him because he's universally despised by his peers?

Great.

edit: Spelling is hard.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 10:41 pm

Joe Biden wrote:Ted Cruz? An inspiration to every kid in America who worries that he’ll never be able to run for President because nobody likes him. He’s running. And look, I told Barack, if you really, really want to remake the Supreme Court, nominate Cruz. Before you know it, you’ll have eight vacancies.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 12:04 am

LOL, Biden.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 10:35 am

Smoove_B wrote:I like how Ted Cruz is telling Rubio that he should probably just drop out:

On Wednesday night, Cruz tried a new strategy to convince Rubio to drop out, revealing that he definitely would have quit if he hadn't won in Texas. "Listen, everyone recognizes Donald Trump is a unique phenomenon. And we were encouraged by internal numbers, but you know, I asked the team what do we do if we lose Texas?" Cruz told reporters in Kansas. "And we had reached the conclusion, if we had lost Texas, that would've been the end of the road."

Unfortunately, that's likely to happen. Given Cruz's victories over the weekend, and the likelihood that Rubio will not win his home state Florida, I don't see how Rubio can stay in the race. He'll have to drop out, then it will become a Trump-Cruz fight to the convention. Sad day when those are the two best potential presidential choices the Republicans can come up with - a Senator universally despised by his Senate colleagues, and a certified wingnut billionaire.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 12:36 pm

Grifman wrote:[ Sad day when those are the two best potential presidential choices the Republicans can come up with - a Senator universally despised by his Senate colleagues, and a certified wingnut billionaire.

Yeah, someone said it's like choosing between stabbing or poison.

Rubio will drop out when he loses FL. If Kasich can take OH, he might be able to deny either of the frontrunners a majority of delegates and thereby force a brokered convention. Hard to say how that would turn out apart from taking it away from Trump. The Romney-as-white-knight scenario seems to be trending. The GOP is hosed whatever they do.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Mon Mar 21, 2016 4:48 pm

Hmph. This thread has significantly less pages than the threads for other candidates, and it hasn't even had a post in two weeks. I think we need to ask the question.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Mar 21, 2016 5:07 pm

I would like to know how the length of a candidate's R&P thread correlates to his/her electoral success, because it hasn't escaped my notice that the Trump thread is more than twice as long as the Clinton thread, which itself has a lead over the Sanders thread.

Comparing Romney and Obama would be a start, but we'd need to consider primary candidates as well to have any confidence in correlations.

Seems like the kind of thing Isg likes to do.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Mar 21, 2016 5:09 pm

Seems like. Isn't.

Honestly, I don't believe that each major candidate got their own threads last time around.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Mon Mar 21, 2016 5:27 pm

You could count up the number of individual posts about Obama vs the posts about Romney, and correlate that to electoral performance (taking into account the number of different posters). If you were exceedingly silly.

Don't do it.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon Mar 21, 2016 8:54 pm

Glenn Beck: God Has Chosen The Mormons To Save America By Electing Ted Cruz.

"I believe the Book of Mormon," he said. "I believe it to be true. I believe every word of it ... That book spells out in great detail what things look like before the Lord comes back. And He gave us that book so we can protect freedom here. He also gave us that book so we would know what to do at the time. Now you either believe that or you don't. You either believe that to be true, it's not just a book; then let the Priesthood lead! Priesthood holders, stand up and take your staff! You are the guardian at the gate."

...

"Utah has an incredible opportunity," he continued. "So many Christians have been standing up, but all throughout the South, the evangelicals are not listening to their God. Let us raise a standard in Utah. Let us do this one thing perfectly right."

Several amazing video clips at the link.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Tue Mar 22, 2016 11:16 am

Cruz isn't a Mormon, though, is he? So is Beck just saying that the Mormons should save the nation by having their particular state vote for Cruz in this primary? Aren't the other majority non-Mormon states that vote for Cruz playing at least a large a role as the Mormons in this scenario?

Seems like kind of a weak fulfillment of the prophecy.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:26 pm

El Guapo wrote:Cruz isn't a Mormon, though, is he? So is Beck just saying that the Mormons should save the nation by having their particular state vote for Cruz in this primary? Aren't the other majority non-Mormon states that vote for Cruz playing at least a large a role as the Mormons in this scenario?

Seems like kind of a weak fulfillment of the prophecy.

Hold up just a second here. Are you suggesting that Glenn Beck might not be a theological and intellectual giant?