If either or both of these super dangerous blowhards fail to live up to the billing that the media has lavished on them; for instance, they lose, the media will be out of there like the blizzard last week. Hey, I'm an optimistic person
12
I just have to congratulate the great writing, especially loved:
"Here in Iowa four years ago, I marveled at the Everest of vanity that was Newt Gingrich. But he doesn’t even reach base camp on the slopes of Trump, whose campaign is one bottomless, boundless soliloquy of self-congratulation."
"Here in Iowa four years ago, I marveled at the Everest of vanity that was Newt Gingrich. But he doesn’t even reach base camp on the slopes of Trump, whose campaign is one bottomless, boundless soliloquy of self-congratulation."
48
Both of these GOP candidates are intoxicated by their own verbosity. Both think only of their own goal - to have the biggest d--- in the contest or the presidency. Neither is fit to serve in an oval office , let alone the one in the White House.
31
The ground is being readied for another Lucius Cornelius Sulla. May reason save us in time.
12
Actually it would be nice if the GOP candidates would talk about their vision for this country, supported by really true facts. However, they can't, because each of them is so filled with hatred (yes, hatred) of women, anyone with different skin color, the middle class, the poor, this planet Earth, regulatory bodies charged with keeping us safe, to name a few) that none of them is able to recognize what is really happening in this country and the world or to develop any reasonable ideas to move us all forward. The entire GOP has become so un-American it has become frightening. They want nothing but power and they will tell any lie and stroke any unreasonable fear to attain it.
37
When I see and hear Cruz I think of a reconstituted version of Joseph McCarthy. As far as I know only Trudeau, the cartoonist, has made this connection.
16
Is it really possible that the GOP is seriously thinking of offering up for the presidency of the United States (1) Donald Trump, a substance-challenged, continuously offensive mouth who is endorsed by Palin, Falwell, and Putin, and (2) Ted Cruz, equally mouthy, policy deficient, and unliked by everyone (Trump got that right), who's gained the support of Beck and Perry (do ya'll really want the nation to look like Texas?)? Is all this some sort of bad joke?
Unbelievable. GOP, enough joking around. It's time to heal thyself.
Unbelievable. GOP, enough joking around. It's time to heal thyself.
33
The comment recently by Trump that he could shoot someone and people would still support him, recalled John Lennon so many years ago saying the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Fame is intoxicating for the famous and fanatic. Supporters of Trump and Cruz aren't listening to what these candidates say so much as what they represent. What better person to fix the economy than a successful businessman. Elect the devoutly religious and society will be safer. It does not matter what they do or how they do it. Blind faith fills the vacuum when the air of reason ceases to exist. These demagogues know promising anything and everything to the disillusioned faithful, like touting the latest and greatest soap detergent, is just fine as long as they buy it.
15
Both of these men are malignant narcissists. It's not a matter of not being humble or being self-involved or egocentric. It's a major personality disorder and used to be called megalomania. There are not words to describe the destruction these people are capable of - though we are getting a taste of it.
33
Infatuated with themselves? More so than Hillary Clinton?
4
The entire editorial is amusing since I actually know Ted Cruz. He IS a very humble guy. No, he does not always come across this way, but sometimes appearances are deceiving. And this is one of those times.
2
Frankly, whenever I see these discussions about politicians and their extreme views, to me, it always speaks more of the significant number of the citizenry that actually support these guys and I find that even more disturbing.
26
Didn't I read this same column just yesterday? And that day before yesterday? And the day before that? I question why is the Times giving these men (especially Trump) so much attention when there is nothing new to say.
14
Why is it that so many Democrats think Hillary Clinton won’t be able to get much done if President and Bernie Sanders won’t be able to get anything done, but that Trump will be able to get everything done before breakfast of the morning after Inauguration Day?
7
Of all the clowns in the cavalcade, Cruz scares me the most. Yes, even more than the Donald who I really do believe is pranking all of America.
Cruz is the scariest because he truly believes he has G-d on his side, or in his pocket, or on his shoulder....somewhere where one suspects G-d isn't. Cruz has a stance that goes way beyond hubris, and handing him the keys to this country is dangerous.
If people who worked with Cruz over the years all had glowing things to say about his determination, his stamina, his ability to listen and comprehend, then I would wonder whether or not I was missing some great key to his puzzle. But that's not the case; people who have worked close quarters with the man detest him. With Rick Perry at this side, it's as though he's daring the rest of us to like him. That's not a good sign.
Trump, on the other hand, gets bigger and bigger and bigger in many of the same ways as Cruz, but he bloviates more. Trump keeps pushing the ridiculousness envelop and will continue to do so. He's daring us to take him seriously when it's becoming clearer that this whole candidacy thing is his idea of a practical joke. The more column inches and air time he gets, the more bombastic he becomes.
If I had to choose something to worry about, it's Cruz. He takes this all very seriously. If he gets elected, well, we have gotten the government we deserve. Clearly, We, the People were not paying enough attention.
http://wifelyperson.blogspot.com/
Cruz is the scariest because he truly believes he has G-d on his side, or in his pocket, or on his shoulder....somewhere where one suspects G-d isn't. Cruz has a stance that goes way beyond hubris, and handing him the keys to this country is dangerous.
If people who worked with Cruz over the years all had glowing things to say about his determination, his stamina, his ability to listen and comprehend, then I would wonder whether or not I was missing some great key to his puzzle. But that's not the case; people who have worked close quarters with the man detest him. With Rick Perry at this side, it's as though he's daring the rest of us to like him. That's not a good sign.
Trump, on the other hand, gets bigger and bigger and bigger in many of the same ways as Cruz, but he bloviates more. Trump keeps pushing the ridiculousness envelop and will continue to do so. He's daring us to take him seriously when it's becoming clearer that this whole candidacy thing is his idea of a practical joke. The more column inches and air time he gets, the more bombastic he becomes.
If I had to choose something to worry about, it's Cruz. He takes this all very seriously. If he gets elected, well, we have gotten the government we deserve. Clearly, We, the People were not paying enough attention.
http://wifelyperson.blogspot.com/
23
Both men have such egos that they will serve their illusions of themselves first, the nation, its needs, and its voters a distant last.
I've a better idea for these preening egotists: leave us alone and make love to themselves orally--and permanently (with the aid of a bit of Krazy Glue).
I've a better idea for these preening egotists: leave us alone and make love to themselves orally--and permanently (with the aid of a bit of Krazy Glue).
10
We shall see what the caucuses bring.
One candidate is riding the reality tv show wave; the other is paddling in his wake, ready for his wipeout. Will the debate opt-out be the tsunami?
... stay tuned, Gidget.
One candidate is riding the reality tv show wave; the other is paddling in his wake, ready for his wipeout. Will the debate opt-out be the tsunami?
... stay tuned, Gidget.
2
cruz always looks as if hes about to cry
looks do not indicate ability, for sure
yet a president is on camera a lot in his term, and projecting a look of incipient tears is not what th american people look for in a leader
looks do not indicate ability, for sure
yet a president is on camera a lot in his term, and projecting a look of incipient tears is not what th american people look for in a leader
2
I got lost in the all the meatphors about Everest, mountain ranges and base camp.
1
In my seventy years on this Earth, I truly never thought I would see anyone worse than George Wallace. I am ashamed to say my state and country have produced more of the same demagogic ilk -Roy Moore, Scott Walker, Sarah Oalin, Rick Snyder et al. But the worst are Trump and Cruz.
Be very, very afraid.
Be very, very afraid.
25
In lieu of the failed & failing establishment hopes in the Repub lineup, Marco Rubio notwithstanding, Ted Cruz is all they've got left.
Trump, with his nod to taking on the drug companies vis a vis Medicare only increases the fear & loathing among bigwigs in conservative power circles. With the prospect of $5 a head lettuce & budget motels at $200 a night, a President Trump would satisfy the rubes with his Great Wall on the border. Knowing how that worked out for an early Chinese dynasty, Trump can rely on the tunneling & carpentry skills of our neighbors south of the border to satisfy that element of conservatism that actually produces something, even if the labor comes from "them."
Trump is as dangerous to "conservatives" as he is to the country.
Trump, with his nod to taking on the drug companies vis a vis Medicare only increases the fear & loathing among bigwigs in conservative power circles. With the prospect of $5 a head lettuce & budget motels at $200 a night, a President Trump would satisfy the rubes with his Great Wall on the border. Knowing how that worked out for an early Chinese dynasty, Trump can rely on the tunneling & carpentry skills of our neighbors south of the border to satisfy that element of conservatism that actually produces something, even if the labor comes from "them."
Trump is as dangerous to "conservatives" as he is to the country.
4
Saint Ronald was an unwitting tool of the oligarchs he so admired, Tricky Dick was a paranoid opportunist, W was evil, but the United States managed to survive (although gravely wounded). Since Trump and Cruz seem to be gathering so much support, I am very afraid for our future. It has been said that every nation gets the government it deserves,but I hope we deserve better than either of these two.
23
you have good cause for concern
8
One twin is not the evil twin, and the other the good one. In this case, both twins are evil.
13
The speaking techniques described here that Cruz employs are seldom commented on considering how off the charts they are. They are techniques used for generations by Protestant revivalist type preachers whether in a traveling roadshow revival tent or on their own TV network. For example, perhaps Cruz's Dominonist preacher father?
Another odd thing about Cruz is the haircut. Why did he decide to have his thinning hair cut and comb it back in the style of a 1950's insurance salesman? I don't know if he uses Brylcreem or gel, but the effect is the same. Between that and being out of shape and overweight, he looks about a decade or two older than Paul Ryan. They are exactly the same age. Both narcissists, but their approach to presentation is quite different.
Another odd thing about Cruz is the haircut. Why did he decide to have his thinning hair cut and comb it back in the style of a 1950's insurance salesman? I don't know if he uses Brylcreem or gel, but the effect is the same. Between that and being out of shape and overweight, he looks about a decade or two older than Paul Ryan. They are exactly the same age. Both narcissists, but their approach to presentation is quite different.
10
Frankly, the worldview of the millions who follow these two candidates concerns me more than the rise of these two candidates themselves.
26
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM) has for many years grouped Personality Disorders into clusters with similar, and often overlapping, characteristics. Frank Bruni paints a powerful picture of the obvious Narcissism of both Cruz and Trump. But it’s also important to consider the extent to which both men demonstrate traits of the related Antisocial, Histrionic, and Borderline Personality Disorders. Persons with Borderline Personality Disorder demonstrate dysregulated emotions, relationships, and thinking; they idealize others or devalue them. There’s no in between.
I am a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist with 38 years of experience. One of the most common thinking errors is binary or dichotomous thinking: yes or no, right or wrong, all or nothing, with no ability to understand or tolerate shades of gray. The Republican Party has for years distilled every issue into a binary sound bite, and drawn into the fold those who share this cognitive distortion. It makes for loud proclamations on talk radio, and now on the campaign trail. It does not make for good governance, or any possibility of compromise.
I am a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist with 38 years of experience. One of the most common thinking errors is binary or dichotomous thinking: yes or no, right or wrong, all or nothing, with no ability to understand or tolerate shades of gray. The Republican Party has for years distilled every issue into a binary sound bite, and drawn into the fold those who share this cognitive distortion. It makes for loud proclamations on talk radio, and now on the campaign trail. It does not make for good governance, or any possibility of compromise.
31
Ted Cruz stood for the shutting down of the government as a means to promote himself at the expense of the people and 26 billion dollars. What would he do as President?
Lately he has been trying to put on a statesman like face, but like Dorian Grey and his portrait in the attic his true face shows up in his actions and the one he attempts to hide.
Lately he has been trying to put on a statesman like face, but like Dorian Grey and his portrait in the attic his true face shows up in his actions and the one he attempts to hide.
16
Bruni nails their similarities - at last. Both Trump and Cruz suffer (actually we do the suffering here) from a serious case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It's easy to spot.
Here's a list of symptoms from the esteemed Mayo Clinic:
• Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
• Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
• Exaggerating your achievements and talents
• Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
• Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people
• Requiring constant admiration
• Having a sense of entitlement
• Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations
• Taking advantage of others to get what you want
• Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
• Being envious of others and believing others envy you
• Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-d...
Any questions?
Here's a list of symptoms from the esteemed Mayo Clinic:
• Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
• Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
• Exaggerating your achievements and talents
• Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
• Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people
• Requiring constant admiration
• Having a sense of entitlement
• Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations
• Taking advantage of others to get what you want
• Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
• Being envious of others and believing others envy you
• Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-d...
Any questions?
31
Let us not forget that we are auditioning for the CEO of the United States of America, and that these two clowns (the Real Estate Developer and the Ayatollah from Texas) represent what is supposedly great about our Country: Unfettered Capitalism, Consumerism, Religiosity, Greed is Good, American Exceptionalism, Freedom of Speech (as in Talk Radio and Fox News), The Land of the Mega Church, the Military-Industrial Complex, the Gun Rights, USA!, USA!, and so on. Any wonder that two disgusting human beings have attracted the support of a large segment of the populace? Before you condemn the messenger, please reconsider your world-view, your dearly-held beliefs, and your professed values, America!
11
"The current ecosystem is toxic, and Trump and Cruz flourish." I'll extend that analogy a bit further. In any toxic ecosystem, whether political or environmental, you only have to see what rises to to the top. It's the sludge, debris and ultimately the victims floating on the surface.
At some point, it has to be cleaned up.
At some point, it has to be cleaned up.
8
@soxared--- 'He, for his part, is simply Sarah Palin redux minus the dress.'
I hope the would-be emperor does remember to don some clothes in lieu of a dress. But further, his word salad is more distasteful than Palin's being comprehensible--- and so all the more reprehensible.
I hope the would-be emperor does remember to don some clothes in lieu of a dress. But further, his word salad is more distasteful than Palin's being comprehensible--- and so all the more reprehensible.
4
These two men are egomaniacs, but not quite the same. Trump is a bombastic huckster with no political background or substance. Cruz is smarter but wrong about everything, including the idea that he should be President. If he cannot get along with GOP senators, never mind those across the aisle, how could he possibly deal with either allies or foes of the US? He is a legend in his own mind, with delusions of grandeur that match Trump's, but he brings to mind "Dr. Stangelove". Do either of these men have the intelligence, judgement or character to have their finger on the proverbial nuclear button? The answer is a resounding no.
17
Alas, the "proverbial" nuclear button is all too real. It must be kept as far away as possible from either Trump or Cruz.
11
While I understand that Rick Perry is financially comfortable, his ego still needs massaging. So, I wonder what positions in his administration, should he be elected president---god forbid--Cruz has promised the corrupt former Texas governor? From the accompanying photo, I see Perry still wearing the glasses that were to make him appear intellectual. And he's simply too ignorant to recognize they aren't working. As John Cleese says about FOX viewers, you have to have some intelligence to recognize that you're stupid.
10
To think that Tricky Dick got himself tossed out of office for the then politically mortal sin of snooping on his rival.
The bar's been set so low that it now spans the sewer. It's all muck all the time for the gerrymandering (ie. cheating) fact-free (ie. lying) GOP leadership. A truly desperate bunch if we're to go by the outrages put on offer 365x24.
Who could have thought back then that Watergate would one day appear so quaint?
The bar's been set so low that it now spans the sewer. It's all muck all the time for the gerrymandering (ie. cheating) fact-free (ie. lying) GOP leadership. A truly desperate bunch if we're to go by the outrages put on offer 365x24.
Who could have thought back then that Watergate would one day appear so quaint?
14
Great choice: a braying egomaniac with Saudi partners and a lot of bankruptcies who rather strikes one as a coward, or a braying far-right religious fundamentalist married to a Wall Street exec who's never really done anthing to help his country and rather strikes one as a coward.
12
Another op-ed on the two least qualified candidates on the Republican field. I just wish you could take the time to feature columns on Mr. Bush, Mr. Kasich, Mr. Paul, Mr. Rubio, you know the candidates with actual ideas for governing the country without having to promote ridiculous ideas or in the case of Trump no ideas at all except to self promote and attack others. Is that possible NYT?
5
"They’re grim prophecies come true. Many of us have worried that the increasingly circus like, invasive, round-the-clock nature of modern campaigns would frighten off anyone with an inkling of modesty, an iota of self-doubt. Who would endure this ordeal and make this bargain?".....Ah, let's see.....
There might be Barack Hussein Obama.
And Bernie Sanders.
And Joe Biden.
Even Hillary took a listening tour, although her humbleness is not quite up to snuff.
When we read and hear and talk about the callousness of modern politics why are all the examples of the toxicity from the republican right?
Bernie Sanders is said to be un-electable because he carries the label of socialist, while the entire republican establishment is terrified that T rump will be their candidate as he carries the label fascist.
Bernie Sanders is exactly the man and the candidate of humility and patience and the ability to listen and learn, and yes teach, that republicans have been clamoring for for years.
Come to think of it, so is Barack Obama, who is exactly the kind of candidate David Brooks has so longed for on these pages.
There might be Barack Hussein Obama.
And Bernie Sanders.
And Joe Biden.
Even Hillary took a listening tour, although her humbleness is not quite up to snuff.
When we read and hear and talk about the callousness of modern politics why are all the examples of the toxicity from the republican right?
Bernie Sanders is said to be un-electable because he carries the label of socialist, while the entire republican establishment is terrified that T rump will be their candidate as he carries the label fascist.
Bernie Sanders is exactly the man and the candidate of humility and patience and the ability to listen and learn, and yes teach, that republicans have been clamoring for for years.
Come to think of it, so is Barack Obama, who is exactly the kind of candidate David Brooks has so longed for on these pages.
7
The trouble with politics is it attracts these people who want to rule others--not participate in a democracy. Their egos are so large that they think they know the right way to live and the rest of us are sheep.
4
More worrisome than the candidates themselves is their supporters. Says Trump: "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters...It’s like, incredible!" Trump can't believe it himself, and yet, there it is. Whether either Cruz or Trump is nominated, they have made clear that there are many Americans (not all of them Republicans) with violent emotions that overcome any rationality. That support is what is worrisome, more than the candidates' personas.
4
I can see why Mr. Bruni dislikes Cruz and Trump.
After all, it's not liked they dodged sniper fire in Bosnia. Or reset relations with Russia. Or brought peace to Libya. Or made a bundle on a first time investment in cattle futures. Or implemented a version of national healthcare in 1993. Or left a job "flat broke" and subsequently made a fortune. Or flew private jets on their foundation's dime.
And Cruz and Trump lack endorsements from ex-con Martha Stewart, Wonder Woman Lynda Carter, Chaz Bono, the brain-trust Olsen twins, and (last but not least) "adult model" Air Force Amy.
And lastly, neither has been coached by their handlers to show "humility" and "authenticity." If they had, they'd be pictured crisscrossing the country in a minivan -- hobnobbing with the little people.
Yes. I see the qualities Mr. Bruni seeks in a President. If she avoids being indicted, he still might get his wish.
After all, it's not liked they dodged sniper fire in Bosnia. Or reset relations with Russia. Or brought peace to Libya. Or made a bundle on a first time investment in cattle futures. Or implemented a version of national healthcare in 1993. Or left a job "flat broke" and subsequently made a fortune. Or flew private jets on their foundation's dime.
And Cruz and Trump lack endorsements from ex-con Martha Stewart, Wonder Woman Lynda Carter, Chaz Bono, the brain-trust Olsen twins, and (last but not least) "adult model" Air Force Amy.
And lastly, neither has been coached by their handlers to show "humility" and "authenticity." If they had, they'd be pictured crisscrossing the country in a minivan -- hobnobbing with the little people.
Yes. I see the qualities Mr. Bruni seeks in a President. If she avoids being indicted, he still might get his wish.
1
Both Trump and Cruz share the dual stripes of egomania and deception. Trump portrays himself as a self-made business tycoon. Forbes Magazine calculates that if he had merely invested his large inheritance in mutual funds he would be twice as rich as he is now. Cruz, on the other hand, has lied about his campaign finances running for Senate and pretends to be a man of faith and the people. The fact is he has been bought and paid for by four billionaires running super-PACs for him since 2012.
Birds of a feather.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/billionaire-donors-aided-ted-cruzs-rise-in-2...
Birds of a feather.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/billionaire-donors-aided-ted-cruzs-rise-in-2...
6
I like your words of comparison: "twinned egos"...........Somehow, I am reminded of George W and Dick Cheney. Although, "twinned" may be giving W too much credit, seeing as how he was the puppet and Cheney the "puppetmaster".
4
It's an appropriate metaphor to compare Trumplestiltskin and Rafael E Crudes to swans. Anyone who has crossed paths with one in a park can tell you that swans are aggressive, cantankerous beasts with little going for them other than outer beauty. Describes Trumplestiltskin and Crudes to a T, the physical beauty part excepted, of course.
Now how about looking at some of the candidates' platforms and policy proposals, instead of examining what the New York Dolls called a "Personality Crisis?"
Now how about looking at some of the candidates' platforms and policy proposals, instead of examining what the New York Dolls called a "Personality Crisis?"
3
I would really appreciate it if those with the bully pulpit (Op-Ed Columnists) spend more time now on analyzing what could be done inside the GOP to take down these budding dictators. I've read so many columns about how demonic they are, but only a bit about how the GOP walks back from this edge. They MUST do that. I don't mean to be overly dramatic but I believe our democracy is in danger. All voices with a forum need to push the GOP to honestly respond to this crisis -- and don't kid yourselves, it is a crisis. Hearing politicos whispering about which side will allow them to retain some power is downright disgusting. If we ever wondered what it was like in Europe pre WW II we have an excellent example in front of us. Anyone who allies themselves with either Trump or Cruz is participating in the take down of effective, responsible governing. Call out anyone -- by name -- who thinks they can slide by and hold their power by siding --just temporarily-- with one of the devil boys. No, this is the time to stand up and act courageously.
9
I have worked with many overly egotistical teenagers who were far better educated and far more intelligent that either Trump or Cruz. However, in effect they were no more effective and were far worse for the outcome of the research study of the moment.
Sarah Palin needs to go back to Alaska and look after her family and return to skinning moose. Her endorsement alone tells you a lot about Trump.
Please wake up America! That amusing loudmouth who refuses to do his homework would not make a good leader for the US.
We note now that Trump is afraid to engage in a debate if a particular woman is one of the organizers. He would have no problem if he simply did his homework.
Sarah Palin needs to go back to Alaska and look after her family and return to skinning moose. Her endorsement alone tells you a lot about Trump.
Please wake up America! That amusing loudmouth who refuses to do his homework would not make a good leader for the US.
We note now that Trump is afraid to engage in a debate if a particular woman is one of the organizers. He would have no problem if he simply did his homework.
1
Let's see... Cruz and Trump endorsed by Perry and Palin, check. Flint's water poisoned by GOP admin, check. Planned Parenthood vindicated, anti-choice filmmakers indicted, check. No counter-proposal to ACA but 50 attempts at repeal, check. Citizens United, check. Gas at $2/gallon, check. Gun-loving ranchers occupy Federal bird sanctuary, one dead, check. No movement on gun control, check. Restrict immigration in a country of immigrant descendants, check. No wonder Brooks and Douthat are freaking out.
GOP is headed for a Goldwater style rout. Keep up the egomania Donald and Ted, you're the best advertising Democrats ever had!
GOP is headed for a Goldwater style rout. Keep up the egomania Donald and Ted, you're the best advertising Democrats ever had!
6
Of course democrats are ever so humble, with no ego at all, right?
1
"Every successful politician is a self-promoter. Every campaign is a sequence of boasts." From the article. You gotta read'em to the end.
Name one Democrat with an ego that rivals Cruz, or Trump....
It all varies on a continuum of extremes. In your opinion, they may be all equivalent on this factor, but I would agree with Mr. Bruni that Trump & Cruz win this ego thing hands down, by far.
5
Both Trump and Cruz are, in the words of Shakespeare, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing".
4
Ever since Nixon's Southern strategy, the Republican Party has been doubling down on ignorance, prejudice, resentment and demagogy, and its reverse evolution has left us with the likes of Cruz, Perry, Palin and Trump. One wonders where icons such as Lincoln, TR and Ike would be hanging their hats if they were to make a return visit, but that's assuming that they first could stop hanging their heads.
4
Egotism and lack of humility are the least of Ted Cruz's problems. His ideas are what we should be worried about.
13
That political candidates can be egotistical narcissists is nothing new. Neither is their shape-shifting when they think it's politically expedient to easily change long-held "convictions" for the sake of a few votes. Those are just givens.
That a gifted columnist like Mr. Bruni, however, very familiar with politics, issues and those who make careers out of elective office, thinks this is news, is interesting, and almost shocking in its seeming naiveté.
.
That a gifted columnist like Mr. Bruni, however, very familiar with politics, issues and those who make careers out of elective office, thinks this is news, is interesting, and almost shocking in its seeming naiveté.
.
2
“Crump”, as I, and apparently Stephen Colbert, have picked up on the theme of blending personas of the two leaders of the Republican rodeo. There is a hand-in-glove fit for both Trump and Cruz to express the basest parts of their personalities. One combatively argues that his achievements in business and by strength of character, he can reach high and deliver. Deliver what? Well, that's never been defined except in the terms of business and personal power. The other half of the duo, the less appealing personality, as seen by most – particularly those who know him best - sees the run for the presidency as an anointment, an achievement based primarily on demagoguery.
The two compliment themselves, and each other, with a vicious egocentricity and a narcissism that makes each a caricature of the bombastic, and the self-righteous.
It is time for the country to begin taking this race seriously. Iowa has the opportunity to show the way but their byzantine process leaves the rest of us scratching our heads. New Hampshire begins the real input, as far as I can see, and the hope shifts to them after next weeks caucuses. Perhaps one or the other state will suggest a path forward that is indeed mature and helpful.
The two compliment themselves, and each other, with a vicious egocentricity and a narcissism that makes each a caricature of the bombastic, and the self-righteous.
It is time for the country to begin taking this race seriously. Iowa has the opportunity to show the way but their byzantine process leaves the rest of us scratching our heads. New Hampshire begins the real input, as far as I can see, and the hope shifts to them after next weeks caucuses. Perhaps one or the other state will suggest a path forward that is indeed mature and helpful.
6
Spot on, two superegos in need of help so they won't step on themselves; arrogant, full of nonsense, demagogues to the end. I suspect that part of the reason they are out there speaking to their converts (misinformed and prejudiced folks, and loaded with anger and rage) is because their spouses can't stand them for long. Perhaps they are the one's looking at the mirror and demanding to know how is the ugliest, the most vulgar, the cheapest of them all? Clownish indeed. And dangerous for any democracy worth its name.
1
"Lovely to look at, delightful to know, and heaven to..." Preening arrogance, where one of them can shoot someone in the street, and the other can take over the world. Perfect.
3
Having read that about Sen. Cruz's childhood ambitions, I am reminded of Stewie Griffin of "Family Guy". The more I think of them, the more I feel there is a similarity.
5
I'm reminded of Styron's 'Darkness Visible'. Both Cruz and Trump have laid bare their own and the nation's darkest hearts. We all have places inside us that need to be brought into the light. My fondest hope is that these two may serve as national psychopomps, illuminating our own national irrationalities, and making it possible for us to begin to address them in the light of day. Our individual hatreds, greed and delusions are vividly on display in these two.
6
Der Fuehrer Trump is a megalomaniac.
Canadian Rafael Edward Cruz is a self-serving narcissist who thinks he is always the smartest guy in the room, and he is going to tell you so, again and again.
Neither one of these guys would have a snowball's chance of accomplishing anything if elected POTUS. That is one very good reason why neither should get the Republican nomination.
Let's see if Republicans are smart enough to figure that out.
Canadian Rafael Edward Cruz is a self-serving narcissist who thinks he is always the smartest guy in the room, and he is going to tell you so, again and again.
Neither one of these guys would have a snowball's chance of accomplishing anything if elected POTUS. That is one very good reason why neither should get the Republican nomination.
Let's see if Republicans are smart enough to figure that out.
4
To the religious: Cruz lacks Jesus's attributes. You can bet it's his own voice in his head that provides answers when he prays.
Trump is simply relieved to have found an "out" to avoid the next debate. The more he has to say when he doesn't control the conversation, the less he has to say.
Trump is simply relieved to have found an "out" to avoid the next debate. The more he has to say when he doesn't control the conversation, the less he has to say.
3
The notion that Trump and Cruz are of the same cloth is to misunderstand what each is trying to do. Trump, despite his extreme positions about immigrants and Muslims, is not an idealogue like Cruz is. Cruz is much more dangerous as a candidate and as a human being because he's smart and cunning in an evil way. He is one of those con artists, who can become your best friend only to take all that you are willing and are not willing to give (because he'll take it anyway). Trump is a business man who is using his skills to exploit the dissatisfaction of Washington politics. Unfortunately, Trump has neither the integrity or moral fortitude to understand the ugly kind of racism and religious intolerance that he wages as he races to win an election.
5
I think there are more normal candidates in the GOP field--Kasich and Paul come to mind. They are more humble, a tad less narcissistic than Trump and Cruz. And their take on the issues is more pragmatic and rational. Also, Paul and Kasich have voiced similar concerns Bruni details. The reason these two narcissists rise in the polls has largely to do with the frustrations of the electorate and the note these two hit to get people to nod. Kasich and Paul don't hit that note--good ideas, better policy--but the music is not there. When the people are in a state of anxiety, they need music to soothe them. The best presidential candidate plays intoxicating music backed by great ideas. Trump and Cruz are great anxiety DJs, spinning the right tunes at the dance. It's possibe to hit that note, calm the populace, and explain rational solutions. Obama did it very well, Bill Clinton did it very well. Cruz and Trump are all melody, no lyrics; all beat, no rhyme; a barrage of slogan chorus with no Dylan poetry between.
3
If they were picking Paul or Kasich, I'd profoundly disagree, but at least, I would respect their choices.
1
Trump's greatest “strength” – if you can call it that – has been detecting other people's weaknesses and attacking them. You know, Jeb is low-energy, etc. Well, now we see what Trump's greatest fear is: it's women. He likes them quiet and submissive, certainly not attractive and intelligent, like Megyn Kelly.
The last time they met onstage she recited a list of disparaging remarks that he had made about women. She repeated his own words back to him and asked him to explain them. It was so unfair. Afterward he crumbled into a sniveling, 3 am mass of twittering personal attacks.
Of course he doesn't want to participate in a debate moderated by Megyn Kelly. His greatest fear is being made to look like a fool by her. It would pierce the big, fetid bubble of self-regard he walks around in every day.
The last time they met onstage she recited a list of disparaging remarks that he had made about women. She repeated his own words back to him and asked him to explain them. It was so unfair. Afterward he crumbled into a sniveling, 3 am mass of twittering personal attacks.
Of course he doesn't want to participate in a debate moderated by Megyn Kelly. His greatest fear is being made to look like a fool by her. It would pierce the big, fetid bubble of self-regard he walks around in every day.
15
per Fallon assigning Simon and Garfunkel songs to candidates: Trump, "and the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made.
4
Its all about winning. The principles don't matter. To these guys and their followers it is about who gets to be king of the mountain. If either of them makes it to the top we will all pay.
2
The Athenians over two thousand years ago also had their political heroes who were criticized for their "rhetorical" ability to wow the citizenry. Once these candidates were in office the voters had reason to regret their votes as these silver tongues became tyrants. The word itself is of Greek origin. The ability of both Cruz and Trump to blind many listeners has a lot to do with their skill at ginning up audience emotions of disappointment and anger toward others. But the key to knowing these candidates is to look at the connection between, and the history of, their actions in their lives. Both candidates have left a trail of much destruction and loss and antagonism in their wake along with some successes. There is nothing in them that speaks to their not continuing this destruction into any larger spheres going into the future. Enthusiasm can be directed in any direction and into any actions. Voters must look at where candidates have been if they want to know where they are likely to lead. None of the Republican candidates has a personal or a party path that bodes well for the people who are most enthusiastic about them.
1
As someone who lived and still lives in TX, I warned people about W. They laughed. C'mon, that guy could never win. Beware, folks, Cruz is coming, and if he wins, you'll long for the good old days of W.
7
I remember my mother referring to W as an empty suit. She couldn't believe anybody would consider voting for him. And remember, he didn't really win. His lawyers delivered the presidency to him in Bush v. Gore.
6
Getting my passport renewed after reading in the NYT today that a rush is expected for renewal this year, but if either of these yahoos somehow becomes President we'll either use our passports to flee, or be too embarrassed to venture out into the world!!
8
Oh Frank, casting Cruz and Trump as Odette and Odile had me rolling in the aisles. I would cast them as Sturm und Drang, myself.
There you go again, Frank, giving Trump/Cruz the attention they crave. It's like providing heroin to addicts -- they just need more and more and more. This skewered media obsession creates attention which creates supporters/donors which creates bigger campaign staff and media buys which create incessant polling which creates conflict which creates headlines which attract viewers/readers which attract advertising revenue. If the NY Times is so desperate for ad revenue I would be happy to launch an online crowdsourcing fund appeal for you all. Here's my $25.
Here's a thought: how is it that many of the leading candidates (Senators Sanders, Rubio and Cruz, and Governors Kasich and Christie) are government employees who have abandoned their jobs for the past year. Do they take vacation time? Do they reimburse the government for their days on the campaign trail? Do they collect their full salaries and benefits? Why is it OK that we taxpayers are paying them while they are AWOL for the jobs they were elected to do? Most of us would be fired on the spot for such shenanigans.
Here's a thought: how is it that many of the leading candidates (Senators Sanders, Rubio and Cruz, and Governors Kasich and Christie) are government employees who have abandoned their jobs for the past year. Do they take vacation time? Do they reimburse the government for their days on the campaign trail? Do they collect their full salaries and benefits? Why is it OK that we taxpayers are paying them while they are AWOL for the jobs they were elected to do? Most of us would be fired on the spot for such shenanigans.
7
I am so tired of personality coverage.
1
Sad to say, elections have been won and lost based on candidates' personalities. Dissecting these personalities as they jockey for position can help voters see through them. In my view, it has never been more important than now for the media to do this. These people are using the media to sell their product (themselves) and journalists should not be asleep at the wheel but counter-punching at every turn. Every word chosen, every change in facial expression and tone of voice, every nuance of body language should be analyzed and discussed. Think deconstruction.
All true but so obvious that I wonder how Bruni manages to get paid for writing this stuff.
1
"Dozens of voters sat among bales of hay and cows could be heard mooing in the background at such perfectly staggered intervals that I suspected a soundtrack rather than the real thing." That was no soundtrack; that mooing in the background was the swooning of Ted's most ardent Republican supporters.
2
One of the things that most concerns me about Cruz is that he is only 45 years old. A failure to achieve his presidential ambition this year is only likely to fuel his megalomania. I fear that we are going to have to keep a watchful eye on this dangerous man for decades to come.
6
Cruz and Trump are merely symptoms. An electorate who allow them to contend closes in more on the problem. For 40 years the Republicans have been on a mission to woo and engage low knowledge voters. They have succeeded so spectacularly that this voting block now controls the party. The race for the Republican nomination has become a terrifying farce. The thought of either of these men becoming president of the world's most powerful country is, quite honestly, apocalyptic. Angry, frightened, emboldened American voters with a shaky grasp on reality may be on the cusp of endangering the entire planet. Thanks Republicans.
13
A rewrite suggestion for your closing paragraph:
They are both full of many things. One thing comes immediately to mind...
They are both full of many things. One thing comes immediately to mind...
3
Excellent article! I wish this was written a few weeks ago, even months ago, but nevertheless I am glad you wrote it.
I have been amazed at the attention these showman are getting. The republicans continue to fall for the same politicians again & again. Rich, arrogant & power hungry people who have never been poor or been through tough times- they speak as though they understand our problems, but "you cant truly understand what it feels like to be shot until you get shot, so dont talk about it".
The republicans only hope is that by some miracle Ben Carson can win or stay in the race past Iowa and South Carolina. As the rich politicians stay in the race, they will be exposed and a candidate like Ben or Bernie will continue to rise because the media and the people will see that we need a Ben or a Bernie and not another rich politician who thinks they are the answer to our problems, when in reality they are the problem.
Media, maybe its time for you to take a more positive view of candidates that really care for the American people. I am not a Bernie fan because his policies are not what made this country great, but I can tell he means well. On the other hand, Ben is also a great man with great accomplishments and fits my way of life and my way of thinking. If we can get those 2 nominated, we will at least have 2 candidates who passionately care about the American people, instead of a Trump, Hillary or Cruz who think the American people should care about them
I have been amazed at the attention these showman are getting. The republicans continue to fall for the same politicians again & again. Rich, arrogant & power hungry people who have never been poor or been through tough times- they speak as though they understand our problems, but "you cant truly understand what it feels like to be shot until you get shot, so dont talk about it".
The republicans only hope is that by some miracle Ben Carson can win or stay in the race past Iowa and South Carolina. As the rich politicians stay in the race, they will be exposed and a candidate like Ben or Bernie will continue to rise because the media and the people will see that we need a Ben or a Bernie and not another rich politician who thinks they are the answer to our problems, when in reality they are the problem.
Media, maybe its time for you to take a more positive view of candidates that really care for the American people. I am not a Bernie fan because his policies are not what made this country great, but I can tell he means well. On the other hand, Ben is also a great man with great accomplishments and fits my way of life and my way of thinking. If we can get those 2 nominated, we will at least have 2 candidates who passionately care about the American people, instead of a Trump, Hillary or Cruz who think the American people should care about them
1
"Everest of vanity" seems a good way to describe this man, Cruz, especially as his nose looks like a ski jump. His ideas, along with Trump's, are frightening and full of bombast and hate.
Lucky for me and millions of others, we have a man of integrity to vote for - Bernie Sanders. Bernie has the ideas our country needs to take it back from an increasingly rigged game in favor of the rich and powerful and back to the rest of us. Being the same age as Bernie, and having lived in Burlington back in the 1970s, I've watched him mature into the statesman that he is today. He reminds me of FDR, who was also a man for his time.
Lucky for me and millions of others, we have a man of integrity to vote for - Bernie Sanders. Bernie has the ideas our country needs to take it back from an increasingly rigged game in favor of the rich and powerful and back to the rest of us. Being the same age as Bernie, and having lived in Burlington back in the 1970s, I've watched him mature into the statesman that he is today. He reminds me of FDR, who was also a man for his time.
3
Bless you Mr. Bruni!
So the First-Grader candidate doesn't like the Kindergarten kid and her Pre-School TV station?
Oh boy just imagine a politician with an ego. Trump is a great listener and has his ear to the rail over the publics anger and disgust with Washington. He is calling out the PC world and riding the wave. The taxpayers want representation from somebody that is not afraid of offending a Muslim, illegal alien, or anybody that does cost us harm or money.
The elites and dreamers are getting kicked out.
The elites and dreamers are getting kicked out.
Superb column. Most seemed to have missed the point. The candidates are odious, but the problem is systemic: it is the electoral process in its current form that is directly responsible for producing these kinds of candidates.
1
Ted Cruz reminds me of a kid I went to school with 30 years ago. It was a 7-12 college prep magnet, and he was a brilliant 8th grader in my 10th grade pre-Calculus class. He was a complete jerk to everyone all the time, including a girl, who is one of the nicest people I've ever known.
She was the popular sophomore cheerleader going out of her way to make the 8th grade nerd feel comfortable. In return he made fun of her because she wasn't great at analytic geometry. One day, she'd had enough and punched him in his face. He burst into tears, more from shock than actual injury.
Apparently, they worked out their differences in the vice principal's office, and he gained some self awareness and went on to become a decent human being. I don't think Ted Cruz was ever lucky enough to get punched in his face when he was growing up.
She was the popular sophomore cheerleader going out of her way to make the 8th grade nerd feel comfortable. In return he made fun of her because she wasn't great at analytic geometry. One day, she'd had enough and punched him in his face. He burst into tears, more from shock than actual injury.
Apparently, they worked out their differences in the vice principal's office, and he gained some self awareness and went on to become a decent human being. I don't think Ted Cruz was ever lucky enough to get punched in his face when he was growing up.
16
I just wonder......are the polls rigged.......and paid off by the PAC masters as
well as Trump....just wondering....because who can really believe that
people are so gullible to believe such artful dissemblers ....as Trump or Cruz or
Rubio..
Are these polls rigged....????
well as Trump....just wondering....because who can really believe that
people are so gullible to believe such artful dissemblers ....as Trump or Cruz or
Rubio..
Are these polls rigged....????
2
You nailed it Frank.
Regarding Cruz and Trump: There is absolutely nothing remarkable about a politician who tries to divide people against each other to achieve power--it's one of the oldest tricks in the book. What IS remarkable is that these out of control narcissists have an audience.
3
For all the complaints about Obama's weaknesses regarding decision making, I will take him any day over Cruz, who will bomb Muslims until the sand glows, or Trump, who would go to war with Russia if Putin insulted him. What a frightening thought: Cruz or Trump as our Commander in Chief!
4
"But the current ecosystem is toxic, and Trump and Cruz flourish. Neither demonstrates an especially robust appetite for listening, though listening is important. Both are full of a great many things. Humility isn’t among them."
Mr. Bruni opines. But, guess what, to be a politician you have to have a big ego. Humility? You mean like Barack Obama has humility? Or, Hilary Clinton? Of the current front runners only Bernie Sanders show some humility.
I want the president to have intelligence and the confidence to say what needs to be said when it needs to be said....political correctness has gone way past the line of common sense.
Mr. Bruni opines. But, guess what, to be a politician you have to have a big ego. Humility? You mean like Barack Obama has humility? Or, Hilary Clinton? Of the current front runners only Bernie Sanders show some humility.
I want the president to have intelligence and the confidence to say what needs to be said when it needs to be said....political correctness has gone way past the line of common sense.
1
Trump and Cruz deserve each other,and the GOP with it's do nothing Congressional majorities deserves both as it's front runners,both who are intensely disliked by a large majority of voters.And a very real prospect exists that both will reach the GOP Convention still #s 1-2,but neither having clinched the nomination.If the GOP then wants some idea what kind of Convention to expect,perhaps they should see footage of the Democrat's 1968 Convention.
Separately or together, these two egos pale beside that of Chris Christie. Keep you eye on the ball and be afraid - be very afraid.
2
As a long-Retired Lutheran Pastor, I admit to hoping that that attended Sunday service did Not include a special Announcement of the Special Attendant. A moment of "ignored silence" would be refreshing. My Thanks to Mr. Bruni for the story on the "Twins" today. They truly know how to Glisten....but Never
learned how to Listen.
learned how to Listen.
2
Are you sure the cows weren't booing?
5
Cruz is arrogant? This is coming from a supporter of Obama and Clinton. Cruz does not listen? See the last response.
Mr. Frankness,
"They scale new pinnacles of egotism in a profession (politics) and pursuit (the presidency) that’s already a veritable mountain range of it.
They’re grim prophecies come true."
Fine thinking and alphabet-code slinging! Love that and more.
Much is broken and breaking in our new and exponentially more complex world that froths forth lots of emergent phenomena that we: our gov't, universities, non-profits, corporations, and even some of our genes, etc., can't handle, much less control.
Agree with thee: The election process does yield peacock freaks of ego, "standard deviations" of narcissism. Not always. I don't get that from Mr. Sanders. But ego, gots to have some to get down the street.
Anyway, thanks much for this.
"They scale new pinnacles of egotism in a profession (politics) and pursuit (the presidency) that’s already a veritable mountain range of it.
They’re grim prophecies come true."
Fine thinking and alphabet-code slinging! Love that and more.
Much is broken and breaking in our new and exponentially more complex world that froths forth lots of emergent phenomena that we: our gov't, universities, non-profits, corporations, and even some of our genes, etc., can't handle, much less control.
Agree with thee: The election process does yield peacock freaks of ego, "standard deviations" of narcissism. Not always. I don't get that from Mr. Sanders. But ego, gots to have some to get down the street.
Anyway, thanks much for this.
2
Some of our best presidents have been people who were somewhat reluctant to take on the job, like Washington, Truman, and Eisenhower. A bit of humility is a useful trait in a leader.
4
The problem is we in the heartland are tired of "sensible" Republicans allowing this nation to continue down the path to European socialism. We want a little fight in our politicians. It is ridiculous to own practically everything but the presidency and allow Obama to continue liberalizing the country. We want freedom. Ted Cruz says he will fight for it. He's shown he will fight the leadership and that is a good thing.
Here's a question--what is wrong with the voters of Texas? Rick Perry as governor? Ted Cruz as Senator? I've always thought to have a t-shirt printed with "What is wrong with people?" on it. Now I'd put pictures of Ted and Trump below it. But their supporters probably wouldn't get it.
4
For what secretaryship is he most qualified ? hmmmm, Let me look up the list as nothing comes to mind.
2
I cannot believe that people with brains actually believe the load of 'stuff' this hateful man peddles.
4
Ted Cruz is without doubt the most repulsive, egotistical politician to hit the mainstream in decades, if not centuries. How anyone can support this nasty, hypocritical right wing zealot is beyond my power of comprehension. The anti government zealot who has always worked for the government! At least Trump, odious as he is, has some good ideas - like rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. Neither of them is qualified for the presidency, but the stench coming off of Cruz certainly circles the entire planet.
5
Hillary
-Running again after overwhelming 2008 defeat
-again 'presumptive nominee' blah blah...
-spent 2013-2014 rushing around giving $250,000 speeches to Wall Street buddies, increasing $250 million personal fortune
-raising enormous war chest/PAC $ from corporate/Wall Street mega donors RIGGED GAME!
-scooped up DNC elite iSuper Delegates before a single primary vote is cast (why can DNC insiders choose themselves as Super Delegates?) RIGGED GAME!
-arranging w/DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to manipulate/schedule few debates to squash other candidates
RIGGED GAME!
-insisting she represents women & children, middle class after long career (w/ Bill) of awful policies punishing them: odious bankruptcy 'reform,' ending student loan discharge, supporting 'end of welfare' throwing poor women + children into dire poverty, against single-payer health care
-voted for Iraq War!!!!
-willing to risk losing election with old unsavory private ethics/marital baggage because - who cares if voters want a nominee w/out baggage?
-willing to risk losing election with stupid email server antics under FBI investigation
-Chelsea lying about Bernie Sanders like Bill trashed Obama in 2008
-obnoxious 'insider' pandering "might appoint Obama to Supreme Court"
We need a new progressive agenda to take our country back.
HRC and DNC/Party elites/Wall Street & corporate mega donors insist on rigging game for Hillary - whether voters want her or not!
Hillary = Huge Ego/Rigged Game!
-Running again after overwhelming 2008 defeat
-again 'presumptive nominee' blah blah...
-spent 2013-2014 rushing around giving $250,000 speeches to Wall Street buddies, increasing $250 million personal fortune
-raising enormous war chest/PAC $ from corporate/Wall Street mega donors RIGGED GAME!
-scooped up DNC elite iSuper Delegates before a single primary vote is cast (why can DNC insiders choose themselves as Super Delegates?) RIGGED GAME!
-arranging w/DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to manipulate/schedule few debates to squash other candidates
RIGGED GAME!
-insisting she represents women & children, middle class after long career (w/ Bill) of awful policies punishing them: odious bankruptcy 'reform,' ending student loan discharge, supporting 'end of welfare' throwing poor women + children into dire poverty, against single-payer health care
-voted for Iraq War!!!!
-willing to risk losing election with old unsavory private ethics/marital baggage because - who cares if voters want a nominee w/out baggage?
-willing to risk losing election with stupid email server antics under FBI investigation
-Chelsea lying about Bernie Sanders like Bill trashed Obama in 2008
-obnoxious 'insider' pandering "might appoint Obama to Supreme Court"
We need a new progressive agenda to take our country back.
HRC and DNC/Party elites/Wall Street & corporate mega donors insist on rigging game for Hillary - whether voters want her or not!
Hillary = Huge Ego/Rigged Game!
1
"...and Trump and Cruz flourish." In this circus-like media maelstrom in which the Cable TV media's focus is on ratings and ratings along, the idea of flourishing is grossly overstated. Yes, we have our issues in this divided nation, but we have not fallen to the level that either of these narcissists will be elected to lead this nation.
Bird of a feather, flock together. The "twinned egos" of Cruz and Trump will provide for an electoral battle. In the past the two men had nothing but kind words for each other. Cruz invited Trump to join him in speaking at a rally to protest against the nuclear deal. Ted was more restrained when Trump called to close the border to all Muslims. It will be an interesting campaign that divides the GOP camp.
2
Yeah, Cruz' temperament and personality stink. But at the end of the day
what's of paramount importance are his ideas and policy proposals. And, you know what? They stink, too.
what's of paramount importance are his ideas and policy proposals. And, you know what? They stink, too.
15
Author is clueless of the clever way Trump is using Cruz to prove that the right wing of the GOP is dangerous and not capable of winning a presidential election. Trump is defying GOP elders who expect primaries to be based on how far right their candidate can go or to quote Romney " I am severely conservative." Trump is bringing his campaign and GOP voters to the center by successfully getting National Review, Fox News and Cruz to be his enemies. This will get him the independent voters and moderate Republicans he needs. Of course it helps to have a professional liar and a carnival barker like Cruz and Perry with all their fake Texas bravado on the other side. Nevertheless does anyone really know what Trump stands for besides self aggrandizement , xenophobia, misogyny and fondness for Vladmir Putin's style of governing?
58
LVG, if it were not already obvious to you, let me tell you:
Donald J. Trump stands for ... Donald J. Trump. Nothing more. In his mind, it is all about him.
Donald J. Trump stands for ... Donald J. Trump. Nothing more. In his mind, it is all about him.
2
Many of those Independents and Moderates you speak of might not Republican at all. How you considered that? This had already occurred in the last presidential election.
Does Trump even know what he stands for? He'll have 'guys' for that, if it ever should come up.
I suppose it's not surprising that we have a Republican candidate eager that the nation thinks he was part of the 2000 recount in Florida, whether or not that's true. What a credential. Do the Republicans and their advisers not realize that the rest of America remains appalled by that stolen election and the disastrous presidency that followed?
43
No need for this article Frank. You could've simply said that you do not like Trump and Cruz. But we already know that.
Bu since you wrote it. How many times have you sat with Cruz to be in a position to gauge his listening skills?
Bu since you wrote it. How many times have you sat with Cruz to be in a position to gauge his listening skills?
4
The difference between Trump and Cruz is remarkable. Cruz, the oleaginous Ivy League intellectual know-it-all, desperately wants to win, to show all those whom he hates and who hate him in return that the revenge of this geeky nerd from Canada can outfox them all. And then, he runs into a political savvy creature who has never held any political office who baffles him, The Donald. This piece of work is a wonder.
The Donald doesn't care one iota if he wins or not. And the more he exhibits his insouciance bravado the more crowds flock like lemmings to him. Cruz thinks he is so smart he would be far away the front runner by now. His wiseacre plan did not calculate the effect The Donald would have. Canadian Smarty pants Rafael has run into a NYC slash and burn buzz saw.
You know, if one were as cynical as moi, they would have begun to surmise by now that perhaps The Donald's apathy stems from the fact that he is in Reality TV terms, a mole, a double agent, an agent provocateur, secretly working undercover for his NYC buds, The Clintons, who themselves could have never orchestrated such a coup against the GOP the way The Donald has.
Think about it, Republicans. You are about to be had by the best. No, you say, you don't think the Clintons are that clever, to be able to pull this ultimate sting operation over on you yahoos? Oh, come now, you must be kidding yourselves. Of course they are. Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
DD
Manhattan
The Donald doesn't care one iota if he wins or not. And the more he exhibits his insouciance bravado the more crowds flock like lemmings to him. Cruz thinks he is so smart he would be far away the front runner by now. His wiseacre plan did not calculate the effect The Donald would have. Canadian Smarty pants Rafael has run into a NYC slash and burn buzz saw.
You know, if one were as cynical as moi, they would have begun to surmise by now that perhaps The Donald's apathy stems from the fact that he is in Reality TV terms, a mole, a double agent, an agent provocateur, secretly working undercover for his NYC buds, The Clintons, who themselves could have never orchestrated such a coup against the GOP the way The Donald has.
Think about it, Republicans. You are about to be had by the best. No, you say, you don't think the Clintons are that clever, to be able to pull this ultimate sting operation over on you yahoos? Oh, come now, you must be kidding yourselves. Of course they are. Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
DD
Manhattan
10
I'm no fan of either Cruz or Trump, but Cruz is particularly skilled at sizing up his competition and modifying his strategy accordingly. His recent advance in the pols seems to indicate such an approach. I'm especially worried, however, that this particular cycle will be only the first among several efforts by Cruz to seize power.
2
Here's a thought for the the Times Op-Ed columnists.
How about a column or two "not about" Trump or Cruz?
We kind of get the idea by now, we're all smart here.
How about a piece on the domestic terrorists that took over Federal property in Oregon?
No opinion(s) on that?
How about a column or two "not about" Trump or Cruz?
We kind of get the idea by now, we're all smart here.
How about a piece on the domestic terrorists that took over Federal property in Oregon?
No opinion(s) on that?
28
Ted Cruz makes the late President Richard Nixon seem approachable and sympathetic.
President Nixon may have resigned in disgrace. But at least he had the decency and humility to do so.
Under similar circumstances, Cruz would burn down the White House, if not the entire Federal government, before he would concede any wrong doing. In WWII, there was also such a leader who allowed his entire country to be laid waste before he conceded defeat. The rest of us should remember well that, though many near him realized their own destruction, none were able to stop him.
If Cruz were to attain the White House, I suspect and fear none would be able to stop him as well, until he took us all to the bottom.
President Nixon may have resigned in disgrace. But at least he had the decency and humility to do so.
Under similar circumstances, Cruz would burn down the White House, if not the entire Federal government, before he would concede any wrong doing. In WWII, there was also such a leader who allowed his entire country to be laid waste before he conceded defeat. The rest of us should remember well that, though many near him realized their own destruction, none were able to stop him.
If Cruz were to attain the White House, I suspect and fear none would be able to stop him as well, until he took us all to the bottom.
270
"Ted Cruz makes the late President Richard Nixon seem approachable and sympathetic. President Nixon may have resigned in disgrace. But at least he had the decency and humility to do so."
Where do you put Hillary?
HMC
Milhous is her middle name
Nixonian is her bent.
Woodward became short of breath
Counting her obstructions, her intent.
Bob Woodward became hypoxic
Contemplating crimes of the cover-up czar.
120,000 counts at 20 years per
2.4 million years behind bars.
Where do you put Hillary?
HMC
Milhous is her middle name
Nixonian is her bent.
Woodward became short of breath
Counting her obstructions, her intent.
Bob Woodward became hypoxic
Contemplating crimes of the cover-up czar.
120,000 counts at 20 years per
2.4 million years behind bars.
1
We've seen where that led in Germany, and at least the July 20 conspirators tried to snuff Hitler. But they ended up getting Himmler as de facto head of state while Hitler faltered on.
But, hey!, didn't we get this when we elected W and got Cheney...and all of the lovely wars planned by the Project for the New American Century, of which Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Jeb! were charter members?
But, hey!, didn't we get this when we elected W and got Cheney...and all of the lovely wars planned by the Project for the New American Century, of which Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Jeb! were charter members?
4
Carl,
Regarding your "Jeb!" –
EXCLAMATION POINT
In '08 it was "Hillary!"
"Hillary!" lost to Barack Obama
In '16 it is "Jeb!"
Exclamation points are not charisma.
Exclamation-pointing a question mark
Cannot a winner make.
Exclamation-pointing Mrs. Clinton
Only stresses that she's half-baked.
Bernie needs no exclamation point
He is exciting by definition.
His policy and character enthrall,
Bernie is on an important mission.
Regarding your "Jeb!" –
EXCLAMATION POINT
In '08 it was "Hillary!"
"Hillary!" lost to Barack Obama
In '16 it is "Jeb!"
Exclamation points are not charisma.
Exclamation-pointing a question mark
Cannot a winner make.
Exclamation-pointing Mrs. Clinton
Only stresses that she's half-baked.
Bernie needs no exclamation point
He is exciting by definition.
His policy and character enthrall,
Bernie is on an important mission.
1
Let's see, Ted Cruz, in his 20's, rubbed people in the Bush campaign the wrong way and they still don't like him. More than that, in his current campaign to be President, Cruz insists on touting his attributes for the office -- and what's worse, he doesn't use a wooden delivery to make his case. He even gives speeches in a barn setting . . . in Iowa . . . can you believe the ego?
That seems to be the "substance" with regards to Cruz in this edition of the Frank Bruni Gossip Column.
Did I leave anything out? Oh, that's right, as a high school senior Cruz's goals were to attend Princeton (check), Harvard Law (check), have a successful law practice (check), a career in politics (check), and pursue the Presidency (pending).
How awful.
Perhaps Cruz should have spent his youth in a Choom Gang. Then, maybe, he could sit with Frank and W. at the cool-guy table.
That seems to be the "substance" with regards to Cruz in this edition of the Frank Bruni Gossip Column.
Did I leave anything out? Oh, that's right, as a high school senior Cruz's goals were to attend Princeton (check), Harvard Law (check), have a successful law practice (check), a career in politics (check), and pursue the Presidency (pending).
How awful.
Perhaps Cruz should have spent his youth in a Choom Gang. Then, maybe, he could sit with Frank and W. at the cool-guy table.
3
Pretend to be something he is not to the masses he despises so he can get State power. Check.
Alienate his own party of power crazy Senators in but a year's time for being a jerk even in those eyes like few if any ever have managed. Check
Be a canadian most of his life. Check. Guess something wasn't on that checklist.
Alienate his own party of power crazy Senators in but a year's time for being a jerk even in those eyes like few if any ever have managed. Check
Be a canadian most of his life. Check. Guess something wasn't on that checklist.
28
The cloud hanging over the heads of those establishment GOP candidates
who would be able to run the government....Bush, Kasich, or Christie...all
who have governed their respective states effectively...this cloud is
the tabloid news.........meaning that the worst and most provocative news
draws the most viewers to watch the media's advertizers...hence mega bucks
for FOX ; for MSNBC: for CNN....and the print media to a lesser degree.
Trump is bad news for the GOP....and bad news SELLS...hence TABLOID NEWS...and just compare the BBC....to the US commercial news TV and print.
So....Bad News....Trump....or Cruz...or Rubio ....or Sarah Palin...SELLS...and
rakes in mega bucks...
That's the fact checking...and a no brainer...!!!
who would be able to run the government....Bush, Kasich, or Christie...all
who have governed their respective states effectively...this cloud is
the tabloid news.........meaning that the worst and most provocative news
draws the most viewers to watch the media's advertizers...hence mega bucks
for FOX ; for MSNBC: for CNN....and the print media to a lesser degree.
Trump is bad news for the GOP....and bad news SELLS...hence TABLOID NEWS...and just compare the BBC....to the US commercial news TV and print.
So....Bad News....Trump....or Cruz...or Rubio ....or Sarah Palin...SELLS...and
rakes in mega bucks...
That's the fact checking...and a no brainer...!!!
2
How sad and how much lower can we go.....having two GOP front runners with so many qualities (joking)......the problem: they are not alone......Rubio, Christie, Fiorina.
OK....anyone has the right to behave poorly....but the real problem is having millions and millions of voter who support them.....via the $$$$ of private groups working against our overall interest. No wonder, the real world does not trust us anymore....no wonder, we are having less and less influence....oops, Obama's fault
OK....anyone has the right to behave poorly....but the real problem is having millions and millions of voter who support them.....via the $$$$ of private groups working against our overall interest. No wonder, the real world does not trust us anymore....no wonder, we are having less and less influence....oops, Obama's fault
7
I believe that "ruling everything" is still Ted Cruz's life ambition, and that he believes that's his divine destiny, which lifts his megalomania to Himalayan heights unscaled by the merely vainglorious Trump.
14
One issue today is the increasing links between politics and celebrity. When the statements of Hollywood celebrities on political issues are taken seriously, we know we're in trouble.
And how often are the guest lists at White House dinners filled with famous actors and singers, all noted for their extensive knowledge of economics and foreign affairs, of course. ;-)
The next thing we'll see is Donald Trump proposing Kim Kardashian as his VP nominee.
And how often are the guest lists at White House dinners filled with famous actors and singers, all noted for their extensive knowledge of economics and foreign affairs, of course. ;-)
The next thing we'll see is Donald Trump proposing Kim Kardashian as his VP nominee.
3
Although Kim might be better than Palin...
4
The chief quality that Trump and Cruz share is their Machiavellianism. In every instance, they both act upon their profound belief that the end justifies the means. They will tell any lie about themselves or others, twist any set of facts, and pander to almost any group in order to achieve their end - which, this year, is the Presidency. And they have both mastered the art of seeming not to care about the valid criticisms of others, which of course means that they are very good at taking revenge. Trump is the better salesman, but that is all he is. One last similarity between Trump and Cruz - they both lack a sense of dignity. They will say anything to appeal to what they so clearly see as the "little people." You can bet your life that they will brush aside those "little people" as soon as achieve their end.
199
SCZ: You accuse these two candidates of duplicity, but the worse possibility is that they are entirely candid about their beliefs and aims.
1
Much of this is well said, but Machiavelli doesn't deserve to be included with this bunch. He saw the founding and preservation of a republic as the highest calling; politics was a vocation and not solely a means to a person's private ends. The advice Machiavelli gives to Lorenzo is not the only thing he had to say about the business of governing. He would have called both these fellows out as incipient tyrants.
2
Whether it Nero or Hitler or Trump or Cruz or any one with a monestrous all consuming self ego when in power the end for ordinary people is slavery, war, starvation and defeat unless removed in time.
10
Cruz is a great listener. He is in fact deeply enthralled with his soaring orotundity. Too bad he writes his own jokes.
6
Let's face it. Deep down it's not Cruz that scares us, he only has one vote. The scary thought is that maybe millions of voters will buy into his fear mongering and elect him President.
11
Why not go all out and vote for Zaphod Beeblebrox for President?
6
The title of this column by Frank Bruni speaks of the “Twinned Egos” of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, but it could just as easily and as accurately focused on the “Twined Egos” of both men.
These narcissists each see the other as an obstacle to the lofty position each man knows that he, and he alone, deserves. The presence in the race of one self-absorbed man defines and shapes the strategy of the other.
Other candidates are merely spear-carrying extras on the stage.
These narcissists each see the other as an obstacle to the lofty position each man knows that he, and he alone, deserves. The presence in the race of one self-absorbed man defines and shapes the strategy of the other.
Other candidates are merely spear-carrying extras on the stage.
88
Perhaps it is time for there to be some reason (note I did not wish either man harm as one might in true Broadway sense) for those two to step aside, unless Bloomberg steps in, the republicans have no one who is truly Presidential and could head the country.
Both men make me want to run in the opposite direction. I would consider moving to Canada except that it is cold and snows up there. Perhaps southern Europe might be better or maybe my grandfather's homeland in the Caribbean islands.
Less egotistical are Rubio and Carson, but neither is up to the job any more than Cruz or Trump. Clearly, republicans have an overabundance of candidates, but no one who could lead the country. If GW Bush is terrified or a Cruz presidency, that is truly a bad sign.
Thus, it appears that only Bloomberg or whoever wins the democratic nomination is the only reasonable choice.
Both men make me want to run in the opposite direction. I would consider moving to Canada except that it is cold and snows up there. Perhaps southern Europe might be better or maybe my grandfather's homeland in the Caribbean islands.
Less egotistical are Rubio and Carson, but neither is up to the job any more than Cruz or Trump. Clearly, republicans have an overabundance of candidates, but no one who could lead the country. If GW Bush is terrified or a Cruz presidency, that is truly a bad sign.
Thus, it appears that only Bloomberg or whoever wins the democratic nomination is the only reasonable choice.
1
Anybody remember the egotism and charisma of Joseph McCarthy? I do.
3
"But the current ecosystem is toxic, and Trump and Cruz flourish."
What a wonderful sentence! It sort of analogizes the GOP as a toxic waste site, a la Chernobyl, with Trump and Cruz playing the part of mutated plants that are thriving within it.
This image will stay with me all the way through the Republican Convention, which promises to be the best television in years. Thank you, Mr. Bruni.
What a wonderful sentence! It sort of analogizes the GOP as a toxic waste site, a la Chernobyl, with Trump and Cruz playing the part of mutated plants that are thriving within it.
This image will stay with me all the way through the Republican Convention, which promises to be the best television in years. Thank you, Mr. Bruni.
14
Well, yes, Cruz is an ambitious egotist. But what would his policies be if he became president?
Sigh. More gossip.
Sigh. More gossip.
3
This is America. What on earth does policy have to do with a Presidential election?
2
I think Trump is pure carnival barker, someone who actually might be quite sensible should the time come.
However, to worry at all about Trump while Cruz is still oozing about is a bit like being warned about Mussolini, while Adolf lurks in the shadows.
However, to worry at all about Trump while Cruz is still oozing about is a bit like being warned about Mussolini, while Adolf lurks in the shadows.
23
I hear pundits say that Trump and Cruz are rogue candidates, and if the mainstream candidates were to winnow themselves down to one guy, like, say, Rubio, then this lucky chosen mainstream guy would measure up to Trump and Cruz in the polls. But, one could further suggest that if either Trump or Cruz were to drop out, the lucky remaining guy would gather all of his twin's support, and the Trump/Cruz faction would still be in the lead, or at least in the game. I think we're going to have to deal with at least one of their "pinnacles of egotism" until November.
2
Say what you will about the old party bosses, but they would have saved their brand early on from the obnoxious slander that these two "id-iots" have heaped upon it ever since they leapt upon the stage of self-maximization.
Billionaire sugar daddies who sustain the dead campaigns of megalomaniacs (i.e., Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum in the last election) far beyond their bury by dates would have been wiped out in the first few weeks of campaigning had money not been made speech.
And Bush was genuinely appalled that Cruz actually believed Republican dogma, which he had simply used a means to avenge the dim view his parents had of him.
None of these weirdoes, wackos or wing nuts would have survived the first down of the sandlot footfall games of my youth without being savagely apprised of the limits of their grandiose ambition.
Billionaire sugar daddies who sustain the dead campaigns of megalomaniacs (i.e., Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum in the last election) far beyond their bury by dates would have been wiped out in the first few weeks of campaigning had money not been made speech.
And Bush was genuinely appalled that Cruz actually believed Republican dogma, which he had simply used a means to avenge the dim view his parents had of him.
None of these weirdoes, wackos or wing nuts would have survived the first down of the sandlot footfall games of my youth without being savagely apprised of the limits of their grandiose ambition.
4
Donald Trump and Ted Cruz may be "flourishing" now, but neither one enough to become POTUS, ever.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
www.endthemadnessnow.org
6
"Dozens of voters sat among bales of hay and cows could be heard mooing in the background at such perfectly staggered intervals that I suspected a soundtrack rather than the real thing." And these same people complain that liberals call them rubes, duped, and low information voters. The only thing worse than Cruz the candidate is that he has a constituency willing to swoon. But to Cruz's credit (did I just say that?), I believe he will do just as he says and that he will be true to his policies. America should be really worried about that. Republic, meet End.
177
Relax. Even under indictment, Hillary can beat this guy. The average American voter does not want an Evangelist-in-Chief.
1
...or something akin to "Mein Kampf II." We all know how that played out.
Politicians are like corporate CEO's they all have tremendous egos; it is a requirement for job.
1
Interesting that you mention Cruz's teenage utterance. Both he and Trump are incredibly puerile. Trump's refusal to debate if Megyn Kelly is a moderator (not that he debates issues) is reminiscent of the schoolboy who takes his ball and trudges home in a cloud of sullenness. He's the Schoolboy Candidate. Cruz's megalomania is so blatant, it's hard to believe.
13
Modern candidates for modern times. Cruz and Trump are TV characters. They are the Kardashians of the political scene. The more ridiculous they are the better for their "program" ratings. Why is anyone surprised? Our children have grown up with most of their entertainment coming from an unfettered medium. In fact most of us have watched standards drop in every aspect of life and we are surprised when we get versions of bad boy Daffy Duck as a real candidates for the Presidency?
Just as almost all entertainment has become TV, movies, or video games so has our work life (computers) and our political lives, choreographed televised debate shows or staged and manipulated live Youtubed shows. We live in a virtual world and are surprised we have virtual candidates with little or no substance.
What is frightening is that we can also disregard the people we are now killing in the Middle East and elsewhere and these candidates propose to increase, as virtual people, people we never have to see except as characters on a news show. We can hide in our middle class neighborhoods, suburbs, and gated communities from the misery these candidates' policies bring to other Americans whose plight we only see on those same news shows. Then we can turn on our favorite comedy and turn off our consciences. After all it is just TV.
Just as almost all entertainment has become TV, movies, or video games so has our work life (computers) and our political lives, choreographed televised debate shows or staged and manipulated live Youtubed shows. We live in a virtual world and are surprised we have virtual candidates with little or no substance.
What is frightening is that we can also disregard the people we are now killing in the Middle East and elsewhere and these candidates propose to increase, as virtual people, people we never have to see except as characters on a news show. We can hide in our middle class neighborhoods, suburbs, and gated communities from the misery these candidates' policies bring to other Americans whose plight we only see on those same news shows. Then we can turn on our favorite comedy and turn off our consciences. After all it is just TV.
3
Frank, you apply almost kid-glove treatment. I think both of these demagogues are dangerous, and the current conditions of fear, anger and insecurity make this country ripe for a demagogue's blandishments and rousing manipulation. With a very possible stumble by Hillary Clinton, one of these two could be president. What will the world think of our country then?
8
While Trump and Cruz share many traits, there seems to be one difference. Trump knows it is all an act. Deep down, he is probably surprised that he has lasted this long. Cruz is just plain old mentally ill.
11
As a twin myself, I just wish you hadn't sullied the beautiful word "twin" by using it in a way that connects it, even so tenuously, to those two buffoons.
6
You give too much coverage to Republicans Trump and Cruz. Even negative coverage gets name recognition. I would like to see more issue coverage of the real debate between Sanders and Clinton. But the NYT is suppressing coverage of Sanders as if Clinton had won already.
6
Neither is either is filled with great things period. Fortunately the land of the free and home of the brave have a majority of voters who can see through the characters they try to portray and neither will ever lead our nation. Can I get a hallelujah?
3
Maybe Perry merely forgot who it was he was introducing? Oops.
6
So much for Perry's new eyeglasses.
5
As Oscar Wilde said, "Life imitates art."
As David Brooks leaps onto a kitchen stool and hikes his petticoats, the id of the Republican Party has taken center stage in all its baleful glory. As Steve M. pointed out yesterday in his No More Mister Nice Blog, a party whose "moderates" have embraced Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a man whose official violence toward people of color has not only sickened legitimate advocates of law enforcement but also cost the State of Arizona and its communities upwards of $140 million in legal fees and awards, has prepared the way for merchants of pious (Cruz) and impious (Trump) bile toward those who will not kowtow to the white patriarchy.
Meanwhile, formerly "moderate" people who are scared because jobs they thought were for life aren't and values they thought everyone shared aren't are reacting badly but unsurprisingly. They want someone to blame for their slide toward penury and inconsequence, and they have been taught well by ALEC and AEC and Cato and Heritage that the fault cannot be in the corporations that depress wages, raise prices, and pollute often with impunity.
Having been inculcated to see no elephant sitting on the Cheez Whiz canapes, they have been directed to focus their anger and fear outside the house: Those People are coming for your jobs, your homes, your children, your savings. Fear the Other.
And no one does that act better than the Barnum and Bailey of Republican politics, Ted and the Donald.
There's no mystery, Frank.
As David Brooks leaps onto a kitchen stool and hikes his petticoats, the id of the Republican Party has taken center stage in all its baleful glory. As Steve M. pointed out yesterday in his No More Mister Nice Blog, a party whose "moderates" have embraced Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a man whose official violence toward people of color has not only sickened legitimate advocates of law enforcement but also cost the State of Arizona and its communities upwards of $140 million in legal fees and awards, has prepared the way for merchants of pious (Cruz) and impious (Trump) bile toward those who will not kowtow to the white patriarchy.
Meanwhile, formerly "moderate" people who are scared because jobs they thought were for life aren't and values they thought everyone shared aren't are reacting badly but unsurprisingly. They want someone to blame for their slide toward penury and inconsequence, and they have been taught well by ALEC and AEC and Cato and Heritage that the fault cannot be in the corporations that depress wages, raise prices, and pollute often with impunity.
Having been inculcated to see no elephant sitting on the Cheez Whiz canapes, they have been directed to focus their anger and fear outside the house: Those People are coming for your jobs, your homes, your children, your savings. Fear the Other.
And no one does that act better than the Barnum and Bailey of Republican politics, Ted and the Donald.
There's no mystery, Frank.
25
Congratulations on an ethical, thoughtful and insightful discussion of the policies and programs of these two men. As far as I know Mr. Trump hasn't shot anyone yet and Mr. Cruz claims he is really not a demon from hell. Freedom of speech and opinion are really a very sharp two edged sword. When the sturm and drang invective begins to destroy your liberal cocoon and your self-satisfied little world is turned upside down remember that demonizing your opponent is not reasoned political discourse but an appeal to emotions that could lead to results 180 degrees away from your agenda. Ad hominen attacks are a poor substitute for critical analysis and undermine the credibility of journalism.
2
Thank you. What is beyond pathetic here is -- along with BIRTHERISM, something the left complained about in the last 2 elections -- is that the lefty posters here think that snark, ridicule and name-calling are what will win elections. Not ideas -- not the quality of their own candidates -- but stuff like claiming "Cruz looks like the late Joe McCarthy (hence, he must BE the reincarnation of Joe McCarthy".
It's like some kind of pathetic Junior High school, where instead of debate or ideas.....we just get mockery and childish name-calling, and people think they are "winning" when they come up with the funniest-ever way to make fun of someone candidates surname or ethnicity.
It's like some kind of pathetic Junior High school, where instead of debate or ideas.....we just get mockery and childish name-calling, and people think they are "winning" when they come up with the funniest-ever way to make fun of someone candidates surname or ethnicity.
Just what need now--- another decider.
3
Humility hasn't worked. It's time for our next President to "reach across the aisle" and smack his opponents senseless, whether they're in Congress or in ISIS. That's what Americans want today: Violent solutions to violence. No more talking, just aim and fire that gun that's always loaded and ready to shoot.
Trump and Cruz stand for a New Era of American Power. Who will win? Cruz has Princeton/Harvard Law degrees while Trump graduated from Penn's Wharton School, which he claims is the "best in the world." Trump has the edge because, unlike Cruz, he doesn't use words with more than two syllables or sentences or phrases with more than four words, and he repeats everything several times to make sure we didn't miss anything.
Trump and Cruz stand for a New Era of American Power. Who will win? Cruz has Princeton/Harvard Law degrees while Trump graduated from Penn's Wharton School, which he claims is the "best in the world." Trump has the edge because, unlike Cruz, he doesn't use words with more than two syllables or sentences or phrases with more than four words, and he repeats everything several times to make sure we didn't miss anything.
1
Trump graduated from Penn. He took undergraduate courses in business at the Wharton School. Wharton's reputation primarily revolves around its graduate school (where I was fortunate to take a special course for business executives). I am not absolutely sure of this, but I don't think the undergrad degree is from Wharton, but rather granted by Penn. As for the rating of the grad school, Wharton does, indeed, frequently come out as the top rated such school in America, ranked alongside Stanford and Harvard's MBA programs. Trump didn't get one of those degrees. He also apparently commuted back to NYC on the weekends when he was at Penn and apparently was little noticed by his classmates.
We should not be enamored of such renowned places. Indeed, it is my belief that they over emphasize the numerical aspects of business success and under estimate the inherent capacities of those who love a particular type of endeavor and seek to manage it for long term values. The true manager, in the current style fostered in business schools, doesn't care about the business he or she is in, they focus solely on the management tasks in a technocratic, disinterested way.
We should not be enamored of such renowned places. Indeed, it is my belief that they over emphasize the numerical aspects of business success and under estimate the inherent capacities of those who love a particular type of endeavor and seek to manage it for long term values. The true manager, in the current style fostered in business schools, doesn't care about the business he or she is in, they focus solely on the management tasks in a technocratic, disinterested way.
1
The cruzer's ego is in a dead heat with donnie frump for clown of the year. pathetic.
3
A Canadian, a Cuban and a white supremist walk into a bar. The bartender approaches and says, "What'll ya have, Senator Cruz?".
480
One sentence exposure as to who Cruz really is! The republican party will disintegrate if either Trump or Cruz get the nomination. Woe to a country that cannot do better than support these gigolos.
1
RMC--Superlative! An American, a crony capitalist, and a race-baiting misogynist walk into a bar...
1
You forgot the blowhard that was with the three others.
1
What does it say about politics in America? You can get really far if you appear really cocksure, confident, and cocky. Whether you are rational or correct about anything is secondary.
5
So many of us are befuddled, amazed and a bit fearful that Cruz and Trump have come so far in this absurd Reoublican campaign. We're pretty clear about their extreme narcissism and their potential danger. But they've come so far because a lot of conservative and, I presume, angry people support them. I would welcome some thoughtful analysis of those supporters, based on substantive interviews with them. Who are they? What are their lives like? What are their education levels, their jobs, their histories and values that have led them to find Trump and Cruz to be appropriate presidential options.
6
That would be a difficult one, at least as a NYT feature. Because that will require facts and may go against the the media effort to build a "crazy" persona of all republican candidates.
Liberal elites here still cannot think why a good percentage of African Americans are willing to support Trump, and why his message is resonating with blue collar democrats.
They look at their fat stock portfolios and assume economy is doing great, while the middle class income goes down year after year. and number of people on food stamps keep on rising.
It is funny to read the comments on these pages from these opinion writers
" I can't understand how...."
"Who with a sane mind....."
"People who vote for Trump...."
They just cannot understand why a Republican would win even a single seat, while republicans keep on taking control of U.S. house, state houses and governorship.
If you are really interested in data, I will provide one.
I am an Asian American, degree in engineering and business, an athiest, tired of race and religion mongering and I will vote for Cruz for few reasons
- His plan to simplify tax code and to eliminate government waste.
- His role in bringing Obamacare issues to attention while going against his own party.
- His refusal to budge from his stance of getting rid of ethanol subsidies, even though it weakens him in Iowa, and put him at odds with a bunch of republican cronies.
Liberal elites here still cannot think why a good percentage of African Americans are willing to support Trump, and why his message is resonating with blue collar democrats.
They look at their fat stock portfolios and assume economy is doing great, while the middle class income goes down year after year. and number of people on food stamps keep on rising.
It is funny to read the comments on these pages from these opinion writers
" I can't understand how...."
"Who with a sane mind....."
"People who vote for Trump...."
They just cannot understand why a Republican would win even a single seat, while republicans keep on taking control of U.S. house, state houses and governorship.
If you are really interested in data, I will provide one.
I am an Asian American, degree in engineering and business, an athiest, tired of race and religion mongering and I will vote for Cruz for few reasons
- His plan to simplify tax code and to eliminate government waste.
- His role in bringing Obamacare issues to attention while going against his own party.
- His refusal to budge from his stance of getting rid of ethanol subsidies, even though it weakens him in Iowa, and put him at odds with a bunch of republican cronies.
1
Two pathologically narcissistic snake oil salesman par excellence.
8
And they both pay very close attention to their hair. Just look at the very carefully
combed Cruz hair with some kind of pomade on it. It must take a while, no hopping out of bed giving it a shake in the morning. We've paid too much attention to Donald. We need a survey of hair specialists.
combed Cruz hair with some kind of pomade on it. It must take a while, no hopping out of bed giving it a shake in the morning. We've paid too much attention to Donald. We need a survey of hair specialists.
6
From the Alaskan beauty queen who possess only a passing understanding of the English language like Palin to a highly polished Harvard educated lawyer like Cruz.
Hey, at least the rank and file rightist voter has woken up to the fact that being President takes more than winks, flashing the thumbs up sign and sputtering out nonsensical sentence fragments.
Hey, at least the rank and file rightist voter has woken up to the fact that being President takes more than winks, flashing the thumbs up sign and sputtering out nonsensical sentence fragments.
5
Wow, a NYT pundits slamming Trump and Cruz? Didn't see that coming,
What next? A Fox pundit bashing Clinton and Sanders?
What next? A Fox pundit bashing Clinton and Sanders?
4
If only these two men were the clowns that many are calling them. They are not clowns. They are ruthless, cruel, and egotistical to the point of mental illness. They are in this race only to prove to them selves how wonderful they are. The rest of us are just bystanders.
16
The recent death of David Bowie, and subsequent replays of his haunting astronautical song, "Ground Control to Major Tom," has led me to imagine giving both Trump and Cruz a couple of protein pills, encasing them in white helmets, shooting them into orbit, "high above the world," and allowing them to float, together, in a tin can, a space capsule, inhaling their own and each other's hot air.
7
"As a cocky teenager, he [Cruz] said that his life goals were to 'take over the world, world domination, you know, rule everything.'”
Even the GOP is beginning to realize that Cruz with his hand on the nuclear button is such a bad idea that they are willing to have Trump--who has been endorsed by white supremacists, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Sarah Palin and other unsavory characters--be its presidential candidate in November.
Talk about the lesser of two evils!
Even the GOP is beginning to realize that Cruz with his hand on the nuclear button is such a bad idea that they are willing to have Trump--who has been endorsed by white supremacists, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Sarah Palin and other unsavory characters--be its presidential candidate in November.
Talk about the lesser of two evils!
259
They are both maniacally similar to Obama, except for style.
Emphasis on the "evil," RK.
1
Ted Cruz's greatest accomplishments as a Senator were the October 2013 government shutdown and a Green Eggs and Ham speech.
Senator Rand Paul correctly said "it cost us more to shut the government down than to keep it open."
A few highlights of the Ted Cruz government shutdown per Politifact:
Standard and Poor's said the shutdown took $24 billion out of the economy and shrunk fourth quarter 2013 GDP growth by 0.6%.
$2.5 billion in compensation costs for furloughed workers
120,000 fewer private-sector jobs created in October 2013
$500 million lost in visitor spending because of closed National Parks
$11 million in lost National Parks and Smithsonian Institution revenue
Extra interest expense on billions of dollars of payments owed to 3rd parties that the government was unable to pay
1.2 million IRS identity verification requests that couldn’t be processed, causing a delay in private-sector lending and other activities
http://goo.gl/3XBL7I
As for Trumpolini, his greatest accomplishment - aside from a doctorate in Presidential Birtherism - is the creation of the Trump "brand" --- "the greatest", "the best", "the most wonderful" brand in the world - a gold-plated tribute to the art of megalomania.
Both Mr. Cruz and Mr. Trump worship themselves, self-appointed political 'Gods' here to help America.
“Politics is the art of making your selfish desires seem like the national interest.”
- Thomas Sowell
Megalomania is having a right-wing American renaissance.
Senator Rand Paul correctly said "it cost us more to shut the government down than to keep it open."
A few highlights of the Ted Cruz government shutdown per Politifact:
Standard and Poor's said the shutdown took $24 billion out of the economy and shrunk fourth quarter 2013 GDP growth by 0.6%.
$2.5 billion in compensation costs for furloughed workers
120,000 fewer private-sector jobs created in October 2013
$500 million lost in visitor spending because of closed National Parks
$11 million in lost National Parks and Smithsonian Institution revenue
Extra interest expense on billions of dollars of payments owed to 3rd parties that the government was unable to pay
1.2 million IRS identity verification requests that couldn’t be processed, causing a delay in private-sector lending and other activities
http://goo.gl/3XBL7I
As for Trumpolini, his greatest accomplishment - aside from a doctorate in Presidential Birtherism - is the creation of the Trump "brand" --- "the greatest", "the best", "the most wonderful" brand in the world - a gold-plated tribute to the art of megalomania.
Both Mr. Cruz and Mr. Trump worship themselves, self-appointed political 'Gods' here to help America.
“Politics is the art of making your selfish desires seem like the national interest.”
- Thomas Sowell
Megalomania is having a right-wing American renaissance.
219
And what an accomplishment it was. Bringing into attention one of the worst laws passed by congress using a technicality and made sure that the party who rammed it through was held accountable. This law was the one whose failures could not be swept under the rug by democrats, because Cruz made sure that everyone knew what he was standing up against.
The results are for everyone to see. Senate and house elections won and lost based on Obamacare and republicans winning US houses, assembly houses and even governorship in many states.
The results are for everyone to see. Senate and house elections won and lost based on Obamacare and republicans winning US houses, assembly houses and even governorship in many states.
2
PJ: Electoral losses after the government shutdown were mostly due to gerrymandered districts, Democrat voter apathy, and GOP mandate of making voting impossible for their opposition. When only 36.3% of the eligible voters turn out to vote, and barely more than half were GOP, it was not an overwhelming support of GOP policy, but a disgust of the political process. You can thank the Koch Brothers for that sad, sad state of affairs. Trust you had healthcare before the ACA was enacted, otherwise you would be crowing about now being covered for health care.
3
PJ
Don't mean to unwind your argument but Senator Cruz shut down the government by opposing the raising of the debt ceiling.
It is a routine procedure that ALL Presidents have relied upon, on multiple occasions, to establish the cap on borrowing, to pay the debts THAT WE ALREADY INCURRED.
It may not make sense to you but the government is expected to pay for the goods and services THAT IT HAS ALREADY INCURRED.
By, the way, those debts are mostly incurred as a consequence of legislation which must be approved by both the House and the Senate.
The last time I looked,Republicans controlled both.
Don't mean to unwind your argument but Senator Cruz shut down the government by opposing the raising of the debt ceiling.
It is a routine procedure that ALL Presidents have relied upon, on multiple occasions, to establish the cap on borrowing, to pay the debts THAT WE ALREADY INCURRED.
It may not make sense to you but the government is expected to pay for the goods and services THAT IT HAS ALREADY INCURRED.
By, the way, those debts are mostly incurred as a consequence of legislation which must be approved by both the House and the Senate.
The last time I looked,Republicans controlled both.
4
Both Trump and Cruz are full of something that needs to be flushed from the Republican Party, and soon, or that Party will split into regional and special interest Parties, perhaps by the time of this November's Elections.
Either Trump or Cruz (or both independently) are capable of running a Third Party campaign in 2016, which of course would be wonderful for the Democrats who would gain majorities in both Houses of Congress.
If that occurs, and Bernie Sanders is nominated by the Democrats, Sanders would sweep in the necessary political change necessary to save the USA from the obnoxious oligarchy that is destroying our great democracy.
Presumably, the Republican Party would then be rid of some of its worst elements, and perhaps reconstruct itself as a meaningful, more enlightened political voice than currently. Or, alternatively the GOP would be replaced by a new Party, much like the Republicans had replaced the Whigs and Know-Nothings.
Either Trump or Cruz (or both independently) are capable of running a Third Party campaign in 2016, which of course would be wonderful for the Democrats who would gain majorities in both Houses of Congress.
If that occurs, and Bernie Sanders is nominated by the Democrats, Sanders would sweep in the necessary political change necessary to save the USA from the obnoxious oligarchy that is destroying our great democracy.
Presumably, the Republican Party would then be rid of some of its worst elements, and perhaps reconstruct itself as a meaningful, more enlightened political voice than currently. Or, alternatively the GOP would be replaced by a new Party, much like the Republicans had replaced the Whigs and Know-Nothings.
16
It's not their egos that's the problem. It's their ideas or the lack of them that is. An ego has to be played like a musical instrument not a wash tub. Crump and Truz are terrible musicians. Having a powerful ego driving good ideas by energy, dedication and persuasion is the necessary combination for a great president. FDR had a first-rate temperament, it was famously observed. But he wasn't a shrinking violet. "I welcome their hatred," he said of his Republican opponents. Only a man of supreme confidence and musicianship could say that and really mean it. Coming from Cruz and Trump it would be mere petulance.
16
For voters disgusted with congressional gridlock as it exists today, consider the effect of a Cruz administration: Between the loathing his own Republican colleagues feel towards him, and the opposition to his extreme positions that Democrats would undoubtedly take, absolutely nothing would happen in Congress. But then that is the goal of the anti-government extreme right who find Senator Cruz appealing.
13
"7 battles of our time..." I suppose that it's just coincidence that he picked the number 7; the same number of seals broken and trumpets blown in "Revelations." Probably just a coincidence the number is also associated with completeness and perfection; or in other words, the numerical equivalent of God himself.
If Ted Cruz worshiping evangelicals were truly the followers of Jesus they proclaim to be, they would instead be horrified as opposed to enthralled, for Mr. Cruz's ascension and rhetoric sound far more like a different actor from "Revelations" than that of the redeemer.
But then again, what do I know about "true" Christianity; what with my interest in Jesus' abhorrence of greed, self righteousness and selfish disregard for the disadvantaged.
If Ted Cruz worshiping evangelicals were truly the followers of Jesus they proclaim to be, they would instead be horrified as opposed to enthralled, for Mr. Cruz's ascension and rhetoric sound far more like a different actor from "Revelations" than that of the redeemer.
But then again, what do I know about "true" Christianity; what with my interest in Jesus' abhorrence of greed, self righteousness and selfish disregard for the disadvantaged.
18
Dear Mr. Bruni,
Relax, he's a Canadian at least as far as Mr. Trump is concerned and the crowd that Mr. Trump appeals to won't let THAT little bit of information "go away", Constitution be damned!
For the GOP/TP/KOCH AFFILIATE's entire "campaign for the presidency" is not bound by anything like "truth, constitutionality or facts" and if you think the two enormous egos colliding in Iowa is something to behold, wait until the REAL election.
There'll be enough dirt thrown to build a full size replica of the Hoover Dam!
Sad to say, however, with the decreasing voter turnout, one of these "school yard bullies" might become president.
Relax, he's a Canadian at least as far as Mr. Trump is concerned and the crowd that Mr. Trump appeals to won't let THAT little bit of information "go away", Constitution be damned!
For the GOP/TP/KOCH AFFILIATE's entire "campaign for the presidency" is not bound by anything like "truth, constitutionality or facts" and if you think the two enormous egos colliding in Iowa is something to behold, wait until the REAL election.
There'll be enough dirt thrown to build a full size replica of the Hoover Dam!
Sad to say, however, with the decreasing voter turnout, one of these "school yard bullies" might become president.
3
Actually there are 3 candidates that fit that description. The third one happens to be in the Democratic arena. Her name is Hillary Clinton.
4
What is amazing to me, is how proficient both Mr Cruz and Mr Trump are in using the media. I am really tired of hearing about these two "gentlemen". There are other republican candidates that require media exposure if they ever hope to rise in the polls. How about the NY Times affording them a portion of the free exposure.
4
unnecessary... they all stink
1
Mr. Bruni...you dare to criticize Trump and Cruz for their egos--for braggadocio, vanity and self-promotion? Really?
Wasn't it Obama who promised to "Heal the planet, and stop the rise of the oceans"? Talk about a God complex!
Wasn't it Obama who famously said, "Elections have consequences--I won"?
Wasn't it Obama who used (fake) greek columns in his stadium-like campaign events?
And hasn't it been Obama, who has decided to sidestep Congress--and our constitutional system of checks and balances--to rule by executive fiat?
If arrogance and self-promotion are truly your pet peeves--and worthy of your scorn and derision--how about turning a little of that on the current resident of the White House--instead of just the Republican aspirants?
Oh wait...perhaps Progressives are entitled to their swagger--while Conservatives are not. If true...enlighten us.
Wasn't it Obama who promised to "Heal the planet, and stop the rise of the oceans"? Talk about a God complex!
Wasn't it Obama who famously said, "Elections have consequences--I won"?
Wasn't it Obama who used (fake) greek columns in his stadium-like campaign events?
And hasn't it been Obama, who has decided to sidestep Congress--and our constitutional system of checks and balances--to rule by executive fiat?
If arrogance and self-promotion are truly your pet peeves--and worthy of your scorn and derision--how about turning a little of that on the current resident of the White House--instead of just the Republican aspirants?
Oh wait...perhaps Progressives are entitled to their swagger--while Conservatives are not. If true...enlighten us.
6
It's OK for Obama and lefty liberals (and Hillary of course) to have giant egos, because they are left-wing liberals and they are always correct about every issue.
Bragging and big egos are only a problem when you are a conservative or Republican.
Bragging and big egos are only a problem when you are a conservative or Republican.
1
An uninformative column that adds nothing. Waste of time & space. Too many like this lately, perhaps time to retire.
5
It is quaint to think of humility as a virtue. It seems at least in the Republican primary as something that has been totally forgotten. And yet you would think coming from conservatives it would be a traditional value that would be treasured and valued. It is like the collective body of that Party has lost its mind and is now exploring new frontiers of completely uncharted territory. To think that we are fast approaching a primary where the Evangelicals in the heartland of Iowa are getting ready to turn the mantle of their Party over to either a brash talking egotistical materialist from New York or a slippery snake oil salesman from Texas is to enter an alternative reality.
2
NIce artice except for the typo in the last paragraph. "Ecosystem" should be "egosystem."
6
Another well written condemnation of Trump and Cruz. There are so many being written it is difficult to keep up.
Waiting for something meaningful to start these un-candidates on a trip to the wilderness is difficult too.
Already America is the loser.
Waiting for something meaningful to start these un-candidates on a trip to the wilderness is difficult too.
Already America is the loser.
4
The new information take away from someone not living in Iowa and attending a bovine pep rally is that Rick "Oops" Perry is trying to finagle a cabinet position should Cruz manage to win. Folks....can anyone with half a brain picture this?
7
If we could conduct an experiment, without real-world consequences, a Cruz presidency would reveal much about the man behind the televangelist persona, while at the same time subjecting him to the water-boarding reality that defines the most stressful job in the world.
Cruz's ambition to rule the world would crash headlong into the impossibility of controlling even a federal government in which he shares power with a recalcitrant Congress that would test his non-existent negotiating skills. His imperial aspirations would also have to pass muster with a SC that could slap his wrists and judge him a bad boy for trying to circumvent the Constitution. Of course, he could always try to show the other two branches who was really boss by shutting down the federal government.
On the international scene, as well, Cruz would soon learn the inconvenient truth that control of the world's most lethal war machine could not force the peasants of his global kingdom to tug their forelocks and tamely carry out his orders. Despite the capacity to inflict "shock and awe" on his enemies, Lord Cruz would discover that a muscle-bound military cannot eliminate the threat posed by small-target groups like ISIS.
Cruz would not emerge from our experiment a chastened man, because that requires the capacity for self-reflection. But it might wipe that phony grin off his face. Even small triumphs are worth savoring.
Cruz's ambition to rule the world would crash headlong into the impossibility of controlling even a federal government in which he shares power with a recalcitrant Congress that would test his non-existent negotiating skills. His imperial aspirations would also have to pass muster with a SC that could slap his wrists and judge him a bad boy for trying to circumvent the Constitution. Of course, he could always try to show the other two branches who was really boss by shutting down the federal government.
On the international scene, as well, Cruz would soon learn the inconvenient truth that control of the world's most lethal war machine could not force the peasants of his global kingdom to tug their forelocks and tamely carry out his orders. Despite the capacity to inflict "shock and awe" on his enemies, Lord Cruz would discover that a muscle-bound military cannot eliminate the threat posed by small-target groups like ISIS.
Cruz would not emerge from our experiment a chastened man, because that requires the capacity for self-reflection. But it might wipe that phony grin off his face. Even small triumphs are worth savoring.
6
Cruz and Trump, Tweedle dum and Tweedle dee
2
Has anyone ever seen a picture of Cruz smiling?
5
I see no similarity to Obama's smirks on his face.
1
The selfish egomaniacal compulsion of many of the current Republican contenders, and many of their predecessors, has long been evident to those who cared to and could see them objectively. To ally with and vote for them, as if there were actually shared moral, religious and economic values and real gains that would benefit all but the wealthiest and most influential interests, results from anger, impotence, short-sightedness and a collective mass delusion that rejects the continuing inevitable demographic shift. The "winner's" power will not translate to their supporters except in the most crude and destructive fashion. It would not surprise were one of these candidates to actually "win" the presidency to see many of the same current and now drop-out contenders placed in high positions of the "winner's" administration.
3
What person, who thinks they can run a country like the U.S., is not an egotist. How would we react if the candidate said, "Well, I think I can." Or, "I hope I can." We want our president to be confident they can lead the country. What this OP-ED colonists and so many others dwell on are the personalities and verbiage the candidates wrap their egos. It the same day after day, column after column. Why don't the look at the persons goals and accomplishments. Look at their failures. Give us some information that specifically looks an the candidates ability to get things done. We need to know what that person's credentials are that qualifies them. We need to know specifically what their vision is so we can see if it is the same as ours. We need to know what makes us believe they can achieve our goals for the country. What we don't need is nine more months of name calling and personality assessments.
3
You could have mentioned the third member of this unholy trinity: Sarah Palin. Fortunately she has been largely defanged.
8
Just a minute curlicue separating "defanged" from "deranged".
2
Sarah Palin is a private citizen. She holds no public office, and has not in six years. She is not running for any public office.
Trump is a spoiled brat and Cruz is an ass.
Coincidentally, that's the best way to describe most of the members of the GOTP elite these days.
And, as usual. the best way to describe the GOTP voter is "completely clueless".
Coincidentally, that's the best way to describe most of the members of the GOTP elite these days.
And, as usual. the best way to describe the GOTP voter is "completely clueless".
12
Can you imagine what it must be like to live in the presence of these two walking egos? When the divorces take place, their wives should be given immediate emergency mental health treatment and awarded badges of merit along with the bulk of their husbands' wealth (insufficient compensation for their cruel and unusual marriages).
5
People who do not possess self doubt are dangerous. So, too, are those who have far too many self doubts but who are in a position of power anyway. I would choose the latter over the first, however, because doubt is the sailing companion of good decisions, carefulness and, if it eventually comes, wisdom
Both Trump and Cruz are shutoff from wisdom by their massive egos. Cruz is an outsize exemplar of the current American version of success, someone who excels before college, gets accepted into a big, brand name school and then proceeds to gorge at the table of opportunities presented before him because of his presumed mental superiority, regardless of results
This path, whether to places like the Supreme Court, leading a major corporation or to the presidency, is dangerous. Failure is the best teacher. He who has not tasted its bitter fruits often sees no reason to change, no necessary path to walk toward humility and no reason to doubt his own decisions, ever. Don Henley, the singer song writer of the Eagles, said, "The more I know/the less I understand", encapsulating life's journey
I have spent most of my life around the bubbling, frothy pit of soaring egos that is our nation's capital, DC. I have met great men and women here, but most of the nation would not recognize their names. They are not celebrated. They used their intelligence in the service of the search for true wisdom, did their jobs and went quietly. Trump and Cruz make massive noise and seek equal disaster.
Both Trump and Cruz are shutoff from wisdom by their massive egos. Cruz is an outsize exemplar of the current American version of success, someone who excels before college, gets accepted into a big, brand name school and then proceeds to gorge at the table of opportunities presented before him because of his presumed mental superiority, regardless of results
This path, whether to places like the Supreme Court, leading a major corporation or to the presidency, is dangerous. Failure is the best teacher. He who has not tasted its bitter fruits often sees no reason to change, no necessary path to walk toward humility and no reason to doubt his own decisions, ever. Don Henley, the singer song writer of the Eagles, said, "The more I know/the less I understand", encapsulating life's journey
I have spent most of my life around the bubbling, frothy pit of soaring egos that is our nation's capital, DC. I have met great men and women here, but most of the nation would not recognize their names. They are not celebrated. They used their intelligence in the service of the search for true wisdom, did their jobs and went quietly. Trump and Cruz make massive noise and seek equal disaster.
15
Thanks for this!
1
Thank you, Mr. Williams. Whatever I have to offer often goes largely unnoticed in its best form. Partly, this is because I do not have, and apparently will never get, the green check mark as a verified commenter. In any case, your encouragement is appreciated.
1
I'm so appreciative of how you manage to pionpoint and illuminate the foibles of these two aggrandized egotists. How frightening to think that any one of them would occupy a position of such tremendous important and gravity with so much hubris and self-aggrandizement. How will they ever be able to see the gravity or truth of any situation through the bubble that they live in.That's what frightens me. Their egoes are so impenetrable and dense. Thank you for your clarity.
3
"The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women." Judge Learned Hand, 1944
6
Fascinating and riveting, Frank, your piece about Perry and Cruz in the barnyard with the bales of hay, the moos of cows and the soap-opera voice of Ted dancing to his own foreboding muse. His worry palpable on his Sen Joe McCarthy lookalike phiz. Trump as the black swan of the 2016 GOP/Tea Party primaries campaign - yes! And yes, their egotism, lack of humility and self-infatuation is vomitrocious. The two frontrunners for Iowa and New Hampshire on the Republican side of the fence are cocky beyond imagining, and their chances of being crowned GOP Presidential Candidate in July - their chances for the nod from Reince Priebus and his RNC convention - are slim to none. In the photo by Jae C. Hong (AP) that illustrated your column - "The Twinned Egos of Cruz and Trump" - I wondered who is that good-looking fella in the glasses and leather jacket and jeans? A Secret Service candidate's guard? Sic transit gloria Rick Perry.
2
"Both are full of a great many things."
Hehehe. No, both are full of just ONE thing. Great line.
Hehehe. No, both are full of just ONE thing. Great line.
4
If those 2 nuts, Trump and Cruz, were 1/2 as good as they think they are, well, they'd still be nuts. Obviously both are overcompensating for their failures with their parents.
4
I'm shocked, shocked to find some politicians may be egomaniacs. Who knew?
2
Full of a great many things, but one thing in particular.
4
Personally, one word involuntarily comes to mind whenever I have the misfortune of looking at or listening to either Cruz or Trump: Nauseating.
3
Yes, and the same guys in the press would call humble Pres. Obama "not confident, not sure and too hesitant". You media people also play this game. I am not sure if you merely report on such people, or create them in the first place. Your media created and sold Reality TV, and now you guys pretend like you just discovered it. My, my, my....
How many articles have you guys written on Trump and Cruz alone? You give the attention, and they go up in the polls or go Right on the rolls.
How many articles have you guys written on Trump and Cruz alone? You give the attention, and they go up in the polls or go Right on the rolls.
2
I'm not a fan of Trump or Cruz. But I doubt that "Presidential Candidate Has an Ego" is worth an opinion piece on the New York Times. Frank Bruni, thank you for wasting my time yet again with your tired ad hominems.
2
Seriously -- what person could possibly run for the office of President WITHOUT a big ego?
Name all the Presidents in your lifetime who had tiny egos, and modest, self-effacing personalities.
Name all the Presidents in your lifetime who had tiny egos, and modest, self-effacing personalities.
1
There's a word for what Cruz confesses, megalomania.
4
There’s something basically odd in the image of a New Yorker walking into the WRONG barn. Isn’t there?
But, then, it’s almost as curious to hear such concern expressed about Trump and Cruz over their singular self-absorption, when one remembers the monumental self-absorption of the Clintons and LBJ. As I meandered around a barn that was perhaps as odd a set of surroundings for me as for any New Yorker, it probably would occur to me to marvel instead at where worthies like Trump and Cruz would take America and not at the size of the egos one tends to find in aspirants for the Presidency of the United States.
But, then, it’s almost as curious to hear such concern expressed about Trump and Cruz over their singular self-absorption, when one remembers the monumental self-absorption of the Clintons and LBJ. As I meandered around a barn that was perhaps as odd a set of surroundings for me as for any New Yorker, it probably would occur to me to marvel instead at where worthies like Trump and Cruz would take America and not at the size of the egos one tends to find in aspirants for the Presidency of the United States.
1
It does take an enormous ego for one to think he or she is the one person that can lead the greatest country in the world. Certainly all presidential aspirants share that in common. But there is a difference between the egos of Trump and Cruz on one side and Clinton and Sanders on the other. Trump and Cruz seem to me to be about wielding enormous power (to match their enormous egos) - building walls, deporting millions and bombing other nations until they glow. On the other hand, the power Clinton and Sanders want to wield is in the service of the middle class - curtailing Wall Street and providing affordable health care, for example.
6
Ahhh, carrying water for the Bushes bu no mention of Rubio while trying to clear the decks of the two candidates that actual republican voters prefer in favor of VSP preferences for yet another Bush or the other crazy ambitious, the boy Cuba, who actual flesh and blood republicans don't want. But, don't see this as a problem. Bruni.
"...such tone deaf length..." is a nice turn of phase of wide applicability though.
"...such tone deaf length..." is a nice turn of phase of wide applicability though.
Donald Trump is Devo's Booji Boy come to life.
Still working on Ted's avatar...
Still working on Ted's avatar...
3
When I've watched Ted Cruz in the Republican debates, I often think to myself, "I really should write down how he is manipulating the facts in the way he presents them," but I haven't and I don't remember the specifics anymore. But he does such a job of highlighting this detail and pruning back that detail, and omitting other details or context that the end result might well be an origami animal instead of the sheet of paper it started from. It isn't clear to me how much Cruz realizes what he's doing and what that original sheet of paper looked like. How he justifies the paper-folding I don't know either -- ends justify the means? he knows better than others and should therefore lead? he who wins at a rhetorical game is wise?
As for listening (and processing and responding), if there's a false self between other people and the person in question, not much helpful is going to come out of their listening -- the information may never get to the true self and hence no appropriate response may ever be forthcoming. I think that's why we detect a dearth of things like compassion and empathy among many candidates, because the capacity for those features of human nature lies in the true self, not the false self. I take as a working assumption that people who live in a false self suffer in some way that has resulted in its construction, and I am sorry for their suffering, but that does not mean that I am okay with their damaging others as a result.
As for listening (and processing and responding), if there's a false self between other people and the person in question, not much helpful is going to come out of their listening -- the information may never get to the true self and hence no appropriate response may ever be forthcoming. I think that's why we detect a dearth of things like compassion and empathy among many candidates, because the capacity for those features of human nature lies in the true self, not the false self. I take as a working assumption that people who live in a false self suffer in some way that has resulted in its construction, and I am sorry for their suffering, but that does not mean that I am okay with their damaging others as a result.
67
I have to say, pieces like the one in Politico accomplish one thing: they make clear just how petty and cliquish the world of politics has become. The Bush 2000 operation in Austin sounds a lot like high school--"Mean Girls (and Boys)" meets "Election."
We have multiple sources, all of them insisting on anonymity. They tell us that Ted was lazy. He left the office at 5 pm and then returned to send out time-stamped emails late at night. Ted tried to get a Washington Post reporter to profile him. Ted was too blatantly self-promotional. No one liked him, so he didn't get a plum job inside the White House, instead getting banished to the political equivalent of Siberia. He got what he deserved, because, well, no one liked him.
I eagerly await the follow-up piece about Ted in pre-school, where he refused to share.
How about this? Ted Cruz has been in the Senate since 2013 and his greatest accomplishment was orchestrating a government shutdown that cost this country billions of dollars. He doesn't believe in climate change, opposes any restrictions whatsoever on firearms, has called the administration of the current president the "leading financier of radical Islamic terrorism," and plans to "carpet-bomb" ISIS into submission while somehow sparing civilians.
No one needs to rifle through Ted Cruz's file, so to speak, in order to determine that he's thoroughly unlikable and far too extreme to be president. He's taken care of that all by himself.
We have multiple sources, all of them insisting on anonymity. They tell us that Ted was lazy. He left the office at 5 pm and then returned to send out time-stamped emails late at night. Ted tried to get a Washington Post reporter to profile him. Ted was too blatantly self-promotional. No one liked him, so he didn't get a plum job inside the White House, instead getting banished to the political equivalent of Siberia. He got what he deserved, because, well, no one liked him.
I eagerly await the follow-up piece about Ted in pre-school, where he refused to share.
How about this? Ted Cruz has been in the Senate since 2013 and his greatest accomplishment was orchestrating a government shutdown that cost this country billions of dollars. He doesn't believe in climate change, opposes any restrictions whatsoever on firearms, has called the administration of the current president the "leading financier of radical Islamic terrorism," and plans to "carpet-bomb" ISIS into submission while somehow sparing civilians.
No one needs to rifle through Ted Cruz's file, so to speak, in order to determine that he's thoroughly unlikable and far too extreme to be president. He's taken care of that all by himself.
365
Yes, Ted is all that you say. If the mental health professionals ever got him in a psychiatrist's chair they would no doubt marvel at the messed up specimen of humanity in front of them. He is a master manipulator of small minds. And that is precisely why he is scary. It's also precisely why he has painted himself as the savior for all evangelical beliefs. Because he knows that those small minds will line up behind him with their support and their votes. And between them and the messed up ranchers out west decrying the federal government (who will also line up behind him with their votes) I live in fear for the future of our country.
5
Mr. Trump's pathology was nicely on view in his remark that he could stand in the middle of 5th Ave and shoot someone and still "not lose any voters." He he seems to truly believe that his own magnetism is so great that nothing could sway his supporters from loving him into office. Imagine letting that ego pathology loose on the stage of delicate international relations!
102
He might even gain votes if the shooting were a suicide.
3
I think the shooting statement had another aspect. In one short sentence he insulted the integrity and morality of every person that supports him. He is saying that they would still support him even if he committed murder or attempted murder. Sure, it's Trump super-hyperbole, but at the same time it shows his a contempt for his followers, likening them to unconscionable morons.
6
What scares me is that he is probably right. He wouldn't lose supporters because they are as deranged as he is. DItto for Cruz and his suppoters. The amount of hatred and anger in certain parts of the American electorate is staggering, with Trump and Cruz leading the pack.
3
"Dozens of voters sat among bales of hay and cows could be heard mooing in the background at such perfectly staggered intervals that I suspected a soundtrack rather than the real thing."
Oh Frank! For a serious column, this line had me howling. And doesn't this image convey the shallow staginess of this campaign, with mooing making the perfect metaphor?
If both Cruz and Trump are full of often unwarranted nerviness I think you have to acknowledge a few differences between two egomaniacs.
First, crowd appeal. While I haven't seen Cruz in action, the Trump rallies broadcast endlessly reveal a man totally in tune with his audience. Through the vulgarity and braggadocio, comes a sort of folksy charm, a need to woo, and a desperate desire to be loved--Orson Wells would have a field day with him. In in a nutshell, Trump supporters have more fun.
Cruz, with his dark and foreboding mien is truly scary. If you don't buy into his brand of Biblical conservatism, he comes off as truly scary and almost possessed with a self-righteousness that repels. I haven't seen Cruz interacting with a crowd, so can't comment on his crowd appeal, but he obviously has some.
But tone and demeanor aside, Frank, there is one commonality you didn't touch on. it's my sense I (perhaps others feel it too) that both candidates don't really buy into what they're saying. Their rants and hyperbole are no more than recorded mooing, just like what you heard in that Iowa barn.
Oh Frank! For a serious column, this line had me howling. And doesn't this image convey the shallow staginess of this campaign, with mooing making the perfect metaphor?
If both Cruz and Trump are full of often unwarranted nerviness I think you have to acknowledge a few differences between two egomaniacs.
First, crowd appeal. While I haven't seen Cruz in action, the Trump rallies broadcast endlessly reveal a man totally in tune with his audience. Through the vulgarity and braggadocio, comes a sort of folksy charm, a need to woo, and a desperate desire to be loved--Orson Wells would have a field day with him. In in a nutshell, Trump supporters have more fun.
Cruz, with his dark and foreboding mien is truly scary. If you don't buy into his brand of Biblical conservatism, he comes off as truly scary and almost possessed with a self-righteousness that repels. I haven't seen Cruz interacting with a crowd, so can't comment on his crowd appeal, but he obviously has some.
But tone and demeanor aside, Frank, there is one commonality you didn't touch on. it's my sense I (perhaps others feel it too) that both candidates don't really buy into what they're saying. Their rants and hyperbole are no more than recorded mooing, just like what you heard in that Iowa barn.
93
When I started watching and listening to Ted Cruz, a few months ago, my first read on him was that he couldn't possibly believe what he's saying. I thought he was the most obviously insincere politician I'd ever seen.
But calling a person insincere without knowing anything about him has always struck me as unfair, so I did a little research, and found out about how his recovering-alcoholic, religious-fanatic father (the man who had abandoned Ted and his mom for a while during his childhood) had made himself into a sort of prophet and had labelled young Ted "anointed." When your bough has bent bent that far, you've either got to rebel ... or double down.
I believe now that what I discerned as an odor of insincerity is the scent of doubt coming off a man who has doubled down on a hand that the suppressed smartly-critical part of him regards with disdain.
Either way, he's pretty awful.
But calling a person insincere without knowing anything about him has always struck me as unfair, so I did a little research, and found out about how his recovering-alcoholic, religious-fanatic father (the man who had abandoned Ted and his mom for a while during his childhood) had made himself into a sort of prophet and had labelled young Ted "anointed." When your bough has bent bent that far, you've either got to rebel ... or double down.
I believe now that what I discerned as an odor of insincerity is the scent of doubt coming off a man who has doubled down on a hand that the suppressed smartly-critical part of him regards with disdain.
Either way, he's pretty awful.
159
The biggest problem is that it doesn't matter if Cruz believes what he says. It matters that American voters believe what he says. THEY scare me more than he does.
11
Your giving Cruz to much credit to be able to analyze himself. Self centered people don't see how they affect others and they most often don't care. They talk to people when they can get something they want from them in the effort to get their own way. All else be damned!
5
It takes a tremendous ego and sense of personal greatness to run for the highest office on the planet.
It is for the voters to make the choice as to who we wish to have hold the office.
There are times when we get the decision right: 1860, 1904, 1932, 1960, 1964, 2008, and other times when we don't: 1920, 1968, 1980, 2000.
In many elections the voters had two decent choices: 1912, 1948, 1952, for example.
In 2016, the choice for me is crystal clear: the party of Jefferson/Jackson over the RINO party of Lincoln and TR.
It is for the voters to make the choice as to who we wish to have hold the office.
There are times when we get the decision right: 1860, 1904, 1932, 1960, 1964, 2008, and other times when we don't: 1920, 1968, 1980, 2000.
In many elections the voters had two decent choices: 1912, 1948, 1952, for example.
In 2016, the choice for me is crystal clear: the party of Jefferson/Jackson over the RINO party of Lincoln and TR.
17
I prefer the Party of Jefferson, FDR, Truman, Kennedy, LBJ and Obama to that including the obnoxious, racist, murderous Jackson, one of our worst Presidents.
If alive today, Lincoln and TR would certainly be Democrats. The GOP has thrown away the very reason for its existence. It has squandered its resistance for a pocketful of mumbles. Such are promises, all lies and jest. Still, a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.
If alive today, Lincoln and TR would certainly be Democrats. The GOP has thrown away the very reason for its existence. It has squandered its resistance for a pocketful of mumbles. Such are promises, all lies and jest. Still, a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.
10
Thank God we totally got 2008 and 2012 right. President Obama will go down in history as a great President who cleaned up a massive mess with zippo support of the Republicans. A man of great intellect and integrity. None of the GOP candidates in this years race can even touch his hem. Obamanos!
14
@Brian: I mentioned Jackson because he was the founder of the party.
1
Welcome to the barn-raising, Frank. What took you so long? Took a wrong turning on the way? Well, now that you're here, try to take up some of the slack left by your absence. Trump and Cruz didn't come out of nowhere. Trump got a pass from you and many others when he rolled in the muck of birtherism.
You were worried that the circus-like atmosphere might scare off good candidates? Hasn't happened on my side of the house! What's the matter with your side of the house? What'ya doin' about it?
You were worried that the circus-like atmosphere might scare off good candidates? Hasn't happened on my side of the house! What's the matter with your side of the house? What'ya doin' about it?
49
When the Republican op-ed writers for the NY Times begin to accept some responsibility for the situation in which Trump and Cruz threaten to dismantle the party. I will take their opinions more seriously. The Republican Establishment has succeeded by appealing to the covert racism and xenophobia of the white working class. While happy to accept their votes, the Republicans have helped destroy the working and middle classes by shifting the nations wealth to the top 1%. Frank, how can you be surprised that after 35 years during which the "conservatives" have created an American plutocracy, the working and middle classes who have been hurt as a result of the total failure of trickle down economics are now turing on that same Republican Establishment (which includes you). Furthermore, if these voters are miss-informed and willing to tolerate the lies of the Trump and Cruz camps, were was Frank Bruni's outrage over the creation of the alternative media of Fox and their friends? Why didn't he lead a crusade for truth in right-wing media. Because the ascendancy of the plutocracy has enabled by those same lies. Sorry Frank but the rotten truth of the Republican party is that Trump and Cruz do represent its voters.
130
Does this comment suggest that Mr. Bruni is a "Republican op-ed" writer? I've been reading him for years and this is news to me, as I suspect it is to Mr. Bruni.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
www.endthemadnessnow.org
3
Gee....I did not know that Frank was a Republican fan....David Brooks, yes.....
3
Well he has never identified as such by name but his early championing of Marco Rubio and his anguish over the Republican front runners is a pretty clear clue.
3
Both candidates seem much ado about nothing. Are they filling stadiums? Haven't heard about it if they are. Only one candidate that I know of is doing that. I don't need to name him.
24
Carolyn, if Mr. Sanders has the votes to beat Hillary and then go on to win a majority of Electoral votes -- then he will be our next President. And you should vote for him.
But the real question is: if this is so....if Mr. Sanders has an unassailable majority and populist headwind....and he is to the liking of most of the lefties like yourself on these forums -- then what the heck are you worried about? Why not let the right wing rant and rave, and run any nut they want? You have stated clearly (along with others here) that they have ZERO chance of winning. Heck, they might as well concede RIGHT THIS MINUTE -- right?
So what is the cause of all this handwringing and hysteria?
But the real question is: if this is so....if Mr. Sanders has an unassailable majority and populist headwind....and he is to the liking of most of the lefties like yourself on these forums -- then what the heck are you worried about? Why not let the right wing rant and rave, and run any nut they want? You have stated clearly (along with others here) that they have ZERO chance of winning. Heck, they might as well concede RIGHT THIS MINUTE -- right?
So what is the cause of all this handwringing and hysteria?
"Filling stadiums"
Yes, just watch the TV ad "America" for that - about you know who. Gives goose bumps.
Yes, just watch the TV ad "America" for that - about you know who. Gives goose bumps.
3
I am stating the obvious, Concerned Citizen. I am not handwringing.
3
And aren't we grateful to have two such quiet, withdrawn, thoughtful candidates as Bernie and the Hill to offset the Cruz/Trump clamor! And thank God neither of them is burdened with an oversized ego!
8
Hillary ...no overblown ego??? You must be living in an alternate universe! She is hungry for power with No leadership skills ! Quite an unfortunate combination !
Great observations. Let me bring a little sunshine into your day. The good news that only one of them can win the Republican nomination. The other will fade into oblivion. Or, maybe not.
Oh well, sunshine is overrated anyhow.
Oh well, sunshine is overrated anyhow.
6
Cruz will never give up his quest for world domination. What prompted this teenage ambition? Was he spurned by a girl? Trump's self aggrandizing is almost a pre-requisite for his line of work so I give him a pass. But Cruz is another matter. He seems almost pathological in his cruelty, theatrics and ambition. To get what Cruz wants he need a different system of government.
44
Ted Cruz's father is a Chrstian Dominionist. These people believe that it is their God-given mission to rule the US according to Biblical law. Cruz Sr. has also indoctrinated Cruz Jr. with the insane idea that he (Jr.) is destined to be the leader which accomplishes this.
Since God is on their side (or so they believe) any tactic which furthers their goal, theocracy, is not only permissible but necessary. Obviously this includes lying, but I do not doubt that if power is achieved that violence will be in the tool-box as well.
To place this person in charge of the nuclear codes with the authority to use them would be supreme folly. I fear Trump in the same position, but more because of his manifest lack of balance and judgment than because of an intention to destroy the Constitution (although his actions might well have that result).
Since God is on their side (or so they believe) any tactic which furthers their goal, theocracy, is not only permissible but necessary. Obviously this includes lying, but I do not doubt that if power is achieved that violence will be in the tool-box as well.
To place this person in charge of the nuclear codes with the authority to use them would be supreme folly. I fear Trump in the same position, but more because of his manifest lack of balance and judgment than because of an intention to destroy the Constitution (although his actions might well have that result).
11
@jprfrog: that is laughable, even if true (which I doubt). Dominionists have to be a tiny, tiny congregation -- I've never even heard of them. They'd be dwarfed by the Presbyterians or Methodists or Baptists or Roman Catholics.
You cannot possibly know what Ted Cruz believes in terms of religion or what his father "indoctrinated" him with. I'm a Reform Jew, because my parents were -- they sent me to Hebrew school. Does that make me "indoctrinated in Judaism"? If elected to office, would I try to create a Reform Jewish "theocracy" (despite all Jews being a small religious minority group)?????
You cannot have "theocracy" in the US because we have so many different religions and churches. There is no one huge "Christian" church, but hundreds of large & small churches, plus many other faiths like Jews, Muslims, Mormons, etc.
You cannot possibly know what Ted Cruz believes in terms of religion or what his father "indoctrinated" him with. I'm a Reform Jew, because my parents were -- they sent me to Hebrew school. Does that make me "indoctrinated in Judaism"? If elected to office, would I try to create a Reform Jewish "theocracy" (despite all Jews being a small religious minority group)?????
You cannot have "theocracy" in the US because we have so many different religions and churches. There is no one huge "Christian" church, but hundreds of large & small churches, plus many other faiths like Jews, Muslims, Mormons, etc.
Say, don't confuse people with all those stunning facts and examples of Sen Ted Cruz being like the guy the MSM gives all their free time to - Frankentrump! I mean did you have any facts or incidents to illustrate your temeril charge of Cruz' having an ego like Trumps? No, not one - oh, except the cynical snark of a teen ager; that passes for evidence in the bankrupt NY Times these days! We have indeed a shocking record of Humpty Trumpty boasting as an adult supposedly, leaking narcissism all over the world and his calling women dogs, pigs, fatsos, bimbos, losers etc etc. But any occurrence of Cruz speaking like that? The answer is NADA, nest eggs, zilch...these two men have spent their entire careers on opposite sides: Trump bankrolling the thugs of Planned Parenthood, Reid, Pelosi, and his buddies the Clintons. But Cruz has been a consistent Conservative from day one until now...So next time you accept an Op-ed, make sure its rises above Grade 4 level, okay?
2
Chanin then you just ain't lookin'.
Google 'TED CRUZ IS AN ASS'...the results should keep you busy reading for days...if not weeks.
Sure there are a lot of petty things but one that sticks out is how Cruz said the two San Bernadino murderers flew to Saudi Arabia (lie) met with ISIS leaders (lie) and that they boasted about the massacre beforehand and that President Obama was to blame (what a shock).
Cruz is a soft, doughy un-American (Canadian in point of fact) elitist punk...no wonder so many rightist are enamoured of him.
Most of them hate 'America too.
Google 'TED CRUZ IS AN ASS'...the results should keep you busy reading for days...if not weeks.
Sure there are a lot of petty things but one that sticks out is how Cruz said the two San Bernadino murderers flew to Saudi Arabia (lie) met with ISIS leaders (lie) and that they boasted about the massacre beforehand and that President Obama was to blame (what a shock).
Cruz is a soft, doughy un-American (Canadian in point of fact) elitist punk...no wonder so many rightist are enamoured of him.
Most of them hate 'America too.
10
Shutting down the federal government because you didn't get your way doesn't count as narcissism? Taking millions of dollars in tort fees before pressing for tort reform counts as consistent conservatism?
11
I always felt that much of the venom directed toward trial lawyers came from the fine line they had to walk between supreme confidence in themselves and their abilities - and egotism.
The lawyer had to have enough confidence to be able to advise a client on strategy based upon the presumption that if the right path was trial, he or she was smart enough, clever enough, tough enough, respected enough, and charismatic enough to win both in the eyes of the law and the jury. And then the successful lawyer had to deliver. So far so good.
The slide down the slippery slope began when they started to believe they did it all themselves, and when they came to see all of life as one big courtroom battle where they could use the same qualities to "win". Egotistic - and combative.
While the last thing I want to feel for Donald or Ted is sympathy, I would not, for one minute, want to live inside their heads. But the real sympathy should be saved for our country if either one ever gets near the White House.
Save us from ever living in a country run by Donald or Ted, men who have "luged" down that slippery slope, who passed egotism long ago, and who now wriggle in a narcissistic ooze, excruciating to watch. I would turn my head if this were not - amazingly - a serious race for the American presidency.
The lawyer had to have enough confidence to be able to advise a client on strategy based upon the presumption that if the right path was trial, he or she was smart enough, clever enough, tough enough, respected enough, and charismatic enough to win both in the eyes of the law and the jury. And then the successful lawyer had to deliver. So far so good.
The slide down the slippery slope began when they started to believe they did it all themselves, and when they came to see all of life as one big courtroom battle where they could use the same qualities to "win". Egotistic - and combative.
While the last thing I want to feel for Donald or Ted is sympathy, I would not, for one minute, want to live inside their heads. But the real sympathy should be saved for our country if either one ever gets near the White House.
Save us from ever living in a country run by Donald or Ted, men who have "luged" down that slippery slope, who passed egotism long ago, and who now wriggle in a narcissistic ooze, excruciating to watch. I would turn my head if this were not - amazingly - a serious race for the American presidency.
27
I recall the last two Republicans I voted for - Missouri Senator Jack Danforth and Kansas City Mayor Dick Berkley. Both ran for office for the last time in the late 1980's. Both were fiscal conservatives but social moderates. Both believed in working within the system. But both were also part of a dying breed within a party growing more radical year by year.
Since the Reagan Revolution, the GOP has sprinted to the right. In the current GOP, there's not simply no room for taxes on the wealthy. There's no room for compassion or reason or respect for Americans who do not march in lockstep with the Republican's ever more radical agenda.
Senator Cruz and Mr. Trump lead the GOP because the party has courted the radicals to win elections from the local to the national level. They love the hot button issues and adore smearing opponents rather than working with them.
So now they have Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and the trailing field of "mainstream" Republicans - all possessed of no workable ideas for moving the nation forward and dealing with the issues we face. They all promise to cut taxes and balance the budget simultaneously. Math, history, common sense are no impediments to their proposals.
Nor apparently are manners, good taste, or respect for their fellow Americans.
Trump and Cruz are just what the Republican leadership deserves.
The nation, however, does not.
Since the Reagan Revolution, the GOP has sprinted to the right. In the current GOP, there's not simply no room for taxes on the wealthy. There's no room for compassion or reason or respect for Americans who do not march in lockstep with the Republican's ever more radical agenda.
Senator Cruz and Mr. Trump lead the GOP because the party has courted the radicals to win elections from the local to the national level. They love the hot button issues and adore smearing opponents rather than working with them.
So now they have Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and the trailing field of "mainstream" Republicans - all possessed of no workable ideas for moving the nation forward and dealing with the issues we face. They all promise to cut taxes and balance the budget simultaneously. Math, history, common sense are no impediments to their proposals.
Nor apparently are manners, good taste, or respect for their fellow Americans.
Trump and Cruz are just what the Republican leadership deserves.
The nation, however, does not.
253
I think the level of narcissism required in this election is greater because the system is calling for a purging dose, a self corrective measure, that will clear the entire system out. TrumpCruz represent exactly the kind of morally bankrupt egotism that is needed. They serve to expurgate the entire political system from 20 years of echo chamber Foxism...it's a tough job but they are capable of bringing the whole nation to its knees and then...rejecting them? Electing them? I can't believe our system will place Joe McCarthy at the helm.
2
Manners are too PC for them.
1
@Don Downey: let me get this straight. You are accusing Senator Cruz of being "Joe McCarthy" because you (and some others) see a physical resemblance -- even though the two men are 100% unrelated and Joseph McCarthy has BEEN DEAD FOR ALMOST 60 YEARS....longer than Cruz has been alive (so even in the realm of sci fi, McCarthy can't be Cruz's biological father).
So you -- a liberal -- believe that physical resemblances means two unrelated people MUST BE EXACTLY ALIKE in philosophy, personality and morality? SERIOUSLY? and you accuse the right wing of being "anti-science"?????
Myself, I see a resemblance in Senator Cruz to the late LBJ -- also a Texan. But I don't think they are related either. Physical resemblance really means nothing in this context.
Is Senator Cruz involved in a "witch hunt" to find communists in Congress? is he holding investigations of people to find commie sympathizers? NO? then your allegations are nasty and pathetic.
So you -- a liberal -- believe that physical resemblances means two unrelated people MUST BE EXACTLY ALIKE in philosophy, personality and morality? SERIOUSLY? and you accuse the right wing of being "anti-science"?????
Myself, I see a resemblance in Senator Cruz to the late LBJ -- also a Texan. But I don't think they are related either. Physical resemblance really means nothing in this context.
Is Senator Cruz involved in a "witch hunt" to find communists in Congress? is he holding investigations of people to find commie sympathizers? NO? then your allegations are nasty and pathetic.
If only Texas would secede... then they could have their Pres. Rafael Cruz and Vice Pres. Oops Goodhair. Texas would need a much bigger wall, but I think the rest of the nation would gladly pitch in.
110
mck - That was all settled 150 years ago; the U.S. is like the Hotel California, and ' ATL ' had an up close view of things, didn't it ?
2
Oh, if only.
But confederates aren't all stupid.
The old south knows that if they ever left the Union again the tens of billions in Federal Tax payouts they bilk off solvent American states would stop and confederate parasites never say "no" to a free meal.
But I hope the endless threats of secession from the petulant south never stops. I do so enjoy hearing a bunch of welfare states threaten to leave the Union. Reminds me of when a spoiled child threatens to run away from home if they don't get what they want...RIGHT NOW!
Heh, heh, heh...kids, they're so funny when they throw tantrums.
But confederates aren't all stupid.
The old south knows that if they ever left the Union again the tens of billions in Federal Tax payouts they bilk off solvent American states would stop and confederate parasites never say "no" to a free meal.
But I hope the endless threats of secession from the petulant south never stops. I do so enjoy hearing a bunch of welfare states threaten to leave the Union. Reminds me of when a spoiled child threatens to run away from home if they don't get what they want...RIGHT NOW!
Heh, heh, heh...kids, they're so funny when they throw tantrums.
10
I completely agree. They TALK about secession, but when will they ever DO it?
5
Cruz has humility.
Trump, not so much.
Trump, not so much.
2
It's hard to understand who would go out on a cold, wintry night to listen to the megalomaniac ,Cruz, and one of America's dumbest politicians, Perry. And in a barn. So my fascination is not with Cruz and Trump or their egos, they're easy to understand, but with those who attend their events. What are they looking for ? There are hundreds of ways to spend their time more productively and more enjoyably. Iowa has the internet, cable tv, libraries, movies, restaurants, etc, yet there they are.
None of them look homeless or in need. Are they angry and afraid? What's bothering them so much that they'd waste their time listening to idiots? I don't know, but apparently Cruz and Trump do.
None of them look homeless or in need. Are they angry and afraid? What's bothering them so much that they'd waste their time listening to idiots? I don't know, but apparently Cruz and Trump do.
123
Ted Cruz
is now attempting to play the barnyard muse
with Rick Perry
who can likely count cows but intangibles not very.
is now attempting to play the barnyard muse
with Rick Perry
who can likely count cows but intangibles not very.
10
But oops! Rick Perry lost count of the cows after 2.
3
During the primaries the candidates create themselves in the image of what they perceive is the base. As we heard from the Romney camp, it's an etch-a-sketch too be shaken, and all the positions get redrawn.
So we never could be sure where Romney was coming from. We can't be too sure about the Donald either. What the Donald believes in is mostly the supremacy of the Donald.
But Cruz... Well Cruz is different. We *know* he is willing to do dangerous things to make a point. We know he helped to try to shut down our credit, shake the world's stake in our willingness and ability to pay our debts, to make a point. He may have been hoping someone would stop him, but he didn't stop himself.
He is an Ivy educated top-in-his-firm lawyer, former clerk to the Chief Justice, Florida-vote Bush teamer, who, disappointed that he didn't win in the establishment, is trying to pretend he isn't establishment.
While we can hope that the other GOP candidates will shake up the etch-a-sketch and represent some level of sane government, all we can guess is that if Cruz shakes it up, he re-draw something worse. We can't tell if he will embrace his establishment background or further repudiate it just to prove that everyone else got it wrong, back when he was part of the team.
So we never could be sure where Romney was coming from. We can't be too sure about the Donald either. What the Donald believes in is mostly the supremacy of the Donald.
But Cruz... Well Cruz is different. We *know* he is willing to do dangerous things to make a point. We know he helped to try to shut down our credit, shake the world's stake in our willingness and ability to pay our debts, to make a point. He may have been hoping someone would stop him, but he didn't stop himself.
He is an Ivy educated top-in-his-firm lawyer, former clerk to the Chief Justice, Florida-vote Bush teamer, who, disappointed that he didn't win in the establishment, is trying to pretend he isn't establishment.
While we can hope that the other GOP candidates will shake up the etch-a-sketch and represent some level of sane government, all we can guess is that if Cruz shakes it up, he re-draw something worse. We can't tell if he will embrace his establishment background or further repudiate it just to prove that everyone else got it wrong, back when he was part of the team.
17
I just wonder what the American people are thinking who support Ted Cruz when his 99 colleagues in the US Senate despise him as does his roommate from college and literally every person who has had interactions with him. Has there ever been an elected official ( Trump is not an official and has not been elected though I am certain in his own mind this is trivial ) so universally despised, loathed and abhorred? Someone who has prided himself on denigrating the reputations and characters of others while thrusting himself into the spotlight irrespective of the needs of his constituents. HE is truly as self centered , egotistical and arrogant a man as has ever appeared in the US Senate ( and that's saying something ) who is equally matched against Donald Trump another individual who has these identical " qualities" but alas unlike Cruz is not a true believer. What remains astounding and even more frightening is that these two dangerous and deplorable people are running away from the pact and dominating all Republican Presidential polls. What exactly does that say about the mindset , conscience and soul of Republican primary voters?
58
So basically your (and Bruni's) chief allegation against Senator Cruz is .... that he is unpopular.
He was popular enough with voters to get elected to the US Senate. He was popular enough to get backing and funding to run for office.
Do you seriously believe that in order to run for President, a candidate must first prove that "he is popular amongst his peers in Congress" or elsewhere? Sarah Palin was a hugely popular Alaskan Governor when John McCain selected her as his running mate -- how'd THAT work out?
He was popular enough with voters to get elected to the US Senate. He was popular enough to get backing and funding to run for office.
Do you seriously believe that in order to run for President, a candidate must first prove that "he is popular amongst his peers in Congress" or elsewhere? Sarah Palin was a hugely popular Alaskan Governor when John McCain selected her as his running mate -- how'd THAT work out?
6
@Concerned Citizen
It isn't that Cruz unpopular but that he is self-absorbed and self-important to the point that he can't work with his fellow Senators, which speaks volumes as to his ability to work with Congress or foreign leaders as President.
It isn't that Cruz unpopular but that he is self-absorbed and self-important to the point that he can't work with his fellow Senators, which speaks volumes as to his ability to work with Congress or foreign leaders as President.
16
Pathologic Narcissists. And they went to Yale -the Narcissist Socialite from Manhattan -or is it national socialist? and Princeton -the Cubacanadotexan who goes to great length to show he is more Texan than you. That tells a lot about the very notion of Ivy League. somehow Tom Ford's, John Casablancas' or other fashionistas' alma maters?
Sarah Palin and Rick Perry, no strangers to narcissism, those two towers of an intellect, two oil gigolos right by their side. Just in case.
Where are Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian when you need them?
Sarah Palin and Rick Perry, no strangers to narcissism, those two towers of an intellect, two oil gigolos right by their side. Just in case.
Where are Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian when you need them?
13
It is up to us, the American voter, to hand these two the humiliation they deserve. I regret that I have but one, humble, vote to give for my country.
298
On the other hand, popular as they are they seem to be handing the American voter the humiliation we deserve for letting clowns like this get so far.
6
Rick, don't only give one, humble vote for your country. I have just joined a brand new organization funded by all them soshulist, librul big gubmint supporters, named: 'How to commit voter fraud and eat your cake too'.
I am going door to door over mountains of snow in my neighbourhood recruiting new members, a neighbourhood that was already described by John McCain's brother as commie pure.
I am going door to door over mountains of snow in my neighbourhood recruiting new members, a neighbourhood that was already described by John McCain's brother as commie pure.
1
That, sir, is what elections are for.
To vote for who and what you believe is in the best interests of your nation.
LET THE VOTERS DECIDE, and stop trying to second guess them, or use newspaper columns to smear people with ugly, vague and unprovable allegations ("Cruz is mean! Trump is a Nazi!").
To vote for who and what you believe is in the best interests of your nation.
LET THE VOTERS DECIDE, and stop trying to second guess them, or use newspaper columns to smear people with ugly, vague and unprovable allegations ("Cruz is mean! Trump is a Nazi!").
The rise of the loony tunes is understandable. Fear gives rise to hatred, and hatred gives rise to the loony tunes. Fear because of rapid change, fear of terrorists and big government coming after their guns, fear of a very unknown future, fear of immigrants that want to take their jobs, (no matter how mindless and uncreative those jobs are) and fear that anthropomorphic climate change really is true and fear that their really is no god. These fears are then maintained and even fueled by increasing polarization. Conservatives used to actually have friends that were liberal--but they don't mix now. All republicans are conservative now with Fox News insulating their information. We've always had loony tune candidates that play on people's fear. The difference now is, there are just more that are fearful.
11
Style is one thing; Toxic substance is what destroys.
Is there a GOP "candidate" who doesn't want to end Social Security or Medicare, while eliminating taxes for the wealthy?
Is there a GOP "candidate" who doesn't want to end Social Security or Medicare, while eliminating taxes for the wealthy?
154
These are the questions every voter should be asking. There policies if they were to be enacted, would thin out the population considerably and kill off literally a large part of their base, old white people.
18
You know what you never see at GOP, Tea-Party or Libertarian rallies?
You never see "Burn Your Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid Cards" kiosks or "Stop the Federal Tax System That Forces Solvent Blue States to Pay for Insolvent Red States" signs being waved in earnest by proud rightists.
Rightists love to tell everyone how they hate socialism but with insolvent red states relying on Federal handouts provided by solvent blue states' tax revenues and over half of all Social Security Medicaid and Medicare being received by strong independent rightists their claims of hating socialism seems disingenuous at best and complete hogwash at worst.
You never see "Burn Your Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid Cards" kiosks or "Stop the Federal Tax System That Forces Solvent Blue States to Pay for Insolvent Red States" signs being waved in earnest by proud rightists.
Rightists love to tell everyone how they hate socialism but with insolvent red states relying on Federal handouts provided by solvent blue states' tax revenues and over half of all Social Security Medicaid and Medicare being received by strong independent rightists their claims of hating socialism seems disingenuous at best and complete hogwash at worst.
28
Kasich.
"For a few minutes I wondered if I’d wandered into the wrong barn" begins your editorial. "For a split-second i wondered if I was going to read an editorial from you NOT about Trump or Cruz." Sadly my hopes were dashed. As if there is ANYTHING you could possibly tell any sensible person about either of these 2 cretins that we haven't already heard a thousand and one times at least......thanks for shedding not one ray of light on 2 men who are having a moment in the sun but who will thankfully fade back into darkness once this spectacle known as the GOP primary comes to a (hopefully) very painful ending.
24
Dear Sir,
You didn't have to write so elegantly to describe Ted Cruz. ----- would have served!
BUT, you could have included his famous high school speech: First Czechoslovakia! Then the Barn! Then the Vorld!
You didn't have to write so elegantly to describe Ted Cruz. ----- would have served!
BUT, you could have included his famous high school speech: First Czechoslovakia! Then the Barn! Then the Vorld!
15
What is the difference between the presidential campaign and reality TV?
Only a narcissist or a masochist would possibly tolerate the 24/7 attention, the scrutiny into every aspect of one's life, the debates and interviews and the need to constantly be "on show".
The campaign is not about issues, because such issues as there are are not discussed or debated in depth, but rather won and lost in a battle of soundbites.
Imagine how poorly an ideal president would fare in this carnival.
When asked a question, she wouldn't have a catch-phrase ready, instead she would want to think about it, and then give a long answer showing an appreciation for both sides of an argument - meaning, for example, that she could never get support from pro-life or pro-choice groups, because neither of these could support someone who admits the others may have a point.
In debates, she would actually listen to the others, not so she could beat them, but so she could understand them - and if she found that one of them was right, she would change her mind.
She would most likely be from an average background, so would not have millions of dollars of her own to start a campaign, and neither would she want to sell her soul to lobbyists and special interests in return for funds.
It can still happen, as we say with the groundswell of popular support for Obama, but this was a rare case of someone who didn't set out to become president, which is as it should be.
We need to overhaul the process.
Only a narcissist or a masochist would possibly tolerate the 24/7 attention, the scrutiny into every aspect of one's life, the debates and interviews and the need to constantly be "on show".
The campaign is not about issues, because such issues as there are are not discussed or debated in depth, but rather won and lost in a battle of soundbites.
Imagine how poorly an ideal president would fare in this carnival.
When asked a question, she wouldn't have a catch-phrase ready, instead she would want to think about it, and then give a long answer showing an appreciation for both sides of an argument - meaning, for example, that she could never get support from pro-life or pro-choice groups, because neither of these could support someone who admits the others may have a point.
In debates, she would actually listen to the others, not so she could beat them, but so she could understand them - and if she found that one of them was right, she would change her mind.
She would most likely be from an average background, so would not have millions of dollars of her own to start a campaign, and neither would she want to sell her soul to lobbyists and special interests in return for funds.
It can still happen, as we say with the groundswell of popular support for Obama, but this was a rare case of someone who didn't set out to become president, which is as it should be.
We need to overhaul the process.
31
We need to overhaul ourselves. We don't have to vote for either of them. If a majority of Americans were thinking clearly, we wouldn't have to worry that they will.
1
Outstanding observations. Thank you.
4
Mr. Obama was quite wealthy when he ran for POTUS -- not Koch brothers wealthy, but rich by most people's standard. He and his wife owned a $3 million home in Chicago.
Mrs. Obama had a $350K a year "patronage job" only received when her husband became a US Senator.
Mr. Obama is not some outsider as described, but an absolute product of the Chicago Democratic "machine". It is pathetic that almost near the end of his reign, many supporters still think he was some ordinary guy who rose up out of the inner city slums by his own hard work -- when in fact, he was raised by his wealthy white grandparents in a luxury Honolulu oceanfront condo!
Mrs. Obama had a $350K a year "patronage job" only received when her husband became a US Senator.
Mr. Obama is not some outsider as described, but an absolute product of the Chicago Democratic "machine". It is pathetic that almost near the end of his reign, many supporters still think he was some ordinary guy who rose up out of the inner city slums by his own hard work -- when in fact, he was raised by his wealthy white grandparents in a luxury Honolulu oceanfront condo!
To the Tea Party, these men are perfect for the presidency of the United States. Why? Because, given the chance to run for the office, these supporters would behave in the same manner. After all, they are unrivaled in intelligence and sheer knowledge of everything. It's about time for someone as marvelous as themselves to run our country. There's room for one more face on Mt. Rushmore, and who would be more deserving?
20
I can’t imagine what Ted Cruz actually thinks of the Iowans who came to hear him speak, any more than I can imagine what his rapt listeners think they heard. Did they hear anything more than the most craven ego-driven disingenuous pandering? Does his swooping, operatic delivery and tilting at political windmills sound convincing?
Cruz is full of that passionate intensity Yeats warned us about. Politically speaking, the center cannot hold, and he’s slouching toward Washington to be born again as our next president—or possibly our last president, if he has his way.
Trump is nothing more than an opportunistic showman, as surprised as anyone else at his yuge success. But Cruz is the real deal, son of a preacher man, full of evangelical zeal and taking no prisoners, driven by that naked aggression and nation-building urge that is surprising to see in a Canadian. Go figure.
But I have to admit that if you’re going to listen to Cruz, a bovine barn is the ideal place to do it. You can listen to what he has to say, and then know to avoid stepping in it on the way out.
Cruz is full of that passionate intensity Yeats warned us about. Politically speaking, the center cannot hold, and he’s slouching toward Washington to be born again as our next president—or possibly our last president, if he has his way.
Trump is nothing more than an opportunistic showman, as surprised as anyone else at his yuge success. But Cruz is the real deal, son of a preacher man, full of evangelical zeal and taking no prisoners, driven by that naked aggression and nation-building urge that is surprising to see in a Canadian. Go figure.
But I have to admit that if you’re going to listen to Cruz, a bovine barn is the ideal place to do it. You can listen to what he has to say, and then know to avoid stepping in it on the way out.
567
Your last paragraph is choice.
8
Yes, apparently Yeats saw something similar in the lead up to WW1.
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity."
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity."
14
I can. Ted Cruz is a smart man who knows that his supporters are thick as bricks.
3
Frank's column is timely.Cruz excelled at the highest legal and intellectual level.He clerked for the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William Rehnquist.Analytical skills are pre eminent and the competition with other people of similar mental ability was fierce. The metaphorical tennis court in that legal world has a very high net and you have to be able to return intellectual serves coming at you with enormous speed and wicked cerebral spin. The Intellectual return of serve has to be within specific lines and judges make the calls. In Donald Trump's world the tennis court has no net, there are no lines or line judges, he can hit the ball anywhere he wants, and he never has to return a hard twisting serve. He plays by his own rules. Rhetorical fabrications, intolerance, and narcissism are endemic to both men. Trump had to possess a compromising, pragmatic streak to effect "the Art of the Deal". Cruz is a Conservative ideologue,which makes him significantly more of a threat, to a truly tolerant, pluralistic society.
95
You cannot make this up.
Cruz seeks the blessing of Andover Prep guy cheerleader, Viet Nam dodger cum war criminal George W. Bush, but receives the endorsement of Texas A&M guy cheerleader Viet Nam dodger Oops Perry. Bush and Perry hid out in the National Guard.
Cruz is competing with Viet Nam draft dodger Hair Trump, who got exempted for a bone spur, which does not impede his golf game.
They all invoke, as a deity, Eureka College guy cheerleader Reagan who used the studio's influence to spend WW II, the Big One, swanning around Hollywood.
Swaggering, tough talking, belligerent, macho guys.
The republican version.
Cruz seeks the blessing of Andover Prep guy cheerleader, Viet Nam dodger cum war criminal George W. Bush, but receives the endorsement of Texas A&M guy cheerleader Viet Nam dodger Oops Perry. Bush and Perry hid out in the National Guard.
Cruz is competing with Viet Nam draft dodger Hair Trump, who got exempted for a bone spur, which does not impede his golf game.
They all invoke, as a deity, Eureka College guy cheerleader Reagan who used the studio's influence to spend WW II, the Big One, swanning around Hollywood.
Swaggering, tough talking, belligerent, macho guys.
The republican version.
537
Bravo!
4
Not to defend Perry, but he was actually a Captain in the regular USAF and unlike Bush 43, served approx. 4 years full-time as a pilot flying C-130s, including on humanitarian missions overseas. "Let's see now, what happens if I push this little button next to the landing gear lever? .....Oops."
Please tell us all of the impressive military service of Barack Hussein Obama.
And of course, the military service of William Jefferson Clinton, who was of an age to serve in Vietnam.
Or of Hillary Rodham Clinton -- I most certainly know of women her age who volunteered in Vietnam.
Or their daughter Chelsea Clinton, exactly the right age to bravely volunteered for Iraq or Afghanistan.
Heck, I'd be satisfied to read about the military career of Bernie Sanders.
Beuhler? Buehler? BUEHLER????
And of course, the military service of William Jefferson Clinton, who was of an age to serve in Vietnam.
Or of Hillary Rodham Clinton -- I most certainly know of women her age who volunteered in Vietnam.
Or their daughter Chelsea Clinton, exactly the right age to bravely volunteered for Iraq or Afghanistan.
Heck, I'd be satisfied to read about the military career of Bernie Sanders.
Beuhler? Buehler? BUEHLER????
Maybe Mr. Bruni's next column can address the GOP party's problem that there's no sane candidate who can win.
Trump's announcement that he won't be debating on Thursday night is the next tactic. At this juncture, it's not a matter of lack of humility (or civility) that causes him to ignore the seemingly the basic requirement of playing by the admittedly loose rules of the game. It's now a matter of the inmate running the asylum, and setting the rules by which the institution is run. "I do what I want" is the message to those who might be enthralled that this qualifies as leadership. Forget the GOP, other candidates, and, to some extent, the voters. Six debates is enough.
Also late yesterday, while trying desperately to not be outdone, Cruz threw down the gauntlet and challenged Trump to a 90 minute debate, thereby attempting to nullify the GOP's hold over how the debates are run, as well as the other candidates who he is barely outpolling. Once again he took the bait and danced to Trump's tune. Trump has now characterized Cruz as "soft", and can deliver the crowning blow by declining. But in a way that disparages Cruz even more, of course.
Trump just needs to keep breaking new ground in his efforts to keep everyone off balance, and titillate his flock. Declining to debate was a masterful stroke in that regard. Cruz is sinking fast, and support from Mr. "horned rim glasses" Perry isn't going to even make the paper, compared to Trump's next move.
Trump's announcement that he won't be debating on Thursday night is the next tactic. At this juncture, it's not a matter of lack of humility (or civility) that causes him to ignore the seemingly the basic requirement of playing by the admittedly loose rules of the game. It's now a matter of the inmate running the asylum, and setting the rules by which the institution is run. "I do what I want" is the message to those who might be enthralled that this qualifies as leadership. Forget the GOP, other candidates, and, to some extent, the voters. Six debates is enough.
Also late yesterday, while trying desperately to not be outdone, Cruz threw down the gauntlet and challenged Trump to a 90 minute debate, thereby attempting to nullify the GOP's hold over how the debates are run, as well as the other candidates who he is barely outpolling. Once again he took the bait and danced to Trump's tune. Trump has now characterized Cruz as "soft", and can deliver the crowning blow by declining. But in a way that disparages Cruz even more, of course.
Trump just needs to keep breaking new ground in his efforts to keep everyone off balance, and titillate his flock. Declining to debate was a masterful stroke in that regard. Cruz is sinking fast, and support from Mr. "horned rim glasses" Perry isn't going to even make the paper, compared to Trump's next move.
25
So, the young Cruz said "that his life goals were to 'take over the world, world domination, you know, rule everything.'"
To which I would respond with the words of the esteemed Ms. Palin: "Funny. Ha ha. Not funny."
To which I would respond with the words of the esteemed Ms. Palin: "Funny. Ha ha. Not funny."
44
Because no teenage kid has ever voiced such ideas, or could have possibly been showing off for his teenage friends behind the camera.
Thank goodness on the Democratic side we do have a humble listener. Unlike Cruz, Hillary Clinton has not been scheming to be President for decades. She has only come to run for president reluctantly. If Americans were not begging her to run, she would prefer to just spend her time as a doting grandmother. Many people say that Clinton would say anything to win, but doesn’t this really show that she is a good listener. Remember how she started her campaign with a “listening tour,” and how Americans were so taken by her humble attentiveness that her popularity soared. Think of how fairly she has treated her opponent, Bernie Sanders. After all, she tried to be very polite to him until he tried to destroy Obamacare. It was only out of sense of humility that she came to the defense of her hero, Barack Obama. Think about how open Hillary has been to the press and how willing she has been to answer difficult questions. A lesser person would have treated questions about handling classified materials and smearing sexual assault victims dismissively and with disdainful snark.
11
Oh dear, and I thought this column was about Cruz and Trump. Congrats Charles, you didn't miss your chance to knock Hillary.
28
Charles, fair enough!
7
There's admittedly some truth to your comment, Charles, as well as some wit.
6
Trump (especially) and Cruz are prima facie evidence that American presidential politics, at least in the Republican Party, has devolved into a reality TV show. Trump is patently unqualified for the presidency and Cruz is widely despised by his colleagues in the Senate and by the GOP hierarchy.
These two give a good name to the smoke-filled rooms of yore. The media, including the Times, is complicit in fanning the flames of the Trump and Cruz campaigns by lighting the match of publicity. Issues-based reporting, including sober assessments of the candidates' platforms, might slow down the madness. Unfortunately, substance is typically left in the wings in favor of covering the horse race.
These two give a good name to the smoke-filled rooms of yore. The media, including the Times, is complicit in fanning the flames of the Trump and Cruz campaigns by lighting the match of publicity. Issues-based reporting, including sober assessments of the candidates' platforms, might slow down the madness. Unfortunately, substance is typically left in the wings in favor of covering the horse race.
69
There are only three qualifications for the Presidency, Netliner.
One is that you be a "natural born US citizen" (yes, SCOTUS has ruled on this). The other is that you be at least 35 years of age when you take office.
The third is....you gotta get elected!
In short, the proof is in the pudding. You may hate Donald Trump with every breath in your body, but if he gets a majority of the votes in this election.....then yes, he is qualified to be President of the United States.
One is that you be a "natural born US citizen" (yes, SCOTUS has ruled on this). The other is that you be at least 35 years of age when you take office.
The third is....you gotta get elected!
In short, the proof is in the pudding. You may hate Donald Trump with every breath in your body, but if he gets a majority of the votes in this election.....then yes, he is qualified to be President of the United States.
@Concerned Citizen
Any good-faith reading of Anetliner's comment would pick up that he was referring not to his qualifications as per the Constitution but as to whether Trump/Cruz have the skills and personality to be qualified. The sizable majority of people in this country meet the constitutional qualifications but shouldn't be anywhere near the Oval Office. Your ostensible misreading of that is obtuse.
Any good-faith reading of Anetliner's comment would pick up that he was referring not to his qualifications as per the Constitution but as to whether Trump/Cruz have the skills and personality to be qualified. The sizable majority of people in this country meet the constitutional qualifications but shouldn't be anywhere near the Oval Office. Your ostensible misreading of that is obtuse.
11
@CC - I'm willing to bet next month's mortgage you were saying in 2008 that a certain first term senator from Illinois was "unqualified" to be president of the US.
(And while I'm thinking about it - to correct a statement you made a few days ago about the 1960 election - you said JFK lost the popular election to Nixon. He did not. Kennedy had 34,226,731 votes (49.7%) to Nixon's 34,108,157 (49.5%). )
(And while I'm thinking about it - to correct a statement you made a few days ago about the 1960 election - you said JFK lost the popular election to Nixon. He did not. Kennedy had 34,226,731 votes (49.7%) to Nixon's 34,108,157 (49.5%). )
8
More and more, the two GOP'ers remind us of Cartman from South Park, and his alter ego of the policeman who struts around in mirrored glasses shouting out " Respeckkkkt mah authoritaaay " - except Cartman plays the character with a wink and a nod, and the other kiddies all ignore him, treating him as the schoolyard bully blowhard he is.
Sad commentary when the sketches in South Park are more common sensical than the real life ' Through the Looking Glass ' race to see who gets control of the nuclear codes.
Sad commentary when the sketches in South Park are more common sensical than the real life ' Through the Looking Glass ' race to see who gets control of the nuclear codes.
53
It's Trump/Cruz roller coaster time
For which monstrous egos are prime,
No logic or reason
It's hot hatred season
Rough riding on torrents of slime.
Not a whisper about climate change
As they ride xenophobia's range,
Two egos so huge
Presage a deluge,
On a lunatic course beyond strange.
For which monstrous egos are prime,
No logic or reason
It's hot hatred season
Rough riding on torrents of slime.
Not a whisper about climate change
As they ride xenophobia's range,
Two egos so huge
Presage a deluge,
On a lunatic course beyond strange.
93
Outstanding verse, Larry. Great meter, rhyme and wording.
13
"asserting the precise virtues that the candidate famously lacks"
Flat out denial of reality has become a Republican tactic. If you do something nasty, accuse your opponent of doing it even if he opposed you tooth and claw. If it seems a problem that you are not something, boldly assert you are exactly that, and the other guy is not, especially if he is.
This has been working. It works on an audience that watches only "news" shows that tell them it is true. Liars are backed up by "news" that lies. That news then boasts about how "fair and balanced" it is, precisely because it is not.
They won't convince anybody who knows reality. They'll offend them, infuriate them. But they can keep on side a group of deluded, misinformed believers. Typically, they don't want to know the truth and will resist being told, so they are no innocent of this either.
This is the future of politics only so long as the media functions this way, and the voters listen to it. The lying politicians do it, but only because they are enabled. If they are enabled, then truth telling is punished. Nobody who acknowledges reality can arise in that group of politicians or their voters. They are isolated, self-isolated.
If they became the majority, we'd be in real trouble. In the last election, Romney got 47% doing that. He so believed his own reality he believed he was winning, and arranged fireworks to celebrate even as he went down in disaster.
It will be the future only if we let it, focus on media.
Flat out denial of reality has become a Republican tactic. If you do something nasty, accuse your opponent of doing it even if he opposed you tooth and claw. If it seems a problem that you are not something, boldly assert you are exactly that, and the other guy is not, especially if he is.
This has been working. It works on an audience that watches only "news" shows that tell them it is true. Liars are backed up by "news" that lies. That news then boasts about how "fair and balanced" it is, precisely because it is not.
They won't convince anybody who knows reality. They'll offend them, infuriate them. But they can keep on side a group of deluded, misinformed believers. Typically, they don't want to know the truth and will resist being told, so they are no innocent of this either.
This is the future of politics only so long as the media functions this way, and the voters listen to it. The lying politicians do it, but only because they are enabled. If they are enabled, then truth telling is punished. Nobody who acknowledges reality can arise in that group of politicians or their voters. They are isolated, self-isolated.
If they became the majority, we'd be in real trouble. In the last election, Romney got 47% doing that. He so believed his own reality he believed he was winning, and arranged fireworks to celebrate even as he went down in disaster.
It will be the future only if we let it, focus on media.
150
Focus on media and the issue of gerrymandering.
6
@Linda P: what scares me, is I don't think you know what "gerrymandering" is and you are just using the term because you are quite sure it is something very bad about only Republicans (hint: Democrats gerrymander Congressional districts too! I live in one!).
You cannot "gerrymander" a Presidential election, as it is a national election "at large". Neither can you do so with a Senate race. You can only "gerrymander" Congressional districts, which is not relevant to the Presidential race.
You cannot "gerrymander" a Presidential election, as it is a national election "at large". Neither can you do so with a Senate race. You can only "gerrymander" Congressional districts, which is not relevant to the Presidential race.
I really miss the part of the Fairness Doctrine that stated that everything that went out over the publicly-owned airwaves had to be provable truth. With that doctrine in place, the constant lies of today could not be told. And not told, they could not be believed. Ronald Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine and we get Trump, Cruz, Limbaugh, and FOX "News."
17
Two points on Bruni's latest missive:
First, Bruni's selectively highlights the sheer egotism of running for the presidency as it relates to the two most reviled Republican candidates - Cruz and Trump - and the prior candidacy of Gingrich. The same tar can be slathered on the Democrats, most damningly on Hillary Clinton, as well their two previous winners, Obama and Bill Clinton.
Second, yet again, a piece where Bruni focus is all on personality, in this case Cruz's, with nary a mention of the policies he'll pursue that make him such an odious choice. Is this the Opinion Pages or the pages of Psychology Today?!
Posted 4:15am
First, Bruni's selectively highlights the sheer egotism of running for the presidency as it relates to the two most reviled Republican candidates - Cruz and Trump - and the prior candidacy of Gingrich. The same tar can be slathered on the Democrats, most damningly on Hillary Clinton, as well their two previous winners, Obama and Bill Clinton.
Second, yet again, a piece where Bruni focus is all on personality, in this case Cruz's, with nary a mention of the policies he'll pursue that make him such an odious choice. Is this the Opinion Pages or the pages of Psychology Today?!
Posted 4:15am
7
Did you read the entire column? Or just the title?
7
I don't know a whole lot about Cruz, except he's an elected Senator from Texas and a US citizen, and that a heck of a lot of people seem to hate his guts. Even members of his own party!
When someone is reviled like that, I would honestly like to know "why". Did he run over a busload of nuns in his SUV? Does he cheat on his wife? Does he owe someone a lot of money? Does he cheat at canasta?
I've heard he is awful, nasty, mean and untrustworthy -- but not a single viable story as to why people think this. And the accusations I DO read are ridiculous -- "he's CANADIAN!" -- "when he was 16, he was caught on video bragging" -- nothing of substance. I've read nothing credible about Cruz taking bribes, or doing anything illegal.
That means what I am reading are AD HOMINEM attacks -- attacks on his PERSONALITY, not his acts or his credentials or his behavior. And that to me is a cheap shot.
Liberals here are forgetting that "what goes around, comes around". Pretty soon, the gloves will be coming off regarding Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders, and they are setting the stage awfully early for a nasty, mud-slinging campaign.
When someone is reviled like that, I would honestly like to know "why". Did he run over a busload of nuns in his SUV? Does he cheat on his wife? Does he owe someone a lot of money? Does he cheat at canasta?
I've heard he is awful, nasty, mean and untrustworthy -- but not a single viable story as to why people think this. And the accusations I DO read are ridiculous -- "he's CANADIAN!" -- "when he was 16, he was caught on video bragging" -- nothing of substance. I've read nothing credible about Cruz taking bribes, or doing anything illegal.
That means what I am reading are AD HOMINEM attacks -- attacks on his PERSONALITY, not his acts or his credentials or his behavior. And that to me is a cheap shot.
Liberals here are forgetting that "what goes around, comes around". Pretty soon, the gloves will be coming off regarding Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders, and they are setting the stage awfully early for a nasty, mud-slinging campaign.
10
You, "Concerned Citizen," apparently have not been paying attention to the legislative process, since Ted Cruz was voted into the Senate and the "principled" actions he has taken while in office.
14
Once again Bruni studiously avoids substance in favor of what ... the great insight that modern politicians are egotists?
Wouldn't be great if, in some alternate universe, political commentators commented on, you know, politics? All we get from Bruni are endless personality profiles - precisely the reporting that feeds the egotism his piece seeks to disparage.
Wouldn't be great if, in some alternate universe, political commentators commented on, you know, politics? All we get from Bruni are endless personality profiles - precisely the reporting that feeds the egotism his piece seeks to disparage.
25
This is politics in the US today. There's a guy named Donald Trump and it's looking as though we will win the Iowa caucus next week. He's running now to become the nominee of the Republican Party to become the president. The guy who is second in the polls (polling is a mainstay of American politics) is Ted Cruz, the other chap mentioned in Bruni's article. Yeah, it's all about what is going on in American politics all right. Perhaps hard to believe, but true nonetheless.
10
Gfagan
It's an opEd piece. If you are looking for analysis of issues you need to look into the political page. It's not the role of opEd to dissect the news. It is opinion.
It's an opEd piece. If you are looking for analysis of issues you need to look into the political page. It's not the role of opEd to dissect the news. It is opinion.
16
While reading through the catalogue of certain disaster that Canada's Ted Cruz ("don't you know me, I'm your native son"; thanks Arlo Guthrie) represents, I could not help thinking that President Obama is his complete antithesis. The president is cerebral, not given to the boastful, far from intemperate, and is grounded in the limitations of the powers of his office. He's as removed from Ronald Reagan's "greatness" as night is from day, One is not surprised that Cruz would drag America back through the terrible Reagan years, past the choking Industrial Revolution to a final stop at ante-bellum's garden of plenty. He's the yin to the odd yang of He-whom-I-refuse-to-name. He, for his part, is simply Sarah Palin redux minus the dress. Neither he nor Cruz have been paying attention these past eight years. The presidency is no day at the beach; an effective chief executive must handle the complex and easily-damaged moving parts with wisdom, patience, knowledge, a very thorough grounding of history, an ability to see both the long and dangerous road and the perils of the daily immediate traps. Neither carnival barker is equipped for the task. We need another Reagan presidency like we need to be an English colony again.
391
Just a clarification, the late, great Steve Goodman wrote the song, City of New Orleans, that Arlo Guthrie recorded.
6
Have you forgotten that when GWB was reelected in 2004 a number of Americans wanted to ask the Queen if she'd take us back?
2
Not to nit pick, but the author of that line was Steve Goodman, not Arlo Guthrie.
3