From the Top Down

By Ed Hoffman

If you recently jumped on the Ted Cruz train, I haven’t joined you just yet. While Cruz’s presidential campaign announcement last Monday was powerful, strong and displayed his incredible speaking capabilities, the same cannot be said for the Today Show interview he gave Matt Lauer just a few days later.

During this interview, Cruz made the declaration that Republicans need to build a “broad coalition” and that’s a statement I’m not in love with. I know why he’s saying it, and so do you if you follow politics. Here’s how I interpret it: “I’m willing to bend on gay marriage and eventually, I’ll be willing to bend on illegal immigration.” Considering that the reason tea partiers and staunch conservatives love Cruz so much is his commitment to principles, that’s a little disconcerting. Plus, Cruz tends to come off as too low key. He needs to be on all the time, because that’s what it takes to win the presidency now; just ask Barack Obama. So as of now, I’m not moved. I want someone who’s strong all the time.

And then, there’s the “born in Canada” issue. We have always known that you must be a natural born citizen to be eligible for the presidency, which is why Obama’s birthplace was so viciously debated (and never resolved in my mind, but that’s beside the point). Now Cruz, who is admittedly born outside the country, is eligible simply because his mother was an American citizen? As we know, Barack Obama’s mother was a citizen as well. That makes a big hypocrite out of anyone who thinks that Obama’s birthplace was relevant, but Cruz’s is not. I just don’t think I’m comfortable with Cruz getting a pass on the birthplace issue.

However, the bottom line is that I’m going to support whoever the Republican nominee is. That’s something too many right-wing voters weren’t willing to do in 2012, and it cost Mitt Romney the election. Let’s not make the same mistake again. Any of the Republicans whose names have been batted around as possible presidential candidates, from Cruz, to Jeb Bush, to Marco Rubio and others would be better suited to take the helm of the presidency than Barack Obama. Case in point: Iran, which is being given the opportunity to move forward with its nuclear program despite having not met any of the conditions our State Department has given, to the best of our knowledge (since they’re not telling us anyway). Why do we have to have an agreement with a country that hates us – a country we can’t trust at all?

Another example of the absurd logic of this administration is the rush to give Sergeant Bowe Bergdhal, who will now be charged with desertion, a hero’s welcome when he was rescued from Taliban captivity. From National Security Advisor Susan Rice telling us last year that Bergdhal “served with honor and distinction” to State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki doubling down on Rice’s words when she appeared on Megyn Kelly this week, it seems clear to me that this administration is wholly incompetent to do deal with national security, and that comes from the top down.

Ed Hoffman is the host of the Main Event on AM590, which airs Saturday 9:30AM- 10:30AM and Sunday 4:00PM- 5:00PM. Follow him on Twitter @EdHoffman, and like him on Facebook by searching The Main Event 590.