CALIFORNIA YANKEE

Cruz Pulls Anti-Rubio Ad Featuring Porn Star

On Thursday Sen. Ted Cruz launched, and then pulled, an ad hitting Sen. Marco Rubio for his Gang of Eight immigration reform work with Chuck Schumer and company because one of the actresses had previously appeared in pornographic films. Cruz campaign spokesman Rick Tyler said the actress had responded to an open casting call for the ad and  "Unfortunately, she was not vetted by the production company. Had the campaign known of her full filmography, we obviously would not have let her appear in the ad."

According to Fox News, the actress in question, Amy Lindsay, appeared in several movies with titles like "Carnal Wishes" and "Insatiable Desire". She is also listed as having appeared in the TV series "Star Trek: Voyager" and the 1996 film adaptation of Henry James' novel "The Portrait of a Lady." Lindsay let it be known she wasn't happy the ad was pulled in a tweet:

Extremely disappointed the #TedCruz campaign pulled the national television spot I had a role in... #moretocome #myvotecounts
— Amy Lindsay (@amylindsayLA) February 12, 2016

The TV ad, "Conservatives Anonymous," was to be part of series of Cruz ads and website to focus on how Conservatives have been betrayed by their elected officials in Washington, D.C. who fail to keep their promises to fight for Conservative principles. The ad, as described by the New York Times goes like this:

Seven actors playing members of a support group sit on folding chairs in a dimly lighted gymnasium or social hall, over the quietly chirpy sounds of syncopated strings and xylophone. “Has anyone else here struggled with being lied to?” the moderator asks, as the other men and women shift in their seats and look at the floor. 

A white man with a shaved head, wearing a red flannel shirt, speaks up. “Well, I voted for a guy who was a Tea Party hero on the campaign trail, and then he went to D.C. and played patty-cake with Chuck Schumer and cut a deal on amnesty.” The moderator frowns, says “Mmm,” and asks if that made him angry. The rueful voter says no, “It makes me feel dumb for trusting him.”

A woman suggests, “Maybe you should vote for more than just a pretty face next time,” as the moderator consoles the voter with an empathetic shoulder squeeze. The voter, and the group, nod as one.

At that, we hear a door opening, and a haggard-looking man in a wrinkled Marco Rubio campaign T-shirt abruptly appears. “You guys have room for one more?” he asks, and the group eagerly welcomes him.

You can still watch the ad courtesy of the the John Kasich endorsing New York Times. The paper has embedded it as a Times video obviously seeing it as a way to take a shot at both Cruz and Rubio.

The ad was not effective enough and tried to be way too cute with the "just a pretty face" line. The ad didn't go over well with Rubio supporters on social media and might have been counterproductive. Perhaps that had something to do with the ad being pulled.

Cross posted from RedState.

Rubio Hits Trump On Inexperience And Un-presidential Behavior

In the Wall Street Journal, Erica Orden, writes that Sen. Marco Rubio has generally avoided attacking his GOP primary opponents, and on Wednesday Rubio said  his recent debate flub  was due to his reluctance to take down a fellow Republican. That has changed in the South Carolina street fight. Rubio went after Donald Trump Thursday morning attacking the Donald's lack of foreign policy experience and his un-presidential behavior:

“Donald Trump has zero foreign policy experience,” Mr. Rubio, the Florida senator, told a crowd gathered at a retirement community. “Negotiating a hotel deal in another country is not foreign policy experience.” ...

Referring to a recent incident in which Mr. Trump repeated an audience member’s shout-out that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was “a pussy,” Mr. Rubio told his South Carolina listeners that they should reject what he characterized as offensive behavior and language, both in their homes and from their politicians.

“Even in our political culture, I teach my kids to be respectful,” said Mr. Rubio, who has four young children.

Rubio is trying to regain momentum after former presidential candidate Gov. Chris Christie successfully ambushed Rubio in the ABC Hew Hampshire GOP Debate which the biased media wing of the Democrats' Party continues to portray as "disastrous" and a fifth-place finish in New Hampshire primary. Rubio is focusing on his experience on the Senate's Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees ahead of South Carolina's Feb. 20 primary in the state, where a strong national security posture is highly valued:

"National security is the single greatest obligation of the commander in chief," Rubio said. "There is no one left in the Republican field who has better experience . . . than I have."

Rubio also took shots at Jeb Bush and Sen. Ted Cruz:

“Jeb Bush has no foreign policy experience, period, and I'm an incredible admirer of him and his family,” Rubio said, adding he was thankful George W. Bush had become president but that it didn’t change the fact that the Florida governor doesn’t have credibility on the international stage.

“Ted Cruz has a little bit of foreign policy experience, and it’s different than mine,” Rubio said pointing to Cruz’s vote to cut defense spending and his views on Edward Snowden, who Rubio said has harmed national security. Rubio accused Cruz of supporting the former NSA contractor who leaked a trove of national security secrets.

Rubio's best line against the Donald today may have been when he said, You turn on the TV and you have a leading presidential candidate saying profanity from the stage. But that's still not as good as Rubio's July 22, 2015 comment, "We already have a president that has no class." You can watch Rubio say that in the following video at about the 0:50 mark.

Partial transcript of the video:

RUBIO: I don’t think the way he has behaved over the past few weeks is either dignified or worthy of the office he seeks. We already have a president now that has no class. We have a president now, that, you know, does selfie stick videos, that invites YouTube stars there, you know, people who eat cereal out of a bathtub.

It is important for us to have a presidency that restores dignity and class to the White House. And I don't believe some of the language that Trump is employing is worthy of the office. I just do not.

Rubio is right about Trump's vulgarity. I know the Donald says a president Trump would be different than candidate Trump, but I was taught you play like you practice.

Cross posted from RedState.

President Trump Would be Different than Candidate Trump

I watch Donald Trump attack those that go after him or candidates that get close to him in the polls and I wonder about the language he uses. How he calls them terrible, losers and worse. Consider how he called Ben Carson, a renown pediatric neurosurgeon, a mediocre doctor. Or his statements about Carly Fiorina’s appearance. Not to mention his more than inappropriate comments about Megyn Kelly that got him uninvited from the RedState Gathering. And why does he speak to voters at a fourth grade level? After all, Trump has an Ivy League education and is a very successful world class businessman.

So I was intrigued last week when I heard him say that as president he would have a different tone. He said that in response to a question during the press gaggle he conducted on board his 757 aircraft. that exchange occurs at about the 14:35 mark of this YouTube video:

“Reporter: Would use language like that, calling people a loser if you were president?

Trump: No. It would be a different tone.”

When the Washington Examiner published an article titled, “Trump pledges personality change as president,” It got my attention. During his appearance on today’s edition of CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, Trump said that as president, he would not talk as much, be less combative and a cheerleader for the United States, and continue to not be politically correct. The interesting exchange about how President Trump would be different than presidential candidate Trump begins at about the 4:48 mark of the interview with John Dickerson.

Trump tells Dickerson that he would be a “much different person” as president. When Dickerson asks if Trump’s supporters were right when a few of them said that if Trump gets to be president he will have people to coach him and brush off the rough edges of the things he says, Trump denies having rough edges:

“I don’t think I have any rough edges. I’ll be honest with you. I went to an Ivy League school. I was a good student. I went to the Wharton School of Finance … And I can be more politically correct than any coach they can get me. I can be the most politically correct person with you.”

After an exchange during which Dickerson tries in vain to get Trump to say something politically correct, he asks Trump if there isn’t a cost for Trump’s political incorrectness:

“Dickerson: Isn’t there a cost? Think of all the names they call you because of the things you said.
Trump: Well think of the fact that I’m leading in the polls by tremendous margins. I think that’s part of it too. People don’t want Political correctness. They are tired of it. And I think that’s one the things that resonates with me. I don’t go out of my way to be politically incorrect.”

So there you have it. What you see with presidential candidate Trump is not what you would get with a President Trump.

From RedState (broken link)

South Carolina to be a Street fight

South Carolina is going to be a street fight between Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.and Donald Trump.  CNN's Theodore Schleifer, after speaking with nearly a dozen people tied to the Cruz campaign, reports that team Cruz envisions an eventual three-man race between Cruz, Rubio and Trump, but the race isn't consolidating quickly enough and donors are holing back until there is more "clarity" race:

Keep the Promise, the main umbrella of pro-Cruz groups, is encountering a flurry of eager donors after Cruz's victory in Iowa, sources say -- but since it does no active soliciting, it has not yet turned that newfound interest into cash in the bank account.

And a separate, newer super PAC, Stand for Truth, only just hired a professional fundraiser, Kate Doner, CNN has learned. Doner was the longtime fundraiser for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and she has deep connections to many of the major, high-dollar donor networks in Republican politics. . . .

 And even the billionaire Deason family, which has endorsed Cruz, has not given to a super PAC.

According to Schleifer, wallets will open if Cruz does well South Carolina and rivals leave the race. The Cruz campaign had $19 million in the bank as of Dec. 31, more than any other GOP candidate by more than $8 million. To encourage the winnowing to move along expect the Cruz campaign to go after the remaining so-called establishment candidates.  In South Carolina, the Cruz campaign will likely to focus on military issues and continue to go after Rubio and Jeb Bush for saying they would support requiring women to register for the draft.

As to the street fight, Cruz, Rubio and Trump are already mixing it up. Rubio is trying to keep the Ben Carson withdrawing kerfuffle from the Iowa caucuses alive. Trump is airing an ad still trying to damage Cruz with the Carson thing and  the Senate race loan disclosure. Cruz is airing the Playing Trump ad, which is a clever attack on Trump's abuse of eminent domain as well as his un-presidential behavior. They all need to hit a lot harder. Watch the Playing Trump ad:

They all need to hit a lot harder. Will they?

Cross posted from RedState.

Christie officially suspends presidential campaign

Data curated by InsideGov

CBS Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett, citing a senior campaign source, reports that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is calling it quits. Maybe Christie's campaign spokeswoman is on board this time. According to Garrett, Christie made his decision after conferring with major donors. He concluded that he did not have the financial support to continue his campaign,

Christie was the only candidate left running who has so far accumulated zero delegates. At least if you don't count Jim Gilmore.

Fiorina suspends her presidential campaign

Data curated by InsideGov

Carly Fiorina has suspended her presidential campaign. She made the announcement Wednesday on Facebook:

This campaign was always about citizenship—taking back our country from a political class that only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected. Election after election, the same empty promises are made and the same poll-tested stump speeches are given, but nothing changes. I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I'm not going to start now. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them.

Our Republican Party must fight alongside these Americans as well. We must end crony capitalism by fighting the policies that allow it to flourish. We must fix our festering problems by holding our bloated, inept government bureaucracy accountable. Republicans must stand for conservative principles that lift people up and recognize all Americans have the right to fulfill their God-given potential.

You can read her entire statement here.

Fiorina came in eighth in the Iowa Republican Caucuses and seventh in the New Hampshire Republican Primary.

Christie spokeswoman says not so fast

Data curated by InsideGov

Amid an avalanche of news reports Gov. Chris Chistie would suspend his Presidential campaign and winnow down the field candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination after his disappointing sixth-place finish in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, Reuters reports a Christie campaign spokeswoman says no decision had been made about whether Christie will stay in the race:

"No decision has been made," spokeswoman Sam Smith said in an email to Reuters.

Christie's departure would leave eight Republicans in the presidential race. After the Primary election results came in on Tuesday evening, the two-term governor said he was returning to New Jersey rather than moving on to South Carolina, the next primary contest, and would reassess his campaign.

Trump's opponents could benefit if Christie pulls out. Two New Hampshire Establishment Republicans, Judd Gregg and John Sununu, told a Bloomberg Politics breakfast that the party needs to quickly coalesce around an alternative to anti-establishment insurgents Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. the two former New Hampshire governors Gregg said there are too candidates splitting the mainstream Republican voters.

Christie to Suspend Presidential Campaign

Data curated by InsideGov

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie plans to issue a statement this afternoon that he is suspending his presidential campaign. Christie bet his presidential hopes on a strong showing in New Hampshire’s primary, brushing off Iowa. Christie's sixth place finish wasn't good enough.

With 84% of the precincts reporting the New Hampshire Republican results are:

• Donald Trump - 35.6%
• John Kasich - 15.7%
• Ted Cruz - 11.6%
• Jeb Bush - 11.0%
• Marco Rubio - 10.7%
• Chris Christie - 7.5%
• Carly Fiorina - 4.1%
• Ben Carson - 2.3%
• Other - 1.4%
• Jim Gilmore - 0.1%

Christie will be remembered for the alleged hug of President Obama that some feel helped Obama defeat Mitt Romney. He will also be remembered for his ambush of Sen. Marco Rubio during the ABC GOP New Hampshire debate which stopped Rubio's momentum.

Trump and Sanders win New Hampshire

Data curated by InsideGov

The winners of New Hampshire primary, Donald Trump for the Republicans and Bernie Sanders for the Democrats, were called as soon as all the polls closed.

With 36% of precinct reporting the Republican results are as follows:

Donald Trump - 33.6%
John Kasich - 16.9%
Ted Cruz - 11.7%
Jeb Bush - 11.3%
Marco Rubio - 10.7%
Chris Christie - 7.6%
Carly Fiorina - 4.4%
Ben Carson - 2.4%
Other 1,309 - 1.4%
Jim Gilmore - 0.1%

There will be more to say about the results when we know which GOP candidates get tickets out of New Hampshire by finishing second, third, fourth and fifth.

The Trump ground game is a huuuuge loser

Donald Trump has admitted that he "never realized" the importance of building a ground game.

“It would seem to me that people would just go out and vote,” he said.

The Donald's lack of concern or ignorance about the basic technique of American politics surely contributed to Trump’s defeat by the excellent ground game of  Sen. Ted Cruz' campaign. Worse Trump's failed Iowa effort, led by Chuck Laudner who ran Santorum's 2012 Iowa ground game, was stronger than Trumps operation in New Hampshire.

Donald Trump's failure to build a field organization – recruit volunteers at his Huuuuge rallies, identify voters and then mobilize those voters with an old-fashioned get-out--vote effort, is just as big of a weakness for Trump in New Hampshire as it was in Iowa. Trump has failed to capitalize on the gold mine that his rallies could have been. Trump seems destined to underperform again in New Hampshire. One veteran New Hampshire Republican operative, Ryan Williams, described the Trump organization in the New Hampshire as "pathetic."

Attendees at Trump rallies register online, but there is little effort to capture their information. According to the Guardian article:

At an event in Plymouth, New Hampshire, on Sunday, for example, no one signed people in as they arrived, which meant no record was kept of who had shown up. Nor were any opportunities presented for supporters to commit to volunteering on election day.

Nor has the Trump campaign reached out to attendees whose information it does have. The Guardian's Ben Jacobs spoke to dozens of Trump volunteers and supporters at rallies in New Hampshire. Many had been emailed by the campaign but none had been called about volunteering. Contrast Trump's losing effort to Obama's 2008 Iowa campaign. Every event attendee was contacted by phone within 48 hours, asked if they supported Obama and if yes would they volunteer for him.

Trump's failure to build an effective ground game in New Hampshire, where he had the better part of year to do so, raises questions about his ability to turn out voters in the upcoming states where he will now only have weeks, if not days, to organize. Trump's groundless game remains a huuuuge loser.

Cross-posted from RedState.