What is Ted Cruz's Strategy?

[oeoyeleye]

He probably has the greatest intellectual strength in the GOP field, yet his campaign seems to have no clear strategy. He hasn't had a laser focus on Iowa and South Carolina, which seems to be what he should be doing. He isn't polling particularly well, even after being the first to announce. The only thing he seems to be doing well in is fundraising.

[Mehmentum]

Perhaps he's hoping to shine in the debates?

[eric82oslo]

Why do everyone claim that Ted Cruz for some reason is "smart"? In fact he's dumber than Rubio, and Rubio is clearly not very smart (although he's smarter than most of his opponents).

The smartest GOPers running are obviously Jeb, Rand Paul, Kasich and Christie and we actually shouldn't underestimate Trump either, as he's smarter than most of the rest of the field, probably Rubio included.

[cinyc]

Why do everyone claim that Ted Cruz for some reason is "smart"? In fact he's dumber than Rubio, and Rubio is clearly not very smart (although he's smarter than most of his opponents).

Cruz graduated cum laude and magna cum laude from Princeton and Harvard Law School and clerked on the Supreme Court for then Chief Justice Rehnquist.  He's not dumb by any stretch.  Dumb people don't get to be Supreme Court clerks.

Perhaps he's hoping to shine in the debates?

Maybe.   According to Wikipedia, Cruz was a very accomplished debater in college and law school, so he should do well in the debates.

[eric82oslo]

Why do everyone claim that Ted Cruz for some reason is "smart"? In fact he's dumber than Rubio, and Rubio is clearly not very smart (although he's smarter than most of his opponents).

Cruz graduated cum laude and magna cum laude from Princeton and Harvard Law School and clerked on the Supreme Court for then Chief Justice Rehnquist.  He's not dumb by any stretch.  Dumb people don't get to be Supreme Court clerks.

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

[cinyc]

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

Because you don't like or agree with Cruz and think he talks like a teenager when he actually does not.  Meanwhile, you like and agree with Obama and Hillary and therefore think they are smart.

Objectively, Ted Cruz is one of the smartest candidates on either side of the race right now.  I doubt his IQ is low or even just slightly above average.  Persons with low or average IQs don't graduate at the top of their class from Harvard Law School or clerk for the Supreme Court.

[eric82oslo]

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

Because you don't like or agree with Cruz and think he talks like a teenager when he actually does not.  Meanwhile, you like and agree with Obama and Hillary and therefore think they are smart.

Objectively, Ted Cruz is one of the smartest candidates on either side of the race right now.  I doubt his IQ is low or even just slightly above average.  Persons with low or average IQs don't graduate at the top of their class from Harvard Law School or clerk for the Supreme Court.

If he was so smart as you claim, he wouldn't have been the prototype of the US clown for the past 5 years due to his refusal to let millions of government workers do their job. It's quite incredible that one single person can paralyze a whole nation for weeks. Because of him, the US economy was seriously hurt for months. Sounds like the modern Einstein to me. I don't care if he's taken some random exam or has talked to some random Supreme Court justice. The fact that he is seen as the obsolute clown by 7 billion people around the world (and no, I'm not talking about Trump in fact!) should tell you everything you need to know. NO, obviously Cruz is not very smart.

[Cory]

Why do everyone claim that Ted Cruz for some reason is "smart"? In fact he's dumber than Rubio, and Rubio is clearly not very smart (although he's smarter than most of his opponents).

The smartest GOPers running are obviously Jeb, Rand Paul, Kasich and Christie and we actually shouldn't underestimate Trump either, as he's smarter than most of the rest of the field, probably Rubio included.

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

Jesus how can somebody be this full of sh.it? Are you really so blinded by partisanship that you can't even fathom that somebody who disagrees with you is anything other then "stupid" or "dumb"?

Frankly you're the one who sounds like a teenager right now.

[Mister Mets]

Why do everyone claim that Ted Cruz for some reason is "smart"? In fact he's dumber than Rubio, and Rubio is clearly not very smart (although he's smarter than most of his opponents).

Cruz graduated cum laude and magna cum laude from Princeton and Harvard Law School and clerked on the Supreme Court for then Chief Justice Rehnquist.  He's not dumb by any stretch.  Dumb people don't get to be Supreme Court clerks.

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

You don't have Cruz's academic credentials with a 115 IQ.

My guess is that he's gambling on Republican primary voters being kinda dumb.

[cinyc]

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

Because you don't like or agree with Cruz and think he talks like a teenager when he actually does not.  Meanwhile, you like and agree with Obama and Hillary and therefore think they are smart.

Objectively, Ted Cruz is one of the smartest candidates on either side of the race right now.  I doubt his IQ is low or even just slightly above average.  Persons with low or average IQs don't graduate at the top of their class from Harvard Law School or clerk for the Supreme Court.

If he was so smart as you claim, he wouldn't have been the prototype of the US clown for the past 5 years due to his refusal to let millions of government workers do their job. It's quite incredible that one single person can paralyze a whole nation for weeks. Because of him, the US economy was seriously hurt for months. Sounds like the modern Einstein to me. I don't care if he's taken some random exam or has talked to some random Supreme Court justice. The fact that he is seen as the obsolute clown by 7 billion people around the world (and no, I'm not talking about Trump in fact!) should tell you everything you need to know. NO, obviously Cruz is not very smart.

Again, you're calling Cruz dumb because you don't agree with his policies.  And no, he didn't singlehandedly refuse "to let millions of government workers do their job" or "paralyze a whole nation for weeks".  He and others unsuccessfully tried to defund Obamacare a few years ago, which lead to a short government shutdown.  Guess what?  Their efforts were rewarded by the voters, giving Republicans control of the Senate.  And it raised Cruz's profile from being just a junior Senator from Texas to being a darling of the tea party and presidential candidate. 

So who is really stupid, exactly?

[eric82oslo]

Why do everyone claim that Ted Cruz for some reason is "smart"? In fact he's dumber than Rubio, and Rubio is clearly not very smart (although he's smarter than most of his opponents).

The smartest GOPers running are obviously Jeb, Rand Paul, Kasich and Christie and we actually shouldn't underestimate Trump either, as he's smarter than most of the rest of the field, probably Rubio included.

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

Jesus how can somebody be this full of sh.it? Are you really so blinded by partisanship that you can't even fathom that somebody who disagrees with you is anything other then "stupid" or "dumb"?

Frankly you're the one who sounds like a teenager right now.

And you're the one who sounds like an American right now. Cruz would have been cruzified in every other country in the world if he did the same actions. Apparently you're cheering for Cruz cause he seriously hurt the US and world economy for months and thus made it easier for Sanders to win over Obama's pick Hillary in the end.

[eric82oslo]

Why do everyone claim that Ted Cruz for some reason is "smart"? In fact he's dumber than Rubio, and Rubio is clearly not very smart (although he's smarter than most of his opponents).

Cruz graduated cum laude and magna cum laude from Princeton and Harvard Law School and clerked on the Supreme Court for then Chief Justice Rehnquist.  He's not dumb by any stretch.  Dumb people don't get to be Supreme Court clerks.

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

You don't have Cruz's academic credentials with a 115 IQ.

My guess is that he's gambling on Republican primary voters being kinda dumb.

You're right. My IQ is 130, so I could easily have taken down mister Hate the Economy-Cruz in any discussion.

[eric82oslo]

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

Because you don't like or agree with Cruz and think he talks like a teenager when he actually does not.  Meanwhile, you like and agree with Obama and Hillary and therefore think they are smart.

Objectively, Ted Cruz is one of the smartest candidates on either side of the race right now.  I doubt his IQ is low or even just slightly above average.  Persons with low or average IQs don't graduate at the top of their class from Harvard Law School or clerk for the Supreme Court.

If he was so smart as you claim, he wouldn't have been the prototype of the US clown for the past 5 years due to his refusal to let millions of government workers do their job. It's quite incredible that one single person can paralyze a whole nation for weeks. Because of him, the US economy was seriously hurt for months. Sounds like the modern Einstein to me. I don't care if he's taken some random exam or has talked to some random Supreme Court justice. The fact that he is seen as the obsolute clown by 7 billion people around the world (and no, I'm not talking about Trump in fact!) should tell you everything you need to know. NO, obviously Cruz is not very smart.

Again, you're calling Cruz dumb because you don't agree with his policies.  And no, he didn't singlehandedly refuse "to let millions of government workers do their job" or "paralyze a whole nation for weeks".  He and others unsuccessfully tried to defund Obamacare a few years ago, which lead to a short government shutdown.  Guess what?  Their efforts were rewarded by the voters, giving Republicans control of the Senate.  And it raised Cruz's profile from being just a junior Senator from Texas to being a darling of the tea party and presidential candidate.  

So who is really stupid, exactly?

He is the one who's stupid because he believes that by being the leader of the Dumbs, he will ultimately be crowned the next president of the US.

He's not gonna change like a chameleon unlike Trump. He is what he is. That's the definition of stupid. Only smart people can get away with crime. Like Christie or Hillary or whatever. Cruz on the other hand is way too stupid to ever get away from a crime scene. I used to think the same about Rick Perry, but then suddenly he started acting like a completely different person. So either Perry is much smarter than I thought, or he's just schizofrenic.

[Mister Mets]

Why do everyone claim that Ted Cruz for some reason is "smart"? In fact he's dumber than Rubio, and Rubio is clearly not very smart (although he's smarter than most of his opponents).

Cruz graduated cum laude and magna cum laude from Princeton and Harvard Law School and clerked on the Supreme Court for then Chief Justice Rehnquist.  He's not dumb by any stretch.  Dumb people don't get to be Supreme Court clerks.

Then why does he always talk like a teenager in every single interview he's ever given? Maybe he just plays stupid then? To me it's much more than a play though. I have absolutely no doubt that his IQ is even much lower than George W. Bush's. People say W's IQ is 125, well then Cruz's can definitely not be higher than 110-115, which explains why he always communicates like an obnoxious teenager. Obama's & Hillary's are both between 140 and 150.

You don't have Cruz's academic credentials with a 115 IQ.

My guess is that he's gambling on Republican primary voters being kinda dumb.

You're right. My IQ is 130, so I could easily have taken down mister Hate the Economy-Cruz in any discussion.

I do still figure that Cruz is smarter than you.

An IQ of 130 would be in the top 2%.

A Princeton Magna Cum Laude is going to be smarter than that.

[Cory]

And you're the one who sounds like an American right now.

What's this even supposed to mean?

Cruz would have been cruzified in every other country in the world if he did the same actions.

If you recall, his government shutdown antics didn't work out to well for him. Also "every other country" is a bit of a stretch. Western Europe and North America aren't the entire world.

 

Apparently you're cheering for Cruz cause he seriously hurt the US and world economy for months and thus made it easier for Sanders to win over Obama's pick Hillary in the end.

*facepalm*

By what measure am I "cheering for Cruz"? All because I don't have my head so far up my ass  I think anyone who disagree with me is a dummy head even in light of evidence to the contrary?

[Cory]

You're right. My IQ is 130, so I could easily have taken down mister Hate the Economy-Cruz in any discussion.

Jesus you can't be serious.

Also you're a jackass if you really think IQ is the end all be all of intelligence.

[eric82oslo]

And you're the one who sounds like an American right now.

What's this even supposed to mean?

Cruz would have been cruzified in every other country in the world if he did the same actions.

If you recall, his government shutdown antics didn't work out to well for him. Also "every other country" is a bit of a stretch. Western Europe and North America aren't the entire world.

 

Apparently you're cheering for Cruz cause he seriously hurt the US and world economy for months and thus made it easier for Sanders to win over Obama's pick Hillary in the end.

*facepalm*

By what measure am I "cheering for Cruz"? All because I don't have my head so far up my ass  I think anyone who disagree with me is a dummy head even in light of evidence to the contrary?

Well, Ted Cruz is not very smart. Sure, he's smarter than some GOP candidates like Carly Fiorina and perhaps Rick Santorum, yet that doesn't actually tell us much. The vast majority of GOP candidates are smarter than him, whether you like it or not. Perhaps even Ben Carson, though he's an incredible dumb as well, he can actually prove to be incredibly smart in certain fields, in a very stark contrast to Cruz.

[eric82oslo]

You're right. My IQ is 130, so I could easily have taken down mister Hate the Economy-Cruz in any discussion.

Jesus you can't be serious.

Also you're a jackass if you really think IQ is the end all be all of intelligence.

I've never said that and I absolutely don't believe that, and that's what made me fall in love with Obama and to a lesser degree Hillary in the first place. Because, despite them both being incredibly smart, they both have a very high EQ as well. Now I believe that Obama has both a higher IQ and EQ than Hillary, but only slightly. On IQ I think the difference would be only two or three points, on EQ however, I think it's 5 or 6 points, perhaps slightly more even.

[cinyc]

He is the one who's stupid because he believes that by being the leader of the Dumbs, he will ultimately be crowned the next president of the US.

He's not gonna change like a chameleon unlike Trump. He is what he is. That's the definition of stupid. Only smart people can get away with crime. Like Christie or Hillary or whatever. Cruz on the other hand is way too stupid to ever get away from a crime scene. I used to think the same about Rick Perry, but then suddenly he started acting like a completely different person. So either Perry is much smarter than I thought, or he's just schizofrenic.

While I don't know if it is true about Cruz, not everyone is in the race because they think they can win.  Some are in the race to guide the debate to their point of view.  Others are in it to gain a higher profile and get a job in the next administration or set up for future runs.   Still others are in it for the money.

Perry was on painkillers last time he ran due to a bad back.  He isn't this time.  He is thinking clearer and may run better than he did in 2012.  Or not.  One gaffe will sink his campaign faster than with other candidates due to past history.

[Cory]

Well, Ted Cruz is not very smart.

Because you say so? All because you say something over and over again doesn't make it the truth.

Sure, he's smarter than some GOP candidates like Carly Fiorina and perhaps Rick Santorum, yet that doesn't actually tell us much. The vast majority of GOP candidates are smarter than him, whether you like it or not. Perhaps even Ben Carson, though he's an incredible dumb as well, he can actually prove to be incredibly smart in certain fields, in a very stark contrast to Cruz.

How could you possibly know any of this? You're just utterly talking out of your ass at this point.

[eric82oslo]

He is the one who's stupid because he believes that by being the leader of the Dumbs, he will ultimately be crowned the next president of the US.

He's not gonna change like a chameleon unlike Trump. He is what he is. That's the definition of stupid. Only smart people can get away with crime. Like Christie or Hillary or whatever. Cruz on the other hand is way too stupid to ever get away from a crime scene. I used to think the same about Rick Perry, but then suddenly he started acting like a completely different person. So either Perry is much smarter than I thought, or he's just schizofrenic.

While I don't know if it is true about Cruz, not everyone is in the race because they think they can win.  Some are in the race to guide the debate to their point of view.  Others are in it to gain a higher profile and get a job in the next administration or set up for future runs.   Still others are in it for the money.

Perry was on painkillers last time he ran due to a bad back.  He isn't this time.  He is thinking clearer and may run better than he did in 2012.  Or not.  One gaffe will sink his campaign faster than with other candidates due to past history.

That could be it as well. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt now.

[Higgs]

Can Mods ban for this kind of hackishness?

[eric82oslo]

Can Mods ban for this kind of hackishness?

Are you talking to me? What are you even talking about?

I'm the least hackish there is. I support Hillary and Jeb in fact. If I were really hackish, I would have supported Sanders, Cruz, Santorum and Trump in fact. Well flash light, I don't. So how can you label me hackish in fact, when I am almost the opposite?

[Leinad]

Eric, your views are clearly tainted with partisanship. I don't go around saying that Ron Paul is the smartest guy ever and Hillary's an idiot. The reality is that you have to be a smart person to get into politics.

Cruz may disagree with you politically. While we disagree socially, economically his views are close to mine; I don't think Obamacare is good, it's an overreach of the federal government. To me, the role of government isn't to provide basic needs, but protect the people from objective crimes and ensure their rights, and nothing else. You can disagree with me on that, and that's fine. Most people do. Two smart people can completely see political issues differently, especially if one is from Scandinavia and the other is from Texas (two places that share very little in either ideology or climate).

Also, stating your IQ and then saying stupid stuff just makes you look worse. My IQ is higher than 130, but that hasn't stopped me from doing a boatload of idiotic things. I think I'm just good at taking IQ tests. If a goober like George W. Bush can convince people to elect him as president with an IQ about 20 points lower than mine, and I can't even win internet arguments with regularity, IQ tests must mean very little.

[Rockefeller GOP]

This thread is literally hilarious.