He represents his devoted followers, the BitterCruzingers and the #NeverTrumpers, as well as they represent him. You'd think if they could all move to some deserted island together, everybody would be happy. But they wouldn't stay, would they? Their little secret: they can't exist without us.
Some are saying he was booed off stage by a bunch of low-information voters. It doesn't look like that at all. He said what he came to say.
But it isn't what he said, it is what he didn't do. He didn't endorse his Party's record-setting choice for nominee. Can you think of another second-place finisher in either party who didn't endorse the winner? I can't. Another symptom of an America in decline.
Conservative Treehouse had a post yesterday praising Trump for his decision to let this bitter man speak. I agree, a brilliant move. Cruz could come out as a team-player and [maybe] undo some of the damage he's done to his image and to the Party. Or, he could come out and speak his conscious and remind everybody what a bitter little man he really is. CT:
When Cruz speaks tonight at the convention his audience is those same annoying gnats; and hilariously he doesn’t have any way to avoid it.
In essence what Trump has done is put Senator Ted Cruz into a position where he either supports Trump (not requested), or is left to showcase the minute scale of his rabid gnat following. It’s a brilliant maneuver by Trump based on the fundamental truism that was evident in the primary:
The more voters got to see and hear Senator Cruz, the more his support actually, and factually, diminished.In defeat, and with this reality evident, Senator Cruz had only one option to try and retain any hope of remaining relevant in the future – disappear. He did.
But Donald Trump is smart enough to know the way to marginalize Cruz -as a future oppositional entity- is to embrace him, to drag him back out into the spotlight and provide him the opportunity to display the scope of support that Trump has already, and correctly, gauged as inconsequential.
As Comrade Ann Sterzinger said back in early May:
We really, really dodged a bullet here, gang...Dan Riehl, on twitter:
Never said he had to support Trump I said Cruz should have stayed home with the rest of the sore losersFB Comrade Tracy shares:
IOTW has a long comment thread on Cruz's speech. AbigailAdams:
What a total ass Cruz is. The whole day up ’til a few minutes ago was looking and sounding fabulous at the convention. You could see, after the earlier speakers today, that the mood had really shifted and gaining momentum toward a unified front.Maybe not the drunk uncle, but instead Grampa Jack McGee....
Cruz came in and acted like a drunk uncle at your Christmas dinner.
UPDATED 10:10am:
So I asked above if there ever was a #2 who didn't endorse, and I've seen talk on FB that Reagan did not endorse Ford. If so, then I see Cruz trying to be Reaganesque and not endorsing Trump. Makes sense, right? Dan Riehl, again on Twitter, says otherwise:
Cruz tried a Reagan 76, but it was Reagan vs GOPe Ford. Trump's not GOPe. That's Cruz's miscalculation. Would have worked vs GOPe nomineeI think Dan is partly right. I think Cruz's personality is another flaw. He has far more character issues than Reagan ever did.
The comments from current and former Cruz supporters on FB today are about 75% negative towards Cruz. Most have made the adjustment to the General Election and have decided to vote for Trump. Either they are seeing things they like about Trump, or they at least know their vote is a vote against Hillary.
As biased as I know I am here, my objective self is still unclear how Cruz thinks he can walk back on the national stage after his primary and convention behavior. He'll be like Ron Paul - a dull man with a small, yet angry and energetic following.
UPDATED 11:30am:
FB Comrade Andrea Shea-King shared this quote from Lame Cherry:
I am stunned after observing Ted Cruz, for Donald Trump provided Mr. Cruz the golden microphone to set Cruz's future, and for some reason, Ted Cruz wrapped his neck in the cord, jumped off the stage, and then beat himself to death.
UPDATED 2pm:
FB Comrade Ellis shared this. The time it took me to share it with you was 0.00000000035 seconds. Sorry for the wait.
A quick check on Bing or Google shows that Reagan DID support Ford and did so strongly.
ReplyDelete"He'll be like Ron Paul - a dull man with a small, yet angry and energetic following."
ReplyDeleteWow, that's quite a stretch, putting an insider neocon warmonger in the same category as someone known in Congress as "Dr. No" because he voted against all unconstitutional bills and against war.