Joe Henderson: No surprise Ted Cruz chose not to play it safe
The safe play for Ted Cruz would have been to simply give Donald Trump a less-than-tepid endorsement as the Republican standard bearer for president. Party bosses and worker bees alike would have praised him for uniting Republicans in their holy war against Hillary Clinton. Even more, Cruz would have been ideally positioned to be the GOP’s choice in 2020 if, as looks more likely every day after this chaotic Republican convention, Trump gets thumped in November. But Cruz wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t say it. Are you surprised? I’m not. If we know anything about the U.S. Senator from Texas, it’s that he doesn’t care if you don’t like him. He uses your loathing as reinforcement that you are part of the problem and must be fixed. His unwillingness to work with even his own party has made him a pariah to many. Former House Speaker John Boehner called him “Lucifer in the flesh.” He has made a career out of grandstand plays and attacking members fellow Republicans (I use that term loosely) for not being ideologically pure. You think he cares? I think he loves annoying the crap out of people. And you could just see his diabolical mind working when, for reasons passing understanding, GOP bosses gave Cruz prime-time real estate to speak his mind Wednesday night. He was warmly welcomed at first – the last holdout coming into the fold and all that — and returned that love by giving a tremendous speech. He laid out his conservative chops so decisively that about halfway through I almost expected those in the arena to demand a recount so they could pick him instead of Trump. It built to a crescendo as he told everyone watching not to stay at home in November. Yeah. Here it comes. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. “Vote for ….” Yes? Your conscience! Wow! He got booed out of the arena. Afterward, billionaire Sheldon Adelson wouldn’t let Cruz into the GOP donor suite. Security had to escort Cruz’s wife, Heidi, out of sight, lest she become a target for baffled and agitated delegates. Well, let us not forget that along with being devious and devilish, Cruz is vengeful. Trump tried to smear Heidi Cruz on her appearance during the campaign. He even suggested Cruz’s father might have had a clandestine role in John Kennedy’s assassination. So, you betcha! There was some prime-time payback due and Cruz delivered a sucker punch that only added to the image of a convention that has not just gone off the rails, but is now careening down the canyon toward the rocks below. Cruz is telegraphing to the deep conservative base, which he owns but Trump needs, that even four years of Hillary is worth it if it means he can rescue them in 2020. And just to add one more euphemistically upraised middle finger to the party, Cruz’s speech far overshadowed the coming out party of vice presidential nominee … oh, what’s his name? Well, Cruz has done it now. The implosion of the Republican Party as we know it is nearing completion. Going forward, if the GOP excommunicates him, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if Cruz didn’t try to shepherd his ultra conservatives into a third party of constitutional purists. The man loves chaos. It’s all because he couldn’t, wouldn’t, and convinced himself he shouldn’t say three words: “Vote for Trump.” The words Cruz wouldn’t say spoke loudest of all. ___ Joe Henderson has had a 45-year career in newspapers, including the last nearly 42 years at The Tampa Tribune. He has covered a large variety of things, primarily in sports but also hard news. The two intertwined in the decade-long search to bring Major League Baseball to the area. Henderson was also City Hall reporter for two years and covered all sides of the sales tax issue that ultimately led to the construction of Raymond James Stadium. He served as a full-time sports columnist for about 10 years before moving to the metro news columnist for the last 4 ½ years. Henderson has numerous local, state and national writing awards. He has been married to his wife, Elaine, for nearly 35 years and has two grown sons — Ben and Patrick.
SEC Primary draws Ted Cruz back to the Yellowhammer State
Surging recently in several Republican presidential polls, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz will host two upcoming rallies in Alabama this week in Mobile and Trussville thanks to the ongoing draw of the state’s March 1 SEC Primary. The campaign for the Texas Senator announced Monday that following Tuesday’s night’s Las Vegas debate, Cruz will host 12 rallies in 12 days before the Christmas holiday across seven states as part of the “Take Off with Ted” tour focusing heavily on those states belonging to SEC Primary. Throughout the tour, Cruz will visit Minnesota, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma — stopping by Mobile on Saturday, Dec. 19 at the Daphne Civic Center and heading to Trussville Sunday, Dec. 20 for another rally at the Trussville Civic Center. Doors will open at the Daphne Civic Center at 1:00 p.m. with the program kicking-off at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Texas Republican will head to the Trussville Civic Center Sunday, where the doors open again at 1:00 p.m., with the program beginning at 2:00 p.m. “Our ‘Take Off with Ted’ barnstorming of the March 1st states will fortify our national organization and position us to win on Super Tuesday,” said Rick Tyler, Cruz campaign spokesman, in a statement. “We’ve always believed that the GOP primary calendar gives Cruz an early advantage so we have spent significant time in those states and have built an army of conservative volunteers to get out the vote just like the ones we have unleashed in the first four early states.” Cruz’s visit is yet another victory for Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill who moved up Alabama’s primary to March in hopes of giving the state a more pivotal role in deciding the respective party’s presidential nominees. Since announcing his candidacy, Cruz has previously visited Birmingham, Huntsville, Pelham and Tuscaloosa and his wife, Heidi Cruz, has made stops in Hoover and Mobile.
Email Insights: Heidi Cruz coming to Montgomery and Mobile
There’s no doubt that Alabama is U.S. Senator Ted Cruz country. With one of the strongest grassroots efforts of all the presidential candidates (I would venture to guess the strongest in the state) Cruz has made our state a priority. Beyond Cruz’s bus tour has making stops earlier this year through out the state, he has named some power house volunteers to his team including Ann Eubank, Becky Gerritson, Chad Mathis and Troy Towns. His campaign released word yesterday that his wife Heidi Cruz is coming to visit. In a bio piece by the New York Times when Cruz was first elected to the U.S. Senate Heidi was described as, “A vegetarian with a Harvard M.B.A., Mrs. Cruz is a managing director at Goldman Sachs, one of the Wall Street firms that helped set off the populist rage that ushered Mr. Cruz into the Senate in 2012. She works for Goldman in Houston, where she lives with the couple’s two young children, and as her husband’s fame has increased — depending on the audience, he is among the most pilloried or revered members of the Senate — she has maintained a low profile.” Since then she has taken unpaid leave of her job to help her husband on the campaign trail and has even been called his “not-so-secret weapon” of the campaign. For details on where check out the email below. Heidi Cruz is coming to Alabama! She will be touring the state November 4th-5thin Montgomery and Mobile. Montgomery Meet & Greet with Heidi Cruz 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Wintzell’s Oyster House (Back Room) 105 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 RSVP HERE Mobile Meet and Greet with Heidi Cruz 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Half Shell Oyster House 3654 Airport Blvd Mobile, Al 36608 November 5, 2015 RSVP HERE
