Chad’s Morning Brief: Is Ted Cruz Setting His Sights on Donald Trump and More Democrats Seem Open to Joe Biden Running for President
Here are some of the issues that will be discussed on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show.
Will Cruz Go After Trump?
There were reports last week that Ted Cruz and Donald Trump were planning on campaigning together, a sort of alliance between the two against the rest of the GOP field. Todd Gillman of the Dallas Morning News isn't buying that and instead believes that Cruz is getting ready to attack.
Forget the rumor of a secret alliance. With Donald Trump pulling further and further ahead, Sen. Ted Cruz is laying the groundwork to knock Trump down a few pegs.
His digs are subtle, for now. But listen closely and it’s clear that the senator from Texas would eagerly bid farewell to the billionaire showman.
“What voters are looking for is a consistent conservative — someone who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. With me, you know what you’re going to get,” Cruz told reporters Friday at the Iowa State Fair.
That’s a pretty standard talking point for Cruz, offered in response to a question about Trump’s impact on the race and whether he has found it harder to draw attention, with Trump soaking up so much.
Let’s decode that further.
“We want everybody’s votes. This is a competition. We’re not playing tiddlywinks here,” said a senior Cruz adviser. “We want all of his votes. We want him to have zero votes. … But, you know, there’s a way to do that and a way not to do it.”
The Daily Beast reported last week that the Trump and Cruz “bromance” had included secret talks and potential joint appearances. The Cruz adviser laughed off the idea of a side deal or temporary Hunger Games-type alliance.
“There’s certainly a symmetry of the campaigns,” he said, but “that’s not happening.”
With Trump drawing huge crowds and demanding deportations and an end to birthright citizenship that creates “anchor babies,” Cruz stepped up his own hardline rhetoric on immigration last week. He and his aides denied any shifting positions, but they readily conceded that Trump had sparked the renewed emphasis.
“He’s louder and sexier about it, but no,” said the Cruz adviser. “No Hillary Clinton donor is going to outflank us on this.”
Cruz himself hasn’t publicly used that epithet. The day may come, though.
Cruz absolutely has the tenacity to go toe to toe with Trump, but should he? Every other candidate who has gone after Trump has failed. Given that we are still more than 5 months away from the Iowa caucus, it would make more sense for Cruz to continue doing what he is doing. Remind people that he is a life-long conservative who didn't decide a few years ago to see the light.
Eventually, the time may come for Cruz to go after Trump, but I don't think that time is now.
Democrats Open to a Biden Run
According to Reuters, more Democrats on Sunday were open to the idea of Vice President Joe Biden running for President.
California Governor Jerry Brown told NBC's Meet the Press program that Biden should give "very serious consideration" to a presidential run.
Brown said the email saga surrounding Clinton's private email server as Secretary of State carried a "dark energy" that represents a substantial challenge for her campaign.
"It is almost like a vampire. She is going to have to put a stake...in the heart of these emails," the California Democrat said.
Asked if Biden should run, Brown said: "You are asking me presidential advice. All I can say is if I were Hillary, I would say don't jump in. If I were Joe Biden, I would probably give it very serious consideration."
Speculation grew on Saturday that Biden may soon challenge Clinton for the Democratic nomination as the vice president met with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a power broker among liberal Democrats.
Warren, who has strong support from liberal groups that would be critical to winning in early voting states, has said she will not run for president herself, but she has not endorsed Clinton or any other Democratic candidate.
Josh Alcorn, a senior adviser for Draft Biden 2016, a Super PAC group that is laying groundwork for a potential run, said the vice president was "sounding out people in early (primary election) states, activists and potential supporters."
Meeting with Warren could help give Biden more ideas for making the U.S. economy work better for middle-class Americans, he told Fox News Sunday.
If Biden decides to run, Alcorn said it would be important for him to announce his candidacy in time take part in the first Democratic debates in October.
As things continue to look worse and worse for Hillary Clinton, it just makes sense for Biden to jump into the race. It's also telling that no prominent Democrats are shutting the door on a Biden run.
Team Clinton has to be in a bad mood.
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These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard on our KFYO YouTube page after the show and online at kfyo.com.
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