Cruz, Rubio, Univision

[Shane]

Although I have serious doubts, I could give Cruz the first one with Carson but I can't give him a second one and especially not a third.. Any leader worth his salt would have stopped it quickly at the first one if it wasn't his all along.

Cruz did stop it at the first lie. He fired the guy.

You don't fire people just because the other candidates cry about your ads that accurately expose their records.

[treestand]

What we need is adherence to the law. I keep hearing immigration "reform" tossed around. My idea of "reforming" that system is NOT to capitulate to the side who wants total forgiveness to the millions who have either sneaked across the border or overstayed their student/employment visas either.

Do we also need bank robbery reform in your opinion?

You misunderstand what I mean by reform. Let me clarify. Immigration reform reform includes plans, strategies and funding to enforce the immigration laws. This might mean we build a wall and hire a bunch more border agents. It might also mean we change the number of legal immigrants we allow each year (up or down, by place of origin). It should include strategies to track those here on visas. It needs to include some prioritization; for example, I think securing the border should be the highest priority followed by visa tracking and deporting criminals. There are other issues such as employers who hire illegals and what to do with them. Of course we need a plan to deal with all illegals here, even those who are otherwise law-abiding.

I am not suggesting capitulation but I strongly believe that we need new legislation that addresses these issues or we will never get off of dead center. The new president could say that he wants to secure the border but if congress doesn't provide the funding it will go nowhere.

[Shane]

You misunderstand what I mean by reform. Let me clarify. Immigration reform reform includes plans, strategies and funding to enforce the immigration laws. This might mean we build a wall and hire a bunch more border agents. It might also mean we change the number of legal immigrants we allow each year (up or down, by place of origin). It should include strategies to track those here on visas. It needs to include some prioritization; for example, I think securing the border should be the highest priority followed by visa tracking and deporting criminals. There are other issues such as employers who hire illegals and what to do with them. Of course we need a plan to deal with all illegals here, even those who are otherwise law-abiding.

I am not suggesting capitulation but I strongly believe that we need new legislation that addresses these issues or we will never get off of dead center. The new president could say that he wants to secure the border but if congress doesn't provide the funding it will go nowhere.

Sounds like we're on the same page as to what the end result needs to be.

The thing is, there is already legislation in place to do all of that, including building a border fence. The only problem is that nobody in Washington has implimented and enforced any of it. More legislation isn't the fix, especially if the people passing it are the same people that aren't willing to impliment and enforce the laws that are already on the books. The fix is to elect people who will actually do what the law requires.

[XBowHunter]

No... you're right, it's someone else's fault..

stuff rolls down hill. cruz is responsible just as jerrah jones is responsible for the mindset of the cowboys... losers....

[Ætheling]

Where is this wall going to be built? Are we going to shut off the river from Texas? Are we going to declare imminent domain on thousands of acres of private ranch land? Cut off wildlife migration? Close off irrigation to the RGV? I do not understand this approach, it is too simple and no one seems to think about the details. It solves the problem but opens up so many more. I used to be a CBP agent we don't need a wall we just need to go back to enforcing laws which right now and for many years will get you fired. We have a national guard force, 45 thousand CBP officers and agents, thousands of state and local law enforcement and 20 thousand ICE agents and officers.

We don't need a wall and we do not need to hire any more federal agents.

[Joshua Flournoy]

The deal with Carson in Iowa was a complete non-issue. All his campaign people did was repeat what was being reported on CNN. Cruz himself didn't even know about it until after the fact. And even though they didn't do anything wrong in that instance, he apologized.

The photoshopped photo of Rubio and Obama didn't have any material affect on the meaning of the ad. The substance of it still stands. Non-issue. Just crybaby stuff from Rubio, because his record was exposed. Cruz didn't edit the photo himself, and he didn't create the ad. Neither did he fire anybody over it, because it was a non-issue. They didn't lie about Rubio. They just created a snarky photo to go along with the ad that was an accurate representation of Rubio's record.

The doctored video of Rubio a couple days ago was a real lie. Cruz fired the guy responsible for it, as he should have. What else could Cruz have done? He doesn't have time to create all of his own ads or review them before they are published. That's why candidates hire campaign people to do all of that stuff for them. If/when they screw up, they deserve to be fired. Cruz did just that.

As for Cruz's statements and ads about Trump, they've all been accurate. Trump calls them lies even when the ad is nothing but video of Trump stating his views. It's insane.

The video was not doctored (it wasn't an ad), it was transcribed by The Daily Pennsylvanian news site, and Cruz's spokesman just took it for granted that the transcription of what was said in the video was correct. Turns out it was not. Was he a little eager to publicize what the original transcription of the video said, yes, I'm sure the Cruz team has had it about up to "here" with Rubio and Trump yelling "liar" any time Cruz questions parts of their records they don't want examined by the public, probably a bit on edge. He did publicly apologize, on twitter and on television. And he still lost his job over it.

[Joshua Flournoy]

Although I have serious doubts, I could give Cruz the first one with Carson but I can't give him a second one and especially not a third.. Any leader worth his salt would have stopped it quickly at the first one if it wasn't his all along.

Certainly is humorous to see tsk-tsking about supposed dishonesty from a guy who voted for Trump, whose staff not only tells lies about Cruz non-stop, but they learn from the best, the big enchilada himself.

By all means, though, carry on.

A little self-awareness would do you some good.

[Mike Javi Cooper]

Certainly is humorous to see tsk-tsking about supposed dishonesty from a guy who voted for Trump, whose staff not only tells lies about Cruz non-stop, but they learn from the best, the big enchilada himself.

By all means, though, carry on.

A little self-awareness would do you some good.

Really, and you don't think they all lie through their teeth.. We are voting for our favorite liar and mine is Trump....

At least he provides a bit of fun to the political process...

[Artos]

We don't need new immigration laws. We simply need to begin enforcing the laws we already have on the books.

I'll have to disagree on not reforming the current laws applied to getting citizenship Shane...it's messed up & the current process really encourages the problems we have today.

Having said that, until this happens not following the current laws & specifically what this admin did with the central American's was borderline treasonous imo. Welcoming Syrians saying they are orphans & widows while all the pics & videos prove men of fighting age, but fights further vetting?? Don't understand how he can get away with the intentional destruction.

[Shane]

The video was not doctored (it wasn't an ad), it was transcribed by The Daily Pennsylvanian news site, and Cruz's spokesman just took it for granted that the transcription of what was said in the video was correct. Turns out it was not. Was he a little eager to publicize what the original transcription of the video said, yes, I'm sure the Cruz team has had it about up to "here" with Rubio and Trump yelling "liar" any time Cruz questions parts of their records they don't want examined by the public, probably a bit on edge. He did publicly apologize, on twitter and on television. And he still lost his job over it.

Right, but that misinterpretation was so obviously incorrect that anyone with any sense should have never rushed out to publicize it without digging in to confirm it first. I think the guy got caught up in all the frustration over Trump and Rubio and Carson falsely accusing Cruz of being a liar, and he used that as rationalization to return the favor. Bad decision. Cruz was right to fire him over it, in my opinion.

Where Cruz messed up was when he apologized to Carson in Iowa. He should have backed his people who simply passed on information that Carson's own campaign people gave to the press and that the press reported. He tried to take the high road in apologizing, but since there was nothing to apologize for the apology made it appear otherwise to people who weren't paying full attention.

[Shane]

I'll have to disagree on not reforming the current laws applied to getting citizenship Shane...it's messed up & the current process really encourages the problems we have today.

Having said that, until this happens not following the current laws & specifically what this admin did with the central American's was borderline treasonous imo. Welcoming Syrians saying they are orphans & widows while all the pics & videos prove men of fighting age, but fights further vetting?? Don't understand how he can get away with the intentional destruction.

Maybe so. But I remember I used to see green and white border patrol vehicles and buses all over the state hauling people out of Texas and back to Mexico. I haven't seen a border patrol vehicle in my area in years. If they'd just deport illegals and fine businesses that hire them, that would solve a big part of the problem. The current process in practice doesn't match up with what the current laws on the books say the process should be, right?

[Joshua Flournoy]

Right, but that misinterpretation was so obviously incorrect that anyone with any sense should have never rushed out to publicize it without digging in to confirm it first. I think the guy got caught up in all the frustration over Trump and Rubio and Carson falsely accusing Cruz of being a liar, and he used that as rationalization to return the favor. Bad decision. Cruz was right to fire him over it, in my opinion.

Yeah, I mentioned that, and I agree, he was right to dismiss him.

Where Cruz messed up was when he apologized to Carson in Iowa. He should have backed his people who simply passed on information that Carson's own campaign people gave to the press and that the press reported. He tried to take the high road in apologizing, but since there was nothing to apologize for the apology made it appear otherwise to people who weren't paying full attention.

Agreed, he let Carson off too easily, but as you say, he tried to take the high road, even when he didn't do anything wrong, and he got blasted for it. Ironic thing is that Rubio's campaign was doing the same exact thing in the Iowa Caucus, passing around the info. about Carson and trying to pick off his votes, and the media totally hushed that story up so they could pin it entirely on Cruz. Funniest thing about it all is that in a CAUCUS, that is what you're supposed to do, try to convince the voters to support YOUR guy rather than their 1st choice. Neither Cruz's or Rubio's campaigns did anything wrong, but then Rubio's camp, in collusion with the media, Carson, and Trump, tried to tar Cruz with the "dirty tricks" moniker as a result, and Rubio got away scot free.

[Joshua Flournoy]

By the way, there's a new Quinnipiac poll of Florida out this morning, and it has Trump at 44% with Rubio in 2nd at 28%. And a quarter of a million (approx. 15% if comparing to 2012 vote numbers) Florida voters have already early voted. If even a single poll of Texas showed Trump remotely this far ahead of Cruz, the hue and cry for Cruz to get out of the race would be deafening. Yet since this is the Establishment's Golden Child, Rubio, the story will be that Rubio is "rising" and is "ahead of Cruz" in FL. Well yeah, he should be ahead of Cruz in his home state. And he should be ahead of TRUMP in Florida, too.

[Shane]

Yeah, I mentioned that, and I agree, he was right to dismiss him.



Agreed, he let Carson off too easily, but as you say, he tried to take the high road, even when he didn't do anything wrong, and he got blasted for it. Ironic thing is that Rubio's campaign was doing the same exact thing in the Iowa Caucus, passing around the info. about Carson and trying to pick off his votes, and the media totally hushed that story up so they could pin it entirely on Cruz.

Yep. The only Republican candidate that the media is attacking throughout this whole primary is Cruz. He is the one that they fear the most. They don't have a mountain of stuff to throw at him, and they know that he means what he says when he talks about conservative principles. They're terrified of him. The best they can do is to repeat the other candidates' false accusations against him. Sadly, they've been making headway with that recently. Hopefully Cruz can get that turned around very soon.

[Joshua Flournoy]

Yep. The only Republican candidate that the media is attacking throughout this whole primary is Cruz. He is the one that they fear the most. They don't have a mountain of stuff to throw at him, and they know that he means what he says when he talks about conservative principles. They're terrified of him. The best they can do is to repeat the other candidates' false accusations against him. Sadly, they've been making headway with that recently. Hopefully Cruz can get that turned around very soon.

Exactly This.

Cruz could get that narrative turned around and headed back in the right direction with a good win in Texas and picking off a few other states as well next Tuesday.

There have been multiple TX polls come out in the last 48 hours that show Cruz with anywhere from a 9-15 pt. lead over Trump in Texas.