Big Cruz Announcement

Ted Cruz will try to reverse the tide with a big announcement at 4PM. What can he say?

Cruz constantly reminds me of the old Hollywood aphorism - "the key to this business is authenticity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made". I don't think Trump is particularly authentic and he is utterly unconvincing as a pretend-conservative but he has been projecting this egomaniaical blowhard persona for what, thirty years, so people think that much is real. To be fair, Kasich probably deserves authenticity points too, but getting behind a guy who authentically believes the Republican Party doesn't like ideas is a big ask.

Well. On the other side, Dems are wrestling with the battle between their Establishment Construct and a real human. So far, their establishment is managing the cram-down pretty well.

CARLY'S THE TWO! If this NR reports holds up, no one can say Cruz didn't throw the ball down the field.

MORE: Carly it is.

Comments

[Thomas Collins]

Haley? Fiorina? Kasich? What do the betting markets say?

[Thomas Collins]

It has to be Cruz's Schweiker gambit. That's the only announcement worth hyping.

I don't think it will be Fiorina. It'll be a pol who can appeal to Duke and Duke. Haley or Kasich.

[Thomas Collins]

On the other hand, picking Fiorina might bait The Donald into a remark that won't survive the "that's just Donald being Donald" meme.

[Thomas Collins]

But on the other other hand, any pick could similarly bait The Donald.

This is my day for decisive predictions!

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

When you're construct is a constructed witch complete with broom and flying monkeys and your "real human" is straight out of the cast of The Muppets Meet Vladimir Ilyich, you probably ought to be more concerned with your own problems than the other guys.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--a remark that won't survive the "that's just Donald being Donald" meme--

Isn't that one of Zeno's paradoxes?

[Thomas Collins]

C'mon, Ignatz. Be decisive, like me. :-))Kasich, Fiorina, Haley, or someone else?

Or perhaps Ted is announcing he's dropping out to replace Michael Strahan as Ripa's sidekick.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

TC,
I suspect the big announcement is he and Kasich are going to raise $10,000 for their campaigns by doing a porn flick together, because no one looks as much like Ted Cruz as Ted Cruz.

As an afterthought they could probably sell it to Hillary also to take down Bernie's social media again.

[narciso]

from the previous thread,

http://nypost.com/2016/04/26/saudi-prince-hits-the-clubs-looking-like-an-average-joe/

[Thomas Collins]

Well, Ignatz, whatever the announcement is, I've got commitments to introduce me to two solid ink artists, so if The Donald reaches 1237 on the first ballot, I'm ready to step up and take my medicine.

Damn! I was so looking forward to maryd's cookies!

[henry]

Maybe he'll announce Hillary's indictment (more likely than Kasich getting the nomination).

Trump appears locked in on the nomination (whether we like it or not), so not clear what Cruz could have that matters.

[James D]

The Muppets Meet Vladimir Ilyich

I would totally pay to see that.

[narciso]

this is the pull my finger move,

http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2016/04/27/with-indiana-a-critical-battleground-pence-must-pick-a-side/

[Miss Marple]

Major Garrett thinks it's a Pence endorsement.

I do not think that would have the result Cruz would like.

[James D]

How long before Moochelle, or Bloomberg, or one of the countless other nannies, proposes this here...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/denmark-ethics-council-calls-for-tax-on-red-meat-to-fight-ethical-problem-of-climate-change-a7003061.html

[narciso]

more media malpractice,

http://freebeacon.com/politics/networks-blackout-hassan-scandal/

[Miss Marple]

Trump foreign policy speech coming up.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Why can't we tax climate change to pay for my steaks?

[narciso]

I don't think so,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/04/27/rio-2016-olympics-is-sure-to-experience-euphoria-panic-and-glory/

[Gentlejim]

MM,
I know a Pence endorsement will not help up here in "Da Region". I'm on the eastern edge of Chiraq's blue hell influence. Now, a John Gregg endorsement would help, but we know that's not happening. I'm not seeing any signage here in northern LaPorte county.

[Miss Marple]

Pence will not be at the Cruz rally at 4:00, so no endorsement. This from governors office.

[Thomas Collins]

Hot Air is betting on a Fiorina as Veep announcement.

http://hotair.com/archives/2016/04/27/cruz-to-make-major-announcement-at-4-p-m/

[Thomas Collins]

I was hoping Cruz would announce Melania as his Veep pick, and Trump would retaliate by picking Heidi as his running mate. We then could have called it the Bob and Ted and Carol and Alice campaign.

Is Melania eligible, TK? I know, baiting! :-)

[Miss Marple]

Gentlejim,

That Hot Air article demanding an endorsement f on Pence shows you how little they understand Indiana.

[Truthbetold]

Brent Bozell: An Open Letter to Conservative Friends Supporting Donald Trump

http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/04/26/brent-bozell-an-open-letter-to-conservative-friends-supporting-donald-trump/

[rich@gmu]

>>>This is my day for decisive predictions!

Posted by: Thomas Collins | April 27, 2016 at 11:41 AM<<<

My bold prediction: Cruz drops out of the race.

[daddy]

Good Morning. After all these gnarly months of the campaign, I appreciate the clarity of Trump versus Hillary.

I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that Cruz will step aside in his announcement later today, because he should step aside following last nights definitive defeats. Don't know if he will, but thats what he ought to do.

[daddy]

Trump had me at "Put Americans First."

[Thomas Collins]

Rich and daddy, that's a possibility. But whom would you think Cruz would endorse in that case?

OK, since I'm not betting additional ink on this one, I'll step up: It'll be an announcement that Carly is his Veep choice.

[rich@gmu]

surprised that TM didn't link to this instead

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/sugar-can-cause-brain-damage-claim-scientists-but-salmon-reverse/

[Jack is Back!]

The Trump support team in New York: Mark Simone and Ann Coulter, think its Fiorina but can't figure out how that helps him.

Well, they are bettig Trump can't get to 1237 before July and it will the convention will be contested. Like the real pro's say, he doesn't need 1237 now but get close enough he can buy the unbound ones for the first round. If anyone knows how to do that it is Trump.

[narciso]

since he has had some insight into this race,

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/143431313681/the-unfavorability-illusion

[Thomas Collins]

JiB, Team Cruz probably thinks it's a Hail Mary pass (or a half court shot at the basketball ring). Just as it was unlikely that Schweiker was going to enable Reagan to topple Ford in '76, this is unlikely to work. But Team Cruz probably has concluded, as Team Reagan concluded in '76, it's the only way to shake up the race at this point.

[Gentlejim]

MM,
Just guessing, but I think a Pence endorsement would guarantee a sub-40% ceiling for Cruz.

I'm going bold with my prediction. I say he discloses the location of Hoffa's remains and the genome for Bigfoot. Other than that I have no idea.

I'll toss this out for Iggy.
Hillary will never be President.

[Thomas Collins]

In any event, if Trump wins Indiana and does well enough in California to lock it up, watch MSM turn on The Donald.

[rich@gmu]

Tom Collins-

a VP pick this early wouldn't have the necessary impact (also would it be legal to do so?) and the remaining primaries wouldn't seem to suit Cruz well (polling in IN has him down 6-ish points). something to be said for living on to fight another day-he has 2 years left on his Senate term and still fairly young as a national political figure goes.

the dog barks the caravan moves on.

[daddy]

Momma's first comment: "Who wrote the speech for him?"

But she likes it, and last night momma was too bummed to speak, since she is/was a Cruzer and anti-Trump.

[narciso]

well they always do that, to maverick, mittens, et al,

[Thomas Collins]

Rich, Cruz couldn't order the convention to nominate Carly as his Veep. But if Cruz turned the tide with this and won the nomination, the delegates would no doubt go along with his choice.

Has there been a contested Veep vote since the Dem '56 convention? I don't think so.

I doubt this will hurt Cruz, Rich, even if it fails.

[Miss Marple]

This is a pretty good speech. Hits Obama hard.

[Porchlight]

I have no idea. I guess it's a Fiorina announcement but it seems desperate to lock himself in like that. The Schweiker move was right before the convention.

[daddy]

So far I'm liking the speech. He's actually calling Obama the incompetent boob he is, and listing examples of the loss of respect for us around the globe. He's not going to lose any votes by becoming squishy.

Obviously this will cause Obama and Kerry and the Left to counterattack and I think Trump is planning on that.

Now he's hammering Hillary for sleeping during Benghazi and lying about the Video. The Donald certainly has a lot of material to work with against this bunch.

"We're going to finally have a coherent Foreign Policy based upon American interests and the interests of our allies."

We need a new rational Foreign Policy.

[rich@gmu]

TC-

we'll have to agree to disagree. a move like that would be seen as the pandering desperation that it is.

[Dave (in MA)]

Using "ask" as a noun--ugh.

[henry]

15 months prison time for Hastert.

perhaps the quid for a Hillgula 15 years pro quo?

(yeah, I'm dreaming).

[Dave (in MA)]

Looks like Denny the Diddler might be looking at prison time.

[Truthbetold]

Mitch Daniels?

[-peter]

Men's Health magazine had an interesting take on Trump's hair. They thought that he had some type of flap surgery to hide baldness that resulted in hair growing in the wrong direction and large scars necessitating the bizarre combover to hide said scars.

[henry]

Found by our Chitown Friend....

ISIS Death Squad heads towards the Mosul front. Follow Abu "Moe", his brother Ali "Shemp", and their cousin Ibn "Larry" on their brief desert travels: a go-pro helmet cam of ISIS.

[narciso]

vince fuller tried this with tyson, it didn't work,

https://twitter.com/ColdWarBowTie/status/725341649233010690

[Gentlejim]

The possibility of Mitch is something to consider, but I think he's probably content to stay at Purdue.

[Truthbetold]

Endorsement.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

LOL, TC @ 12:28.

[daddy]

I am interested in who his advisors are who have either written this speech, or have helped him write this speech. It sounds much like what I've heard from my fav General Jack Keane. He'll have the Military Vote.

Now he's dumping on the false Global Warming schtick. Now he's hammering on our Debt.

I wonder about the mechanics of the speech. Is he reading it on teleprompter, or doing some or most of this off the cuff? It flows very well as if spontaneous, but doesn't get bogged down in his usual repetitions, so my guess is he's reading it on teleprompter, with slight elaborations tossed in. He is obviously comfortable in his skin and not nervous at all.

Newt will be very happy with this speech, as will Rudi Guliani, and I'm happy with this speech since momma is paying attention and appears to like it also.

He is doing a nice job of tying Obama and Hillary together. He will attack those 2 as joined at the hip. Good strategy.

[Miss Marple]

Local news says Fiorina spotted in Indianapolis.

[Miss Marple]

My sisters both are loving this speech, as am I.

One is here watching and the other is tweeting.

[henry]

PJM says its Fiorina.

[daddy]

Now he is restating the old philosophy that he is skeptical of foreign entanglements that remove our sovereignty and are not in our interests. He is now hammering NAFTA. America First.

Under a Trump Administration never again will an American citizen feel that there needs are coming in second to the needs of a citizen from a Foreign Country.

Concludes by hammering home his point about making America Great by putting America and Americans First.

Me and Miss Marple will obviously be fans of the speech:) How about the rest of you guys? And how will the opposition (Hillary, Kerry, Biden, Obama and Bernie) counterattack?

Threats of Trade Wars?
Loose cannon?
Naive?
Racist?
All of the above?

[lyle]

I just can't quit you, JOM! ICYMI:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/664882/yellowstone-volcano-erupt-snake-river-plain-univeristy-of-leicester

Forget Yellowstone... Snake River Plain’s volcano is a MUCH BIGGER threat to America

Eat it, all you summoners of SMOD! :)

[Dave (in MA)]

I heard that Ted felt bad about putting Heidi through all the rigors of a campaign, so he decided to buy her a gift. He went to a jewelry store and bought her a hoop.

[Miss Marple]

Lyle!
Glad you are back!

[daddy]

I just can't quit you, JOM!

Yay Lyle!

[daddy]

Wolf Blitzer on CNN just said that "For the Public at large, the vision he just laid out is going to resonate."

I take that as evidence that Trump accomplished his mission.

[Jack is Back!]

Anyone ever been to a Comic Con exhibition? Frederick has roped me into taking to the one this Saturday at Westchester Center. Don't relish driving 2+ hours via the LIE even on a Saturday.

[jimmyk]

Ok, lyle, it's on:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one

"An earthquake will destroy a sizable portion of the coastal Northwest. The question is when."

(I meant to post this earlier after someone commented on a Mexico earthquake and the Ring of Fire.)

Jim Miller, any thoughts?

[lyle]

Not so fast, my friend:

http://theweek.com/articles/620806/how-hillary-clinton-bait-donald-trump-into-making-even-more-women-hate

Ahem. Has Hilligula or her criminal campaign even once displayed any deftness that this might entail? Trump has been several steps ahead of damn near everyone so far. And, no, I didn't read the opinion piece as this cat is nothing more than another dickhead leftist. Don't believe me? Behold:

http://prospect.org/authors/paul-waldman

[narciso]

he has learned nothing from his friendship with zaphod,

http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2016/04/27/tom-coburn-merrick-garland-should-get-a-vote/

the channel formerly known as history, was deluged with these sorts of scenarios, along with the new madrid fault.

[narciso]

former razorback speech writer, defaulted to soros clickbait.

[lyle]

Am I a bad person to not care a whit if the entire left coast east of I-5 slid into the ocean, jimmyk? Okay, I'm a bad, bad person. But hey, my attitude is not any less contemptible towards the legion of progtards that live there than their's of me.

[daddy]

More from the enemy camp.

If I didn't know better I'd actually think Wolf Blitzer liked the speech.

Afte Gloria Borger said some idiocy that people around the world like Obama because he is predictable and Trump is saying that he will not be predictable Wolf replied with this:

Gloria Borger: ...What he (Trump) is saying is, is I'm not going to be predictable. In a way I understand what he's saying, but that isn't going to give any comfort to your allies who would like somebody they know can be a predictable ally. I get what he's saying as a negotiator, but as a Leader of a country, there's a question about that. (Smiles)

Wolf: He's made the point repeatedly and he made the point once again today that if the US is going to deploy 50 or 250 or a thousand troops in Syria or Iraq, don't make this announcement, just do it, get the job done. Don't give your adversaries, don't give your enemies all the information they need to target these American Troops. Go ahead and just do it, get the job done,and bring them home as quickly as possible.
--------------------------

My take is Gloria Borger is working hard to criticize and not having much luck:)

[daddy]

He went to a jewelry store and bought her a hoop.

Posted by: Dave (in MA)

LOL!

[cheerleader]

daddy, tell Momma that he has made every single fp point that was in his speech today in one or more of his campaign speeches since June. Today's speech just gathered all his fp points together into one speech.

[DrJ]

entire left coast east of I-5 slid into the ocean...

I do hope you mean *west* of I-5!

[lyle]

Oops!

[Jim Miller]

jimmk - Yes, the danger here is real. It's been a while since I looked at the articles on it but there is clear geological evidence of very destructive earthquakes here in this area.

Here's a bit from the Wikipedia article on the San Juan de Fuca plate:

"The last megathrust earthquake at the Cascadia subduction zone was the 1700 Cascadia earthquake, estimated to have a moment magnitude of 8.7 to 9.2. Based on carbon dating of local tsunami deposits, it occurred around 1700. As reported in National Geographic on 8 December 2003, Japanese records indicate the quake caused a tsunami in Japan, which occurred on 26 January 1700."

8.7 to 9.2 should be enough to wake people up.

There were earlier, similar earthquakes.

The coastal areas have been putting in warning systems. If there is a good way to really test them, I'm not aware of it.

[NK]

Ooops... are yiu now below sea level Lyle?

[lyle]

All my rightwingnutz h8 got me discombobulated, DrJ!

[narciso]

wouldn't the cascade play affect idaho, as well lyle,

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/04/donald-trump-goes-hillary-foreign-policy-speech/

[lyle]

Still at 2700 ft elevation, NK. For the moment...

[daddy]

Anyone ever been to a Comic Con exhibition? Frederick has roped me into taking to the one this Saturday at Westchester Center.

You lucky devil, Jack. Wish I could go with u guys, and be 12 years old all over again.

See if you can find up some beat up old Superman or Batman issue u can remember reading as a young squirt and share it with Frederick so u guys can jabber about the things u read that influenced u growing up.

And get a Tin Tin for Momma and u won't go wrong either there either.

Also, Frederick might like to see any early 1940's Cover with Superman or Batman punching the lights out of Hitler or Hirohito, just as a refreshing change from our current inability to even say the words "Radical Islam."

[narciso]

yikes,

http://www.weaselzippers.us/268709-breaking-dead-body-found-in-conference-room-of-apples-cupertino-headquarters/

[lyle]

Was it Tim Cook's corpse after AAPL's earnings release yesterday?

[Jim Miller]

daddy - Since you asked, I'll answer your question but indirectly:

In general, I think you get a more accurate picture of a politician by looking at what they have done, rather than listening to what they say. That's particularly true when the politician has been on so many sides of different issues, and has a reputation for not being completely truthful.

That's true, I think in most fields. If you were trying to figure out how good a pilot was, would you want to hear his bar room stories, or look at his flying record?

By looking at what a person has done, you avoid the trap described in that song that goes something like this: "Tell me lies, tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies"

Some large companies -- Google, for instance -- have figured this out, and are no longer relying much on interviews to choose employees.

An example: I think we learn more from the fact that most of the servants at Mar-I-Crooko are not American citizens than anything Trump says about his patriotism.

[Dave (in MA)]

lyle | April 27, 2016 at 01:18 PM, Brokeback JOM.

[narciso]

that's what was great about the first avenger, still the best of films, of course there was a backstabbing hydra spy, but otherwise, the good guys were good, tommie lee jones, did a great world weary colonel, and the red skull was evil, the rest of the series lost something along the way.

[henry]

The update said "Hispanic male with a head wound."

Not sure how Tim Cook self identifies. (aside from the G label).

[henry]

and a Burge retweet: Body - Female employee involved in argument was being escorted out, sustained head wound possibly from gunshot.

[Dave (in MA)]

"Hispanic male with a head wound.", there goes my theory about bringing Jobs back.

[Jim Miller]

Sorry, jimmyk, not jimmk. (That one should have been easy for me, for obvious reasons.)

[daddy]

Trump taking incoming for pronouncing Tanzania, "Tan-Zany-Uh" instead of "corpsman."

[narciso]

tiger beat only has room for one on his trapper keeper,

http://libertyunyielding.com/2016/04/27/new-book-claims-hillary-skipped-husband-bills-emergency-heart-procedure-to-meet-with-obama/

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I think the comment below is correct re the Snake River plain;

Um -- does the writer not realize that the source of the eruptions that CARVED what is now the Snake River Plain WAS the Yellowstone hotspot? Consequently there can't be an eruption there, because the tectonic plate has moved and now the magma chamber which caused those eruptions is under Yellowstone? *facepalm*

[The Wolf Who Cried Boy]

We found out Diplo-Donald's foreign policy at the time he did.

He made some good points. However, there are some issues.

First, it's Trump.
Second, he's still doing Bush Lied, People Died. And Blame America First for the Middle East.
Third, he wants a bi-partisan foreign policy. That would mean Half Obama, Half Trump.
Fourth, NATO still has the mission of deterring Russia, despite a reset reset button with his flattery bully-buddy.
Fifth, he's not for closing a single govt. agency despite the bottomless budgetary pit.
Sixth, he can't understand or explain Obama's "reckless" foreign policy. I can. And it is not reckless--it is reckoned and purposeful.
Seventh, he doesn't understand that the VA is run for the benefit of its unions, not the vets, just as education is run for unions, not for kids. Neither can be fixed without that knowledge.

All these life-long liberal blinders are why he would get rolled in DC.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--All these life-long liberal blinders are why he would get rolled in DC.--

I will stipulate to that so long as it is accompanied by the stipulation that those are all good reasons not to vote for Trump in the primaries but that there is no good or even sane reason not to vote for him in the general, because to not vote for Trump if he is the nominee is to vote either explicitly or implicitly for whatever devil's spawn is running for the Dems.

[Janet]

Pepper spraying Trump supporters - http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-anaheim-clashes-pepper-spray-1.3554737

"One woman wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat comforted the girls, whose faces were streaked with tears. The girls complained that their eyes and mouths hurt.

"I can feel it now, it's pungent," the woman, Lilia Zapatos, told KNBC-TV minutes after she was sprayed."

I guess the MFM are wrong...not all brown skinned people hate Trump.

[Jack is Back! or]

daddy,

Beside the vendors, artists and photo ops there are a number of screenings and gaming compeitions. I just hope he enjoys it without me being bored to death. I can take the comic book vendors and trying to find some of my boyhood favs but I don't know if I will survive the Super Smash Brother melee or the Mortal Kombat X Tournament:)

[NK]

This is the NYC I grew up in, and Le Donald moved back to in the 1970s: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3560664/A-time-capsule-bad-old-days-Shocking-photo-series-captures-underage-prostitutes-Times-Square-late-1970s.html

[narciso]

Volodya is our adversary in certain areas, say eastern europe, but in the Levant he serves his purpose, he is working with the sepah, which is problematic, in western europe, they are too busy praying to the skydragon and committing seppuku to be of much use,

[narciso]

somewhat unhelpful,

http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/232402/#respond

[Dave (in MA)]

NK | April 27, 2016 at 02:40 PM, Taxi Driver and Death Wish were documentaries.