Republicans Put The Clown Car In Drive As Ted Cruz Is Running For President in 2016

The Republican clown car is gassed up and ready to crash and burn in 2016 as Ted Cruz will be running for president.

According to National Journal, Cruz’s candidacy is virtually a done deal,

According to sources close to the Texas senator, Cruz could be preparing for an end-of-year announcement and is now dedicating considerable time and effort to cultivating a foreign-policy foundation that might help his candidacy stand out in what is guaranteed to be a crowded field.

“At this point it’s 90/10 he’s in,” one Cruz adviser said. “And honestly, 90 is lowballing it.”

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The senator’s choreography since arriving in Washington has long pointed to a presidential run. His office meticulously documents the details of his meetings and events to guard against opposition research. He has aggressively pursued visits to important primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Late last month Cruz hired three prominent consultants with experience in national campaigns and extensive contacts in early nominating states. And he recently moved his chief of staff, Chip Roy, from his congressional office to the campaign operation, sending the clearest signal yet to allies inside and outside the Capitol that a bid for the White House is imminent.

You read that first sentence correctly. Ted Cruz is planning on running for president as the foreign policy candidate. Sen. Cruz thinks that Republican voters will flock to him if he stakes out a foreign policy position that is somewhere between John McCain and Rand Paul. Cruz is overlooking a the fact that he has no foreign policy experience, and conservatives like him much more when he is doing things like shutting down the government.

A quick look at the potential list of 2016 Republican candidates reveals one that is under indictment (Rick Perry), another that is the focus of a criminal probe (Scott Walker), a third that is under federal investigation (Chris Christie), and a fourth that is so desperate to win the nomination that he changes his positions often (Rand Paul). There is also the has been (Mitt Romney), the never was (Rick Santorum), and the never will be (Jeb Bush).

A Paul Ryan or Marco Rubio might jump in as well, but they aren’t putting together serious campaign organizations like Cruz, Paul, and Christie are. Republicans voters will have to choose someone out of this crew of broken pretenders to represent their party against Hillary Clinton in 2016. Cruz and Paul sharing a debate stage while trying to out crazy each other should be comedy gold. Paul and Cruz will be fighting for many of the same voters and could cancel each other out. Cruz will also be fighting with Santorum, and potentially, Mike Huckabee for the hearts of the religious right.

It is almost a certainty that his Republican opponents will use Cruz’s citizenship against him, even though he is eligible to run for president due to his mother being born in Delaware. Cruz is a natural born citizen, but that won’t stop the dirty smear campaigns early in primary states like South Carolina.

Citizenship questions, criminal indictments, and a whole trunk full of crazy are sure signs that the Republican clown car is gassed and ready to roll down the road to defeat at the hands of Hillary Clinton.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association