Governor Abbott’s Statement On Texas’ Intent To Withdraw From Syrian Refugee Resettlement
Governor Abbott will be running for President in 2020. This is the kind of move that will endear him to Conservative voters and Republican voters in general. Senator Cruz has been leading this fight in Congress against the Muslim refugee resettlement.
Protecting the homeland is all-important but these are strategic moves by both men with their eyes on 2020 and leadership of the Conservative movement.
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I’m sure a lot of Conservatives feel that way.
My position (and I’ve written this in columns on the old blog and talked about it on the Show often) is…Gov. Abbott is almost certainly going to run whether we like it or not. And even if he doesn’t run, Cruz will be hard-pressed to win the nomination. Just look at what the RNC did to Cruz this year. Some Conservatives seem to think all that will change with Priebus being voted out but that’s wishful thinking.
Abbott has four huge advantages over Cruz as a presidential candidate, five if you add “the sympathy vote” for being wheelchair-bound: 1) He’s a popular law and order Governor of a huge state (executive experience), 2) He’ll have the Establishment behind him once he’s the nominee, 3) He doesn’t have a “birther” issue that is still and always will be an issue for some (Trumpster) voters regarding Cruz despite the lawsuits being thrown out and 4) Abbott endorsed Trump after Cruz bowed out. Abbott cannot be accused of being “anti-Trump” and thus should have no trouble getting Trumpster support.
Hell will freeze over before Cruz has the Establishment GOP and Trumpster voters behind him! He’d be better off being part of a growing-but-just-starting third party Conservative movement running in 2020 as an Independent. We know what will happen, of course. He won’t be part of the Republican debates. Unless he has 15% in the polls, he’ll be kept out of the presidential debates. It’ll be almost impossible for him to win with Abbott as the GOP nominee and without being part of the debates.
And even if Abbott doesn’t run for president, Cruz will still not get the Establishment behind him which he would need to win the nomination. They’ll be behind Rubio or some other RINO.
I’ve been a strong Cruz supporter and will remain so. I left the GOP in 1996 and will never return. However, Conservatives have to be practical. With Abbott as the 2020 nominee, Republican and Independent Conservatives will very likely flock to him. Abbott could very well upset and ruin the third party movement by bringing Conservatives who have left it back into the fold.
A lot can happen in 4-plus years but this is how I see it.
All very good points Mr Levine. I really can’t argue against any of them at this time. I’m not familiar enough with Gov Abbott’s history either, though I do know of his accident that left him bound to his wheelchair.
Please make it “Dave”! 🙂
Abbott would have been part of the Convention (Lt. Gov. Patrick took the reins there) had he not received third-degree burns on his feet and legs. I don’t know HOW he’s recovered from skin grafting so quickly! So, he’ll actually have a DOUBLE “sympathy vote”–one from his original accident and then the vacationing accident this summer.
I know Abbott was a good AG for Texas. How he could endorse Trump for Trump’s “buying” AGs as he apparently did in Florida to keep his Trump University sham from legal trouble concerns me. I’m of the opinion that Abbott endoresed Trump for those Trumpster voters in 2020.
I will remain a strong Cruz supporter also and I pray everyday that those jerks in Congress will start giving Ted the respect that he deserves.
I like Gov Abbott but I don’t want to see him run against Sen Cruz for POTUS.
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