Political Aspirations
Does Ted Cruz have a shot at the White House?
A week ago, a friend and I were on a road trip. The topic of potential Presidential Candidates for 2024 came up along our journey. As I am typing this, I am also laughing. One year into the current presidency, we are already discussing the next President. All I can do is laugh at that. It happens to us all.
So, we threw out several names with the potential of sitting in the White House as the President. Before we go onto the one name that we will discuss, I will tell you I have picked who will win accurately for every Presidential election that I have voted in since George H.W. Bush, except for one. That doesn’t mean I voted for the winner, but I did pick the winner each time except when Donald J. Trump won. That is the only exception. When it comes to voting for the winner, I have only voted for the winner in 4 out of 9 elections. So, my voting does not assure success.
My friend, asked nicely what about Ted Cruz? I said, nope, there is no way he will win. I used a term that I often use in Presidential elections. That is, he is unelectable. I have used that term with Bob Dole and John McCain as well. John McCain, hands down, was the most qualified person to be the President of his time, but he lacked the charisma to reach the swing votes.
Today many people think if you win your party, you will win the election. That is not the case. Some guy named Ronald Reagan blew that mold up. If one will remember, Reagan won by reaching what would be called “Reagan Democrats.” If one is a Republican, that candidate will have to get all the Republicans out to vote for them and gain Independents and some Democrats. That is how a Republican gets into the White House. The same could be said for the Democrats, and the current President did not get in solely because of Democratic voters. President Biden got in because he gained Independent voters and Republican voters.
There is also the 18–35-year-old population. This population tends to swing more than any other population group. After 35, most are stuck in their ways and are reluctant to vote outside their ideas. Instead, they most likely won’t vote at all.
So, to get into the White House, one must get almost all their party to vote. Then one must win the swing population of 18–35 who may relate to the two other parties. The problem with Ted Cruz is gaining votes outside his party. I think that is a hill too hard to climb for him.
Now do I think Ted Cruz is a lousy politician? No, I do not. There are better, and there are worse. Do I think he can rally his base? Yes, I do. Now for the big question, do I think he can get voters outside his party? No, I do not.
This problem lies with the events that surrounded certifying the votes and the words Cruz said on the floor. I believe Cruz spoke of what he felt, but his words will always be used as obstruction. If one reads his words with an open mind, they are not bad, but we all know the media will cut and splice. The press needed a target, and hopefully, one that aspires to be President, that they can takedown. So, Cruz fits that bill. Let’s discuss what he said.
Cruz acknowledged that America was in a great divide. He also noted that there were questions about the legitimacy of this election from all three parties. Cruz referred to history for his guidance and suggested following the precedent of 1877. Cruz suggests “that we have pointed electoral commission to conduct a 10-day emergency audit, consider the evidence and resolve the claims. For those on the democratic aisle who says, say there is no evidence, they’ve been rejected, then you should rest and comfort if that’s the case. An electoral commission would reject those claims. But for those who respect the voters, simply telling the voters, go jump in a lake. The fact that you have deep concerns is of no moment to us, that jeopardizes, I believe the legitimacy of this in subsequent elections.”[1]
To me, this makes sense with what he suggested. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, don’t we want it to be legitimate and scrutinized, so all of America trusts the election results? I would think so. Instead, the Democrats and most of the media twisted it to make it more about obstruction than about what it was, which was clarity. For this very reason, I do not believe that Cruz could convince enough people to cross party lines to vote for him. Cruz will not gain favor from the media because of his speech and his previous views.
So, if you ask me, “does Cruz have a chance to win the office of the Presidency,” I will say no. Cruz is unelectable. I wish I were wrong because he could do better than the current and previous Presidents. I also believe he could do better than almost anyone that dropped their names in the last two elections.
It is a shame that our country’s leadership is dictated by spliced narratives from political parties and the media, which starves America from our better leaders. So, I do think America Deserves Better than this.
The Vet
