1976 Republican National Convention
After giving his acceptance speech, Ford asked Reagan to come and say a few words to the convention; Reagan proceeded to give an eloquent address which virtually overshadowed Ford's speech.
Posted on 07/21/2016 9:48:16 AM PDT by johnatures
When Ted Cruz refused to endorse Donald Trump in his Republican National Convention speech, he channeled his ideological opponent, Ted Kennedy, whose bitter primary fight with Jimmy Carter made him dodge the opportunity to raise hands with his opponent. It cost Carter the 1980 election, and might do similar damage to Trump.
(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...
Texas Senator Ted Cruz waged a bitter battle for the 2016 GOP Nomination with Donald Trump, being one of the last candidates standing. He and his wife were attacked by Trump over her looks, Goldman Sachs loans, accusations that his father had ties to Lee Harvey Oswald and the Kennedy assassination. Cruz also gave as good as he got.
While many other prominent Republicans stayed home from the RNC in Cleveland, Ohio, Cruz showed up. But if Trump felt that the conservative firebrand would kiss his ring, he was badly mistaken. Cruz delivered a very lengthy speech where he encouraged people to vote their conscience, rather than vote for the GOP nominee.
Earlier that day, Trump twice used aerial vehicles (his personal plane and his helicopter) to buzz Cruz’s rally. In the aftermath of the speech, Heidi Cruz had to be escorted by Virginia delegate Ken Cuccinelli from the convention hall, ostensibly for her own safety. Ted Cruz was booed.
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It’s not too different from the 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York City. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy waged a bitter primary fight against incumbent President Jimmy Carter. Kennedy struggled from the gate, and Carter built a powerful lead. Then Kennedy mounted a furious comeback, narrowing Carter’s lead going into the convention.
Carter desperately needed a show of unity at the DNC that year to take on popular GOP challenger Ronald Reagan. Kennedy received a prime time speaking role at the convention. But if Carter wanted a warm embrace to unify the party, he didn’t get it. Kennedy’s speech barely mentioned Carter. And the Massachusetts Senator deliberately ducked Carter, who followed him around the stage but failed to get hands raised together. Carter’s reelection chances, and the rest, were history. Carter is still bitter about that snub, blaming Kennedy for his loss.
Trump claims that it was “no big deal” at a post-speech tweet, but that same tweet also blasted Cruz for not “honoring the pledge.” Trump came out to try and pry media cameras away from the Texas Senator. New Jersey Chris Christie went on CNN to slam Cruz, calling it “political suicide.”
Trump tweeted that he saw the speech, while his campaign manager insisted there would be an endorsement. It’s the Melania Trump plagiarism all over again, where mistakes are made, lies are told afterwards about who is responsible, and the story hangs around and incredible excuses are made (like the My Little Pony), wasting an effectively partisan Mike Pence speech.
What will happen next? Ted Cruz is headed for my congressional district in West Georgia, where he will campaign for State Senator Mike Crane, backed by the Club for Growth, who is seeking an open Congressional seat in a bitter primary against West Point Mayor Drew Ferguson, favored by local GOP elected officials. It will be the first test of how Republicans will react to Cruz’s non-endorsement. We’ll find out later in November whether Cruz did the same damage that Kennedy was able to do 36 years ago.
John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Ga. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu.
1976 Republican National Convention
After giving his acceptance speech, Ford asked Reagan to come and say a few words to the convention; Reagan proceeded to give an eloquent address which virtually overshadowed Ford's speech.
It cost Carter the 1980 election, and might do similar damage to Trump.
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I don’t think so. Ted is so disliked by the majority of people that it may even help Trump.
So Ted Kenedy not endorsing Carter cost him the election? Nothing to do with screwing up the economy and letting a bunch of Iranian raghead make us their bitches, I suppose. Nothing to do with being the worst president in our nations history (at the time).
Cruz is no Reagan
What a pantload. Reagan carried 44 states and won the popular vote by 8MM. Even if we assume all ten Swimmer fans stayed home but would have voted, this assertion is laughable. Carter's malaise-y attitude and the Iran-hostage deal had way more to do with his trouncing.
That was a good one.
Ted Kennedy trying to ignore Carter on the stage for the congratulatory handshake until Jimmy finally cornered him.
So awkward that even the liberal media were aghast.
No wonder liberals are so excited for Ted Cruz's speech. A choice of breaking the constitution or electing Trump, if I were a mindless liberal, I'd be trying desperately to find something else to think about too.
Ted Kennedy mentioned a Democratic victory in 1980 in his speech (not mentioning Carter) Cruz couldn’t even say republican victory.
Not even close to the same
Bingo!
Rush today compared Cruz’s chances of making a comeback to Nixon’s comebacks. Wrong! Cruz is Rockefeller and Scranton abandoning Goldwater in ‘64. No comeback for them.
Exactly, the reason why Jimmy Carter LOST was because he was a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE President..a Ted Kennedy endorsement would have done nothing for him people were sick of the Carter Administration
And Monday was the 47th anniversary of Senator Kennedy’s valiant and selfless attempt to save a drowning woman from a few feet of water at Chappaquiddick.
Carter was a failed incumbent, Trump is an outsider running for the first time - there are no analogies here other than Both Kennedy and Cruz were/are losers.
Is this what passes as teaching history in schools today? Ted Kennedy not endorsing Carter at the convention cost Carter the 1980 election???
CARTER cost himself the 1980 election with the Iranian hostage crisis, just to name one.
I lived thru every miserable day of the Carter presidency. I worked in radio at the time. Every day I read the news on the air. I wasn’t your general, run of the mill news reader.
It was not the lack of kennedys blessing that cost Carter the election, it was the Carter administration that did it.
It was twenty percent interest rates, stagnation, long gas lines, and the Iran hostage crisis. It was a long malaise, a stagnant economy.
Pffft....Carter cost himself re-election.
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