What I learned by coming face to face with Ted Cruz

[oberliner]

He is a good public speaker. He sprinkles in a copious amount of Biblical references (that his audience knows well). He wants to undo everything that Obama has done. He laughs creepily at his own jokes. He knows how to work his audience. He has plants who ask him softball questions for which he has prepared answers. He makes sure to shake hands with everyone who comes out to see him. The people that like him really really like him. He has a lot of young people on his team. His crowd is comprised of a wide range of age groups. He prides himself on having stood up to Washington and positions himself as someone who will fight for what he believes in when no one else will. It cost $3.50 to buy one of his campaign buttons (stickers are free). He has prepared one-liners tailored to the venue where he is speaking. He likes to talk about the book that he wrote. He wants you to not only vote for him but also to pray for his success (just one minute a day, he suggests).

Any questions anyone has, I'd be happy to answer. I just happened to find myself in the same town that the Ted Cruz caravan was coming through and went to hear him speak at a diner out of curiosity.

[Orrex]

1. Did they have a special recovery room for people who vomit upon meeting him?

I'd need one of those.

[oberliner]

2. It was tough to sit through his speech

The things he said were indeed risible. I tried to focus on being an observer of the totality of the situation and learning what I could from seeing who was there and how they were reacting to him.

[Orrex]

3. Honestly, it's commendable that you made the effort

I don't know that I'd have been able to maintain composure.

[oberliner]

8. It was fascinating to watch the crowd

And to see how they responded to him. I guess I looked at it as sociological field work.

[hlthe2b]

17. I'd think it might be frightening to see how the crowd responded to him...

Cruz (much like Dick Cheney) makes my skin crawl, just seeing either on tv.

[MosheFeingold]

37. That's a really good idea for diet

Follow Cruz around and lose your appetite.

[pinboy3niner]

4. Did you wash your hands before coming here?

Actual question: Did you shake hands and exchange words when it was over?

[oberliner]

6. He shook hands with everyone before he spoke

I didn't want to get kicked out because I was curious to hear how it all went down so I did shake his hand when it was offered to me. He said thanks for coming and I nodded and then he moved on to the next person.

[Orsino]

5. Maximal payoff for minimal effort.

The code of the grifter.

[oberliner]

7. I forgot to mention that he did a very bad JFK impression

In fact, he did it twice. He tried to say "with vigor" using a JFK voice that was not even close. And then at one other point he did the same sort of thing. He then went on to say that JFK would be a Republican today.

[Orsino]

9. Surveillance recordings suggested that such "jokes"...

...are of utility when conversing with Terran humans.

[oberliner]

10. He also had an insult line for Bernie

He said something like "Bernie and common sense are like matter and antimatter" and then something about how the two could not both exist at the same time.

He had a canned line about Hillary too that I don't recall exactly.

[Whiskeytide]

13. Telling that current republicans...

... want to try and own past democratic figures. They hammer FDR - I suppose because that demographic is very small now (couldn't have done that 30 years ago) - but they want to attach themselves to anyone who might have been a boomer's political hero. Creepy.

[oberliner]

15. Also perhaps the fact that he was in New Hampshire

I wonder if he uses the JFK stuff in Iowa. I would doubt it.

[Whiskeytide]

23. True. It's audience specific. But it still...

... seems insulting to even make the statement. RFK would never align with today's republicans. They stand for everything he fought against. But Cruz apparently thinks just saying it will move people.

[oberliner]

34. I agree that it is preposterous

It didn't seem to go over that well either. Possibly because his impression of JFK was so poor or maybe because the audience was not comprised of Kennedy fans.

[Rex]

11. He strikes me as a total slacker.

You had to buy a campaign button? How fucking cheap.

[oberliner]

12. Yeah I thought that was weird

They had a table set up with campaign merchandise that they were selling. Buttons, t-shirts, and his book.

I always thought campaigns just gave away the buttons - I know I still have my Clinton/Gore button from back in the day.

[Rex]

14. I have a Dukakis button and both Clinton buttons.

Clinton's first term was the first time I got to vote. All free. Thank you for spending some time with that blowhard, it is good to know he is slick...did he seem like a con man or some religious messiah to his followers?

[oberliner]

16. He seemed like a con man to me but his followers seemed to view him as a preacher of some kind

There were folks in the front (not sure if they were plants) who would shout out words of support during his speech (like "You tell 'em Ted" or similar) and he quoted from the Bible often which seemed to resonate with the crowd. The older people in the crowd seemed to view him as a preacher. The younger folks were less responsive.

I also noticed that he said he would take a few questions at the end but only took them from the people in the front and they were all softball questions (he called on a little girl who asked if she could get his autograph, for instance). There were a few people in the back with their hands up who seemed a bit annoyed that there weren't called on.

[Rex]

19. I've read that he uses plants, no doubt some campaign gopher.

Your story backs up those claims, I bet he is faker then hell.

[MosheFeingold]

38. Why buttons are for sale

Merchandise is a way around campaign finance limits.

Hit your cap? Then buy 10,000 books or 100,000 buttons.

(Source: worked on too many campaigns.)

[sufrommich]

18. He reminds of Burt Lancaster's role in Elmer Gantry.

Except Cruz isn't good looking and he has no pangs of guilt over fleecing the public.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

20. Did you catch anyone wearing their Klan uniforms?

[oberliner]

24. No - and there was even a black woman in the crowd

But it is possible that she was with the press.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

28. Hmmm...you're probably right. :)

[Takket]

30. probably scouting the enemy, just like you ;)

[oberliner]

32. Yeah, who knows

It definitely didn't seem like she was part of the fan base.

[edhopper]

21. They keep comparing Trump to Hitler

this sounds much more like that M.O.

[bullwinkle428]

22. Cruz reminds me of the Greg Stillson character from "The Dead Zone".

[KamaAina]

25. Does he say "eh?"?

[oberliner]

26. I wanted to wear a Calgary Flames jersey

But I think that might've gotten me booted.

Seriously, though, he had a sort of oddly nondescript accent.

[KamaAina]

29. Go Flames Go! Go Flames Go!

[DefenseLawyer]

27. The question someone should ask Cruz:

Do you think we are near the "End Times" and, if so, how will that impact the decisions you make as President? If he says no, the fundies that power his campaign will be pissed. If he says yes he will look like even more of a nut to the electorate in general.

[JI7]

31. I'm more interested in how he is in private

And why republicans hate him so much. I kind of know but i would like to see it.

The fact they are pushing trump to beat him says a lot.

[tblue37]

33. Thanks for the info. K&R. nt

[kairos12]

35. I tip my cap to you. You are brave. Personally, I would rather drink the mop water from an Ebola

ward than get within 100 miles of that carnival huckster.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

36. If he is nominated, are you now more or less optimistic about beating him than you were? NT.

[oberliner]

39. Neither

I think it was pretty much as expected. Personally, I don't see how he does well beyond the evangelical crowd.