Jump to content

Cruz vs Beto


Washpark

Recommended Posts

Last year I was standing in line at Edwards movie theater here in Houston to see "Get Out" and I looked up and noticed a familiar little pear-shaped man standing in front of me. 

BfjtFFa.jpg

Here is a picture of him talking to a guy and his toddler son, which almost makes him seem human and not a reptilian shapeshifter. 

yPLjXtD.jpg

I was going to get an ironic photo with him but about 5 seconds after I took this, he got mobbed by a group of about 25 asian high school boys / future Surly Horns. I talked to a couple of his aides for a few minutes. They seemed like ok dudes.

About a month ago, I got this photo with his future replacement. You can see where my avatar comes from.

S55NOw4.jpg

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

February 2018 UT/TT poll 

Cruz Overall 40% favorable, 41% unfavorable
Democrats 11% favorable, 73% unfavorable
Republicans 72% favorable, 12% unfavorable

Beto overall 29% favorable 14% unfavorable
Democrats 53% favorable 4% Unfavorable, 43% unknown or no opinion 
Republicans 8% favorable 21% unfavorable, 60% unknown or no opinion

October 2017 UT/TT Poll
Cruz 38% favorable, 43% unfavorable
Republicans 65% favorable, 18% unfavorable
Democrats 11% favorable, 73% unfavorable

Beto Overall 16% favorable, 13% unfavorable

June 2017 2017 UT/TT Poll
Cruz overall 38% favorable, 44% unfavorable
Republicans 71% favorable, 13% unfavorable
Democrats 7% favorable, 75% unfavorable

Beto Overall 18% favorable, 15% unfavorable

Comments
a. a lot of people don't like Cruz which gives Beto a good base.
b. Beto still has a long way to go with name regonition but the jump from October to February was pretty good
c. Beto's unfavorability rating has not changed in 8 months, which is also good for him
d. More republicans find Cruz unfavorable than democrats find him favorable in 2 of 3 polls
e. for those with an opinion Beto's favorable rating with republicans is much greater than Cruz's favorable rating with democrats.
f. Beto's unfavorable rating with democrats is less than Cruz's unfavorable rating with republicans
g. Cruz may be trending up or it could just be statistical noise.
h. even with all those things going for him, without a big media blitz it is unlikely Beto's name recognition improves enough by election time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the Dems should dump billions into Beto...

He's your Wendi Davis...if Davis had no name recognition or national hype.  

I've never understood the Cruz hate.  In a profession where most are just flat out liars with no rudder, Cruz is pretty damn consistent about who he is and what he'll do. 

Not perfect...but he bats way above the average in DC.  The fact that he's not liked by most of the swamp critters tells me he's doing the Lords work.  If I went to DC for 2+ years and spent most of my time with our elected officials, and at the end of that time they didn't hate me...I think I'd shoot myself.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, XR4ticlone said:

Cruz is pretty damn consistent about who he is and what he'll do.  

 

"What he'll do?"  Other than vote for massive budget deficits, vote to kill net neutrality (at the behest of his corporate donors), vote to allow your Internet browsing history and habits to be sold to the highest bidder, what has he done?

Seriously, tell me one thing that Ted Cruz has accomplished in almost six years of being a Senator.  Has he introduced a single big of legislation that has passed, or even been brought to the floor for a vote?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Politics is a team sport.  Unless you have a ringside seat and a lot of expertise it's tough to differentiate between the contributions of different Senators in a party.  They deal in the back room and then present a unified front - unless they're being a dick, which Cruz did a while back in a bid to be Prez.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, TahoeHorn said:

Politics is a team sport.  Unless you have a ringside seat and a lot of expertise it's tough to differentiate between the contributions of different Senators in a party.  They deal in the back room and then present a unified front - unless they're being a dick, which Cruz did a while back in a bid to be Prez.  

His big problem is that he has always been running for Prez.  I gave Booker the same knock when he started off great with Newark and then just abandoned it, leaving projects rudderless, for Senator. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, FondrenRoad said:

His big problem is that he has always been running for Prez.  I gave Booker the same knock when he started off great with Newark and then just abandoned it, leaving projects rudderless, for Senator. 

This is a big one.

I'd prefer a senator who was interested in being my senator, thank you very much.  Shit, it was one of the reasons that Dewhurst lost to Cruz in the primary -- it was patently obvious that he just wanted to get his name changed to "Senator Dewhurst," because that sounds cool when they're seating you at a fancy restaurant -- "your table is right this way, Senator Dewhurst."  Folks were more interested in someone who was gonna do something.

Turns out that Cruz's "do something" has been "run for president" and "be a simpering cuck to Donald Trump."  Not a strong resume.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, XR4ticlone said:

I've never understood the Cruz hate.  In a profession where most are just flat out liars with no rudder, Cruz is pretty damn consistent about who he is and what he'll do. 

a) He's a Canadian

b) He's smarmy

c) Have you listened to him speak?

d) Has an extremely punchable face

e) All of the above

Edited by RPM
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, FondrenRoad said:

Yes, and so was Hillary. 

One of my explored thesis studies was on measuring political ambition.  The trend I discovered suggested that politicians aspiring to be president do not work their way up through local and state governments, they catapult straight to the top, usually through Senator.  I did this research back in 2005.  Obama and Hillary were the top two in the senate I found to have the most measurable political ambition among Senators at the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, RPM said:

a) He's a Canadian

b) He's smarmy

c) Have you listened to him speak?

d) Has an extremely punchable face

e) All of the above

His approval rating in Texas is less than Roy Moore's was in Alabama after the allegations came out. So Cruz rates below a child molester.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, TexasEd said:

Give me some reasons to vote Beto and I will.  Not Ted Cruz is almost enough.

The honest answer is "because he's fucking useless."  I have clients who are trying to get billion-dollar projects built that rely on federal funds/approvals, and they know that when they need help in the Senate, they call Senator Cornyn.  Cornyn is actually really good at that type of stuff.  He needs to be, because he has to do it all for the State of Texas, because Cruz is completely MIA.  If you need something done in Washington, there's no point in calling Cruz, unless it's something on which he would be insulted if you didn't call him and he'd throw a monkeywrench into it just out of spite.

I mean, look--his policy positions aren't to my liking.  But whatever.  I'm a Texan first, and Texas needs representation in the Senate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

The honest answer is "because he's fucking useless."  I have clients who are trying to get billion-dollar projects built that rely on federal funds/approvals, and they know that when they need help in the Senate, they call Senator Cornyn.  Cornyn is actually really good at that type of stuff.  He needs to be, because he has to do it all for the State of Texas, because Cruz is completely MIA.  If you need something done in Washington, there's no point in calling Cruz, unless it's something on which he would be insulted if you didn't call him and he'd throw a monkeywrench into it just out of spite.

I mean, look--his policy positions aren't to my liking.  But whatever.  I'm a Texan first, and Texas needs representation in the Senate.

Frankly I wish all of them would be like that.

When the Gov spends money it's usually a complete waste.  

And any private 'project' that needs millions, much less billions of Fed money shouldn't happen.  It's not an example of what's wrong with Cruz...it's what's wrong with our Fed Gov.

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, XR4ticlone said:

Frankly I wish all of them would be like that.

When the Gov spends money it's usually a complete waste.  

And any private 'project' that needs millions, much less billions of Fed money shouldn't happen.  It's not an example of what's wrong with Cruz...it's what's wrong with our Fed Gov.

 

 

It's not a private project.  It's a public infrastructure project that needs federal approval.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Ghost of LL said:

It's not a private project.  It's a public infrastructure project that needs federal approval.  

I'm fine not funding those either.

I'm in construction and there are no shortage of asinine, never needed, projects there...most funded with Fed grants.  

If there is value in it, it should be paid for at the State & local level.  There will never be more OPM than what other people can piss away.  

It's how we got $21 Trillion in debt.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, XR4ticlone said:

I'm fine not funding those either.

I'm in construction and there are no shortage of asinine, never needed, projects there...most funded with Fed grants.  

If there is value in it, it should be paid for at the State & local level.  There will never be more OPM than what other people can piss away.  

It's how we got $21 Trillion in debt.  

These projects are paid for at the state and local level--to the tune of billions of dollars.  But they need federal regulatory approval.  And if you want federal regulatory approval, it often helps to have members of Congress intervene on your behalf.

I'm talking about critical infrastructure projects like roads and dams and transmission--if you don't want those, then you're going to be awfully hungry, thirsty, and cold sitting there in the dark.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Giving an interview at the SXSW conference in Austin Texas over the weekend, the Democratic nominee opposing Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said American civilians should not be permitted to buy an AR-15 rifle......"I could give a **** what the NRA thinks" about the Second Amendment rights of Americans."

 

That's a winning platform for sure.  How to get slaughtered in a Texas State Election 101 for $500, Alex.

It's ALMOST like he's campaigning for out of state liberal donations rather than campaigning to win the election.....

Almost.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Texas73 said:

You think Trump was qualified to be president?

Shit, he's not even qualified to manage a Burger King franchise.

I think it's ironic that, in response to a Dem president whose chief failing was his lack of experience and perspective for an executive position answerable to millions of people, the GOP gave us....Trump.  Even LESS qualified, who has NEVER answered to ANYONE.  Head-shaking stupidity indeed.

I'm enough of a grown-up to have seen inside plenty of organizations -- private for-profit, non-profit, and governmental.  And in every one of them, the leadership is answerable to someone, and damned well better have some experience and perspective that qualifies him or her for the job.  On the occasions where I've seen folks (voters, a board of directors) try to go with the "let's pick a total outsider" approach....it has ended poorly.  Because if you're hiring a ship's captain, you're ALWAYS going to be better off if you hire someone who is an experienced sailor vs. someone who's never even stepped off of land.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That AR-15 comment ain't great.  Regardless, any of you that are just discounting Beto's chances because he's a D in Texas are not as aware as you need to be about how a lot of reliable R voters view Cruz.  As a 'Gary Johnson voter', I'll be voting for Beto in the same vein I voted for 'Gary'.  It's a vote against the other person.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites



×
×
  • Create New...