A lot of people on the left are all fired up about Ted Cruz’s remarks yesterday.
Ted Cruz got a prime speaking slot at Donald Trump’s Republican National Convention on Wednesday, but he came and went from the stage without endorsing the party’s newly minted nominee.
The Texas senator not only failed to endorse Trump at any point during his 23-minute remarks, he also encouraged Republicans to “vote their conscience.”
And they’re trying to make hay of it. Thing is, Trump knew what Cruz was going to say
And he let him say it. Cruz spent this morning hotly defending himself.
“When I stood on that debate stage…I raised my hand and I raised my hand enthusiastically with full intention [to honor the pledge],” Cruz said. “I’ll tell you the day that pledge was abrogated was the day this became personal — I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father.”
OK, I get that. I thought it was stupid of Trump to thump Cruz’s wife and father. I also thought it was stupid for Trump to demean Cruz (Lyin’ Ted) and Marco Rubio (Little Marco) because they would have been useful allies in the general election.
Then again, Cruz called Trump a “pathological liar.”
This was not going to end well. And it hasn’t, especially for Cruz. It was said that Cruz has his eye on 2020Â with the thought that Trump will lose in November:
Going into tomorrow night’s speech, Cruz undoubtedly has Ronald Reagan’s 1976 convention speech in mind. Though Reagan narrowly lost the nomination to Gerald Ford that year, his speech succeeded in convincing the delegates gathered in Kansas City that they had chosen the wrong man. (Paul Manafort, now Trump’s campaign chairman, was at the time a young operative instrumental in wrangling delegates on Ford’s behalf.) But Reagan endorsed Ford.
It’s a bold move. Nonetheless, Cruz is here in Cleveland, unlike many of other 2016 candidates. Marco Rubio will address the convention by video conference. John Kasich is in a state of open warfare with the Trump campaign. The Texas senator’s decision to attend and speak without endorsing the Republican nominee appears to be aimed at straddling the Republican establishment he has so gleefully bashed and the conservative base that elected him.
I suspect Trump had a pretty good idea of the reception Cruz would get and simply let him meet it. That’s not working out so well for Cruz. Cruz was booed out of the Convention and his wife was escorted out. He’s facing a major backlash today. People will not forget this. If Cruz did not want to endorse Trump- fine- but he would have far better off staying away. Now he looks like a fool.
Cruz hanged himself politically yesterday. All Trump did was furnish the rope. Trump won fair and square. He is the choice of GOP voters. That’s it. It’s time to rally together or you look like a Hillary supporter.
I think Trump knew what was going to happen.
Bye, Ted.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
CRUZ IS HISTORY,GONE TO THE SCRAP HEAP
Dr. John , what pledge, was that the one Donald J Trump disavowed on March 29th 2016 ending his politcal career?
Everyone who is ticked off best read the transcript and list here what parts of it did not describe the values of the RNC. Telling people to vote in November, terrible! If your conscience is to vote just to keep Hillary out of the office good, fine, super! Telling us that its vital to defend and protect the constitution that is our duty as citizens, whats wrong with us that those words now turned into an attack of the nominee, is Trump so anti constitutional that his followers are offended?
If Trump can lose against Hillary because 1 Senator doesn’t endorse him it isn’t that Senators fault. Is because he never had a chance to begin with.
Both men brilliant Trump is getting the convention more free media, as they turn another nothing sandwich into political drama, Cruz keeps his dignity by not only showing up as other cowards would not, but making the best speech of the convention so far. Not 1 negative comment said about the nominee.
1 twitter comment, not mine
Cruz walked into the lions den and had the balls to slap the biggest lion in the face.
isnt there anyway to blame this newest mess on either SOROS or Obama?
@kitt:
Kitt that “one senator” was the standard bearer of the whole conservative wing
@John: What the hell do you know there are several Senators that could pick up that flag. Lee and Paul come to mind immediately. Stick with democrat liberal knowledge.
If the Trump campaign crashes and burns in November, Cruz will dust the ashes off his suit and lead the rescue and recovery operations.
In earlier times, Trump’s comments regarding Cruz’s wife and father probably would have been settled with pistols at a separating distance of 20 paces. There’s no way in the world Cruz could have endorsed the man after such highly public personal insults. Rolling over and thumping his tail like Christie would have left his public image irrevocably diminished.
Trump doesn’t get this. Over-the-top rhetoric, trumped up feuds between pro-wrestling personalities, and contrived soap opera drama moments are the life blood of reality television. Duels are for all show, with the pistols loaded with blanks.
I’m with Ted on this one. He’s been a Republican a lot longer than Trump has, and he’s an articulate defender of conservative positions. He won enough Primary votes that, at the very least, he earned the right to speak at the Republican Convention. The phrase “Donald Trump’s Republican National Convention” is absurd. He’s not bigger than the party.
Trump treated Cruz so viciously that Cruz no longer has any obligation to support him. After ‘Lyin’ Ted’, calling his wife ugly and saying his dad shot Kennedy and oh, that nonsense about how he’s not even eligible to be President, at some point, you insult your way out of an endorsement. Trump picked the Rules of Engagement. He has to live with them.
So if Ted wants to take his opportunity to speak and say, “I believe in Conservative principles and I’m a proud Republican but Donald J. Trump can suck my Dick”, I completely understand that. At some point, the political becomes personal.
You know what I think will be interesting? Tonight’s speech. Will Trump be a big enough man to ignore Cruz, or will he be so petty that he has to get the last word, with a cheap shot?
@John: Nah…let’s just listen to you blame it on the Koch Brothers instead…
@John: Which Conservative wing are you talking about, and how would you be one to say, since your a professing Liberal? Mind your own business, junior.
@Vollero: Did you just get out from under that rock today? Heidi Cruz is ugly. His father might have shot Kennedy, it damn sure wasn’t Lee Harvey Oswald and Cuban/Canadian citizens are not eligible to be president. Other than that. Trump did give Cruz a prime speaking position at the convention, if Cruz chose to shoot himself in the foot, that’s his business.
The Dims/Libs sure are worried, they’re spending a hell of a lot of time watching Trump in the convention and then posting trying to convince each other that they don’t have anything to do. After all, they’ve got Crooked Hillary to pull it out for them. Hillary’s probably gonna do a memorial to Vince for making it all possible for her by volunteering to commit suicide so he couldn’t be questioned. Shot himself twice, he did. Good man, poor shot.
So we would need a president like the one we have today ? Take your ball and go back to Canada teddie.
@Enchanted, #11:
We sure as hell don’t need a president who just publicly cast doubt on our commitment to honor Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which is basically the only thing that keeps Vladimir Putin’s tanks from rolling across the borders of Russia into Eastern Europe.
Never in a million years would Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton have said such a thing as that, because they understand how things actually work in the real world. They’ve got no illusions about Vladimir Putin’s personality, ambitions, or intentions. Casting doubt on our commitment to Article 5 isn’t building a protective wall; it’s carelessly knocking one down.
@Greg: Reset anyone?
The Second World War was a “reset.” Except we didn’t already have a situation where the big players were already armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons.
I agree. No matter what happens in November, Cruz removed any possibility of ever being nominated. He barely made it over halfway this time. Stupid move.
@Ditto: I thought this was a brilliant political move by Trump. He gracefully asked Ted to speak. He knew what Ted would do. He gave him enough room to hang himself. Ted is a liar and practices dirty politics. It is like the pot calling the kettle black. Trump is more like able and I think he will reach across the aisle to get things done. Teds own party dislikes him and he would accomplish nothing
So not being content to win the nomination dumb small hands unites the Party and makes himself look like a complete idiot by attacking Cruz today, grabbed this rope in the article and used it on himself.
He loved Pecker again, petty small minded just because 40 % of voters were on the side of Cruz and his decision to not endorse the orange oopmpa loompa. All the he is such a nice guy what a crock. What a liar and piss pants he is.
Voting for this filth is gonna be like a double dose of castor oil, better than the alternative but ya gotta puke first.
@kitt: What a classy, articulate, intelligent and well reasoned comment. I presume you graduated at the top of your class from Turd University. We don’t normally have such potty mouth comments on these boards.
@Disturber: We have several Dimocrat Libs like that. All grads from Turd U.
@Greg:
That’s right, hell they wouldn’t even know anything was going on. They wouldn’t even get help headed that way before the ambassadors got killed. In fact, the rescue squad has not arrived in Benghazi as of this day, about 3 years later. I think they’re still looking for the keys to the jeeps.
@DisturberHey do you smell that, its the smell of death, the death of this election, again.
The rinos will sacrifice anything to destroy anyone in the ranks that has ethics, including this election.
@kitt: Kitt, have you ever smelled death? I have. The rapid onset of rigor mortis. The congealed blood turning from red to brown. The vacant eyes. The gaping mouth which grasped for the last breaths. The smell of urine and feces and the enveloping miasma of rotting flesh. The smell of death is nothing to be trifled with.
The election won’t die and the country won’t die. What perhaps will fade away is the God awful elitism of political privilege. The disgusting stench of PC. And, both of those will be for the good.
@Disturber: What the hell?
I fought in Viet Nam and experienced death first hand.
“The disgusting stench of P.C.” How bout the disgusting stench of a self promoting orange skinned charlatan with Tourette Syndrome?
@Richard Wheeler:
So now you’re bashing colored folks and handicapped folks? What next? I guess you’ll get around to bashing the rainbow crowd after you get tired of your membership. Next you’ll be bashing ex military. Is there no bottom in your pit? Just for the record, you don’t have had to fight in Viet Nam to experience death first hand.
@Redteam:
Why can’t he just leave Snookie alone? Why bring her into this?
@Disturber: Sorry still looking into DNC wiki leaks that shows Donny boy on a DNC payroll spreadsheet.
This election is over, the guy that makes fun of the disabled, thinks the National Enquirer should get a Pulitzer, the ghost writer of his book the Art of the Deal thinks he is a sociopath.
He will not get enough adult republican Votes to win, maybe the LGBT and Bernie babies will vote for him.
He should really be attacking Hillary someone should clue him in , but Roger Stone may be working on the side for Hillary and he will let Trump destroy himself.
The wikileaks story a red herring just shows Donnie donating to his own campaign Standard FCC reporting the DNC was keeping tabs on.
@kitt: stop digging.
POINT OF INTEREST Both V.P CANDIDATES have sons who are active duty Marine Corps Officers. Semper Fi
Trump has two sons that are big game hunters—Chickenshit cowards