A female millennial friend of the Mrs. ask me why I support Ted Cruz. I answered, “Well, Ted Cruz believes in America, he is devoted to the Constitution and …,” that’s as far as I got before I was hit with, “What does that mean? That’s not a policy! That’s just stupid….”
The conversation pretty much ended about there. Her choice, she said, was Michael Bloomberg and I wanted to ask her why she thinks we need a nanny as president but figured I’d strike out with that one. Anyway, she won’t get a chance to vote for Nanny Bloomberg because he at least is smart enough to know he could never win and has decided not to run.
I don’t know if all millennials are that closed minded, but I think and hope that if allowed to finish my thought I would have said something close to what Matthew Continetti has written at the Washington Free Beacon, albeit probably not as eloquently:
Of Course Ted Cruz Would Make a Better President Than Donald Trump
…in recent days I have encountered the opinion, especially among liberals, that there is no difference between [Donald Trump and Ted Cruz]. And this is a ridiculous idea. Cruz would make a much better president than Trump. It shouldn’t be hard to see why.
For one thing, Cruz actually knows what he’s talking about. If you listened to Trump during the CNN debate, you heard little in the way of policy detail. His answers begin with a few words describing how angry people are and how China is taking our jobs before ending with a demand that we negotiate better deals. Trump is full of bluster, often funny and impolitic. He’s a great communicator because he reaches peoples’ deepest emotions. But to call him “articulate” would be an exaggeration, and to call him a “wonk” would be delusional. You might not like Cruz’s policies or the manner in which he communicates them, but there’s no question he has firm convictions, a grasp of detail, and knows how to make an argument.
Then there is the question of the Constitution. Trump never mentions it. But Cruz worships it. He refers to it often in his speeches, knows its contents, is devoted to the memory of the Founders and wants to protect their legacy. I don’t know how a President Trump would respond if one of the other coequal branches of government challenged his authority. Indeed, I am somewhat afraid that Trump would ignore or move against that other branch, whether it’s Congress or the Court. But I don’t have that worry with Cruz. He may be an ideologue, but he’s an ideological constitutionalist. Trump is neither an ideologue nor a constitutionalist. His only principle is winning. And he’s not talking about you winning. He’s talking about Trump winning. That’s all that matters to him.
The president is not only our head of government. He’s also the head of state. He represents America. And I truly don’t understand how one could think Donald Trump would be a better representative of America than Ted Cruz. Trump is riveting, entertaining, even charismatic. But he curses, he offends, he disturbs, he confronts, he bends and twists and pushes reality until it suits his needs. Having him as president would be like living on a rollercoaster. You wouldn’t know whether you are up or down, and you are likely to wake up nauseous.
Cruz is very conservative, a Bible-believing Christian who is fiercely pro-market and hawkish (if not as interventionist as other Republicans). That might upset secular liberals worldwide. But would Cruz be as erratic, would he be as explosive, would he be as unsettling as Trump? I doubt it. The man idolizes Ronald Reagan. Well, we survived, indeed flourished under, one Reagan presidency. Not a bad model for our next president to have.
Who does Trump idolize? Himself. And his neutral and sometimes flattering attitude toward authoritarian governments ought to make you think twice about seeing him in the Oval Office.
The Oval Office seems very far away right now. It’s unlikely either Trump or Cruz will be elected president. But nominating Trump would change the Republican Party in a way nominating Cruz would not. Trump overthrows the apple cart. He’s already breaking one weak institution—the GOP—and there’s no telling what other weak institutions he could break if elected to high office. For reasons of policy, presentation, and character, there is only one remaining choice in this GOP primary. It is Ted Cruz.
Of course Matthew Continetti is exactly right. We have had a malignant narcissist from the radical left in the White House for the last seven and a half years and those haven’t been great years for America. Why on earth would we want another malignant narcissist as president who is from both right and left, whichever he thinks will bring more favor to himself at any given time?
Continetti left out the Supreme Court. That’s a crucial issue in the election. Ted Cruz would appoint excellent Supreme Court justices from the genre and caliber of Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. Trump’s Supreme Court and other court appointments would be wild cards.
The millennial who thinks I’m stupid must not realize that there are only two contenders beside Hillary Clinton and those are Trump and Cruz.
Continetti never says why he thinks neither Cruz nor Trump will be elected president. What is for sure is that none of Rubio, Kasich, or Sanders is going to be elected president. So what does that leave us and why does Continetti end his eloquent thoughts in such gloom? Here is a way to end the gloom. Just think of how delicious it would be to see Ted Cruz crush Hillary Clinton in a debate. Cruz would do just that, not with a meat clever, but with a scalpel.
The post Here’s why Ted Cruz would make a better President than Donald Trump appeared first on TeeJaw Blog.
