Ted Tries Hard while Trump Floats Through
Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have both stirred up deep set emotions among their supporters. Cruz has been networking constantly with voters, especially among Granite Staters leading up to the New Hampshire Primaries. He hosts intimate meet-and-greets, and takes the time then to answer questions from individuals. At a meet-and-greet at the American Legion Post in Manchester, NH the day before the New Hampshire primary. Cruz asked the room how many undecided NH voters, and there were very few. Most of the crowd responded very warmly to his speech — they laughed at his jokes and cheered and clapped when he made a point.
Ted Cruz is now challenging Trump nationally in the polls, and beat him in Iowa despite Trump being ahead in the polls. Trump is less refined that Cruz and less involved in traditional political campaigning. The fact that he flies home every night definitely cuts down on his ability to meet voters face-to-face. He admitted himself that he spent less time and effort in Iowa than other candidates, and this is evident in the fact that he spent less money per vote in Iowa.
Trump seems rather relaxed about his campaign, maybe because of his strong lead. “I don’t use teleprompters” he makes a declaration at a rally at Plymouth State University, which is followed by a mocking impersonation of an overly rehearsed politician. His speeches are casual, and almost have the feel of a stream of consciousness.
At the same rally at PSU, Trump joked about how the university was essentially in the middle of nowhere and grumbled about how far the trip was to get there.
Ted Cruz, on the other hand, puts significant effort into meeting voters and winning them over.
Cruz’s speeches are well rehearsed, and he manages to captivate small crowds very well. He has been using humor throughout his campaign to win over voters. At the meet and greet in Manchester, he said “Reaganomics is when you start a business in your parents’ garage. Obamanomics is when you move into your parents garage.” At Pedraza’s Mexican Restaurant on Sunday, he said “We have to protect the Tenth Amendment, or as Obama calls it: ‘the what?’” In Manchester, he also stressed to voters the importance of a candidate’s track record by stating that saying “gosh-diddly, I sure am against amnesty” was simply not enough. Cruz also retold a common New Hampshire joke in which a NH voter says “I’m not really sure about that candidate, I’ve only met him five times!”
“We have to protect the Tenth Amendment, or as Obama calls it: ‘the what?’”
Cruz also has something very useful that Trump lacks — a spotless religious record. His religion is one of the most important parts of his campaign, and he repeatedly has stated that he is fighting against the Supreme Court’s recent decision on marriage equality in order to protect the religious liberty of Christians.
He appeals to voters’ patriotism by giving them a sense of urgency and telling them that their freedom is at risk. He paints a future in which children ask their parents “what was it like when America was free?” It’s hard to not elicit some sort of sympathy when you talk about that reality.
Trump hosts rallies and events, but he seems to garner immense success with limited effort and repeating the same sort of angry populist platform. Cruz has been putting in the typical campaigning effort of a career politician. Maybe his efforts will pay off in the future, the way they did in Iowa.
