(CNN)On Wednesday, Ted Cruz announced that former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who dropped out of the presidential race in February, would be his running mate. At first I was perplexed. Cruz isn't the nominee. It's looking increasingly unlikely that he will be, and people who aren't nominees don't need running mates. So why the announcement?
But then I realized Fiorina is Cruz's Hail Mary pass, his "reset button" on a campaign for a nomination that is falling further and further out of reach. She is a political tactic to try to steal back the spotlight from Donald Trump, who crushed his opponents in a five-state primary sweep Tuesday night.
What Cruz doesn't seem to realize, though, is that it won't work. Selecting Fiorina underscores his own lack of judgment and character in at least three ways. First, Fiorina's not a Washington insider, but she also has no political experience. Given that Cruz is only a first-term senator himself, it would behoove him to select someone with the political relationships and knowledge he lacks. Barack Obama understood the importance of this when he selected Joe Biden. Donald Trump has said that he'll do something similar. It's one thing to distance yourself from political insiders. It's another to demonstrate an utter disregard for the institutional knowledge required to be commander in chief.
Second, selecting Fiorina allows Cruz to goad Trump in a way that no other selection -- except maybe Megyn Kelly -- would. In the early stages of the primary contest, Trump's comments about Fiorina and "her face" opened the floodgates to allegations of sexism and disrespect toward women. Cruz likely thinks that Trump will succumb to sexist temptations, offend Fiorina again and motivate female Republicans to come to her defense. Trying to win a nomination by prodding and poking his opponent speaks at least as much about Cruz's character as it does Trump's. It also seems to overlook the fact that female Republicans who are turned off by Trump's sexist rhetoric and abrasive style are already on the Stop Trump bandwagon. Third, by selecting Fiorina, Cruz is doubling down on a strategy that didn't work for John McCain in 2008. The McCain-Palin ticket did nothing to attract female voters. But it did send a signal that Republicans were so disconnected from women that they thought that simply putting a woman on the ticket would solve their problems.
Voters know better, and they've demonstrated that time and again. If Cruz is so naïve that he thinks voters will flock to the campaign because Fiorina as a vice president would be more compelling than Hillary Clinton as president, then he's learned nothing from history. Over the next few days, we're going to hear a lot about Fiorina's qualifications and credentials. We're going to hear a lot about her temperament. We are going to hear a lot about the assets she'd bring to the White House. And we should. But we should not lose sight of the fact that this announcement is more about Cruz than it is Fiorina. She's a pawn in a game of chess that Cruz is almost sure to lose. And that's an unfortunate place for women in politics -- candidates and voters alike.
************************************************* NRA Life Member
Capital punishment means never having to say, "You again?"
April 29, 2016, 07:48 PM
arcwelder
quote:
Originally posted by Himiko:
quote:
So you're saying that Marco Rubio still has a chance?
Better chance than Kasich.
Reminds me of Dumb & Dumber.
Arc. ______________________________ "Like a bitter weed, I'm a bad seed"- Johnny Cash "I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel." - Pee Wee Herman Rode hard, put away wet. RIP JHM "You're a junkyard dog." - Lupe Flores. RIP
April 29, 2016, 07:59 PM
sse
fiorina just pawn in game of life
April 29, 2016, 08:19 PM
parabellum
April 29, 2016, 09:55 PM
41
quote:
Originally posted by justjoe:
quote:
Cruz can't go away fast enough.
I started off really liking the guy. Now, I completely agree, he can't go away fast enough.
Sometimes a person has to be pushed or have pressure put on them to find out what they are really like. In normal conditions, they seem to be fine but under fire they loose it.
Back home, I had a liberal neighbor get in my face several years ago that moved in next door. They seemed fine until I caught them taking things that didn't belong to them and trespassing. When I called him out on his dealings, he lost it and later came back and apologized. This was all due to them not getting their way since they wanted to buy the lot behind the house that was not for sale.
Cruz has done himself in for good along with Romney and some of the others.
41
41
April 29, 2016, 11:06 PM
Ackks
quote:
Cruz has done himself in for good along with Romney and some of the others.
I heard Mike Lee stand behind Cruz and what he is doing on the radio yesterday, so he either honestly believes Cruz is doing the right thing or he's selling out. I'm not being antagonistic in any way when I ask this, but I would honestly like to know if Lee is now lumped in with Cruz as well? If Cruz, Lee, and Mark Levin who have been conservative rocks for years are now bad then who is good? Honestly.
April 29, 2016, 11:13 PM
stickman428
FUCK MARK LEVIN! that ragetastic asshole can blow me....I know it sounds a bit ironic coming from me..but if you really think Mark-methamphetamine-Levin is a champion of free speech and ideas...offer him some constructive criticism on social media. One of his idiotic jackboot thug tastic asshole motherfuckers will delete your comment and ban you with quickness. Levin is a fucking piece of shit who will never achieve success outside of fringe far right radio and books. Fuck him. He doesn't even have a good rage voice. He sounds like a angry shrill bitch on drugs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The price of liberty and even of common humanity is eternal vigilance
April 29, 2016, 11:15 PM
Ackks
I think you held back there No, everyone is entitled to their feelings on them. I don't intend to get into a debate, but I'm curious who is left that is good? If those three have sold out is there anyone else left standing other than Trump?
April 29, 2016, 11:36 PM
sigmonkey
quote:
Originally posted by sdy: The Clinton campaign now has an official woman card
How pathetic.
T adding:
ABC estimating Trump at 996 delegates. The bump is mainly due to the addition of PA unbound delegates who said they will vote for who won their congressional district.
I can Trump that...
BTW Just watched about 3 minutes of Fiorina on Hannity and realized, she is the "Sarah Palin" of this cycle.
"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
April 30, 2016, 09:07 AM
sdy
As people tear Trump apart for some of his statements, remember:
Obama: the first task of an American president in the post-Bush international arena was “Don’t do stupid shit.”
also: Just so it is clear, the "Woman Card" above is directly from the Clinton Campaign. It was not intended by them to be a joke, although it actually is in reality a pathetic joke.
How sad that tens of millions of Dem voters will vote for her based only on her gender.
April 30, 2016, 09:12 AM
mbinky
Trump should make a run of "womans" cards with a picture of Maggie Thatcher on it. He can call them the "Real Woman's Card".
"Don't accept imitations, go for the real thing"
April 30, 2016, 09:21 AM
sdy
Why we have to defeat the Democrats
April 30, 2016, 09:30 AM
mbinky
^^^^ Dam. Stuff like that ticks me off. It's like the indians (no offense). It was a war; we won. Get over it.
I have two very dear friends, both born in Mexico. Both spent their lives in the service of their adopted country, the United States. Both earned their citizenship fighting in Iraq. One had to get blown up and nearly died.
Both absolutly HATE illegals.
April 30, 2016, 09:32 AM
Skins2881
quote:
Originally posted by mbinky: ^^^^ Dam. Stuff like that ticks me off. It's like the indians (no offense). It was a war; we won. Get over it.
I have two very dear friends, both born in Mexico. Both spent their lives in the service of their adopted country, the United States. Both earned their citizenship fighting in Iraq. One had to get blown up and nearly died.
Both absolutly HATE illegals.
Of course they do, they became Americans. Every one I know who's came to this country legally hates illegals.
Jesse
Sic Semper Tyrannis
April 30, 2016, 09:38 AM
mbinky
Absolutly right Skins, absolutly right.
A little off topic but this is the type of Mexican we need in this country. He was my mentor when I was a young Marine. When we heard he got hit it tore us up. He is happily retired now, enioying the fruits of his life's devotion to his adoped country. Sorry don't know how to embed.
Another fact that the left leaves out is that one of their icons; Cesar Chavez, also hated illegals.
________________________________________________________ The trouble with trouble is; it always starts out as fun.
April 30, 2016, 09:57 AM
41
41
April 30, 2016, 10:17 AM
mbinky
Thanks for the embed 41
Next year a friend of ours retires. I will be heading out to Idaho to see them both. There will be beer, steaks, beer, and stories...and more beer.
It will be epic.
And yes, we still call him Master Guns
April 30, 2016, 10:42 AM
dgwiggans
Great story mbinky. We're a nation of laws & I appreciate that he was going through the process of becoming a citizen & certainly glad that he was fast-tracked citizenship after his injuries.