A lot of people want anyone but Trump to win the Republican Primaries. So, I am here to shed some light on the current runner-up, Ted Cruz. While the idea that “anyone is better than Trump” sounds really good, it isn't realistic.
Other than internet jokes about Ted Cruz being the Zodiac Killer, what do we even know about this potential Republican nominee?
For starters, Ted Cruz is an active member of the Tea Party. A lot of people have heard bits and pieces about the Tea Party, but a lot of us do not even really understand all of what they believe. CBS News summed it all up. Who are the members of the Tea Party? Well, “They’re white. They're older. And they're angry.” According to a survey conducted by CBS, 89 percent of the Tea Party is white, and just 1 percent is black. I am going to go out on a limb here and make an executive assumption that this set of demographics is really not representative of our country. Furthermore, this same survey said that “They are better educated than most Americans: 37 percent are college graduates, compared to 25 percent of Americans overall. They also have a higher-than-average household income, with 56 percent making more than $50,000 per year.”
So what do they actually believe in? According to that same survey:
- “78 percent say economic issues are a bigger concern”
- 66 percent “doubt the impact of global warming”
- “53 percent say the Roe v. Wade decision was a bad thing (compared to 34 percent of Americans overall)”
- 73 percent of them believe that “both [African Americans and white people] have equal opportunity”
- 23 percent even say that “too much attention has been paid to the problems of black people"
This is some scary stuff. Additionally, a lot of them think America is on the road to completely derailing itself and that the best times are behind us, in addition to the economy being badly off.
According to a PBS article on Ted Cruz and the Tea Party, Ted Cruz…
- He wants to stop corporate income tax.
- He opposed Obama’s efforts to allow undocumented immigrants to gain legal status. This really hurts immigrants who may need help, refuge, a better life, and need somewhere to go.
- He does not support Net Neutrality, which “would block Internet providers from charging different rates or having different policies for different pieces of Internet content.” Net Neutrality seriously protects our rights to internet access and the availability of information.
- He hates Obamacare, which is pretty sad, since Obamacare allows tons of people access to health care who did not have it before.
- He will limit abortions. Well, this really hurts women, especially women in poorer areas, who need access to abortion clinics and proper care.
- The rest can be found here.
How can we honestly say Cruz is a good alternative to Trump? They are both absolutely terrible. He might not be saying things that are outwardly politically incorrect and he might leave the theatrics at the door, but Cruz’s policies, ideas, and those backing him in the Tea Party make it clear that he is just as founded in bigotry and poor political rhetoric as Trump.
How can we just sit back and let either Trump or Cruz get the nomination? We need more moderate Republican candidates. Not someone who can be quoted saying, “You know, back in the ’70s — I remember the ’70s, we were told there was global cooling... And everyone was told global cooling was a really big problem… The problem with climate change is there’s never been a day in the history of the world in which the climate is not changing.” How can we vote for someone like Ted Cruz, who does not even recognize the existence of global climate change? This is just plain and simple ignorance of what the future of America needs. We need clean energy and alternative fuels, not someone who is blind to the fact there we are in environmental crisis. In short, we need a leader willing to look problems in the face rather than one who wants to override federal same sex marriage.
His plan to "fight ISIS" is not really a plan at all. He just wants to carpet bomb ISIS "into oblivion," according to Business Insider. This is both unethical and unjust for the thousands of innocent people who live surrounding areas controlled by ISIS who would be caught in Cruz's cross fire.
Ted Cruz is not pro-women, pro-LGBT, or in my opinion, pro-America. He is pushing his own Tea Party agenda that, at the end of the day, is really bad for the economy. Cruz's stance on gay marriage to let the states decide hurts gay couples who are living in states where they may have no had access to marriage before the Supreme Court ruling. His desire to limit abortion hurts women but underprivileged women the most.
His ideas are so far to the right he leaves out so many Americans. We need a more moderate leader to make our country the best it can be.
