As an audience of 600 Republicans awaited the arrival of Sen. Ted Cruz Friday night at the Iowa Events Center, conservative Christian activist Steve Scheffler came to the podium to give thanks to God for the Tea Party savior — and plead for more principled conservative leaders like him willing to “be crucified for their belief system.”
The ballroom full of amens that followed went a long way toward explaining why Cruz — fresh off a failed crusade to dismantle Obamacare that resulted in a 16-day government shutdown and a political disaster for his party — has been greeted with such adoration by Tea Party crowds in recent days.
In Cruz, conservatives have found something better than a champion for their cause or a defender of their values. They’ve found a martyr.
Indeed, since the government shutdown, establishment Republicans have done little to conceal their frustration with Cruz and the “kamikaze caucus,” who have fielded pointed criticism from the likes of Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Orrin Hatch. But in the eyes of the Tea Party, the onslaught has only made Cruz seem more heroic.
“Every time one of these guys attacks him, it’s good for him,” said one Iowa Republican operative. “He’s like a superhero. The more bullets that get shot at him, the bigger and stronger he gets.”...
More than perhaps anywhere else, the Tea Party and the religious right in Iowa have reached a sort of political singularity — unified, in large part, by feelings of outsiderness and rejection from the Washington establishment. Cruz, with his frequent Bible citations and his small government ideology, has long stood poised to take advantage of this dynamic in the Hawkeye State. But D.C.’s outpouring of disdain for the Texan over the past couple weeks have helped make him a superstar here.
In his speech Friday night, Cruz made the most of his suffering and delivered a message of validation and catharsis: “I’m convinced we’re facing a new paradigm in politics. It is the rise of the grassroots.”
And, he added, “It has official Washington absolutely terrified.”
Does anyone else find this creepy?
BTW, I don't think that Ted Cruz could carry Iowa in a presidential election. He could not be elected a senator in Iowa either. Steve King concluded that he could not win and decided not to seek retiring Democrat Tom Harkin's seat in 2014.
BuzzFeed Politics
How Washington’s “Crucifixion” Of Ted Cruz Made Him A Tea Party Saint In Iowa
McKay Coppins | BuzzFeed Staff
BuzzFeed Politics
How Washington’s “Crucifixion” Of Ted Cruz Made Him A Tea Party Saint In Iowa
McKay Coppins | BuzzFeed Staff
11 comments:
False metaphor again, it always shows up:
"It is the rise of the grassroots.”
Roots do not rise... but the rubes sure can stay stupid via this linguistic pattern.
rsp,
There's nothing "grassroots" about the tea party groups in the first place. They are set up and funded by the Koch brothers and their allies.
And, Matt, you are right in the sense that the leaders will use any possible tactic to keep the rubes stupid.
Actually, Cruz has some justification for claiming to be "grassroots" as shown by broad-based contributions. There's a gaggle of small contributors along with the billionaires.
The GOP Establishment has mostly "modest" contributions from businesses and some big ones from the big donors too, but it doesn't get that many small contributions and doesn't really solicit them.
Cruz got a flood of grassroots small contributions over his recent grandstanding, and his appearances thereafter are continuing the trend. He is definitely a populist figure and could be a man on the white horse under the right conditions. It's unlikely at this point that he would get the GOP presidential nomination and win in 2016. But he is young guy and will be around for a long time, as will Rand Paul and Paul Ryan, unless the political climate changes drastically.
I suspect it won't until neoliberalism implodes and destroys itself through overreach. But the pendulum has already swung pretty far rightward in the US and worldwide, so who knows. The reversal could be closer than it appears now.
The antidote for Cruz is knowledge of the Bible, especially the Old Testament.
Someone should ask Cruz what he thinks of land reform ala Leviticus 25 and the ban on usury from fellow countrymen in Deuteronomy 23:19-20.
But hey, stay ignorant of the Bible and continue to suffer from those who implicitly abuse it.
F.,
"Land reform..."
Does it say anything about fishing rights in the OT that you have been able to find?
Was fishing outside the Law? It looks to me like it was, I can find no reference in the Law on the subject of fishing...
rsp
Franko,
It seems the Bible is more your enemy than Cruz!
And why? Because it threatens the demonic money system you defend?
F,
It was a serious question...
It looks to me that the Lord made disciples of fishermen and tax collectors, ie those those "outside the law" ...
Did you ever see anything about 'fishing rights' in the OT?
How was it decided who would do the fishing? I don't think this was done via allotment under the Law...
rsp,
Franko,
Your love of lawlessness will be your undoing. We are given grace not TO SIN but in order that we might NOT SIN.
And if you say we are not under the Law, you are correct. But if your love for others, including their right to justice, does not at least equal the Law then you are surely sinning against the Law of Love.
Ummmm, The banking system is established UNDER LAW via the Federal Reserve Act...
All we need is people in positions of authority in govt and at the fiscal agents who can perceive this fact.
"Lawlessness" is 'anomia' or "UN-Law", we have a law in place in the ofrm of the FRA and most everyone in the MMT paradigm recognizes this...
'Lawlessness' would be exhibited by people who don't see this.
rsp,
And so was persecution of the Jews (and your pet homosexuals*) under German law, Franko.
At some point I'll quit arguing with you and let you go your errant way. And what will you have won but a brief respite before judgement?
*No, I won't bow to PC since homosexuality is a sin in BOTH Old and New Testaments. Not that the point is to be belabored except when public decency and the recruitment of children is involved.
F,
It wasn't a sin, the "sin" ('hamartia') was not stoning them...
And lesbianism so-called (ie a female with a female) isn't even mentioned in the OT scripture (think about it they don't have 'the equipment') so Chritendumb is completely making that one up....
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