# Ted Cruz Presidential campaign discussion thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 23, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774 "2015-03-23T14:47:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/301 "2015-12-21T16:26:29Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > And do what? OK, right now, I’ll start taking it seriously. What’s different, then? Those of us that are more politically active would have the task of speaking out so that people know that if Cruz does move to the left for a general election, that those are not his real beliefs. I certainly don’t consider myself to be very good at convincing other people in a political discussion. But for the Democratic activists out there, this would be a top task. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/302 "2015-12-21T16:43:20Z")
Well, yeah, but what are we supposed to be doing _now_? I think it goes without saying that we’d take the campaign seriously if he won the nomination. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/303 "2015-12-21T17:56:54Z")
A heart attack? Well, shit happens, I’ll probably be fine. My son having “666” tattooed on his scalp? Its just a phase. SO joining a radical lesbian separatist collective. Help her pack, I guess, long she doesn’t take my truck. Ted Cruz President of USA? _AIIIEEEEEE_! Aiiiieeee! Red alert, panic in the situation room, situation in the panic room, flee in every direction… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/304 "2015-12-21T20:16:25Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Those of us that are more politically active would have the task of speaking out so that people know that if Cruz does move to the left for a general election, that those are not his real beliefs. I certainly don’t consider myself to be very good at convincing other people in a political discussion. But for the Democratic activists out there, this would be a top task. Cruz will be fine doing this as long as there is no way of broadcasting what he used to say about the issues. “I would have won if it weren’t for those pesky cameras!” ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/305 "2015-12-21T20:27:01Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I just read an article from yahoo news about the possibility that Cruz might surprise us by being able to move somewhat to the left and moderate his positions in a general election. > > [Democrats want Ted Cruz to be the GOP’s nominee. They should be careful what they wish for.](https://www.yahoo.com/politics/democrats-want-ted-cruz-to-1324948431880246.html) > > If you are a Democrat or liberal, does this concern you? If you are a Republican or conservative, does this give you hope that Cruz might be electable in a general election? I don’t think there’s any chance in hell that Cruz, one of the most consistently batshit people in the country, has the remotest notion of what liberals _actually_ want, as opposed to what the phantom demons in his head tell him. I have no doubt that he subscribes to the Republican notion that Obama only beat Romney by promising gifts to poor people. It will be pretty amusing to see what he thinks he has to do to appeal to the few percent that Romney was chasing. That said, yes, he is definitely well organized. But I’ll believe in this mythical swing left when I see it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/306 "2015-12-21T20:53:51Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > I don’t think there’s any chance in hell that Cruz, one of the most consistently batshit people in the country, has the remotest notion of what liberals _actually_ want, as opposed to what the phantom demons in his head tell him. Gotta agree with this wholeheartedly. Reminds me of running into this “[ten things liberals hate](http://elitechimp.com/10-things-that-liberals-hate/)” thing earlier today. The closest the people who wrote that get to actual liberals is seeing them caricatured on Fox News and talk radio. I fully expect Cruz is the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/307 "2015-12-21T21:41:45Z")
“Same style marriage”? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/308 "2015-12-21T21:49:18Z")
Was funny to read an article posted on Yahoo! which said not to underestimate him because he’ll say and do anything to be elected. I think we know that, and none of us are buying it. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/309 "2015-12-21T22:45:19Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I just read an article from yahoo news about the possibility that Cruz might surprise us by being able to move somewhat to the left and moderate his positions in a general election. > > [Democrats want Ted Cruz to be the GOP’s nominee. They should be careful what they wish for.](https://www.yahoo.com/politics/democrats-want-ted-cruz-to-1324948431880246.html) > > If you are a Democrat or liberal, does this concern you? If you are a Republican or conservative, does this give you hope that Cruz might be electable in a general election? It does not concern me. I would take it as a given that even Cruz would shift his campaign once he’s trying to appeal to voters rather than Republican primary voters, so an article listing the ways that he’s left himself room to do so is unsurprising. However, he’ll still have massive disadvantages in a general election: [ul] [li]He’s the poster boy for government shutdowns, which are quite unpopular among the general electorate[/li][li]“I don’t know if sand can glow in the dark, but we’re going to find out.” Threatening nuclear war will go over with the general electorate less well than among Republican primary voters[/li][li]He’s extremely unlikeable[/li][/ul] These aren’t things that he can etch-a-sketch away. His very identity will cost him dearly, should Republicans actually be foolish enough to nominate him. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/310 "2015-12-21T22:53:28Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Was funny to read an article posted on Yahoo! which said not to underestimate him because he’ll say and do anything to be elected. > > I think we know that, and none of us are buying it. What I’m worried about is that I think that last part might not be correct. I worry that enough people in the middle will buy it and that Cruz might have a chance in the general against Clinton. That could just be my inner pessimist, but I am starting to worry about the possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/311 "2015-12-23T20:22:51Z")
[Ted Cruz rally turns into a prayer meeting.](http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/ted-cruz-campaign-rally-morphs-creepy-prayer-revival-so-everyone-can-pray-him-be) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/312 "2015-12-23T20:39:15Z")
Well, Jesus was American. He gets a vote, doesn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/313 "2015-12-23T23:42:10Z")
What do you think about the controversy over the [Washington Post political cartoon](https://twitter.com/thehill/status/679635337606488064/photo/1) that portrayed his daughters as trained monkeys? The cartoon was written after Cruz released a [campaign ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3hB3iOQKjY) that featured his kids. Are they fair game once he involves them in an ad? I think yes. If he wants to protect his kids from parody, keep them out of the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/314 "2015-12-24T00:07:21Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What do you think about the controversy over the [Washington Post political cartoon](https://twitter.com/thehill/status/679635337606488064/photo/1) that portrayed his daughters as trained monkeys? The cartoon was written after Cruz released a [campaign ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3hB3iOQKjY) that featured his kids. Are they fair game once he involves them in an ad? > > I think yes. If he wants to protect his kids from parody, keep them out of the campaign. Is there a candidate alive who has not used his kids as props in a campaign? I doubt it. Assuming they have kids, or course. 🙂 And I doubt if you would approve when someone portrays Sasha and Malia as monkeys. Just a feeling I have. The remarkable thing about this incident is that about 80% of the coverage seems to be focused on the fact that Cruz used this as a fund-raiser, rather than on the incident itself. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/315 "2015-12-24T00:11:20Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What do you think about the controversy over the [Washington Post political cartoon](https://twitter.com/thehill/status/679635337606488064/photo/1) that portrayed his daughters as trained monkeys? The cartoon was written after Cruz released a [campaign ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3hB3iOQKjY) that featured his kids. Are they fair game once he involves them in an ad? > > I think yes. If he wants to protect his kids from parody, keep them out of the campaign. I think he’s right. Even if he involves his kids for political purposes, that doesn’t mean the kids are okay to target. The kids aren’t responsible for any mistakes of their parents, and shouldn’t be attacked or mocked in any way, in my opinion. This cartoonist handed Cruz a political gift. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/316 "2015-12-24T00:12:11Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Is there a candidate alive who has not used his kids as props in a campaign? I doubt it. I agree; they all use their kids as props. I just think his outrage is convenient. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/317 "2015-12-24T00:58:01Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I think he’s right. Even if he involves his kids for political purposes, that doesn’t mean the kids are okay to target. The kids aren’t responsible for any mistakes of their parents, and shouldn’t be attacked or mocked in any way, in my opinion. > > This cartoonist handed Cruz a political gift. I think he’s right too. Doesn’t matter if he used his kids as props, no one else should be able to. So, this is the first thing that I’ve ever agreed with Cruz on. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/318 "2015-12-24T01:29:58Z")
I think Cruz opened the door for mockery by using them the way he did. Also, I think the intent of the Washington Post cartoon was to mock Cruz and the way he used his daughters, not to mock the daughters themselves. However, portraying the daughters as trained monkeys seems to point it a bit at them. Any efforts to mock the situation should be solidly aimed at Cruz, not derogatory towards the children. I think that cartoon was poorly chosen. ---
**Author:** ![Pashnish\_Ewing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@Pashnish\_Ewing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pashnish_Ewing)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/319 "2015-12-24T01:31:35Z")
Does anyone really think the point of the cartoon was to attack his kids by portraying them as monkeys? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774/320 "2015-12-24T01:34:14Z")
> [@Pashnish\_Ewing](#): > > Does anyone really think the point of the cartoon was to compare his kids to monkeys? No, of course not. It doesn’t have to be the point, thesis, or anything else to be a facet, and that facet is a low blow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/715774.md?page=17)