http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/79246.html
I had paid almost zero attention to the Texas Senate thing until yesterday. I assumed - I shld slap my own face - that Cruz was another Tea Party goon.
On closer examination, this guy has star power on par w/ Marco Rubio, gives the GOP another anchor for its pitch to Hispanic voters and a future leader on the Republican scene.
A few highlights from the article:
One of his Princeton profs weighs in:
I had paid almost zero attention to the Texas Senate thing until yesterday. I assumed - I shld slap my own face - that Cruz was another Tea Party goon.
On closer examination, this guy has star power on par w/ Marco Rubio, gives the GOP another anchor for its pitch to Hispanic voters and a future leader on the Republican scene.
A few highlights from the article:
Cruz’s own story is filled with firsts.
He was a founding editor of the Harvard Latino Law Review; the first Hispanic to clerk for a chief justice of the United States, in Cruz’s case, William Rehnquist; the first Hispanic solicitor general in the country; and the youngest and longest-serving to hold that position.
But the Princeton-educated Cruz — who has argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court — showed signs of major promise decades earlier, going back to his high school days in Katy, Texas.
As a teenager, Cruz made a name for himself after he memorized the Constitution and hit the road to deliver speeches on its intrinsic meaning [Mike Lee wonders why he didn't think of this]. The practice paved the way for his first-place finishes at the 1992 National and North American Debate Championships.
He was a founding editor of the Harvard Latino Law Review; the first Hispanic to clerk for a chief justice of the United States, in Cruz’s case, William Rehnquist; the first Hispanic solicitor general in the country; and the youngest and longest-serving to hold that position.
But the Princeton-educated Cruz — who has argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court — showed signs of major promise decades earlier, going back to his high school days in Katy, Texas.
As a teenager, Cruz made a name for himself after he memorized the Constitution and hit the road to deliver speeches on its intrinsic meaning [Mike Lee wonders why he didn't think of this]. The practice paved the way for his first-place finishes at the 1992 National and North American Debate Championships.
George sees Cruz more likely molding himself into a gray beard of sorts who sets out to accomplish big policy goals and is the point man on constitutional questions.
“I think what you’ve got is someone who is going to be a real intellectual leader in the Senate. The closest parallel I can think of is Paul Ryan in the House of Representatives. He’s a real intellectual leader. He’s not just a factional leader,” said George. “There’s going to be some big constitutional questions to address. … And he might be one of the few U.S. senators who’ve read Tocqueville.”
Elliott echoed that sentiment, saying that Cruz carries himself with a calm assertiveness that separates him from many politicians who wave the tea party flag.
“I think what you’ve got is someone who is going to be a real intellectual leader in the Senate. The closest parallel I can think of is Paul Ryan in the House of Representatives. He’s a real intellectual leader. He’s not just a factional leader,” said George. “There’s going to be some big constitutional questions to address. … And he might be one of the few U.S. senators who’ve read Tocqueville.”
Elliott echoed that sentiment, saying that Cruz carries himself with a calm assertiveness that separates him from many politicians who wave the tea party flag.
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