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South Carolina town hall: Rubio and Cruz attack Obama for upcoming Cuba visit – live South Carolina town hall: Rubio and Cruz attack Obama for upcoming Cuba visit – live
(35 minutes later)
3.56am GMT
03:56
Jeb Lund
Ted Cruz said: “Barack Obama, in the first weeks of his administration, sent the bust of Winston Churchill back to the United Kingdom. If I’m elected president, Winston Churchill is coming back.”
WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN? THIS IS LIKE LISTENING TO A RADIO SHOW YELL A BUMPER STICKER AT A PRINTOUT OF AN EMAIL FORWARD. COULD THIS BE ANY MORE TRIFLING AND STUPID?
[Ed note: The bust was loaned to then-President George W Bush by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and returned as a matter of protocol. A separate bust of Churchill, given to then-President Lyndon B Johnson, remains in the White House today.]
3.56am GMT
03:56
Would it kill Republicans to crack a joke? Actually, some of them, I think it might.
– Ted Cruz, on the need to “let loose” on the campaign trail.
3.54am GMT
03:54
Which cabinet position would Cruz fill first?
“It would be a three-way tie between secretary of state, secretary of defense and attorney general,” Cruz says. “When it comes to defense, we have to begin rebuilding our military immediately. When it comes to state... moving the embassy to Israel tells Israel, it tells our allies, it tells our enemies that America is back.”
“We need someone strong, someone who represents this country,” Cruz says of a potential secretary of state. “A secretary of state in a Cruz administration would be someone like John Bolton.” As for an attorney general, Cruz declares that “the lawlessness of the Obama administration has been one of the saddest legacies”.
“The only fidelity of the department of justice will be to the laws and constitution of the United States,” Cruz concludes.
Updated
at 3.55am GMT
3.39am GMT
03:39
This is a strange election season in many ways.
– Ted Cruz, on being called a liar by Marco Rubio and Donald Trump
3.36am GMT
03:36
Ted Cruz, who sits on the Senate judiciary committee, tells Anderson Cooper that he would not endorse a committee hearing on whomever Barack Obama nominates to fill the supreme court seat formerly occupied by the late Antonin Scalia.
“They should not” get a hearing, Cruz says. “For 80 years, it has been the practice that the senate has not confirmed any nomination that has occurred during an election year ... I don’t think it would be fair to the nominee.”
Updated
at 3.40am GMT
3.32am GMT
03:32
Earlier Cruz was asked about Obama’s planned visit to Cuba. Is that something he would do?
It is not as long as Castro is in power. And I will say I was saddened to hear that [but] I wasn’t surprised. This was foreshadowed for a long time.
3.31am GMT
03:31
Ted Cruz is asked to defend his status as a natural-born citizen of the United States
“The law under the constitution and federal law has been clear from the very first days of the republic,” Cruz says. “The child of a US citizen is a US citizen by virtue of birth.”
“I was a citizen by birth by virtue of my mother’s citizenship... it was the act of being born that made me a US citizen,” Cruz says. Of the possibility of Donald Trump suing him on the matter - “you can never write off the possibility of Donald Trump suing you,” Cruz says - “if he wants to file a lawsuit, he can file it and lose.”
Updated
at 3.32am GMT
3.29am GMT3.29am GMT
03:2903:29
Jeb LundJeb Lund
Ted Cruz thinks that the fluctuations in the oil market are created by fiat currency and thinks that a dollar tied to a fixed amount of gold is a stable dollar that would level out fluctuations in the oil market.Ted Cruz thinks that the fluctuations in the oil market are created by fiat currency and thinks that a dollar tied to a fixed amount of gold is a stable dollar that would level out fluctuations in the oil market.
That is a really interesting economic idea with nothing that could contradict it apart from, say, the history of America in the 19th century.That is a really interesting economic idea with nothing that could contradict it apart from, say, the history of America in the 19th century.
3.28am GMT3.28am GMT
03:2803:28
“Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is, as you know, fraught with complications,” Ted Cruz says. “When it comes to Saudi Arabia, we need ot have real scrutiny and real pressure.”“Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is, as you know, fraught with complications,” Ted Cruz says. “When it comes to Saudi Arabia, we need ot have real scrutiny and real pressure.”
“They are not seeking our interests - they are seeking their monetary interests,” Cruz elaborates. To combat the “stranglehold” foreign nations have on American energy, Cruz says, we need to develop American-sourced energy sources. “This country is blessed with abundant natural resources... but you shouldn’t have government picking winners and losers. There shouldn’t be any subsidies.”“They are not seeking our interests - they are seeking their monetary interests,” Cruz elaborates. To combat the “stranglehold” foreign nations have on American energy, Cruz says, we need to develop American-sourced energy sources. “This country is blessed with abundant natural resources... but you shouldn’t have government picking winners and losers. There shouldn’t be any subsidies.”
3.24am GMT3.24am GMT
03:2403:24
Megan CarpentierMegan Carpentier
Ted Cruz said tonight – incorrectly – that Trump had said George W Bush should be impeached during the last debate. He said: “To see, on a Republican presidential stage a candidate suggesting that we should have impeached George W Bush, that really draws into question the judgement of that candidate to be commander in chief.Ted Cruz said tonight – incorrectly – that Trump had said George W Bush should be impeached during the last debate. He said: “To see, on a Republican presidential stage a candidate suggesting that we should have impeached George W Bush, that really draws into question the judgement of that candidate to be commander in chief.
But, though Trump attacked W Bush’s record at the last debate (and said in 2008 that he would’ve been happy to see Pelosi impeach Bush), he actually deliberately avoided suggesting he ought to have been impeached.But, though Trump attacked W Bush’s record at the last debate (and said in 2008 that he would’ve been happy to see Pelosi impeach Bush), he actually deliberately avoided suggesting he ought to have been impeached.
Perhaps Cruz was banking on most South Carolinians having skipped it?Perhaps Cruz was banking on most South Carolinians having skipped it?
(And, yes, it seems like one could spend all night fact checking Ted Cruz.)(And, yes, it seems like one could spend all night fact checking Ted Cruz.)
3.24am GMT3.24am GMT
03:2403:24
A pastor asks Ted Cruz about the “growing threat” against religious values in the United States, an area of particular focus for the Cruz campaign.A pastor asks Ted Cruz about the “growing threat” against religious values in the United States, an area of particular focus for the Cruz campaign.
“We are seeing an assault on Judeo-Christian values, we are seeing an assault on religious liberty, and we need a president who will stand up and protect those values,” Cruz says, declaring that candidates should be held to a higher standard than just parroting pro-life, anti-gay marriage statements.“We are seeing an assault on Judeo-Christian values, we are seeing an assault on religious liberty, and we need a president who will stand up and protect those values,” Cruz says, declaring that candidates should be held to a higher standard than just parroting pro-life, anti-gay marriage statements.
“You shall know them by their fruits,” Cruz quotes the Bible, referencing his history of fighting Planned Parenthood in court and protecting a statue of the ten commandments in front of the Texas capitol. “In June of last year we saw a decision from the supreme court that was nothing short of tragic... I think there’s something really wrong when Republican candidates are echoing the talking points of Barack Obama.”“You shall know them by their fruits,” Cruz quotes the Bible, referencing his history of fighting Planned Parenthood in court and protecting a statue of the ten commandments in front of the Texas capitol. “In June of last year we saw a decision from the supreme court that was nothing short of tragic... I think there’s something really wrong when Republican candidates are echoing the talking points of Barack Obama.”
“When it comes to religious liberty, if I’m elected president I intend on the first day I enter office to instruct... every government agency that the persecution of religious liberty ends today.”“When it comes to religious liberty, if I’m elected president I intend on the first day I enter office to instruct... every government agency that the persecution of religious liberty ends today.”
3.20am GMT3.20am GMT
03:2003:20
Jeb LundJeb Lund
“We will not be drafting our daughters into the front lines ... I’m the father of two daughters. Women can do anything, but the idea that the federal government could forcibly conscript women into service doesn’t make any sense.”“We will not be drafting our daughters into the front lines ... I’m the father of two daughters. Women can do anything, but the idea that the federal government could forcibly conscript women into service doesn’t make any sense.”
It’s like Cruz is saying Women can do anything, except this one thing, for no reason I can come up with, because I said so, and they’re women. Unless he’s just objecting to people being drafted into combat, in which case, please condemn that happening to men, too. Because I am a lazy man, and there is no United States Army Nap Battalion.It’s like Cruz is saying Women can do anything, except this one thing, for no reason I can come up with, because I said so, and they’re women. Unless he’s just objecting to people being drafted into combat, in which case, please condemn that happening to men, too. Because I am a lazy man, and there is no United States Army Nap Battalion.
3.19am GMT3.19am GMT
03:1903:19
When asked about Donald Trump’s assertion at the last Republican presidential debate that George W Bush didn’t keep the United States safe because the 9/11 terror attacks happened under his watch, Ted Cruz questions Trump’s judgment.When asked about Donald Trump’s assertion at the last Republican presidential debate that George W Bush didn’t keep the United States safe because the 9/11 terror attacks happened under his watch, Ted Cruz questions Trump’s judgment.
“I thought it was ridiculous,” Cruz says. “Listen - I like Donald. I am not gonna engage in personal attacks - but his policies don’t make sense.”“I thought it was ridiculous,” Cruz says. “Listen - I like Donald. I am not gonna engage in personal attacks - but his policies don’t make sense.”
3.12am GMT3.12am GMT
03:1203:12
Jeb LundJeb Lund
Why does Ted Cruz think that saying “radical Islamic terrorism” does anything to stop terrorism? It’s so exhausting hearing the Beetlejuice theory of military policy.Why does Ted Cruz think that saying “radical Islamic terrorism” does anything to stop terrorism? It’s so exhausting hearing the Beetlejuice theory of military policy.
How many times do you have to say it for it to work? Do you have to say it really loud? Do you have to say it in a mirror, with the lights off, holding a candle? Who then defeats the terrorists? Is it Bloody Mary or The Candyman?How many times do you have to say it for it to work? Do you have to say it really loud? Do you have to say it in a mirror, with the lights off, holding a candle? Who then defeats the terrorists? Is it Bloody Mary or The Candyman?
Also, it’s just such a funny argument to make from someone who has to constantly distort the record to advance his points. If naming something what it actually is magically solves problems, it’s puzzling that Cruz is so averse to telling the whole truth and nothing but in many other circumstances.Also, it’s just such a funny argument to make from someone who has to constantly distort the record to advance his points. If naming something what it actually is magically solves problems, it’s puzzling that Cruz is so averse to telling the whole truth and nothing but in many other circumstances.
3.11am GMT
03:11
After saying that he will “shamelessly waffle” and not decide between Clemson and South Carolina, Ted Cruz is asked by an undecided voter about his wife’s potential role in a Cruz administration.
“She’s got a real heart for economic development,” Cruz says, in part because of her background as the child of Christian missionaries and in part because of her role as a managing director at Goldman Sachs. “Heidi has a real heart here in America... empowering them to achieve the American dream.”
3.11am GMT
03:11
Megan Carpentier
On Ted Cruz’s assertion that the majority of inmates at Guantánamo return to terrorism, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center told a Senate panel on 5 February that only 6 of the 88 detainees released by Obama are “directly involved in terrorist or insurgent activities”.
But when it comes to detainees released by George W Bush, he’s right.
Read more about the actual facts on Guantánamo detainees at The Guardian:
Related: Only six Guantánamo detainees released under Obama 're-engaged'
3.03am GMT
03:03
Megan Carpentier
Ted Cruz said that Planned Parenthood had been “implicated in multiple federal felonies” as a result of the debunked Center for Medical Progress videos.
It’s factually untrue: a federal judge ruled in December 2015 that there was no evidence of a crime on the tapes. In January 2016, a Texas grand jury impaneled to investigate Planned Parenthood instead indicted filmmaker David Daleidan and Sandra Merritt on charges related to tampering with government records and the purchase and sale of human organs.
3.03am GMT
03:03
There has never been an administration more hostile and antagonistic toward Israel than this administration.
– Ted Cruz, on Barack Obama’s foreign policy.
3.02am GMT
03:02
Ted Cruz is the only panelist at tonight’s town hall to come down hard on Anderson Cooper’s repeated question about whether Apple should be compelled to create a backdoor for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to enter the phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters.
“Anytime you’re dealing with issues of security and civil liberties, you’ve got to strike a delicate balance,” Cruz says. “I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
2.56am GMT
02:56
“I’ll confess - I laughed out loud” when I saw Donald Trump’s letter threatening to sue me, Cruz says.
“This letter really pressed the bounds of the most frivolous and ridiculous letters I’ve ever seen,” Cruz says. “His argument in the letter is running his own words in the ad is defamation.”
2.55am GMT
02:55
Senator Ted Cruz takes the stage at CNN's town hall in South Carolina
Anderson Cooper’s first question: “How does it feel out there for you?”
“Look, it feels fantastic,” Cruz says, asserting that he’s rebuilding the “Reagan coalition” of voters. “We won among conservatives, but we also won among evangelicals. We won among Reagan Democrats and we won among young people.”
2.54am GMT
02:54
Jeb Lund
At the close, Cooper and Rubio had an interesting exchange about football, which Rubio played when he was young. Back then, he admitted, they taught you to tackle with your head, which he admitted (to laughs) that the Democrats would say explains everything you need to know about Rubio.
But, in reply to Cooper’s question about the dangers of football, he mentioned that his daughters do competitive stunt cheerleading, and he drives a car. Both those things have risks. That’s true!
Unfortunately, as anyone who’s done either know, brain damage from both ensues when something goes horribly wrong: CTE-related brain damage in football, even without tackling with anything at all, begins accruing on every play during the natural, normal execution of the game. Football fans know this.
It was a silly answer to give, especially considering that even serious and informed football fans are flummoxed about what to do. Simply throwing up his hands and saying, “We need to try something!” would have worked.
But just note that, on the spot, Rubio defaulted to toeing the party line and the empty rhetoric of billionaire management.
2.49am GMT
02:49
No. No! I’ve never been to a rave! It’s a Republican primary, Anderson!
– Marco Rubio, on his fondness for electronic dance music.
2.46am GMT
02:46
Responding to Ted Cruz’s comment that he’s “behaving like Donald Trump with a smile,” Rubio laughs.
“Donald smiles! I’ve seen him smile!” Rubio says. “Ultimately, it’s not about me, it’s not about Ted, it’s not about Donald, it’s about what this country’s gonna look like when my 15-year-old daughter graduates from college.”
“When the stakes are that high,” Rubio continues, “that’s what I’m going to spend 99% of my time talking about.”