[Nita Nupress]

At worst Cruz is an unwitting GOPe pawn who thinks he can stay in and win at a contested convention.

Well, i used to think that, but every time i go there in my mind, it has to be one of the following:

• This guy has an IQ of about 50 if he hasn't figured out what the rest of the world knows: he's being played.

• This guy has some MAJOR pathological issues with denial and/or delusions of grandeur. He's not psychotic, so I'd go with a personality disorder.

• This guy is a masochist to the degree that he's willing to humiliate himself in front of 350 million Americans when he gets dumped.

After going through those options, I usually end up back at the scenario where he's complicit with the GOPe. :-)

[TigerClaws]

I’d say complicit.

1. The Goldman Sachs ‘loan’ got him into office.

2. His wife works for Goldman Sachs and that’s where Ted has his current health insurance from.

3. If they put up someone in a primary against Ted he’d have problems if his presidential efforts tank. Ditto with Rubio - who went completely kamikaze on behalf of the GOPe.

Ted is the outsider, nerd, true believer in Washington and the establishment hates his guts.

Ted is being used here and has no chance of being the GOPe’s chosen candidate. They may though have written off this election in favor of Hillary. Ted would be easier to beat than Trump.

Btw, Ted and his wife live in separate houses 1,500 miles apart. That’s gotta be tough on a marriage. (Washington Post story mentioned this.)

[MaxFlint]

After going through those options, I usually end up back at the scenario where he's complicit with the GOPe. :-)

I'm going with option B: Delusions of grandeur.

Which are a prerequisite for a first term senator to run for president in the first place.