Right now his biggest issue is that in many cases, he's too conservative for Conservatives. NPR did a very thorough analysis of him as a candidate, and you can find that here. It's 37 minutes long, but you can read a transcript here, though I strongly urge anyone interested in the upcoming election to listen to the majority of it. It discusses his background, his political experience, and whether he can stand in a crowd of far more popular Republican candidates.

Whether you agree with his stance, there's no doubt that he's a strong politician. In his rookie year in the Senate he went behind senior Republican leadership and held a pseudo-filibuster against the ACA, and single-handedly forced a government shutdown. He's very well-educated, won his Senate chair with zero experience against a candidate that was long considered an easy victor. In addition, he's something we've lacked for a while: a great orator. President Obama can read a mean teleprompter, but Cruz is a skilled debater and speaker, without the need of a script (something President Obama absolutely flounders at).

Cruz's background:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2015/03/23/394719332/what-you-need-to-know-about-ted-cruz

Cruz's ideal presidency:

• College graduates are getting half a dozen job offers
• Regulators and tax collectors are "kept at bay"
• The country would be energy self-sufficient
• Obamacare would be repealed, but there would be health care that was "portable" and affordable
• The IRS would be abolished
• Borders are secure
• Gun rights are protected
• The "sacrament of marriage" would be upheld
• Common Core would be no more
• "School choice" would be "the civil rights issue of the next generation"
• The U.S. would stand "unapologetically with Israel"
• Iran wouldn't be allowed to get a nuclear weapon
• The U.S. would "stand up and defeat Islamic terrorism — and we will call it by its name."

Personally, I won't be voting for him. But I think it's important to know who this guy actually is, rather than the inept caricature that he's often portrayed as around here.

Anyone but Scott Walker would be fine. But if that fucking scumbag gets any higher level of political power in this country, I'm leaving.

"SCOTT WALKER MADE IT TO PRESIDENT, I'M MOVING TO CANADA!!!!! BUT NOT BEFORE I MAKE SURE THAT NIGGERS GONNA DIE NIGGERS GONNA DIE!! NIGGERS GONNA DIE NIGGERS GONNA DIE!! NIGGERS GONNA DIE NIGGERS GONNA DIE!! NIGGERS GONNA DIE NIGGERS GONNA DIE!! NIGGERS GONNA DIE NIGGERS GONNA DIE!! NIGGERS GONNA DIE NIGGERS GONNA DIE!! NIGGERS GONNA DIE NIGGERS GONNA DIE!! NIGGERS GONNA DIE NIGGERS GONNA DIE!! "

"A comprehensive vision of what the constitution should stand for":

-"Lowering the barriers between church and state"
-"Allowing prohibitions on abortion"
-"No recognition of rights for gay people"
-"Deevolution of power from the federal government to the states"

What are you wanting us to take away from the video, because I only made it to the opening question and I already don't think he'd be fit to lead this country?

What I want you to take away from the video is that he very clearly is a strong contender for the White House.

This is all I wanted to know.

I'm not sure if you have me confused with another member but I've never said anything in favor or against Cruz because I don't know much about him. I'm just saying that the guy in the video managed to lose me within the first couple minutes. I'll keep watching though.

Ted Cruz's viability as a Presidential candidate is similar to that of Santorum in 2012. He's going to stay in as long as possible, win a handful of electorates, but have no chance of winning.

This sentiment is the exact reason I made this thread. Cruz makes a living off of people underestimating him.

Quote from: HurtfulTurkey on March 26, 2015, 09:34:39 PM

Quote from: Icy on March 26, 2015, 09:27:27 PM

Ted Cruz's viability as a Presidential candidate is similar to that of Santorum in 2012. He's going to stay in as long as possible, win a handful of electorates, but have no chance of winning.

This sentiment is the exact reason I made this thread. Cruz makes a living off of people underestimating him.

No - he makes a living in a similar fashion that McCarthy did. Cause drama for no good reason.

If you really think his actions were simple grandstanding, you really don't understand his motivations -- or his talent. There's no point in being flippant about him; he's a legitimate threat in the campaign.

It looks like he has a handful of policies I'd agree with, but at the same time the other handful I don't.

Yeah, mostly his extreme stance on social issues is what turns him off to me. Saying stuff like he'll abolish the IRS doesn't mean anything except he'll be conservative in taxation.

Stuff I like:

-Excellent politician, speaker, campaigner, organizer, etc.
-Very smart/respectable education
-Stands out from Conservative crowd by taking action

Stuff I don't like:
-Literal, textual reader of the Constitution. If it doesn't specifically say it, it shouldn't be law

Basically, he's the candidate the Republicans need, but not the platform.

Quote from: Kupo on March 26, 2015, 09:43:53 PM

I can't take Cruz seriously because he's not even eligible for the presidency by his own 'rigorous' standards.

But meanwhile, Rand Paul keeps giving me reasons to not want to vote for him. Dammit, go back to the center!

Isn't Cruz an American citizen through his parents? Born in Canada, right?

I mean, looking back at the birther movement it would be fitting for a Republican to be grilled over his eligibility for office, but Cruz' eligibility isn't really in question, is it?

Yes, despite being born in Canada with the documentation to prove it, Cruz is constitutionally eligible because he was born to American parents. Similar deal with John McCain.

But in Super Ted Cruz Land, Barack Obama is ineligible because he was born in Kenya... despite having an American parent (and, of course, documentation proving that Obama was born in Hawaii).

Ted Cruz fails his own test.

But no, his eligibility is not in question. He's just a douche.

Quote from: HurtfulTurkey on March 26, 2015, 08:17:35 PM

In his rookie year in the Senate he went behind senior Republican leadership and held a pseudo-filibuster against the ACA, and single-handedly forced a government shutdown.

I can't tell if people find that to be a good or bad thing. To someone who supports the ACA, it makes him look like a whiny child...

Accept the ACA has been a flop and turning out to be anything but affordable.

Quote from: Mad Max on March 27, 2015, 01:13:59 AM

Quote from: HurtfulTurkey on March 26, 2015, 08:17:35 PM

In his rookie year in the Senate he went behind senior Republican leadership and held a pseudo-filibuster against the ACA, and single-handedly forced a government shutdown.

I can't tell if people find that to be a good or bad thing. To someone who supports the ACA, it makes him look like a whiny child...

Accept the ACA has been a flop and turning out to be anything but affordable.

Helping millions of people get coverage that previously couldn't is hardly a "flop" to me.

Quote from: Verbatim wird verzögert on March 27, 2015, 03:42:15 AM

Quote from: Mad Max on March 27, 2015, 01:13:59 AM

Quote from: HurtfulTurkey on March 26, 2015, 08:17:35 PM

In his rookie year in the Senate he went behind senior Republican leadership and held a pseudo-filibuster against the ACA, and single-handedly forced a government shutdown.

I can't tell if people find that to be a good or bad thing. To someone who supports the ACA, it makes him look like a whiny child...

Accept the ACA has been a flop and turning out to be anything but affordable.

Helping millions of people get coverage that previously couldn't is hardly a "flop" to me.

People who already had coverage are turned off by the fact that either their insurance plan was canceled or their rates/deductible went up (in my family's case it was the latter).  Of course, logic dictates that the more people that are on insurance the more effective the insurance will be at lowering costs in the long run.  It's the methods behind the ACA and its implementation that have me salty.

The thing I love about Jeb Bush is that he manages to come across as a moderate and respectably conservative simultaneously.

Cruz is talented, but like you say, he's too conservative. He may be skilled, and pose a threat to other candidates in the primaries, but I don't think his skill would save him from the liberals and independents who would balk at the idea of having someone like Cruz in the White House.