Seriously, I can’t make this stuff up. I wonder when the TEA party will cannibalize their favored son because he isn’t a real American! Right?
I mean, his mom is American, but he was BORN in Canada, he has, OMG, automatic duel Canadian citizenship. He IS a socialist for sure. It simply cannot be denied. Look, the facts cannot be ignored.
Surely, if President Obama is not an American in a “Birthers” eye, Ted Cruz is even more of an imposter! Obama was born to an American mother but Kenyan father in Hawaii. O.K., so he didn’t have dual Kenyan citizenship, but hey, does that really matter? Standards are standards right!
WASHINGTON — Born in Canada to an American mother, Ted Cruz became an instant U.S. citizen. But under Canadian law, he also became a citizen of that country the moment he was born.
He will never be the President Pro Tempore of the Senate since that is third in line for Presidential succession.
Actually, the birther argument is that a) he was born in Kenya. b) if he WAS born in Hawaii, his mother was a minor, the citizenship was not transferable at that time. And his public birth certificate is a forgery. c) If he was a citizen, his citizenship was removed when his mother became the wife of the Indonesian Soetaro…and he made them Indonesian citizens….along with a few other various theories.
In Cruz’s case, it is a question. What does “natural born” actually mean and what do you need to meet that requirement. We should get a clear definition.
Personally, I would love Cruz as President…so far. BUT, if he does not meet the requirements, I’ll regretfully oppose his candidacy.
I think he meets the technical requirements. He doesn’t meet the “I am not crazy and objectionable” requirements.
I hope you are kidding about loving him to be president. He would never be elected. He is fringe. Fringe doesn’t get elected.
There are many birther theories about the birth of Barack Obama – none of them hold any water at all. It will be funny watching the likes of Trump and other elected officials squirming around trying to give credibility to cruz all the while listening to their own birther words. Many of the birthers do not even understand the law. And I do not know why the media is trying to make this into a topic – cruz for President – really, I do doubt it.
cargo – case in point – the age or nationality of a parents means nothing when a child is born in on US Territory.
@Pat.Herve
I didn’t say I believed it. I was stating the various theories presented by those that do. Some of the theories used various immigration laws from 1961. I was writing in general, not wanting to go research what they actually were trying to say.
@Moon-howler
Fringe doesn’t get elected? Obama was elected and he’s about as fringe as it gets.
@Cargosquid
Obama isn’t fringe to the real world. You might not like him but fringe he is not.
Dennis Kucinich is approaching left fringe.
Obama is very fringe to the REAL world. He’s never had to operate in the real world. He thinks socialism works.
That is just such utter bullshit. You obviously don’t know much about socialism.
No economic system is pure anything.
I would say southside Chicago is probably more real world than you have had to deal with.
Arrgghhhh…I can’t let it go.
How do you justify going into education? It’s owned by the government and offers the same opportunities to both the rich and poor. (at least in theory)
Education is a hybrid between democracy and socialism.
You probably thought George Wallace was too liberal?
Well, Cargo —- Associated Press on 5 January 2008 quoting an announcement from Dem Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich: “I hope Iowans will caucus for me as their first choice because of my singular positions on the war, on health care and trade. But in those caucus locations where my support doesn’t reach the necessary threshold, I strongly encourage all of my supporters to make Barack Obama their second choice.”
Given the state of the 2008 race then, it looks to me like a “fringe” guy telling his people that, if he can’t win, be sure to vote for this other “fringe” guy.
Funny. I don’t see the word ‘fringe’ anywhere in that quote.
I understand you don’t like Obama but he is hardly fringe. Perhaps I would understand better if you tell me what you consider fringe.
I think that not having a TV and thinking that you can make reproduction decisions for other people to be “fringe.”
Ted Cruz is mainstream, a distinguished graduate of Harvard and editor of the Law Review, and according to Dershowitz “off the charts brilliant.” He’s only considered an extremist by hardcore democrat party partisans trying to peddle bullsh*t memes.
I can understand why you’re scared of him, though.
Not sure who you are talking to. I am not scared of him, I think he is an extremist A-hole. Perhaps that clarifies.
Do you actually believe the BS you spew? I don’t. Mainstream to whom?
Cruz might be a scholar but he lacks judgement and wisdom. He might as well just be stupid without those two major components.
You beat me to it, Cato.
AB Princeton cum laude. Finalist in the 1995 World University Debating Championships. Harvard Law 1995 magna cum laude. Primary editor of the Harvard Law Review. Executive Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Founding editor of the Harvard Latino Law Review. First Hispanic Solicitor General of Texas (2003-2009) and longest tenure of any SG in that office. Adjunct Prof. of Law at U. of Texas (2004-2009), specializing in Supreme Court litigation. Author of 80 Supreme Court briefs. 43 Supreme Court oral arguments. American Lawyer publication lauded him as among 50 best litigators in the country under age 45. National Law Journal put him among the 50 most influential minority lawyers in the country. Director for Policy Planning at the Federal Trade Commission. Associate Deputy Attorney General at DOJ under Bush II. Defeated Texas Lt-Gov. Dewhurst for the Repub senatorial nomination in 2012. Won the general election going away with 56-31. First Hispanic Senator in the history of Texas. Named Vice-chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
If this guy is fringe, the Repubs need a lot more “fringe” people. His record makes that Harvard law grad currently in the Oval Office look like a legal clerk.
I think Cruz is hugely intelligent and, as I’ve said before, I give him full credit for not believing virtually anything he says. He is not even remotely as dumb as he sounds. But he needs to solidify the yob base before he forges out into the general electorate. What you’re seeing now is a performance. If he wants to get smart in a governance capacity, he’s capable of doing it, but he has made a calculation that he needs to spend this cycle fluffing the mob. Once they are easily put in on their little exercise wheels, he can then veer toward the center and pick up an electoral critical mass.
Fluffing the mob? Bwaaahahahahahaha. That’s exactly what he is doing and they are stupid enough to fall for it and adopt him as their hero.
It reminds me of the hero worship of Glenn Beck and Hitler.
For once we are in near total agreement.
In order to win the game, one must first know how to play. Young Mr. Cruz is demonstrating a remarkable understanding what modern American politics has become, and how to play to win.
Wolverine, see my comment to Cato.
The Unibomber was also extremely intelligent. What is your point? Was he mainstream?
Cato- I think we agree on many things. We may express ourselves a bit differently.
The highest order of definition of “not fringe” is someone who has been elected to the Presidency. The second highest order of definition of “not fringe” is someone who has been selected as a major party’s candidate for Presidency.
Obama, Bush, Ford, Carter, Bush again, Reagan, Clinton are not fringe by definition. My definition does not encompass Veep’s or Veep candidates, nor does it include Senators or any one from Texas other than elected Presidents.
Makes sense, BS. Obviously if elected president then not fringe, by definition.
What would the opposite of ‘fringe’ be? Mainstream?
Bingo!
@Moon-howler
Probably.
What does South Side Chicago have to do with Mr. Obama. The closest that he got to the projects was as an “organizer.”
@Scout
“he needs to spend this cycle fluffing the mob. ”
Nice to see what you really think of the average conservative voter that supports Constitutional limits on federal power.
@Moon-howler
Glenn Beck AND Hitler? Really? You’re conflating Beck fans with Nazis?
So then….Hitler (since Moon brought him up), by BS’s definition, wasn’t fringe. He was elected.
Just what does ‘organizer’ mean to you? (Just out of curiosity)
Yes, Moon, I saw your response to Cato: “I think he is an extremist A-hole. Perhaps that clarifies.”
Nice. O.K. I’ll follow the path of the blogmeister. Obama is an extremist A-hole. He lacks judgement and wisdom. His supporters are part of a totalitarian-style cult of personality, no matter how much the “personality” screws things up. Sound good to you? Now, where do we go from there?
What the hell does that nutty Unibomber have to do with all this?
One of our basic differences is that I would never call the President of the United States, regardless of who he or she is, an asshole. That’s something I learned from my parents. I was not a big fan of George Bush but I do give him credit where I think credit was due. I never called him names.
I also hope you know that you have declared that over half of the voters in the United States are part of a totalitarian-style cult of personality. At no time has it occurred to you that perhaps it might be YOU who is out of step and who might be part of the fringe? I think my definition, someone elected to the presidency is not fringe. Fringe implies marginal. By definition: Those members of a group or political party holding extreme views.
So you think over half the United States voters hold extreme views?
Let’s talk about a few of those views. I haven’t noticed Obama doing anything that I considered extreme.
As for the Uni-bomber…he is highly intelligent. Who was it talking about how intelligent Ted Cruz is? Being highly intelligent doesn’t mean jack to me.
Obama is ideologically fringe. He fluffed up enough of Scout’s proverbial “yobs” to twice get into the Oval Office and is leaving those same yobs with a national mess.
I will go correct Scout’s type since it is causing distress. When he confirms he meant mob I will correct.
Please explain Obama’s ideological fringe. I just don’t see it. Use lots of examples.
@Wolverine
Are you that snowed by Cruz’s credentials? All sorts of people have impressive credentials. It’s what they do with those credentials.
So far Cruz has just tried to show how far right he can get.
You far righties do know that you will never elect someone to the presidency who suits you, don’t you? You are going to have to take someone who is more centrist simply because there aren’t enough people who think like you all to elect a party idealist.
Following along those lines, that’s the reason that people like Obama, Bush, Clinton, Daddy Bush, Reagan, Carter, Nixon, etc aren’t fringe. They couldn’t get elected if they were.
The moderates and centrists always decide elections in the final analysis.
Well, Moon, what does NOT snow me is the growing penchant around here to sling some very nasty mud when one does not agree with the other person’s viewpoint. Really, what kind of conversation can grow out of labelling the opponent as an “extremist a-hole”? Now I have become a “far rightie” — whatever that means. Are you then a “far leftie”? And what the hell is this preoccupation with “fringe”? One guy’s fringe around this crazy country is another guy’s mainstream. Fringe is always the guy who doesn’t agree with you. A nonsense argument.
I’ll save you the trouble with Scout. “Yob” is a legitimate Brit word — and one of his favorites for putting down any Repubs who do not choose to forfeit their views and moral principles to the so-called “middle” in exchange for the proverbial bowl of political pottage. The Texas “yobs” voted Ted Cruz into the US Senate by 56 to 31. So, I guess 56% of Texans who vote are “right wing fringe yobs”?
1776. One third Tory. One third abstain. One third independence. Why, that pesky Jefferson fellow from Monticello was nothing but “fringe” all the way. “Declaration of independence from the Crown! Just imagine such a deplorable thing. Damned extremist a-hole if there ever was one! Him and that pack of farmer yobs at Concord Bridge.”
Cruz is not an opponent. He is a political figure who has catapulted to national prominence by making outlandish, fringe statements regarding national policy. Perhaps you missed our commentary on Anthony Weiner. He isn’t an opponent either, he is just a rude asshole.
Many of your views are far right. You have no problem casting me. Some of it might be accurate. I am very militant about reproductive rights. That’s pretty much it though. On most other things I am a moderate.
Please don’t compare Jefferson to Cruz. Not on this blog. There is no area of commonality. Jefferson and those thinkers of the time probably were extremists. In the first place, unlike many, they were literate and they were intellectuals at least by the standards of the day. They were for freeing up the common man, not for restricting. No, they weren’t perfect. Not by a long shot.
As for the slam at Scout, he is a Republican who I would not bash, even though he and I differ on some of the reproductive issues. He doesn’t set himself up as the moral police. He also knows that extemists won’t get elected to the presidency. Yes, extremists do get elected locally. Case in point, McDonnell and Cuccinelli. McDonnell tried to govern from the center and then he must have caved. I think the effort was for national advantage but who knows. At any rate, he pretty much squandered the mainstream image he was trying to create.
I don’t understand this voting your morals. Let’s talk about that. Because someone feels using birth control is wrong, then is it ok for that person to try to impose that moral value on everyone else? That is the type of thinking I will fight every day as long as I draw breath on this earth.
Moon, “outlandish, fringe statements regarding national policy” is an illegitimate criticism of Cruz. It comes purely from your personal opposition to his expressed views. His views are “outlandish” and “fringe” only in the context of those like yourself who may disagree with him and his supporters on the issues. It is a way of demeaning and putting down the other guy. It is Alinsky 101. So, by the way, is the repeated use of “yob.” And Scout knows that as well as I do.
Is it not possible to say simply that you disagree with the political views of Ted Cruz without constant figurative references to an anal aperture? Now, tell me. Are you prepared to state that those 56% of Texas voters are also “extremist a-holes.”? How about the millions upon millions of Catholics and Evangelicals in this country who oppose your views on abortion? Also “extremist a-holes”?
And, if you like the word “fringe,” old Tom and the boys at Concord were certainly that kind of critter. Did pretty well for themselves too — against tough odds.
So now I am Alinsky. You righties need to get over Alinksy. (and Soros also) Glen Beck 101.
I hope everyone reads it loud and clear that I am putting down Cruz. It is my every intention. When I worked someone else’s blog, I watched what I said. On my own blog, I say what I want. however, the term ‘asshole’ is reserved for a special few. Ted Cruz is one of those people.
Let’s see, you don’t like me picking on Cuccinelli. You don’t like me picking on Maureen McDonnell. Now you don’t like me picking on Ted Cruz.
Here is a suggestion. Choose less less flawed people as your heroes. Those three are fair game in my eyes. I am under no obligation to lay off people whose politics I deplore. I have no idea what Mrs. McDonnell’s politics are. She just lacks judgement.
As for Cruz, you might note that it isn’t even my post. It’s Elena’s. I think she pretty much let him have it without using one single body part reference.
I have a higher opinion of Cruz that Wolve or CS are crediting to me. I think he is, with very precise calculation, spending the 2016 cycle playing the role of solidifying his national reputation with low-information, hormonally-actuated voters who form a significant, important component of the electoral structure that he must control. I assume his calculus is that he may not be able to pull off the nomination this time around, but that, at his age, he has plenty of time to take the next trick (assuming that Rs won’t win the general election in 2016). I don’t see any flaw in this strategy. He can then start tacking toward the center in 2016-2020 and try to pick up additional support there to position for 2020. All the fuss he generates now is worth its weight in gold for building national name recognition. This is sort of the Cuccinelli strategy expanded to a national scale.
As for both Wolve and CS, they badly mis-read me. I am a strong admirer of the “average conservative who supports constitutional limits on federal power” (to use CS’s phrase) or (to paraphrase Wolve) “Repubs who choose not to forfeit their principles for a bowl of pottage.” In fact, those phrases describe my views quite accurately. Unfortunately, there are very few of us.
“Yob” is an excellent word. Very descriptive. I’ve actually had a physical run-in with them in London. Here the altercations are allegorical.
PS: a difference between a “yob” and a “mob” is that the former is an individual, where the latter is a collective noun. It takes a lot of yobs to make a mob.
Thanks for clarifying. What does the Y stand for?
Let me see if I have this Cruz citizenship issue right since it has drifted WAY off course. If you are a Republican from Texas, born to an American mother and Cuban father while they were living in Canada and you have a CANADIAN birth certificate, you’re an American. Right? But if you are an Illinois Democrat, born to an American mother and a Kenyan father while they lived in Hawaii and you have an AMERICAN birth certificate, you’re a Kenyan. Right? As to how intelligent either of the principle subjects of this discussion is, it has absolutely nothing to do with their citizenship or their eligibility to stand for the office of President of the United States.
Funny how the Democrat is subjected to ‘situational constitutionality’ and the Republican is not. 🙄
I think what Cruz was afraid of was his critics accusing him of Canadian loyalties with that dual citizenship. I doubt he would be real popular in Canada.
1. yob -from the Urban Dictionary
The antithesis of what a good boy should be – rude, obnoxious, violent and stupid. Formed by spelling ‘boy’ bacwards, it was coined in England in the 18th century as it was very popular amongst upperclasses to speak backwards at the time.
Have you seen that boy? He’s a yob
😉
@Moon-howler
That was his “job.” Community organizer. He came into the community from outside and organized it for political ends for the Democrat party.
@Moon-howler
Situational?
He hasn’t run for President yet. So, his qualifications are not required. If and when he does, as I said earlier, the rules need to be clarified.
Unlike Obama, Cruz’s situation is clear and can easily be ruled on.
Obama, on the other hand, changed his story as needed.