Wayne Slater: Is Ted Cruz the dream date for Iowa conservatives in 2016?

[TexasTowelie]

An influential Iowa conservative predicts Sen. Ted Cruz would catapult to the top of the field of potential GOP nominees if he runs for president in 2016. Bob Van der Plaats, head of the social-conservative group Family Leader, says voters on the GOP’s right flank will be looking to coalesce around a strongly conservative nominee. He says Cruz could be that candidate.

“In my opinion, if the caucuses were being held today and you threw in all the potentials … Cruz would be at the top of the list immediately,” Van der Plaats said in an interview. The Texas Republican has only been in the U.S. Senate since January, but Cruz has made headlines as an outspoken critic of the Obama administration, a tea party conservative on fiscal issues, opponent of gun control and adversary of bipartisan immigration efforts that includes a path to citizenship.

Van der Plaats says that’s music to the ears of social conservatives in the first-caucus state that launches the presidential nominating season. “If he wants to do this, I think the door is going to be open,” said Van der Plaats. “People are so thirsty for leadership today, so thirsty for somebody who’s going to be authentic and credible and be what they are – and that’s what they’re seeing in Cruz. So although he’s only served in the Senate a short amount of time, they’re willing to jump in for Cruz.”

Cruz says he’s focused on the Senate, not a future run for president. But there are indications from people around Cruz that he’s considering the idea. Van der Plaats is among Iowa’s leading Christian conservative leaders, who have pressed the GOP to nominate somebody on the right like former Sen. Rick Santorum and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. “As we’ve all seen, the John McCains and the Bob Doles who’ve been there forever – they don’t sell with the American public. They believe you’re going to fix DC from outside DC. And what they’re seeing in Ted Cruz is he’s outside DC.” Van der Plaats isn’t backing any particular candidate yet, but he has lamented in the past a divided GOP base that dilutes its impact by supporting several candidates. Analysts say Republicans who oppose a more moderate choice (former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie) could consolidate around a conservative alternative (Santorum, Cruz, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal).

Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/05/is-ted-cruz-the-dream-date-for-iowa-conservatives-in-2016.html/

[demwing]

1. Can Cruz run?

I know he was born in Canada, that his mother was a citizen, and at the time, his father was not (Papa Cruz was a Cuban immigrant who attained US citizenship later...).

[LonePirate]

2. I sure hope you are not expecting Repubs to scrutinize his citizenship the way they did Obama's

[Jamaal510]

5. IOKIYAR

[IMG][/IMG]
One of the most basic rules in the official GOP handbook.

[Zen Democrat]

3. I think Republicans in Iowa are more Rand Paul people.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. Cruz looks like he sweats ethanol and pisses HFCS. Of course Iowa would love him.