Senator Ted Cruz Surging in the Polls

When Trump proclaims that he will act unilaterally (say, to build a wall along the border with Mexico) and not let a “pathetically weak” Congress get in his way, freaked-out onlookers hear a dictator-in-waiting. He delivered his usual attack line on the ex-governor: that he is too nice. “But we need toughness”.

Trump’s supporters seem uninterested in criticism of their candidate’s tough views.

Rubio positioned himself as the hawk on national security, defending American efforts to oust dictators like Syria’s Bashar Assad from the Middle East. He also accused Cruz of weakening the government’s ability to track terrorists because he voted in favor of legislation to eliminate the National Security Agency’s bulk phone-records collection program and replace it with a more restrictive effort to keep the records in phone companies’ hands.

“Donald Trump has done the one single thing you can’t do: Declare war on Islam itself”, Graham said, calling the proposal a coup for Islamic State militants trying to recruit new members.

After major terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, Republicans see terrorism as the most important issue in the election by a wide margin; it is cited by 38 percent, compared with 29 percent who name the economy and just 6 percent who highlight immigration. Hours before the debate was to begin, officials in Los Angeles closed all schools after an emailed threat that was later deemed a hoax.

The long-running feud between the Cruz and Rubio has intensified as both men have risen in the polls and are seeking to seize the second-place spot after Trump. He is adeptly tapping into GOP primary voters who want an anti-establishment candidate and smaller government.

Cruz and Rubio have been sparring from afar over national security for weeks.

Cruz and Rubio battled over Rubio’s support for a 2013 Senate bill that would have given immigrants who are in the US illegally a path to citizenship. “And unlike Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush, he agrees with most congressional Republicans about immigration”.

He will increase the turnout of faith-based voters because believers know another true believer by their word and deeds. He also slammed his colleague for supporting a controversial H-1B visa program, which supports immigration of highly skilled foreign workers.

Those changes, taken in tandem with his plan for a 10 percent flat income tax and a national sales tax – applied both to consumers and to corporations, in lieu of a corporate income tax – makes Cruz’s economic agenda risky to those living on limited or fixed incomes, according to advocates for retirees and the poor. Could it be from Obama, who, in 2011, said: “We can’t wait for an increasingly dysfunctional Congress to do its job”. He said he wasn’t seeking to discriminate against Muslims. Rick Santorum, former New York Gov. George Pataki and South Carolina Sen.

There is an unacknowledged-but-profitable symbiotic relationship between Trump and news organizations: the more outrageous his statements, the more coverage – “free media” is the term of art – the greater the ratings.

Donald Trump is given a sombrero at a raucous rally of thousands in Las Vegas.

“There are millions of peaceful Muslims across the world, in countries like India, where there is not the problems we are seeing in nations that… have territory controlled by al Qaida or ISIS”, said Cruz. “All jihadists are Muslim”. Rand Paul. Four lower-polling candidates appeared at an earlier event: former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Pennsylvania Sen. All four are at risk of being next on the chopping block if they’re unable to gain real momentum soon.

It’s easy to forget now, but Ted Cruz was supposed to be the Donald Trump of this election. Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who has for months refused to criticize the former reality show star or his supporters, is posing a stiff challenge to Trump in Iowa on a similar anti-establishment platform.