“If we nominate Donald, we end up electing Hillary [Clinton] as president,” 2016 Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said, encouraging Georgia voters at Saturday’s rally in Atlanta to vote for him over Donald Trump in the pivotal Super Tuesday election.
“Sixty-five per cent of Republicans don’t think Donald Trump is the right candidate to go up against Hillary Clinton,” Cruz said near the end of his stump speech. “Don’t’ think it makes sense for Republicans to nominate a candidate who has agreed with Hillary Clinton on issue after issue after issue. Whether it’s supporting partial birth abortion, or supporting John Kerry or supporting Bernie Sanders style socialized medicine and government being in charge of our healthcare.”
Former Georgia Congressman Jack Kingston joined the event, energizing the crowd ahead of Cruz’s appearance.
.@JackKingston: "Cruz didn't make people comfortable in [D.C], because you're not expected to follow through on campaign promises" #gapol
— zpolitics (@zpolitics) February 27, 2016
Cruz rallied the hundreds gathered at the Atlanta State Capitol, as seen in MSNBC’s livestream of the event.
“America has receded from leadership in the world and the world has become a much more dangerous place, but I am here today with a word of hope and encouragement and exhortation. All across Georgia, all across this country, people are waking up. There is a spirit of awakening that is sweeping this nation. So I want to ask everyone here to look forward. Look forward to January, 2017.”
Cruz laid out his plans should he win election to the office of President of the United States.
He hit on the importance of who will replace the recently deceased “defender of the Constitution” Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. This has been a rallying cry for Cruz and his supporters since the passing of the Justice who was lauded for his strong constitutional record. Cruz’s record serving the high court has been highlighted as an elevated point of experience following Scalia’s passing. Cruz emphasized to the crowd that his record means the people of Georgia and America can trust him to appoint a “principled constitutionalist.”
“His passing underscores that this election is not about one branch of government, it’s about two branches of government. Because we are one liberal justice away from a five justice leftwing majority the likes of which this country has never seen,” Cruz said.
Cruz went on to promise to repeal Obamacare, prosecute any criminal violations in Planned Parenthood, end persecution of religious liberty, rip up the “catastrophic” Iranian nuclear deal, and move the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem on day one. He went on to say he will secure the border and end sanctuary cities, reform the Veteran’s Administration, and defend the Second Amendment. He invoked the term “radical Islam,” saying he would stand up to radical Islamic terrorism. Cruz pledged to take on the EPA and CFPB and the “alphabet soup of federal agencies” killing jobs across America, pass a simple flat tax, and abolish the IRS.
To workers with stagnated wages and those forced into part-time employment, to single mothers, to students with “mountains of student loan debt” worried about getting a job, Cruz said, “If you want another Washington dealmaker, you’ve got choices on that stage. If you want someone who will go and cut deals with Barack Obama and Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, you’ve got candidates who have done so and who promise to do so,” an apparent reference to candidates Marco Rubio and Donald Trump.
“But,” Cruz said, “if you want someone who will stand up to Washington, ask yourself who actually has stood up to Washington.”
Cruz also doubled down on Super Tuesday, saying that the race in “battleground” Georgia is “neck and neck.”
“It took Jimmy Carter to give us Ronald Reagan,” Cruz said before likening the 2016 election to the birth of the “Reagan Revolution.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Breitbart News that around 60 per cent of ballots were expected to have been cast by Friday under early voting in Texas. Texas awards more delegates than the first four primary states combined. The Cruz campaign emphasized looking toward Super Tuesday at last Tuesday night’s Nevada caucus night rally.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.