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RINO

2018-10-25T01:59:15Z

VACON:

[[File:Kel-rino.jpg|thumb|250px|Sergeant [[Jesse Kelly]] runs for Congress in Arizona in 2009 and attacks the RINOs in the GOP]]
A '''RINO''' ('''R'''epublican '''i'''n '''N'''ame '''O'''nly) is an officeholder or candidate who is a member of the [[Republican Party]], but holds views to the political left of most Republican voters, or simply does whatever the [[liberal media]] wants. The term "RINO" describes politicians who claim to be [[Republican Party|Republican]] but are in fact [[liberal]] or puppets of the liberal media, and therefore generally debase the winning [[conservative]] coalition base of the Republican Party. Since elected GOP officials tend to be less conservative than the party base, a relatively large number of RINOs are entrenched members of the party organization. They also tend to resort to [[cronyism]] to fill key government positions, and often are career politicians. Some conservative commentators have also referred to them as '''RUNT'''s ('''R'''epublican '''U'''nder '''N'''ominal '''T'''erms),<ref>Kassam, Raheem (September 27, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/27/size-matters-9-point-alabama-win-forced-corker-out-others-follow/ Size Matters: The 9-Point Alabama Win Is What Forced Corker out, Others May Follow]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved September 30, 2017.</ref> while another, less frequently used term for them is a '''DIAN''' ('''D'''emocrat '''i'''n '''A'''ll but '''N'''ame) because of their embracing of most of the [[Democrat Party]]'s social and fiscal platforms while operating nominally as a Republican.<ref>[https://www.commdiginews.com/politics-2/democrat-cochran-dian-mississippi-20274/ In bed with Democrats, Cochran now a DIAN: Democrat In All But Name] at Communities Digital News</ref>

RINOs are often Republican only to the extent it serves their own interests, and will abandon conservative principles as soon as it is in their own interests to do so. RINOs often provide support for raising taxes, [[abortion]] as [[Pro-choice|a "right"]], [[homosexual rights|homosexual "rights"]] and [[gun control]]. Some RINOs have connections with [[Planned Parenthood]] or corporations that support goals of [[population control]]; other RINOs pay lip service to [[pro-life]] values while in practice not advancing those values.

[[Double standard]]s by RINOs are common: a birther comment by [[Romney]] during his campaign was supposedly a "nothing", but [[Todd Akin]]'s [[pro-life]] comment would somehow "absolutely" cost RINOs control of the [[U.S. Senate]]!<ref>http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/todd-akin-rape-missouri-senate-race-reince-priebus-/1#.UDpUhNZlQ7s</ref>

RINOs typically come from [[Democrat]] strongholds in [[New England]], the Mid-Atlantic; or states on the [[Left Coast]] where local GOP organizations are weak or nonexistent. Many are Reform-Democrats who cannot advance in corrupt Democrat political machines. A less-used term is '''cafeteria conservative''', for a person who picks and chooses which [[conservative]] principles to believe, as a person might choose foods in a cafeteria instead of ordering the full-course ''menu'' selected by the chef at most restaurants.<ref>[http://www.manp.org/association-spotlight/archives/james-carville-mary-matalin-he-said-she-said James Carville & Mary Matalin: He Said, She Said]</ref> In contrast to RINO's and cafeteria conservatives, [[movement conservative]]s understand that since conservative philosophy is a coherent whole, it is untenable to discard part of it without discarding all of it.

A majority of the [[Young Republicans]] leadership are also RINOs and use the [[Twitter]] hashtag #RINOsUnite and #YRMafia.

The RINO targets of attack argue they follow [[middle of the road]] policies and are not liberals; they claim they get results, and insist that without them the [[United States Congress|Congress]] would be totally controlled by liberal Democrats and Republicans would rarely have any success. Conservatives respond that in the heyday of "Rockefeller liberalism" in the GOP the Democrats always controlled Congress, and the GOP only took power when [[Newt Gingrich]] launched a national conservative "Contract with America" in 1994, ending 40 years of Democrat control of the [[United States House of Representatives|House]]. The notion that we need to elect Democrat-lite type of politicians is false. The election cycles of 2010 and 2012 proved that many RINO candidates are unelectable. RINO candidates wasted millions of dollars; Meg Whitman, Scott Brown, Linda McMahon, and many others could not connect with the people in liberal blue states.

In recent Republican [[Primary election|primaries]], voters have been rejecting establishment RINOs in favor of those with stronger conservative principles. Their commitment to self and not party is evident in their refusal to endorse the candidate that beats them. In some instances, they refuse the will of the voters and their party by running for office on an [[Independent candidate|independent ticket]]. It is important to vote for someone who's more conservative on the issues rather than for a Republican because anyone can join a party and be they can be RINOs.
In Presidential primaries, however, RINOs are often heavily favored. In 2008 and 2012, RINOs [[John McCain]] and [[Mitt Romney]] were nominated, respectively and RINOs such as [[Chris Christie]] are being considered for 2016.

The House of Representatives and the Senate have RINOs in Republican leadership: [[Paul Ryan]] and [[Mitch McConnell]], respectively.
==Current RINOs who have since left the Republican Party==

* Current [[New Mexico]] Governor [[Gary Johnson]] supports same-sex "marriage" and abortion (although he opposes abortion once the fetus becomes viable outside the mother's body). After switching to the [[Libertarian Party]] in 2012 to run for President, he openly admitted that he governed New Mexico for eight years as a RINO, even using the phrase "Republican in name only" on multiple occasions. The Libertarian Party is [[liberal]] on social issues (with the exception that they support [[gun rights]]) but are fiscally very conservative.

* Current Senator [[Arlen Specter]] of [[Pennsylvania]] supported ObamaCare and switched from the Republican Party to the Democrat Party to give the latter a 60-40 edge in the Senate and allow them to enact [[cloture]] on the Republican [[filibuster]].

*Current Senator [[Lincoln Chafee]] of [[Rhode Island]], who became an Independent in 2007. Turned Democrat in 2013.<ref>https://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/lincoln-chafee-to-switch-parties-sources-say-91994.html</ref>

*Current Senator [[Lowell Weicker]] of [[Connecticut]], who left the party and formed his own local one in 1990, then became an Independent in 1995.

*[[New York City]] Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]], who became an Independent in 2007. As it is not possible to campaign as an Independent in New York State, Bloomberg runs on the line of the [[Independence Party of New York]].

*Current Senator [[Jim Jeffords]] of [[Vermont]], who left the Party and became a Democrat in 2001, giving control of the [[United States Senate|Senate]] to the Democrats.

*Current Governor [[Charlie Crist]] of [[Florida]], who became an independent in 2010 after it was clear he would lose his Senate bid. Crist joined the [[Democrat Party]] in 2012.

*Current Representative [[John Anderson]] of [[Illinois]], who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 1980.

*Current Governor [[Buddy Roemer]] of [[Louisiana]], who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 2012.

*Current [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] Director [[James Comey]], who became an Independent in 2016.

==RINO McCain==
A majority of conservatives distrust RINO [[John McCain]] even though many of his policies are that of a true conservative. Key RINO principles rejected by McCain include support for [[gay rights]], support for [[abortion]], and support for [[earmark]]s. He has positioned his career as a bipartisan moderate, reaching across the aisle whenever possible. This is also his downfall. The era of reaching across the aisle passed—when [[statist]], [[socialist]] Democrats became Senators. His major political blunders mostly came during the 21st century political period. He was against both the Reagan and Bush [[tax cuts]], and employed [[class warfare]] rhetoric in trying to stop the tax cuts from taking effect. His support for amnesty was the complete opposite of what conservatives wanted. He has always complained about [[waterboarding|enhanced interrogation techniques]], calling them "[[torture]]". In non-election years, he likes to trash conservative positions and icons in order to get the [[Mainstream media|media]]'s and Democrats' approval. However, during the election he refused to go after [[Barack Hussein Obama]]'s associations with [[Jeremiah Wright]]. He believes in the junk science known as [[global warming]], and has supported cap-and-trade programs. Another [[Middle East]] war, without a goal, without full commitment to win, without Congressional approval- McCain supports the President. It didn't stop there and in July 2011, he called the [[Tea Party]], the people that care about fiscal sanity in Washington, they are "hobbits".<ref>http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/27/mccain-refers-to-tea-party-hobbits-blasts-bachmann-backed-idea/?hpt=hp_t1</ref>

The sacrifices he has made serving this country cannot be overlooked. John McCain has earned war hero status but also the status as a D.C. zero.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/05/1615233/in-senate-primary-california-republicans.html In Senate primary, California Republicans run away from RINO label]
* [http://www.commieblaster.com/RINO/index.html CommieBlaster RINO Index]

==See also==
*[[RINO Backers]]
*[[Token conservative]]
*[[Republicans for Obama]]
*[[PLINO]] - [[pro-life]] in name only
*[[XINO]] - [[Christian]] in name only
*[[Catholic in name only]]
*[[Moderate Republican]]
*[[Conservative Democrat]]
*[[Blue Dog Democrat]]
*[[Reagan Democrat]]
*[[O’Sullivan’s First Law]]
*[[Steve Schmidt]]
*[[A.J. Delgado]]

{{Liberalism}}

[[Category:Conservative]]
[[Category:RINOs|*]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

C++

2018-10-25T01:53:41Z

VACON:

'''C++''' (pronounced "C plus plus") is a compiled [[Programming Language|programming language]]. It has both high-level and nearly machine-level functionality. It was developed by Dr. Bjarne Stroustrup at [[Bell Labs]] in 1979 as an enhancement to the [[C programming language]].

== "Hello World!" program ==
One of the most common examples of a C program is a "hello world." Below is a basic version of such a program. You liberals program in Java, this is the master race language.

<pre>
#include <iostream.h>

int main()
{
std::cout << "Hello World!";
return 0;
}
</pre>
[[Category:Programming Languages]]

Ted Cruz

2018-10-25T01:50:24Z

VACON:

{{Officeholder
|name=Ted Cruz
|image=Ted cruz.jpg
|party=[[Republican]]
|spouse=Heidi Cruz
|religion=[[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptist]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Texas
|terms=January 3, 2013 - Present
|preceded=[[Kay Bailey Hutchison]]
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
}}

'''Rafael Edward Cruz''', known as '''Ted Cruz''' (born December 22, 1970, in [[Calgary]], Canada) is the junior [[United States Senator]] from [[Texas]], having won the seat vacated by [[Kay Bailey Hutchison]] in 2012. A [[Republican Party|Republican]], Cruz was a Solicitor General of Texas, the chief lawyer for the state before the [[U.S. Supreme Court]].<ref>Cruz has been listed as an author of more than eighty U.S. Supreme Court briefs and personally argued in nine before the U.S. Supreme Court, plus another 31 before other courts. He graduated ''[[magna cum laude]]'' from [[Harvard Law School]] and served as an editor of the ''[[Harvard Law Review]]''.</ref> A [[globalist]], Cruz supported the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA, also known as "Fast Track").<ref>https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/11/11/senator-ted-cruz-did-support-tpa/</ref> Cruz attends the secret [[Koch brothers]]' meetings and advances their agenda without admitting to doing so.<ref>https://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/24/koch-brothers-pence-trump-239928</ref> He pandered to the Koch brothers by at first refusing to endorse [[Donald Trump]] for president.

Senator Cruz was the first candidate to announce for president in 2016, He formed multiple political organizations to support his candidacy prior to the official nomination of Trump in the summer of 2016. Cruz considers himself the political heir of [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>[[Ronald W. Reagan]] lost the Republican nomination for president in 1976, but then won the nomination and the presidency in 1980.</ref> By many accounts, Cruz ended his national political career by initially refusing during his televised address at the Republican National Convention in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], to endorse Trump. He was loudly booed by the audience for his stance.<ref>[http://www.conservativehq.com/node/23643 Analysis by Richard Viguerie, a former Cruz supporter]</ref> Eventually, Cruz did endorse Trump,<ref>https://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Ted-Cruz-Endorses-Donald-Trump/2016/09/23/id/749888 Retrieved September 24, 2016</ref> but not before becoming the recipient of anger and disdain from many for his hesitation.

Cruz's wife, Heidi, is an executive for [[Goldman Sachs]] and was on leave from that [[liberal]] investment bank during the campaign, where she played a dominant strategically and for defining policy positions and fundraising. Ted Cruz has sided with some [[feminist]] positions. Heidi has been a member of the globalist [[Council on Foreign Relations]] and was on the task force that recommended the [[leftist]] [[North American Union]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkmZ64nmUfE</ref><ref>[http://www.cfr.org/canada/building-north-american-community/p8102 "Building a North American Community/More about this publication"] (May 2005). Council on Foreign Relations website/Canada.</ref> Reportedly neither Ted Cruz nor his wife donated anything to churches, including what they describe as their own church, from 2006 to 2010, the most recent time period Cruz has released.<ref>http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-01-30/now-deeply-christian-cruzs-religion-once-wasnt-so-obvious</ref>

Cruz is promoted heavily by [[neocons]] who like his interventionalist foreign policy, but some conservatives see more grandstanding than achievement on social issues.

In prior elections, Cruz has been supported by the [[Tea Party movement]], [[Tea Party Express]], [[Club for Growth]], [[FreedomWorks]], Erick Erickson of [[RedState]], [[Mark Levin]], and former [[Alaska]] Governor [[Sarah Palin]], but also by pro-[[homosexual]] donors as discussed below.

In the Texas Senate primary elections of May 29, 2012, Cruz finished second to Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, but the nine-candidate Republican field forced a run-off. On July 31, Cruz defeated Dewhurst in a second round of voting. Cruz easily defeated [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] former State Representative Paul Sadler in the general election.

==Early life==
Cruz's father [[Rafael Bienvenido Cruz]] fought alongside [[Fidel Castro]] during the [[Cuban Revolution]] and was imprisoned three years later for his political activities. In 1957, he escaped to the [[United States]]. Today he is a pastor in [[Dallas]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Cruz, Ted|url=http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/frontpagemag-com/senator-ted-cruz-confronting-the-threat-of-radical-islam/ |title=Senator Ted Cruz: Confronting the threat of radical Islam |work=FrontPage Magazine |date=May 20, 2013 }} See [[FrontPage Magazine]]</ref> Cruz's mother is an American. After Cruz's birth in [[Alberta]], Canada, the family moved to Texas.

Cruz attended [[Princeton]] where he authored a senior thesis on the [[9th Amendment|9th]] and [[10th Amendment|10th]] Amendments to the [[United States Constitution]], titled "Clipping the Wings of Angels".<ref>[https://archive.org/details/480888-cruz-thesis Ted Cruz's 1992 Princeton Undergrad Thesis], "Clipping the Wings of Angels"</ref>

As a student at [[Harvard Law School]], Cruz was more of a [[libertarian]] than a social conservative.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/metro/what-was-ted-cruz-like-at_b_6941178.html "What was Ted Cruz like at Harvard?"] (May 30, 2015). Huffington Post website/''Metro New York'' blog. See [[Huffington Post]].</ref> He graduated ''magna cum laude'', with his ''Juris Doctor'' degree.

Cruz is a [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptist]], married with two children. Ted Cruz broke his pledge to support the 2016 GOP nominee.

==Texas Solicitor General==
Cruz served as Solicitor General for the state of [[Texas]]. While Solicitor General, Cruz was involved with court cases such as ''[[Medellin v. Texas]]'', ''[[Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow]]'', ''[[League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry]]'', ''[[Van Orden v. Perry]]'', and ''[[D.C. v. Heller]]''.

==Senate career==
Cruz was elected as a member of the Senate in 2012. Beginning on September 24, 2013, Cruz gave a 21-hour speech on the senate floor against [[Obamacare]]. The speech greatly boosted his national profile and led to denunciations from the [[liberal media]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/the-embarrassment-of-senator-ted-cruz.html |title=The embarrassment of Senator Ted Cruz|publisher=''New York Times'' website|date=September 24, 2013}} See [[New York Times]]</ref> His arguments at the time that once ObamaCare was fully implemented, it would be impossible to repeal it, were shown accurate when the GOP had serious trouble agreeing to a repeal-and-replace plan in 2017.<ref>York, Bryan (June 29, 2017). [http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/byron-york-when-ted-cruz-gop-saw-troubled-future-of-obamacare-repeal/article/2627403 Byron York: When Ted Cruz, GOP saw troubled future of Obamacare repeal]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved June 29, 2017.</ref>

==Campaigns financed by substantial pro-[[homosexual]] donations==

The ''Texas Tribune'' determined in 2012 that Ted Cruz's:<ref>Root, Jay (July 3, 2012). [https://www.texastribune.org/2012/07/03/ted-cruzs-gay-billionaire-donor-draws-criticism/ "Cruz mega-donor is gay, pro-pot billionaire"]. The Texas Tribune website.</ref>
{{cquote|largest longtime contributor is a gay billionaire who supports same-sex marriage and [[marijuana]] legalization, campaign finance filings show. Peter Thiel, a [[Germany|German]]-born hedge fund manager and founder of the online payment system [[PayPal]], gave Cruz $251,000 in 2009 for his aborted run for attorney general. The money represented 19 percent of the total raised for that campaign, which Cruz ended after Attorney General [[Greg Abbott]] decided to run for re-election.}}

The ''Texas Monthly'' ran a similar exposé entitled, "Ted Cruz's Gay Marriage Money." This article described how one of Cruz's donors has been:<ref>Ratcliffe, R. G. (March 22, 2015). [http://www.texasmonthly.com/burka-blog/ted-cruzs-gay-marriage-money "Ted Cruz's gay marriage money"]. ''TexasMonthly'' website.</ref>
{{cquote|Paul Elliott Singer of the hedge fund Elliott Management Corporation. Singer, whose son married his partner, donated $425,000 and raised another $500,000 to push for legalization of same-sex marriage in [[New York]]. In 2012, Singer donated $1 million to the American Unity PAC, with the purpose of supporting candidates who back gay marriage. Singer gave Cruz $25,000 in 2009.}}

In April, the ''[[New York Times]]'' ran an article about the special fundraising meeting that Cruz had in [[Manhattan]] with homosexual potential donors: "At New York Reception, Ted Cruz Said to Strike Different Tone Toward Gays."

== Judicial nominees ==
[[File:Ted Cruz speaking in Des Moines.jpg|thumb|Cruz speaking at the Iowa GOP's Growth and Opportunity Party in Des Moines on October 31, 2015.]]
Ted Cruz recommended Judge Gregg Costa for nomination and confirmation to the [[Fifth Circuit|U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals]].<ref>[http://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=news&id=1288 "''Dallas Morning News'': Senate confirms Cornyn and Cruz pick for appeals court"] (May 20, 2014). Ted Cruz U.S. Senate webpage/Press office/News.</ref> As a Senator from Texas, Cruz could have blocked the nomination. Instead, Cruz's support made it happen.

Within five months of his confirmation in May 2014, Judge Costa then voted in favor of rehearing [[Planned Parenthood]]'s case in their attempt to reverse a Fifth Circuit's ruling that had upheld the pro-women, pro-life Texas House Bill 2, a good law that resulted in the closure of roughly half the abortion clinics in Texas. Judge Edith Jones and the majority of the Fifth Circuit outvoted Costa on the petition for rehearing ''en banc'' in ''Planned Parenthood of Greater Tex. Surgical Health Servs. v. Abbott''.<ref>{{Cite court|litigants=Planned Parenthood of Greater Tex. Surgical Health Servs. v. Abbott|url=http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/13/13-51008-CV2.pdf|vol=Vol. 769|reporter=''Federal Reporter'', 3rd series|opinion=Opinion 330|pinpoint=p. 2|date=October 9, 2014|court=United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit}} Retrieved from United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit website on February 6, 2016.</ref>

It was obvious prior to Ted Cruz's recommendation that Judge Costa was not [[pro-life]]. In one of his decisions as a [[United States District Courts|United States district court]] judge in 2012, Judge Costa uncritically cited ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' for a procedural point. Judge Costa had also been a Democrat volunteer in college in the 1990s.

==2016 presidential race==
[[File:Senator of Texas Ted Cruz at New England College Town Hall Meeting.jpg|thumb|Cruz speaking at a Town Hall Meeting at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire on February 3, 2016.]]
On March 23, 2015, Cruz became the first person to announce his candidacy for the [[Republican]] nomination for president in [[2016 presidential election|2016]] in a speech before an audience at [[Liberty University]].<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/video/?324979-1/ted-cruz-presidential-campaign-announcement "Ted Cruz presidential campaign announcement"] (March 23, 2015). C-SPAN video, 38:18. See [[C-SPAN]]</ref> The predictable liberal media immediately went on the offense claiming he has no chance but was in awe of his speech without [[teleprompter]]s.{{fact}} His wife would take a leave of absence from her job at Goldman Sachs to join her husband on the campaign trail. This decision left his family without health insurance. Cruz, by law, has to be insured and took Obamacare coverage. This drove the media batty at the irony of railing against Obamacare but using it.{{fact}}

Cruz would raise $4 million in donations after the first week of his announcement. Liberal media jaws hit the floor when it was learned he raised $31 million in one week from [[PAC]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Boyle |first=Matthew |url=https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/08/mark-halperin-unprecedented-31-million-super-pac-effort-backing-ted-cruz-for-president/ |title=Mark Halperin: Unprecedented $31 million super PAC effort backing Ted Cruz for president|publisher=Breitbart News Network/Big government|date=April 8, 2015 }} See [[Breitbart News Network]]</ref>

====Eligibility====
The same liberals who mocked opponents of Obama for claiming he was not born in [[Hawaii]] have decided to make the same case against Cruz for being born in Canada. Cruz's mother being an American citizen (even though she voted in Canadian elections), just like Obama's mother, insures that he is American no matter what country he was born in. There are several differences in Obama/Cruz birth certificate controversies. Cruz released his immediately after it was requested. Obama held onto his for years, spending nearly $4 million in legal fees.{{fact}} Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship on May 14, 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/08/19/cruz-will-renounce-canadian-citizenship/?wprss=rss_homepage|title=Cruz Will Renounce Canadian Citizenship|last=Blake|first=Aaron|date=August 19, 2013|work=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdate=February 6, 2016}}</ref>

==Political positions==
Cruz opposes [[illegal immigration]],<ref>[http://www.ontheissues.org/international/Ted_Cruz_Immigration.htm "Ted Cruz on immigration"] (January 20, 2015). On the Issues website.</ref> [[gun control]] and [[homosexuality]]. He is [[pro-life]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Bair |first=Andrew |url=https://www.lifenews.com/2013/06/05/pro-life-senator-ted-cruz-to-address-national-right-to-life-convention/ |title=Pro-life Senator Ted Cruz to address National Right to Life Convention |publisher=LifeNews.com|date= June 5, 2013 }} See [[LifeNews.com]]</ref> supports the [[death penalty]]<ref>[http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Ted_Cruz.htm#Crime "Ted Cruz on the issues/Ted Cruz on crime"] (February 2015). On the Issues website.</ref> and believes that the [[USA]] should not get involved in the [[Syrian Civil War]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Tomasky |first=Michael |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/09/marco-rubio-ted-cruz-and-their-craven-and-brazen-hypocrisy-on-syria.html |title=Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and their craven and brazen hypocrisy on Syria|work=The Daily Beast |date=September 9, 2013 }} See [[The Daily Beast]]</ref>

Cruz has effectively criticized [[RINO]]s, calling them "squishes."<ref>{{cite web |last=Weiner |first=Rachel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/04/29/ted-cruz-mocks-squishes-in-republican-party/ |title=Ted Cruz mocks Senate Republican ‘squishes’|work=Washington Post|date=April 29, 2013 }} See [[Washington Post]]</ref>

Showing his support for [[Taiwan]] over the communist and authoritarian [[People's Republic of China]], Cruz met with the Taiwanese president in January 2017, along with Texas governor [[Greg Abbott]], even after China sent a statement asking members of Congress not to do so.<ref>{{cite web | title=Cruz Meets with Taiwanese President, Blasts China | url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/08/cruz-meets-with-taiwanese-president-blasts-china.html | date=January 8, 2017 | publisher=[[Fox News]] | accessdate=January 14, 2017}}</ref>

Border Patrol agents have spoken highly of Cruz for advocating for them and a secure border with [[Mexico]].<ref>Price, Bob (July 25, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/07/25/ted-cruz-advocate-congress-says-border-patrol-agent/ Ted Cruz is Our Advocate in Congress, Says Border Patrol Agent]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 25, 2017.</ref>

Despite voicing support for protecting American [[sovereignty]], Cruz hypocritically supports [[NAFTA]] despite it being a threat to sovereignty.<ref>Byas, Steve (November 8, 2017). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/item/27329-cruz-support-for-nafta-contradicts-his-passion-for-national-sovereignty Cruz Support for NAFTA Contradicts His “Passion” for National Sovereignty]. ''The New American''. Retrieved November 25, 2017.</ref>

==Best selling author==
[[The New York Times|The ''New York Times'']] has engaged in a scheme to keep Cruz's book off of its bestseller list.<ref>{{cite web |last=Howerton |first=Jason |url=http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/07/09/despite-stellar-sales-new-york-times-keeps-ted-cruzs-new-book-off-bestseller-list-heres-the-excuse-given/ |title=Despite stellar sales, ''New York Times'' keeps Ted Cruz’s new book off bestseller list—here’s the excuse given|publisher=The Blaze website|date=July 9, 2015 }} See [[The Blaze]].</ref> At issue was the practice of some politicians to pre-purchase a large quantity of books for use by their campaigns with the hope that those purchases would place the books on the bestseller list for one week. The ''New York Times'' tries to exclude those bulk campaign purchases from the totals used to determine which books have the top sales. The question is whether the bestseller list shows what books the public buys rather than which books the politicians give away.

==2018 reelection bid==

In his bid for a second term in the Senate in the November 6 general election, Cruz faces Democratic U.S. Representative [[Beto O'Rourke]] of [[El Paso]]. In the primary held on March 6, 2018, Lyin' Cruz defeated four weak intra-party opponents. He polled 1,317,450 votes (85.3 percent). In the Democratic primary, O'Rourke received 641,337 votes (61.8 percent). Some 506,000 more Republicans voted in the Texas primary than did Democrats. The liberal O'Rourke, who unlike Lyin' Cruz is not Hispanic, is believed to be a potentially strong opponent because of favorable media coverage, strong fund-raising, large crowds at campaign rallies, and respectable opinion polling. O'Rourke is said to resemble "a Kennedy," referring to the popular [[Massachusetts]] family of politicians. In July, the magazine ''Politico'' declared that "Beto-mania" was sweeping Texas, an early warning to Lyin' Cruz that he could yet be unseated in a "blue wave" across the Lone Star State.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/07/09/beto-mania-sweeps-texas-218961|title=Beto-mania Sweeps Texas|publisher=''Politico'' magazine|date=July 9, 2018|author=Ben Schreckinger|accessdate=July 13, 2018}}</ref>

''Texas Conservative Review'', edited in Houston by Gary M. Polland, in August 2018 called upon Cruz to conduct a more active campaign than he has done thus far to retain his Senate seat:
<blockquote>
…Conservatives are increasingly concerned about the fate of Senator Ted Cruz. The race is a critical one on the ballot. Lyin' Cruz's opponent, left-wing Congressman O'Rourke is out-running Cruz, out-campaigning Cruz and out-personalizing Cruz. Where is the beef, we are asking what happened to making this race about Texas vs. California values? What happened to making the race about Cruz's mainstream values vs. O'Rourke's out-of-step leftist values? Where is the Lyin' Ted Cruz we know and love from his campaign six years ago and from his campaign for President?<br>

If O'Rourke is allowed to make this race about personality and showing up all over, Cruz will lose. Yes, he needs more money, but first, the fighter Ted Cruz needs to re-emerge now.<ref>''Texas Conservative Review'', Vol. XVII No. 20, August 24, 2018.</ref></blockquote>

==Quote==
* "Tonight's speech was less a State of the Union and more a state of denial." (January 12, 2016)

* "If standing for liberty and standing for the Constitution makes you a wacko bird, then count me a proud wacko bird." (A response to [[John McCain]]'s attack on conservatives<ref>[https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2013/03/16/ted-cruz-count-me-a-proud-wacko-bird/ Cruz: 'Count Me a Proud Wacko Bird' for Standing with Rand], [[Breitbart.com]]</ref>

==Books==
''A Time for Truth: Reigniting the Promise of America'' (2015)<br>
''Ted Cruz: For God and Country'' (2015)

==See also==
* [[anti-Trump]]
* [[Senate Elections 2012]]
* [[Senate Conservatives Fund]]
* [[Donna Campbell]]
* [[Salazar v. Buono]]

==External links==
* [http://www.tedcruz.org/ Official Senate campaign website]
* [https://www.facebook.com/tedcruzpage facebook page]
* [https://twitter.com/#!/tedcruz Twitter page]
* [http://www.tedcruz.org/media/videos/ Ted Cruz Videos]
* [https://www.tedcruz.org Ted Cruz 2016 campaign website]

Article:

* [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/07/06/ted-cruzs-father-delivers-epic-speech-touting-patriotism-and-lambasting-obamas-socialist-inclinations/ Ted Cruz’s father delivers epic speech touting patriotism and lambasting Obama’s ‘socialist’ inclinations]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

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