Cruz knows our bully culture. He knows it works.

[Eleanors38]

Ain't much gonna be said about his unqualified status to be president. (Prediction)

His efforts to sign on with the Health Exchange is already fading from MSM view. (Observation)

The anti-Obama narrative, and the tough, strongman image Cruz has created for himself are cast, and WILL cow MSM and any remnant opposition into squealing complaints of hypocrisy emanating from obscure web sites and in LTTEs. To the far right, hypocrisy is sport, and irony is an overwrought subject in advanced lit & humanities classes. Cruz and the GOP know there is no opposition. The ball is in the court of the Right. Any discussion will be between the Right, the Far Right, and the crap-in-your-pants-and-go-to-heaven Right; everyone else is irrelevant as they assume their framed role as the bully's victims.

BTW, ANY complaints sourcing from any other branch other than the GOP, WILL be tagged as "the Left." And that tag will be promoted by much more than the GOP.

[villager]

1. OK, good points. But does this mean you think Cruz will win the GOP nomination?

In other words, he's running with a flock of putative despots who also know how America's bully culture works.

Do you think one of them will therefore prevail in 2016?

[Eleanors38]

3. Don't know. That will be decideed by the various shades of the far right. IMO, Walker stands a

better shot. He's just as FR, but he has the smarts, aggression and track record which will serve the GOP better. Jeb will be positioned as "moderate" (even by MSM), and that may sink him.

[villager]

5. There is a kind of "petard hoist" for the Bushes, with the captive MSM calling him a "moderate,"

...thus perhaps sinking him -- as you note -- for today's blood red raw GOP.

[Eleanors38]

6. You're right. Of course, MSM bandies about "right-left" terminology relativistically...

not at all informed by what ideological expressions mean; hence Elizabeth Warren, a former centrist Republican, is now on the Democratic "left, " or more obscurely, part of its "base." This ability of the GOP to set agenda, parameter, even language, reflects the increasing hegemony of corporate, rightist political culture.

[villager]

7. So you're saying that Warren's positions, which were at least pretty "centrist" among Democrats

...once upon a time, are now bandied about as "leftist" by the MSM?

I suppose that's true. Though the sad fact remains that those formerly centrist positions do put her on what is now the Democratic "left."

[atreides1]

2. Hmmmmm

Maybe someone with the ability could photoshop a picture of Cruz with a Castro style beard, wearing Castro's standard military fatigue cap with a cigar hanging from his mouth...


A picture like that could constantly remind people of his paternal connection to Fidel...just for fun...

[Eleanors38]

4. Reminds me of a joke...

Q. Why did the short fellow leave the nudist colony?

A. Everyone looked like Castro.

[FSogol]

8. Cruz lives in a bubble surrounded by sycophants. The GOP hates his guts and his only support

is from Evangelicals. When the GOP party admins marginalize Cruz and fail to give him the nomination, the Evangelicals will stay home. Even if they don't, Cruz will be more destructive to his own party than ours. Point Cruz at Jeb and Walker and stock up on popcorn.

As for forgetting his registering for Obamacare, let's keep reminding everyone.

[Eleanors38]

9. We'll have to remind folks of his ACA sign-up. MSM will not pursue this...

Walker is the most likely to coalesce the hard right. I think the battle will be between Walker and Jeb, esp. when MSM decrees the latter as "moderate."

[FSogol]

10. I think the Kochs have already selected Walker as the malleable "W" like nominee with Jeb playing

the part of the Cheney-esque "Elder Statesman." Gawd, help us.