The increasing signs that Donald Trump’s ‘birther’ attack could be hurting Ted Cruz

[UCmeNdc]

The New Republic's Brian Beutler made an observation on Twitter on Thursday night: Ted Cruz's fortunes in Iowa seem to have plunged shortly after Donald Trump began talking about his citizenship.

The issue first came up in an interview with The Post's Robert Costa and Philip Rucker. Asked about Cruz's having been born in Canada, Trump replied that "a lot of people are talking about it and I know that even some states are looking at it very strongly, the fact that he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport." Within days, Trump was embracing the topic more generally, and he has been raising it repeatedly since.

That interview was on Jan. 5. Here's what happened in the poll averages shortly afterward.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/29/did-donald-trumps-birther-comments-damage-ted-cruz-in-iowa/?postshare=3501454084434833&tid=ss_tw-bottom

[elleng]

1. Good, it should,

even the substance is kind of esoteric.

[Human101948]

2. Trump was calling Cruz an anchor baby...

which is a very, very popular aspersion that right wingers use against people that look like they might be from south of the Rio Grande.

[elleng]

3. Right, but this with a twist,

an anchor baby in CANADA.

[NightWatcher]

5. Surprised he didn't call him a Snow Back

[KamaAina]

7. Sports columnist Gregg Easterbrook calls Canadians "frostbacks"

I was a frequent commenter on his column in Slate back in the day.

[jpak]

4. Anchor Baby Ted => mean, nasty and Canadian

[Jarqui]

6. I think Trump calling him a Canadian anchor baby

is going to get a lot of play and resonate.

It's a headline in all the mainstream media been on CNN, ABC, WSJ, Politico, etc.

Trump found one phrase that is brutal for Cruz and will stick with many because he's so despised.

[Downwinder]

8. I've been thinking about a crossover vote for Cruz

Last edited Fri Jan 29, 2016, 09:16 PM - Edit history (1)

just to dump it on the Supreme Court. Sort of an act of retribution.

[FrodosPet]

9. I gotta ask the question that I myself am often asked:

This IS sarcasm, correct?



The last election that went to the Supremes did NOT turn out like we wanted.

Friends don't let friends drive drunk or vote for Dominionist fundies, even as a joke.

[Downwinder]

10. What happens if Cruz gets the R nomination

but can't serve as President? Can the Repubs put a new candidate? Or will there be no Republican candidate on the ballot?