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Imagine a speech by Ted Cruz

23 March, 2015

Back before Ted Cruz was famous, when he was just a Houston lawyer running a quixotic race for the US Senate, I wrote that the Texan's speaking style was "a cross between Atticus Finch and Tony Robbins".

Cruz's particular oratory - thundering lines punctuated by emotive whispers, all delivered while prowling the stage with a wireless microphone - was on full display as he announced his presidential candidacy on Monday morning at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia

Here are a few takeaways from the day's main event.

Imagine that. Cruz used the word "imagine" 38 times in his speech, prompting countless John Lennon jokes, including a rather inspired musical mash from the website the Takeaway.

Cruz must have read the 2011 column by political communications strategist Frank Luntz, who wrote: "'Imagine' is still the most powerful word in the English language because it is inspiring, motivating and has a unique definition for each person. When you want to inspire, imagine is the language vehicle."

Rand fans crash the party. It was hard not to notice a collection of students in red T-shirts emblazoned with "I Stand With Rand" in the audience as Cruz spoke. What were supporters of Rand Paul, a Kentucky senator who will likely challenge Cruz for the presidential nomination, doing there?

If they were Liberty University students, they had no choice. Cruz's announcement was made at one of the school's thrice-weekly convocations. Student attendance at such events is mandatory - and punishable by "four reprimands" and a $10 [£7] fine.

A world apart. At the same time Cruz was launching his candidacy, Hillary Clinton was 180 miles away, at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning Washington, DC think tank.

While economic mobility and urban policy were on the agenda, Cruz's entry into a presidential race that Clinton may soon join was the subject of much discussion among the press and policymakers in attendance.

"It's what everyone was talking about," says BBC's Jon Sopel, who attended the event. He adds that the staid panel discussion, with East Coast academics and eggheads, couldn't have been a greater contrast from Cruz's church-revival-style announcement.

Five things to know about Ted Cruz

Texas Senator Ted Cruz at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia — Liberty University is the backdrop for Ted Cruz's presidential announcement

23 March, 2015

Two years ago Ted Cruz was a little known, newly elected US senator from Texas. Now he is the first officially announced candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

While the senator's fiery manner and aggressive posture have lately made a name for him in national political circles, there's more to him than meets the eye. Here are five things you should know about the Canadian-born son of a Cuban immigrant.

1. He's an establishment insider in outsider's clothing

2. He's a dangerous underdog

3. He's a gifted public speaker

4. He's already made enemies in Washington

5. He's got an uphill climb

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Imagine a speech by Ted Cruz

Five things to know about Ted Cruz

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