Donald Trump is still the leader in the race for the GOP presidential nomination and so far he has been followed closely by Ted Cruz. In fact, the Texas Senator has been the only candidate to actually score a victory against the New York real-estate tycoon.
However, the victory has been a solitary one. After Iowa, Ted Cruz has gotten himself locked into second place, with young Marco Rubio closing in on him, if we are to assume that the results of the South Carolina primary are any indication. And they very well may be, as the election will be moving out of the South, where Cruz was considered to be a favorite, due to his campaign leaning heavily on Christian value.
Not the most ethical strategy, we’d say
Yet, somehow, this has not deterred Senator Cruz from employing some dirty tactics in the campaign. Cruz’s campaign staff has misinformed voters in Iowa, saying that Ben Carson had dropped out of the race and that his votes should go to Ted Cruz. The Cruz campaign has also fabricated materials targeted against Marco Rubio.
The foul play employed by Ted Cruz may be a good indication of his determination to win the nomination at any and all costs. The most recent proof of this attitude may have come in the form of his attitude change towards undocumented immigrants.
Back in January, the Texas Senator declared that he is opposed to Donald Trump’s plan to round up the undocumented immigrants and forcibly deport them. However, in an appearance on the O’Reilly factor, Ted Cruz went completely 180 on that statement, now saying that he would, in fact, have a task force seeking out and apprehending illegal immigrants.
What’s Cruz trying to achieve with this new attitude?
The policy change on the part of Ted Cruz may be indicative of several aspects. While the GOP’s policy towards undocumented immigrants has been a stern one throughout the years, forceful deportation has not been a very popular opinion. Yet the Texas Senator has now, in the middle of the campaign completely shifted his opinion about the topic. This may be a display of insecurity, as Ted Cruz actually begins to feel that he is losing ground.
Despite having been a favorite in the Southern states, he has not managed to defeat Donald Trump. By taking a cue from the millionaire’s campaign, it may be that he is trying to emulate some of his policies and tap into his pool of voters, in an attempt to try and break off some of the undecided.
Careful with that evangelical support, Mr. Cruz!
According to Huffington Post, Senator Cruz’s policy has also come to include the building of a wall at the border with Mexico, in order to keep undocumented immigrants out, another new-found similarity with Donald Trump’s campaign. But while for the New York millionaire, religion has not been a strong-pressed issue in his campaign, for Ted Cruz it has been one the key points. How would the building of walls actually fit into his Christian rhetoric, especially considering the heavy criticism received by Donald Trump from Pope Francis, due to similar claims?
Perhaps it is time to bring Ted Cruz’s campaign and most importantly his values under more careful scrutiny and ask ourselves what else he may change his mind about, in the wake of his claims about undocumented immigrants.
