I don't think Fiorina is a terrible pick for him. He's fighting tooth and nail just to win the primary and can't really worry right now about winning the general or running the country. Given how terrible Trump is with women, maybe he makes his own ticket more attractive by putting a woman on it. And maybe they figure on some name recognition in a very important California primary. On the flipside, since he's in a pretty challenging underdog position, he's basically fighting with nothing to lose at this point. If Fiorina doesn't help, he didn't have much hope anyway. (The same could be said for McCain and Palin. The difference there was that Palin was such a PR disaster that picking her was damaging to McCain and the Republican party beyond the election. Fiorina is probably less risky in that regard.)
In general election, Fiorina may help him some but Cruz's first concern is the primary. If Republican had not voted for her before why does he think they'd do that now?
How is someone no one in the Republican party likes going to unify the party? Trump has a better chance of unifying the party than he does, but that is not saying much.
A lot of people I know who see him as creepy are on the political left, so it almost seems like a partisan thing to smear him a little. Is he actually creepy? I don't know. He strikes me as a typical politician, and he was nice when I met him in person. I guess all of this is to say that I don't think creepiness is the reason why people aren't voting for him. I think his divisiveness/polarity, as Boehner so eloquently emphasized today, is the biggest turnoff for moderates. I consider myself a conservative, but I really dislike his unwillingness to compromise and his basic closed-mindedness.
I agree that Fiorina could potentially help him with women, but I don't think she will have that big of an effect overall. I think Cruz's biggest concern is with moderates/independents, so I don't get why he didn't bite the bullet and pick someone perceived as moderate like Rubio or even Kasich.
That wasn't really the point of this. The point of this was to attract media attention away from Trump and his sweep in the Northeast. This was a free media move like Trump's "big announcement" that Christie was endorsing him. This has no strategic value outside of the fact that we're talking about Ted Cruz instead of Trump for a few days.
I think there is something real about the visceral reaction people seem to have seeing him. But I do find it to be a particularly annoying kind of non-argument. A candidate looking creepy says more about the viewer than it does the candidate. And, it's a little too close to racism to make me comfortable.
I think b/c it's a matter of public record. While these statements are the most blunt and public that Boehner's made, it was very clear that the two had animosity in Congress. There were many complaints of Cruz grandstanding, working outside his caucus, and (arguably) shutting down the government for his own publicity gain and at the expense of Republicans' nationwide standing with the populace. Boehner had a tough tough time as speaker of the house. Cruz's actions as a senator only made it worse for Boehner. My take is that Boehner now blasting Cruz is a signal that GOP insiders are preparing to accept Trump as their nominee. To me, it's a signal to delegates: don't even think about it. We're going to have a placid, rah rah convention, and Trump is the guy.
I think Fiorina was a solid choice not only because it helps with women, who like the rest of the country, hate Trump, but also because it sets up the decision between a conservative Republican and a liberal Democrat clown which in most years would be an easy decision in the Republican primary. I mean, sure liberal states that are going solidly to Hillary in the general will go to Trump, but Cruz might be able to win enough red states to allow for an open convention that he's likely to win. Personally I think it's sad that better candidates like Rubio or Rand Paul were run out of the election early and this is the garbage that is left, but there's nothing that can be done about that now. Basically the decision is either Cruz or Hillary with a supermajority.
Boehner lost credibility as speaker largely because Cruz led this insurgent movement among "grass root" tea partiers that kept saying that Boehner gave Obama everything he wanted and that basically Boehner could have ended Obamacare anytime he wanted but just wouldn't do it because he was so weak. Boehner was constantly being undermined by Cruz rallying a handful of Congressmen to play to ignorant voters who became convinced that Boehner was selling them out.
Boehner attacking Cruz like this was as fine and timely an endorsement as Ted Cruz could have hoped to receive. Among other obvious benefits, it severely undermines the knowingly dishonest narrative by Donald Trump and his supporters that Cruz is a member of the DC "Establishment," which is clearly not true.
Keep digging that hole. As I accurately pointed out..... an effeminate man running for President, and running on not getting the most votes, but on back room dealings isn't going to win the Republican nomination. Cruz smugly discussed turning delegates against the top candidate, and it backfired against him..... Trumps support only increased and now there probably won't be a brokered convention. Not that it matters, Cruz has ran as a loser and marginalist from day one and this country isn't going to support someone that is like that.
