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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Mostly I think Cruz is an idiot because I'm sure he would not have handled his speech this way if he had had a clue as to what is going on with Arab Christians.[/quote]

Oh, I don't think he is an idiot. I am not a Cruz supporter by any means but I think he is far from being an idiot.

He may have alienated a few Arab Christians [b]who may well never have voted for a Republican [/b]but he does solidify his credentials with evangelicals as well as Jews quite apart from those the Republicans who think that Israel can do no wrong.[/quote]

I feel like Jeff posted this just for me, to fill me with glee.  Thanks Jeff!  As a liberal Arab Christian, these types of stories are just a delight.  You cannot get more conservative than this group.  Never mind gay marriage, they wouldn't mind if it were illegal for heterosexual couples to live together before marriage.  They'll eat up any bs about poor people not paying enough taxes or being spoiled because they have cell phones and tvs.  I mean, Ted Cruz could have absolutely just talked about any other topic, including any domestic issue, and they would have eaten it up.  Instead, he went in with no prior knowledge, or having done any research, about who he was talking to.  This was definitely a failure on his part, because he could have at least talked about his support for Israel in a more diplomatic way.  Even with everything happening, Arab Christians do still have solidarity with other Arabs, if only because we have so much else in common other than religion.[/quote]

I was the poster - not Jeff - but, seriously, what is the downside to Cruz having said what he did?

He got a fair amount of publicity about how he walked out when he was booed essentially saying that anyone who did not back Israel is not someone he wants to associate with - a point of view that is shared by many Republicans and quite a few Democrats.

I totally agree with the prior PP who commented very rationally that Israel's disproportionate response to the recent conflict in Gaza was unwarranted and that they need to come to an accommodation with the Palestinians. But we know that there are large segments of the Republican party and some Democrats who offer unconditional support to Israel.

Frankly, I think Cruz did this deliberately; whether he got the reaction he did or was given a polite hearing or was applauded for what he said, he could not lose when it comes to the constituency whose support he seeks - and that constituency was not the audience who booed him.[/quote]

I'm sorry I was unclear- Jeff's original posting of this topic made me happy, not you.  [b]You are just desperately reaching for a way to make a lame blunder into a "win"[/b] - I'm sorry, here on planet Earth politicians do not want to be booed off a stage.

And let's talk about this "constituency" shall we?  The Republican rationale seems to be "we don't need this group, so we can offend them all we want so that we can ingratiate ourselves to this other group."  Is this smart?  So far they have alienated Hispanics, African Americans, Muslims, single women, Asians of various nationalities, and now are working hard on Arab Christians.  Who is going to be left in the end?  And let's not forget something else- Arab Christians, as a group, are highly educated and wealthy.  Not a bad group to have on your side, right?  But I'm glad that Ted Cruz is helping to show my fellow ACs that the Republicans really don't have anything to offer us, either.  Thanks, Ted![/quote]

ROFL!

As a pretty liberal person it is hilarious to read that I am "desperately reaching for a way to make a lame blunder into a "win"!! Yep, that is my objective to make Cruz a hero!!

No, the difference is that I am capable of some objectivity and from Cruz's standpoint I doubt he cares about Arab Christians who represent an insignificant percentage of the US population - quite apart from their political affiliation. If Wikipedia is accurate Arab Americans constitute 1.1 million people and of these 63% are Christians.

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_American[/url]

Cruz has taken a position against amnesty of any sort for illegals - and he is a Hispanic. Also, Hispanics are a far more important constituency than Arab Americans. So who do you think he is seeking to appeal to with these positions? Who are the people who will determine the Republican nominee for president in 2016? Arab-Americans? Hispanics? Asians?

If he becomes the nominee - unlikely IMO - he will move to the center like most politicians do to broaden their appeal. It is the way the game is played.

[/quote]

Yeah, I just disagree with your major point- that being booed off a stage is of any benefit.  There are plenty of ways that he could have "shown" that he stands with Israel, without being booed.  This was just dumb.  There's also an argument to be had over whether Ted Cruz's behavior serves any larger strategy at all... people assume that because he went to Princeton and Harvard, he's brilliant and has got some sort of long game in mind, but I have my doubts.  He just seems like a jerk.[/quote]

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