Patterico's Pontifications

3/11/2016

National Review Endorses Ted Cruz

Filed under: General — JVW @ 10:30 am



[guest post by JVW]

Those “nasty establishment RINOs” and “GOPe enablers” at National Review have endorsed Ted Cruz for the Republican Party nomination for President. In an editorial signed by “the Editors” they describe Cruz as “a brilliant and articulate exponent of our views on the full spectrum of issues,” and add:

Conservatism should not be merely combative; but especially in our political culture, it must be willing to be controversial. Too many Republicans shrink from this implication of our creed. Not Cruz. And this virtue is connected to others that primary voters should keep in mind. Conservatives need not worry that Cruz will be tripped up by an interview question, or answer it with mindless conventional wisdom when a better answer is available. We need rarely worry, either, that his stumbling words will have to be recast by aides and supporters later. Neither of those things could be said about a lot of Republican nominees over the years.

This endorsement is significant, as readers of the magazine and blog have likely noticed that a number of NR contributors had become quite supportive of Marco Rubio’s candidacy over the past couple of months, judging him to have the charisma to bring a conservative message to young voters to counter the fetid quasi-socialism they have been force-fed these past eight years. This coalescing around Cruz likely reflects the reality conservatives now face that the Senator from Texas is the only possible remaining candidate who can forestall the party’s implosion. In tempering their enthusiasm, the editors do send their candidate a friendly warning:

His tax plan is admirably growth-oriented but contains too much indirect taxation of employees. He has done little to lay out a plausible replacement for Obamacare, and especially to counter the idea that replacing it would involve stripping insurance from millions of Americans. His occasional remarks to the effect that the general election can be won by mobilizing conservatives who have been heretofore quiescent politically seems fanciful. As the nominee he will have to adopt a more empirically grounded strategy, just as he has done in the primaries.

I would bet that if William F. Buckley were alive today he would approve of this editorial and of this decision that his magazine has made.

– JVW

51 Responses to “National Review Endorses Ted Cruz”

  1. Yeah, I know: this editorial is perhaps two weeks too late. But I never thought Rubio would drop out before Florida anyway, and Kasich is clearly now in it because he has delusions of a brokered convention going to him as everyone’s third choice.

    JVW (9e3c77)

  2. Dear God,
    Keep mittens from endorsing Cruz.

    mg (31009b)

  3. So he gets the ‘cuckservative’ endorsement; yet another reason to support Trump.

    Then I see on Drudge that your boy is a religious fanatic….speaking in tongues!

    dee (265002)

  4. Not sure if this is good or bad,
    And whether or not it is more NR doing CYA more than anything else. Agreed that maybe this would have been helpful weeks ago while Rubio and Cruz were splitting the no-Trump vote,
    Now maybe only giving fuel for Trump in saying Cruz is really an e.

    Then again, history ends up happening in spite of many of the machinations of men.

    MD not exactly in Philly (b0439a)

  5. 3 dee

    According to Marco, Cruz can’t even speak Spanish.

    pinandpuller (0845e7)

  6. Religious fanatics?
    How about sacrificing infants to the god of convenience and self-centeredness ??

    MD not exactly in Philly (b0439a)

  7. Trump can barely speak English, Kasich relies on sign-language half the time, then there’s the lispy fruit-loop ….

    nk (9faaca)

  8. this endorsement relies on false assumptions

    i abjure it!

    happyfeet (831175)

  9. So he gets the ‘cuckservative’ endorsement; yet another reason to support Trump.

    Then I see on Drudge that your boy is a religious fanatic….speaking in tongues!

    How surprising is it that a supporter of Ol’ Whazzizname is a loyal reader of Drudge?

    JVW (9e3c77)

  10. This might be more significant than it seems.

    The very people who have the least doubts about National Review — it’s an oversimplification to call them “establishment Republicans,” but that term still mostly fits — are the people whom Cruz needs to rally. And this is a significant event for that purpose.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  11. Now maybe only giving fuel for Trump in saying Cruz is really an e.

    Yeah, but I don’t think NR ought to give a damn whether TFG’s acolytes view them as just another collection of RINOs or establishmentarians. There are a lot of folks out there that haven’t done a damn thing for conservatism as a movement (and in fact, are simply big-government advocates who don’t like the fact that they have been left out of the spoils system) who suddenly feel like they are authorities on who is the candidate best suited to reverse Obamaism. I’m not going to take them seriously.

    JVW (9e3c77)

  12. WTF… ‘TED IS THE ANOINTED ONE’
    HOLY GHOST VIDEO REVEALED
    DAD SPEAKING IN TONGUES
    SUPPORTERS ‘LAY HANDS’ ON CRUZ AT RALLY

    Colonel Haiku (11439f)

  13. Keep mittens from endorsing Cruz.

    I am so tired of this insane uber-conservative vs super-conservative holier-than-thou crap. This is what fringe parties do, not ones that hope to get a majority of a nation’s votes.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  14. There are a lot of folks out there that haven’t done a damn thing for conservatism as a movement

    Mostly they call themselves true conservatives and spend their days trashing everyone who actually tries to more the country to the Right. Never Good Enough.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  15. Colonel — this is Drudge who is on Trump’s payroll this year.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  16. Yes, Kevin, I’ve noted the bias, just surprised they would do this…

    Colonel Haiku (11439f)

  17. No the #never trump journal amounts a candidate, I don’t think it will have the impact you want it to.

    narciso (e628d4)

  18. noticed that a number of NR contributors had become quite supportive of Marco Rubio’s candidacy over the past couple of months

    That doesn’t speak well of them, even more so since it’s being reported that Rubio is dropping out and telling his supporters to give their votes to (drum roll, please!) John Kasich.

    Major portions of the Republican Party and supposed conservatives like the National Review contributors mentioned above may see themselves as of the right, but that’s only in the context of 21st century America. IOW, such people are more to the left than they realize or care to admit. That’s a big reason truly odious, corrupt Democrats like Hillary or the person she hopes to succeed receive more traction (ie, in opinion polls) than makes sense or is appropriate.

    Totally sad, totally pathetic.

    Mark (6c93d5)

  19. run lil roob roob run run quick like a bunny

    awwww too slow

    happyfeet (831175)

  20. Nk

    Cruz is a fine speaker but he’s got some Trump’splainin to do.

    pinandpuller (c16705)

  21. At least they finally understand the best way to stop the damage Trump will do to the country, the party, and liberty. They and the rest of the establishment may have to pay a price for choosing Cruz, but they understand while Trump will help the establishment, he will destroy any semblance of change of advancing good policies.

    Patrick Henry, the 2nd (ddead1)

  22. Kevin M -I dip my fingers in holy water, make the sign of the cross and genuflect before reading everyone of your posts. And thank the Lord Almighty you are on this earth to preserve mittens less than gracious past. Can I have an Amen.

    mg (31009b)

  23. Major portions of the Republican Party and supposed conservatives like the National Review contributors mentioned above may see themselves as of the right, but that’s only in the context of 21st century America. IOW, such people are more to the left than they realize or care to admit. That’s a big reason truly odious, corrupt Democrats like Hillary or the person she hopes to succeed receive more traction (ie, in opinion polls) than makes sense or is appropriate.

    Please refer to Kevin M.’s comment from 11:28 am Pacific Time.

    JVW (9e3c77)

  24. Look. A year ago, if you asked nearly anyone on the right if they ever expected the GOP establishment to line up behind a Ted Cruz candidacy, every single person would have said “NO!!” once they had stopped laughing enough to type.

    Now, it is actually looking like the GOP will support a strict constitutionalist, small government, anti-subsidy, state’s-rights conservative who wants to close a number of cabinet agencies — at a time when the Congress is ours and the Supreme Court is ours for the taking.

    And what happens? Not Good Enough. Instead, a lot of soi-disant “conservatives” are backing a man whose history is one of a rapacious swindler who brags of bribing government officials to favor him in business deals. The hog is going to take his snout out of the trough long enough to save us from the other hogs.

    And they describe the rejection of this utter nonsense “Trump Derangement Syndrome”. There’s a serious distortion field going on here.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  25. These toadies further marginalized and rendered themselves even more irrelevant by their failure to robustly endorse Ted when it mattered most. Not one reason/data point cited has changed since the day Ted announced, excepting perhaps the tax plan. Well, what were the odds that Rubio would come up with a plan any better than one the Goldwater/Reagan conservative Cruz would advance?

    These timid fools can resume their positions under their desks. I hope they choke on this too-little/too late fecklessness.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  26. And they describe the rejection of this utter nonsense “Trump Derangement Syndrome”. There’s a serious distortion field going on here.

    Maybe we have to come to grips with the fact that in our awful day and age the Presidency is nothing more than the acknowledgement of the most effective Cult of Personality. This is really what we have seen the last eight years. It’s the culmination of the Reality TV generation.

    JVW (9e3c77)

  27. Awesome. Not sure it makes a difference.

    Rodney King's Spirit (3adc86)

  28. A principled Conservative does not support Trump but there are very very very few of them in reality.

    Most people who describe themselves as Conservatives have many conservative positions but don’t really have an intellectual foundation for those positions. Those same people also many times have Liberal positions.

    My point being self described Conservatives mostly are regular folks who simply don’t understand Liberal crazy. So guys like Trump say things that make sense (at times) and they are on board.

    Rodney King's Spirit (3adc86)

  29. This won’t help Cruz with people who are very conservative because NR doesn’t resonate with them, but they were probably already supporting Cruz or open to his candidacy. This might help with moderate and somewhat conservative Republicans, because it give them a basis to decide Cruz isn’t the bogeyman the GOPe has portrayed him to be.

    DRJ (15874d)

  30. 28.A principled Conservative does not support Trump but there are very very very few of them in reality.

    I think there are many principled conservatives, perhaps 1/3 of the GOP electorate, but they may not all be paying as much attention as they will in the coming weeks.

    DRJ (15874d)

  31. Cruz might take a moment to preach a bit to his choir, to remind the original members that the repentant, desperate, and hopeful — the #NeverTrumps — must be redeemed and made welcome.

    There are massive amounts of crow being eaten, and if I can help wipe a few feathers from a few chins, I’d be happy for that opportunity.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  32. I don’t think the Clinton people have forgiven the Obama folks yet, nor will the Trump-Cruz-Rubio-Kasich schism be mended anytime soon. But, whoever the nominee is, we can hope for a hostile peace.

    DRJ (15874d)

  33. Beldar–

    Why is a #NeverTrump in need of conservative redemption?

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  34. DRJ–

    Trump-Cruz-Rubio-Kasich schism?

    If you take Trump out of that you just have part of the GOP continuum.

    Cruz-Walker-Fiorina-Perry-Rubio-Romney-Bush-Kasich would be a fuller expansion of the modern GOP, right to center-right.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  35. Doesn’t matter who endorses Cruz at this point. He has lost this race effectively. Ohio is out of his grip and florida is not happening. If and when Trump carries these two states all bets are off. It’s bye bye Ted.

    The Emperor (4032a6)

  36. I think it is quite difficult to imagine what this election season would have been without Donald Trump. His entrance into the race fed certain victory into a singularity, one which we still have not found the other side of.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  37. Emperor–

    Most of the numbers I see say that — with Rubio and Kasich out of the race — Trump has to win at least 45% of the vote in the rest of the contests to get to the convention with enough votes. And he’s going to lose all 172 votes in California.

    And with it being Trump vs Cruz, everyone and his brother will be pulling for Cruz.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  38. If Trump steps out the lights will go out and the GOP will look like black and white again. Trump brings new colour. Like him, hate him but you cannot ignore him. And yes he has attracted unusual interest to the party with his charisma and craziness. Cruz and Rubio are just too bland.

    The Emperor (4032a6)

  39. once it’s Trump vs. Cruz then Mr. The Donald’s already humiliated the Republican party quite marvelously

    everything after that is gravy and puddin pops

    happyfeet (831175)

  40. @kevin. We have seen Trump disprove speculations again and again. It is left to be seen how the race will look going forward with Ohio and Florida in Trump’s pocket.

    The Emperor (4032a6)

  41. If Trump steps out the lights will go out and the GOP will look like black and white again. Trump brings new colour. Like him, hate him but you cannot ignore him. And yes he has attracted unusual interest to the party with his charisma and craziness. Cruz and Rubio are just too bland.

    Maybe. But some of us who are old-fashioned conservatives would rather be managed by bland competency than entertaining buffoonery. I suppose there’s no fun in that though.

    JVW (9e3c77)

  42. when did science get so effing ditzy?

    ted turner’s mother was a w-word

    happyfeet (831175)

  43. “I would bet that if William F. Buckley were alive today he would approve of this editorial and of this decision that his magazine has made.”

    You’d lose.

    DCSCA (a343d5)

  44. We have seen Trump disprove speculations again and again.

    Speculations, my eye. Arithmetic isn’t subject to spin.

    Trump has had 2/3rds of the field against him, and neither Rubio’s nor Kasich’s supporters are likely to go to Trump. It’s hard to see how he starts winning winner-take-all primaries with only two choices. He’s not that far ahead. Polls show him wildly unpopular among California Republicans, wo those 172 votes cancel out OH + FL.

    Advantage Cruz.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  45. Maybe. But some of us who are old-fashioned conservatives would rather be managed by bland competency than entertaining buffoonery. I suppose there’s no fun in that though.

    Imagine a Supreme Court with Saul Goodman, Denny Crane, Dan Fielding and Elsbeth Tascioni added to it.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  46. Trump is brilliant.

    His Chicago rally gets rowdy so he cancels as the cablers loop the same video. Then he calls into Matthews on MSNBC for half an hour. Then Van Sustern on Fox for 20 minutes. Then Lemon on CNN and reaches the exact television audience he wanted to reach (not those in the hall) with his rally message; spins why it was cancelled, feigns free speech violations and bigfoots Nancy Reagan funeral and Kasich town hall telecasts on a Friday evening. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

    Trump’s capacity to manage and manipulate 24/7 cable news is masterful. It would make Deaver and the Reagan media team blush with envy.

    Make book. 2016 tickets: Trump/Kasich vs. Clinton/Castro.

    Trump will win by 2.6% of the popular vote.

    DCSCA (a343d5)

  47. But some of us who are old-fashioned conservatives would rather be managed by bland competency than entertaining buffoonery.

    The weak point of Cruz is he doesn’t have purely superficial qualities that will boost him the way purely superficial qualities helped the current (and horrible) occupant of the Oval Office. That’s a point I’ve made repeatedly, and stepped on some toes in the process—ie, referring to those Republicans who felt a soft spot in their heart for the Democrat in 2008 the way Peggy Noonan did.
    The people who instead focus on ideology and integrity (as I do) *BUT* to the exclusion of everything else have to always keep in mind that the likability of a person (or lack of such) goes far beyond the purely intellectual. That is even truer for a conservative since many people already have a subtle skittishness about a rightwinger (mean and unkind!) compared with nice-mommy liberal.

    Mark (6c93d5)

  48. Maybe we have to come to grips with the fact that in our awful day and age the Presidency is nothing more than the acknowledgement of the most effective Cult of Personality.

    Well, heck. Run Cruz against Hillary and we’ll put an end to that idea right quick.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  49. Kevin M – I doubt he’ll lose *all* 172 votes. The CA Republicans allocate by CD, and I suspect that he can carry *1* CD, at the very least.

    aphrael (3f0569)

  50. Ignores the composition of his votets, plus the fact that the party in california is mostly impotent, you couldn’t win a single statewide office twice.

    narciso (732bc0)

  51. Trump/Ohio guy
    NFW

    mg (31009b)


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