Ep. 14 - Live at CPAC

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson: Episode 14 - Live at CPAC

Release Date: February 27, 2020
Host: Premiere Networks
Description:
Hosted by Ben Ferguson, a renowned national radio host, podcaster, and political commentator, The 47 Morning Update delves into the latest news and political developments, particularly focusing on the President's administration, policies, and agenda. The show offers unfiltered insights, exclusive interviews, and candid commentary, providing listeners with a behind-the-scenes look at the issues shaping America today.

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Live CPAC Event with Michael Knowles, Ted Cruz, and Ronna McDaniel

Timestamp: [00:00] - [20:09]

The episode air begins with Michael Knowles and Senator Ted Cruz engaging in a lively discussion live from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the largest gathering of conservatives globally.

Introduction and Podcast Success

• Michael Knowles opens the session by welcoming Senator Cruz, joking about their close rapport: "Senator, I feel like we're pretty much roommates at this point." [00:00]

• Senator Ted Cruz affirms their camaraderie and highlights CPAC's significance: "This is CPAC. This is the largest conservative gathering in the world." [00:32]

• The conversation shifts to the success of Cruz’s podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz, launched during the impeachment trial. Cruz shares the impressive growth, noting over 4.5 million downloads and its rise to the number one ranked podcast globally: "It went from zero, non-existent to skyrocketing and becoming the number one ranked podcast in the world." [01:38]

Political Realignment: Republicans as the Party of the Working Class

• Ted Cruz discusses a fundamental political shift where the Republican Party has repositioned itself as the champion of blue-collar workers:
  "Today, the Democrats are the party of rich coastal elites... working men and women... used to form the heart of the Democratic Party... they're Trump Democrats." [04:47]

• Michael Knowles adds historical context, reminiscing about the Reagan era and the GOP’s transformation: "You know, it's not just happening in the United States either. We're seeing this happen throughout the west we saw with Brexit..." [06:24]

Achievements Under the Trump Administration

• Senator Cruz highlights President Trump's accomplishments during the State of the Union, emphasizing record low unemployment rates:
  "The lowest unemployment for African Americans in history, the lowest unemployment for Hispanics in history." [06:47]

• He underscores the administration's impact on reducing dependency on government assistance, sharing a personal story about a single mother in Houston who secured employment and regained her family's dignity:
  "Seven million lives transformed." [07:23]

• Additionally, Cruz points out economic milestones, such as a $6,000 annual income increase for families in Laredo, Texas, and the return of 500,000 manufacturing jobs to the U.S.:
  "That's $6,000 a year in a single mom's pockets, in a working family's pockets." [13:20]

Interview with Ronna McDaniel, Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee

Timestamp: [09:14] - [19:55]

• Michael Knowles introduces Ronna McDaniel, Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), to discuss the party's vision and strategies moving forward:
  "Chairwoman, thank you so much for being here." [09:14]

• Ronna McDaniel reflects on the success in Michigan during the 2016 and 2020 elections, crediting President Trump's outreach to working-class voters:
  "President Trump spoke to the working men and women in Michigan and transformed our state and brought new voters into our coalition." [10:10]

• She highlights the flipping of traditionally Democratic counties like Macomb County, emphasizing data-driven campaign efforts:
  "We had the data. We were knocking doors, we were talking to voters, and we saw these forgotten men and women who really felt like Washington had left them behind." [11:09]

• The discussion turns to the threat posed by the Democrats' push to eliminate the Electoral College in favor of a national popular vote:
  "I think it is devastating for our country to get rid of the electoral vote. This is what the founders intended for every state to have representation." [16:46]

• Ronna McDaniel expresses determination to legally challenge these efforts, stating her intent to be the "most litigious chair in history":
  "The RNC is not going to let this go. Let me just say I have an intention to be the most litigious chair in history." [17:01]

• She addresses the Democrats' fear of blue-collar voters, noting their strategy to rely on populous states like California and New York rather than engaging crucial swing states:
  "Because they're scared of blue collar voters. They don't think they can get those blue collar voters back." [17:29]

Electoral College vs. National Popular Vote Debate

• Michael Knowles poses a question regarding the constitutionality of states compacting their electoral votes to follow the national popular vote:
  "Is the popular vote compact a violation of Article 1, Section 10, Senator?" [15:46]

• Senator Cruz responds affirmatively, suggesting it's likely a constitutional violation and highlights recent movements by states like Virginia:
  "It's probably. But it is an open question constitutionally... Virginia was the latest one that voted to give their electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote." [16:03]

• Ronna McDaniel vehemently opposes the elimination of the Electoral College, reinforcing the party’s commitment to maintain state-based representation:
  "The RNC is not going to let this go. There's something coming." [16:46]

• The conversation underscores the RNC's plans to litigate against such measures, ensuring the preservation of the Electoral College and state votes:
  "The RNC is going to let this go. And there's something coming." [17:01]

Audience Engagement and Final Thoughts

• Michael Knowles introduces audience questions, emphasizing the show's interactive nature.

• An audience member, Tonka Teddy Bear, asks about the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) strategy concerning Bernie Sanders and the party's primary process:
  "Is it possible that the DNC is not going to nuke Bernie and are writing off this election for two reasons...?" [18:34]

• Ronna McDaniel praises the current DNC leadership sarcastically while criticizing their primary process and superdelegate system:
  "It's funny that they're against the Electoral College, but they're creating the same system in their nominating process where these super delegates get to come in and take away the popular vote." [19:26]

• Ted Cruz and Ronna McDaniel ridicule the Democratic vote-counting process, highlighting inefficiencies and the potential manipulation of results:
  "How hard is it to count the damn votes?" [19:45]
  "The reason they don't want to count the votes is because they don't like the answer that they're going to get." [19:50]

• The episode concludes with Michael Knowles thanking Ronna McDaniel and Senator Ted Cruz, reinforcing the GOP’s commitment to uphold the Electoral College and protect voters’ rights:
  "Thank you all." [20:09]

---

Key Takeaways and Insights

1. Podcast Growth and Media Influence: Senator Ted Cruz's podcast, Verdict, rapidly ascended to the top ranks, demonstrating the growing influence of conservative media voices in shaping political discourse.

2. Shift in Political Allegiances: There has been a significant realignment where the Republican Party now predominantly represents blue-collar workers, while the Democratic Party is increasingly seen as catering to elites and coastal interests.

3. Administrative Achievements: Under President Trump, notable economic achievements include record low unemployment rates across various demographics, substantial increases in median incomes in regions like Texas, and a resurgence in manufacturing jobs.

4. Electoral College Advocacy: The RNC, led by Ronna McDaniel, is firmly committed to defending the Electoral College against Democratic efforts to switch to a national popular vote, viewing it as a direct threat to state representation and voter influence.

5. Legal and Strategic Response: The GOP is preparing to take legal action to preserve the Electoral College, emphasizing the necessity of litigation to counteract Democratic strategies that undermine traditional electoral structures.

6. Party Consolidation and Future Strategies: Emphasis on the importance of the GOP becoming "the blue collar GOP," focusing on policies that resonate with working-class Americans to secure future electoral victories.

7. Critique of Democratic Processes: The episode criticizes the DNC's handling of primaries and vote counting, suggesting inefficiencies and potential biases that disadvantage their election strategies.

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Notable Quotes

• Ted Cruz: "Seven million lives transformed." [07:23]
• Ronna McDaniel: "I have an intention to be the most litigious chair in history." [17:01]
• Michael Knowles: "The reason they don't want to count the votes is because they don't like the answer that they're going to get." [19:50]
• Ronna McDaniel: "The RNC is not going to let this go. There's something coming." [16:46]

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Conclusions

Episode 14 of The 47 Morning Update underscores the strategic shifts within the Republican Party to align more closely with the working class, distancing itself from elite influences traditionally associated with the Democratic Party. Highlighting significant economic achievements under the Trump administration, the discussion emphasizes the importance of maintaining the Electoral College to preserve state influence in presidential elections. With the RNC poised to take legal action against attempts to undermine the Electoral College, the GOP demonstrates a robust commitment to safeguarding its electoral strategies and ensuring sustained voter representation across all states.

Listeners are provided with a comprehensive analysis of current political dynamics, the transformative shifts in party allegiances, and the overarching strategies to maintain and expand Republican influence in upcoming elections. The episode serves as a rallying call for conservatives to engage with core issues affecting the working class, emphasizing the necessity of policy-driven advocacy to secure future political victories.

Transcript

[Michael Knowles]

Hello, cpac. This is Verdict with Ted Cruz. Welcome to Verdict with Ted Cruz. I am Michael Knowles. We are live at cpac. Senator, I feel like we're pretty much roommates at this point.

[Ted Cruz]

There's a lot of truth to that. This is number one. This is cpac. This is the largest conservative gathering in the world.

[Michael Knowles]

Yes.

[Ted Cruz]

You have conservatives, you have libertarians, you have bloggers, you have cowboys, you have young people, you have lovers of liberty gathered all descending on Washington and terrifying the Washington bureaucracy.

[Michael Knowles]

And, you know, this is a pretty good time to be here at cpac. We have got record low unemployment, record wins. I think we've got, what, 187 judges on the courts now that are.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, actually not 187. We've now confirmed 192.

[Michael Knowles]

192. I stand corrected. This is pretty good.

[Ted Cruz]

On Twitter, right after the impeachment trial, which I will note, the Senate rightly acquitted the president of these ridiculous articles of impeachment. Right after the Senate acquittal, I saw someone on Twitter that said, as revenge, the Senate should immediately confirm a judge. I responded and said, nope, we're going to confirm five.

[Michael Knowles]

You're doing five.

[Ted Cruz]

And that's what we did.

[Michael Knowles]

So things are looking really, really good. What I want to know is, how did this happen?

[Ted Cruz]

Well, all right, let's take this and break it into different pieces. Okay, first of all, Verdict. What is this? Well, as a lot of y'all know, a month ago, we launched this podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz. Launched it on the first day of the impeachment trial. The very first night. Each night I went, jumped in a truck, headed down to the studio, and we would record at midnight, 1, 2 in the morning. Whenever it happened, we'd record that night. It went from zero, non existent to skyrocketing and becoming the number one ranked podcast in the world. We've had now to date, over four and a half million downloads. And the way we're doing it, we're responding to breaking news. So Michael talked about us being roommates. The reason for that. This is the third, third verdict podcast that we have recorded in the last 24 hours.

[Michael Knowles]

This is. I was not supposed to see the senator until today. I was flying into Washington. Nice, leisurely night. He calls, he says, no, Michael, I'm. I'm really pissed off about something right now. We're going to record a podcast tonight, get to the studio.

[Ted Cruz]

So. And I'll tell you then what tomorrow's podcast is going to be. How many of y'all are familiar with Bernie Sanders Kissing up to Fidel Castro and the communists in Cuba. Well, I gotta say, that really pissed me off. And I take it pretty personally. So what we did, I called my aunt, my tia Sonia, who was imprisoned and tortured in Cuba by Fidel Castro's goons, and my tia Sonya got on a plane and flew to D.C. and we sat down and had her tell us about what Cuban Communism is all.

[Michael Knowles]

About, what it's really like. And I have to brag for a moment about the senator because not only did he become the number one podcaster in the world, he also became the number one booking producer. We've got another guest coming up. We shot another show because you happened to have lunch with a guy who was in the United States and you brought him through.

[Ted Cruz]

Next week, it will be a big, big show on a totally different topic. Yes, but let's get to the topic of this show right now, how this all happened. The most fundamental political shift that has happened in the last decade is that the two parties have switched places. Everything you've been told about politics is wrong and is a lie. All of us grew up being told. Republicans are the party of the rich and Democrats are the party of the working class. In the last decade, those two switched. Today, the Democrats are the party of the rich. Today, the Democrats are the party of Hollywood celebrities and Silicon Valley billionaires and Wall street titans. They sip their lattes and they look down on working class Americans. And on the other hand, working men and women, the working men and women here, union members, blue collar union members, used to form the heart of the Democratic Party, FDR Democrats, who became Reagan Democrats. And right now, today, they're Trump Democrats.

[Michael Knowles]

Well, Senator, you know, I missed the Reagan era. I was not alive for that. And so for my whole life, the gop, which I always loved, you know.

[Ted Cruz]

But the GOP was kind of really bad, bad guy. It was called the Soviet Union. We beat them, freed the world, and liberty prevails.

[Michael Knowles]

You spoiled the ending. Now I can't even read the history book.

[Ted Cruz]

And by the way, we tore down this wall.

[Michael Knowles]

You know, for my whole life, the Dems have been the party of the working man. I want to know, nuts and bolts. How did we end up where we are today?

[Ted Cruz]

So under the Obama presidency, the Democrats made a decision that has generational consequences. They chose between what had been historically favored children of the Democratic Party. They chose between California environmentalist billionaires and blue collar union members and their jobs. And Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. They all decided to heck with the workers. Write them off. We don't care about the jobs. We are the party of rich coastal elites that has prompted an historic realignment. And I gotta tell you, right now, we're seeing blue collar workers. If you care about jobs, if you have calluses on your hand, we are now the party, the Republican Party, of truck drivers and steel workers and oil workers and farmers and ranchers and cops and firefighters and waiters and waitresses and everyone that gets out and works for a living. That's the Republican Party. And the Democratic Party says, you silly little people, you deplorables, you don't need jobs.

[Michael Knowles]

You know, it's not just happening in the United States either. We're seeing this happen throughout the west we saw with Brexit, we're seeing it happen throughout Europe. There seems to be a rising up of people who say, maybe I wasn't a conservative before, but now that there's a left, left wing party that's taking away my national borders, taking away my right to make my own laws, taking away my jobs, you're seeing this major coalitional realignment.

[Ted Cruz]

How many of y'all watched the State of the Union address? I think it was by far the best speech President Trump has ever given.

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah, that's great.

[Ted Cruz]

He went through the incredible victories we're having. But let me highlight one in particular that I think, because we saw a contrast. As he talked about record low unemployment, the lowest unemployment for African Americans in history, the lowest unemployment for Hispanics in history. The Democrats sat with their arms crossed, angry, refusing to applaud. But that wasn't the worst of it. Yeah, there was a moment where he talked about, in the last three years, 7 million Americans have come off of food stamps. And not only did the Democrats not applaud, a number of congressional Democrats hissed. That sums up where we are. Listen, the message of the Democrats, if you're a single mom, if you're dependent on the government for welfare, if you're dependent on the government for food, their message is, stay dependent. They don't want you getting out of that trap of dependency. And I'll tell you, look, I'm from Houston. Right now, today, in my hometown of Houston, there is a single mom who three years ago needed the federal government to help feed her family. The last three years, she's gotten a job. Tonight she's going to come home, she's going to stick the keys in the door of her apartment, she's going to open the door carrying a bag of groceries, she's going to set those groceries on the kitchen table. And her kids are going to look at her with a newfound respect. She has the dignity of work, the self respect, of knowing she's providing for her family. And her kids will have a level of hope and excitement. Seven million lives transformed.

[Michael Knowles]

You know, that connects, I think, I think that sort of message connects a lot better with the American people than 57 genders. And we need to steal everybody's property. I don't think that's as persuasive a message.

[Ted Cruz]

It's the Republican. It is. The divide is so stark. If you're a working man, if you're a working woman, the Democratic Party right now is not fighting for jobs. And here's the key. Going forward, the Republican Party is. And if we want to win going forward, we need to be the blue collar gop. If we are the party of jobs, we are the party of the future.

[Michael Knowles]

Well, I know who can help make the party the way that we want to see it, and that would be the chairwoman of the Republican Party. So let's bring her out, give us a little vision, answer some mailbag questions. Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, thank you so. Thank you so much for coming on.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Thank you for having me.

[Michael Knowles]

Hello.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Thank you.

[Michael Knowles]

All right.

[Ronna McDaniel]

I feel so honored to be on the number one podcast.

[Michael Knowles]

Stop it. Go on. Go on.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Number one podcast. I mean, who knew? I'm so lucky.

[Michael Knowles]

Well, we're pleased to have you here. And actually, before we even get into the RNC stuff, which is now what you're running on the national level, I want to get specific about a past job that you had. You ran the Michigan Republican Party. Michigan, a very, very important state in 2016 and 2020.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Yay, Michigan. Absolutely. And Senator Cruz, you are right on. President Trump spoke to the working men and women in Michigan and transformed our state and brought new voters into our coalition. And one specific county that flipped Michigan was Macomb county, which has gone Democrat for decades. And President Trump came over and over again. Everybody said, don't come to Michigan. Michigan's a non winnable state. It's a flyover state. Republicans haven't won there for 30 years. I kept saying to candidate Trump, please come to Michigan. Please come. What did you know over and over again? Well, I knew it. I was looking at the numbers. We had the data. We were knocking doors, we were talking to voters, and we saw these forgotten men and women who really felt like Washington had left them behind, that it had become this redistributionist coastal elite party of the left that forgot the middle of the country. And you're seeing that even more. The Democrats want to get rid of the Electoral College. Guess what? That means they won't come to Michigan ever again.

[Michael Knowles]

That's right.

[Ronna McDaniel]

And so the president resonated. What's interesting about Michigan on election night that's often overlooked is Michigan was called for Hillary Clinton by the Detroit Free Press on election night.

[Michael Knowles]

That was wishful thinking, I think, because.

[Ronna McDaniel]

They had so undervalued the voters in Macomb in the shift. And President Trump outperformed Mitt Romney, 60 in that county. We want it.

[Ted Cruz]

Wow.

[Ronna McDaniel]

And that's why we have Michigan and part of the reason President Trump is our president.

[Ted Cruz]

So, Ronna, let's talk as a practical matter. If you're a steel worker in Ohio.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Yes.

[Ted Cruz]

If you're an auto worker in Michigan, if you are one of the men and women who have formed the backbone of the middle class for a century in America, what does a radical Democratic agenda, a green New Deal of Bernie Sanders, what does that mean for you?

[Ronna McDaniel]

Well, let's just kill the car industry altogether. Let's get rid of coal, let's kill your jobs, let's take away your health care that you negotiated. That's what the Democrat Party means to you. And by the way, all that hard work you're doing and all those taxes you're paying, you're going to go pay for a bunch of kids to get medieval history college degrees and be in college for six or seven years instead of putting that in there.

[Ted Cruz]

But you're saying it's helpful because Bernie Sanders might bring us to the darky he is a little. That could be helpful.

[Ronna McDaniel]

I like that. But it is frightening for them. And the other thing that the president's done that's resonated so much is the trade deals. He came to Michigan and said NAFTA didn't work for you and we need to renegotiate. And he took on China.

[Michael Knowles]

So you're saying this.

[Ronna McDaniel]

He's been a leader and people now know we have a president who fights for them.

[Michael Knowles]

You're saying this is a policy shift, too. It's not just using nicer words to flatter new voters. It's an actual shift in priorities and a shift in policy.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Absolutely. And now results. Like you said, the people who come off food stamps, that's so personal. You know, we talk about numbers a lot as a party. Think about what that means for our family, the dignity of a family to find a working wage, to be able to afford things like groceries, college tuition, gas, to be able to set a new Course, for your family and that path. That's what America's about. And that's what the Republican Party stands for. And that's why we're doing so well with this president.

[Ted Cruz]

Let me give you an amazing stat. Last week, I was down in, in Laredo, Texas, was in Del Rio also. I was meeting with the leadership of Laredo. This is down South Texas. Right, right on, right on the river, Rio Grande Valley, right just north of there. And the mayor told me in the last few years, the median income in Laredo, Texas has gone from $39,000 a year to $46,000.

[Michael Knowles]

It's a pretty big raise.

[Ted Cruz]

Now, you want to talk about making a real difference, which, by the way, the power brokers of the Democratic Party think that doesn't matter. Well, let me tell you, $6,000 a year in a single mom's pockets, in a working family's pockets. Look, that's a car note. That might be two car notes. That's braces for your daughter. That's maybe summer camp for your son. That is the money to take a family vacation. Maybe you haven't taken a family vacation in five years. And that extra money gives you the ability to go to Disney World with your kids. That is what this fight is all about. And you look at where the two parties are going. We have. And you know, Ronna mentioned trade. Both parties were afraid to take on China. And I will say President Trump has shown enormous courage taking on China, and it is opening up markets. I sat down this week with Texas cotton farmers who are so excited about opening up the Chinese market, being able to sell more cotton there. That is good for American farmers, ranchers, workers, manufacturers across the country. Here's an amazing stat. The last three years, 12,000 new factories in the United States of America. Barack Obama said it would take a magic wand to bring manufacturing jobs back to America. In the last three years, we have brought 500,000 manufacturing jobs back to the United States.

[Michael Knowles]

Senator, this is all too optimistic. You know, conservatives, we need to be skeptical. So I want to know, you know, a big aspect of the show and something we love so much, it's why we love coming here, is speaking to the audience and hearing their questions. So in the few moments we have before we go, I want to know how the Democrats are going to take all that away from us. There is a question from Barron. It came in on Twitter. Question is Barron Trump?

[Ted Cruz]

It might be, actually.

[Michael Knowles]

Who knows?

[Ronna McDaniel]

You must watch your podcast.

[Ted Cruz]

I don't know.

[Michael Knowles]

The question is, is the popular vote compact? You know the states are going to just go with the popular vote and give away their electoral votes. Is the popular vote compact a violation of Article 1, Section 10, Senator?

[Ted Cruz]

So probably. But it is an open question constitutionally. So this is a question that is going to be litigated. You're seeing states. Virginia was the latest one that voted to give their electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote. Which means if you're a citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, your vote doesn't matter anymore.

[Michael Knowles]

Right.

[Ted Cruz]

You're going to vote for whoever California, New York vote for.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Exactly.

[Ted Cruz]

I mean it's a bizarre. It's difficult to understand why that makes sense to Virginia's. There is one reason. If you do that you can ensure that people won't campaign in your state and keeping politicians from descending on your state. There is a public good to that.

[Michael Knowles]

So I guess that I can empathize with them. Chairwoman, do you have thoughts on this?

[Ronna McDaniel]

I absolutely do. I think it is devastating for our country to get rid of the electoral vote. This is what the founders intended for every state to have representation. And just stay tuned because the RNC is not going to let this go. And there's something coming.

[Ted Cruz]

Really?

[Michael Knowles]

Yeah. Is this a preview of things to come?

[Ronna McDaniel]

Let me just say I have an intention to be the most litigious chair in history. And I think this is, I think what Democrats have done systematically to take away our rights to rig the election system and this to take away our votes, our electoral college votes and have California and New York dictate who the next President of the United States is going to be is something we have to fight for as the Republican Party.

[Michael Knowles]

You know.

[Ted Cruz]

And do you know why the Democrats are doing this? Why the Democrats are trying to do this? Because they're scared of blue collar voters.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Absolutely.

[Ted Cruz]

They're scared of Michigan, they're scared of Wisconsin, they're scared of Pennsylvania, they're scared of Ohio, they're scared of Iowa. They don't think they can get those blue collar voters back. Look, they're campaigning on eliminating these guys jobs. So their approach instead is let's just hope California carries us over. That's not the way our constitutional democracy works.

[Michael Knowles]

That's right. And I hope you are the most litigious chair in GOP history because the courts are looking pretty good right now. So 192 new judges.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Right. Time to do it. Thank you, Ted. And thank you, Mr. President for paving the way.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, and Michael, the RNC is one of the few plaintiffs that would clearly have standing to challenge this ridiculous national popular vote so that we may have made some news here today.

[Michael Knowles]

That's right, because you have to have standing to bring this, and the RNC clearly would be disadvantaged here. Before we go, we just have a minute or so left. This question that came in really tickled me, and since you are a party chair, I thought you'd be very good to answer it from Tonka. Teddy Bear. That's the Twitter name.

[Ronna McDaniel]

That is a great name.

[Michael Knowles]

Is it possible that the DNC is not going to nuke Bernie and are writing off this election for two reasons. They're under too much scrutiny to rig the primary but don't have a viable candidate. And two, they'll blame the loss on Bernie and distance themselves from the Socialists.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Oh, can I just say how much I love Tom Perez and what a great job he's doing as DNC chair. I hope he stays there forever. Four more years.

[Ted Cruz]

Four more years.

[Ronna McDaniel]

I'm running the campaign for him to stay there forever. I mean, they're bankrupt. I'm not going to brag, but we did raise 27 million in January. Thank you all. We broke a record to elect this president. And the Democrats have a system. You know, it's funny that they're against the Electoral College, but they're creating the same system in their nominating process where these super delegates get to come in and take away the popular vote. And that's what they're trying to set up for Bernie. I don't know how they can do it without creating a civil war in their party, but, boy, isn't it fun to watch.

[Michael Knowles]

It is so fun.

[Ted Cruz]

And, Ron, I gotta ask. So you are a state party chair in Michigan? The Iowa Democratic Party.

[Ronna McDaniel]

Yes.

[Ted Cruz]

What a crap show.

[Michael Knowles]

I know.

[Ted Cruz]

I have a simple question. How hard is it to count the damn votes?

[Ronna McDaniel]

Seriously? Honestly, I almost called a lifeline and said, can we come help you?

[Ted Cruz]

And by the way, in Iowa, they're literally standing in a gymnasium. This is. It's not a complicated app. It's called an abacus. One, two, three.

[Michael Knowles]

You know what it is, Senator? The reason they don't want to count the votes?

[Ronna McDaniel]

Medieval history.

[Ted Cruz]

There we go. Back to it.

[Michael Knowles]

The reason they don't want to count the votes is because they don't like the answer that they're going to get. I think that's going to be true in November. We've got to go here at cpac. Chairwoman, thank you so much for being here. Senator, as always, for being here. I'm Michael Knowles. This is. Thank you all.