Ted Cruz writes a "2015" (cough 2016) platform

[IceSpear]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/10/19/ted-cruz-republicans-election-congress-priorities-jobs-obamacare-column/17267261/

Looks like ol Teddy is set to run!

[Vosem]

He's been set to run for at least the past year and probably more. The question is how decisively the other candidates can beat him down.

[Roemerista]

All Republicans, conservative and otherwise should be able to unite around these issues.

Hardly.

[King]

Wow, it's the exact same GOP platform from 2012.

[Peeperkorn]

Disgusting.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

GO TEDDY GO!!

[Likely Voter]

Seems to just be GOP greatest hits. Drilll Baby Drill, Tax Cuts, Border Wall, More Mideast War, and of course Kill Obamacare.

Interesting how he threw in the old 'stop appointing activist judges' thing as a nod to the Huckabee wing. He also has proposed new constitutional amendment barring judges from overturning SSM bans (good luck getting 38 states approving that). But it shows even Cruz giving up on banning SSM nationwide, which was actually still part of GOP 2012 platform.

[Liberalrocks]

GO TEDDY GO!!

[Bojack Horseman]

And his line of thinking is precisely why Republicans are going to lose again in 2016. A hundred bucks says theyll still say that they weren't conservative enough.

[Lief 🗽]

So his entire jobs plan is to build the Keystone Pipeline basically. I'm sure the 35 permanent jobs created by that would really reinvigorate the economy.

[IceSpear]

So his entire jobs plan is to build the Keystone Pipeline basically. I'm sure the 35 permanent jobs created by that would really reinvigorate the economy.

Still not as ridiculous as thinking tort reform would magically fix the healthcare system.

[King]

The Republican idea of growing the economy by being in favor of economic growth is really quite revolutionary.

[New_Conservative]

Screw Ted Cruz

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Seems to just be GOP greatest hits. Drilll Baby Drill, Tax Cuts, Border Wall, More Less Mideast War, and of course Kill Obamacare.

Much better

[Person Man]

Seems to just be GOP greatest hits. Drill Baby Drill, Tax Cuts, Border Wall, More  Mideast War, and of course Kill Obamacare (and use its death as the jumping off point for the next speculative bubble) .

That was Karl Rove's elevator pitch in almost 20 years, that's Karl Rove's elevator pitch now. Though of course the "border wall" thing will be tabled as soon as he realizes he needs Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida. 

[King]

I'm intrigued if Cruz would moderate at all if he were really the nominee.

[Likely Voter]

Well Cruz's agenda is moderated a bit from the laundry list of hardcore conservative wet dreams like:
- pull out of UN
- human life amendment
- school prayer amendment
- revoke 16th (income tax) and 17th (direct senator elections) amendments
- Abolish IRS, EPA, Dept. of Education, HUD, Commerce
- Revoke all corporate taxes
- Privatize Social Security and Medicare
- Cut funding for Amtrak, NPR, Arts, science R&D (especially anything about climate)
- Cut all foreign aid (except Israel)

There is all sorts of crazy right wing red meat he isn't throwing. So far the only bone he has thrown is the Audit the Fed thing and as I noted he has replaced the Marriage Amendment (making SSM illegal everywhere) with the watered down version to let states decide

[Mr. Illini]

GO TEDDY GO!!

[Bacon King]

For those who want to know the specific details but don't want to bother reading through the link:

Energy: Keystone pipeline, more fracking, drilling on public land, stop the EPA, repeal export ban on crude oil

Health: Repeal Obamacare, sell health insurance across state lines, more health savings accounts

Illegal Immigration: stop it, no amnesty

Things a GOP Senate Should Do: stop confirming judges who support gay marriage, hold a hearing on the IRS targeting scandal, hold a hearing on Obama's violations of civil liberties, hold a hearing on the delayed implementation of the individual mandate, hold a hearing on EPA carbon regulations, hold a hearing on Benghazi

Corruption/Reform: abolish the Export-Import Bank, cut back on corporate welfare, lifetime ban on members of Congress being employed as lobbyists

Constitutional Amendments to pass: term limits for Congress, balanced budget

Taxation: flat tax rate, no internet tax ever, abolish the IRS

Education: repeal Common Core, local control over education, "expand educational choice"

Foreign policy: get serious with ISIS and Iran, revoke the passports of Americans who join ISIS, strengthen military

[Person Man]

For those who want to know the specific details but don't want to bother reading through the link:

Energy: Keystone pipeline, more fracking, drilling on public land, stop the EPA, repeal export ban on crude oil

Health: Repeal Obamacare, sell health insurance across state lines, more health savings accounts

Illegal Immigration: stop it, no amnesty

Things a GOP Senate Should Do: stop confirming judges who support gay marriage, hold a hearing on the IRS targeting scandal, hold a hearing on Obama's violations of civil liberties, hold a hearing on the delayed implementation of the individual mandate, hold a hearing on EPA carbon regulations, hold a hearing on Benghazi

Corruption/Reform: abolish the Export-Import Bank, cut back on corporate welfare, lifetime ban on members of Congress being employed as lobbyists

Constitutional Amendments to pass: term limits for Congress, balanced budget

Taxation: flat tax rate, no internet tax ever, abolish the IRS

Education: repeal Common Core, local control over education, "expand educational choice"

Foreign policy: get serious with ISIS and Iran, revoke the passports of Americans who join ISIS, strengthen military

Like I said, its a lot like the Bush platform, but with less emphasis on social issues. The central part of it being speculation in energy and health care. Of course all the interest in cutting pork goes out the window when you have an expansionist foreign policy. You need more money for research to grow your empire, right?

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

Well Cruz's agenda is moderated a bit from the laundry list of hardcore conservative wet dreams like:
- revoke 16th (income tax) and 17th (direct senator elections) amendments

Out of all the crazy (stupid) things that were on that list, I really do not get what the point of repealing the 17th amendment is. Just... why???

[Deus Naturae]

For those who want to know the specific details but don't want to bother reading through the link:

Energy: Keystone pipeline, more fracking, drilling on public land, stop the EPA, repeal export ban on crude oil

Health: Repeal Obamacare, sell health insurance across state lines, more health savings accounts

Illegal Immigration: stop it, no amnesty

Things a GOP Senate Should Do: stop confirming judges who support gay marriage, hold a hearing on the IRS targeting scandal, hold a hearing on Obama's violations of civil liberties, hold a hearing on the delayed implementation of the individual mandate, hold a hearing on EPA carbon regulations, hold a hearing on Benghazi

Corruption/Reform: abolish the Export-Import Bank, cut back on corporate welfare, lifetime ban on members of Congress being employed as lobbyists

Constitutional Amendments to pass: term limits for Congress, balanced budget

Taxation: flat tax rate, no internet tax ever, abolish the IRS

Education: repeal Common Core, local control over education, "expand educational choice"

Foreign policy: get serious with ISIS and Iran, revoke the passports of Americans who join ISIS, strengthen military

Like I said, its a lot like the Bush platform, but with less emphasis on social issues. The central part of it being speculation in energy and health care. Of course all the interest in cutting pork goes out the window when you have an expansionist foreign policy. You need more money for research to grow your empire, right?

Not really. I doubt Bush would campaign on abolishing the ExIm Bank or repealing Federal education standards. Certainly not on curbing domestic surveillance (not saying that Cruz is sincere in his opposition, but Bush would still never oppose it even insincerely).

Also, I notice you keep making posts claiming that allowing interstate insurance purchases will lead to "speculation." What do you mean by this?

[Person Man]

Well Cruz's agenda is moderated a bit from the laundry list of hardcore conservative wet dreams like:
- revoke 16th (income tax) and 17th (direct senator elections) amendments

Out of all the crazy (stupid) things that were on that list, I really do not get what the point of repealing the 17th amendment is. Just... why???

Its actually a pretty standard TEA Party idea. They believe the Founding Fathers believed in Civic Republicanism or that it is the job of the powerful to look after the "common good" instead of "private and partial interests". This belief is combined with the idea that the Senate is for the representing States, not the people of those states. Further, since State legislators look out for "the people" while the people look out for themselves, Senators should be elected by state legislatures so that the "common good" can be promoted by virtuous elected officials.

Modern conservatism is based on interpreting the nature and reasoning of America bizarre mixture of ancient western and eastern legalistic traditions.

For those who want to know the specific details but don't want to bother reading through the link:

Energy: Keystone pipeline, more fracking, drilling on public land, stop the EPA, repeal export ban on crude oil

Health: Repeal Obamacare, sell health insurance across state lines, more health savings accounts

Illegal Immigration: stop it, no amnesty

Things a GOP Senate Should Do: stop confirming judges who support gay marriage, hold a hearing on the IRS targeting scandal, hold a hearing on Obama's violations of civil liberties, hold a hearing on the delayed implementation of the individual mandate, hold a hearing on EPA carbon regulations, hold a hearing on Benghazi

Corruption/Reform: abolish the Export-Import Bank, cut back on corporate welfare, lifetime ban on members of Congress being employed as lobbyists

Constitutional Amendments to pass: term limits for Congress, balanced budget

Taxation: flat tax rate, no internet tax ever, abolish the IRS

Education: repeal Common Core, local control over education, "expand educational choice"

Foreign policy: get serious with ISIS and Iran, revoke the passports of Americans who join ISIS, strengthen military

Like I said, its a lot like the Bush platform, but with less emphasis on social issues. The central part of it being speculation in energy and health care. Of course all the interest in cutting pork goes out the window when you have an expansionist foreign policy. You need more money for research to grow your empire, right?

Not really. I doubt Bush would campaign on abolishing the ExIM Bank or repealing Federal education standards. Certainly not on curbing domestic surveillance (not saying that Cruz is sincere in his opposition, but Bush would still never oppose it even insincerely).

Also, I notice you keep making posts claiming that allowing interstate insurance purchases will lead to "speculation." What do you mean by this?

I stand by the comparison of Bush based on the fact he did run on anti-corruption and some libertarian ideas until 9/11 but then did a 180. Education I guess is the odd issue out but not even then- they both want a discussion about school choice, which I think is reasonable inasmuch as it doesn't give you the choice of sending your kids to a school that won't prepare them for serious academic and professional careers.

What I mean by that is this that allowing interstate insurance purchases basically allows for one state to make the most liberal regulations be the default regulator. Its basically an inversive back door way to have NO regulations on insurance. This is how two of the last three recessions happened- a major aspect of access to important goods and services was deregulated, it lead to a major speculative bubble and caused a recession.