Posted on 07/22/2016 9:40:02 AM PDT by Kaslin
Ted Cruz essentially gave a career-ending speech at the GOP convention on Wednesday night.
Cruz's speech was a slap in the face to GOP nominee Donald Trump. "Vote your conscience" is a wonderful-sounding phrase. But we all know what he meant: Don't vote for Donald Trump.
I was in the convention hall and the crowd's reaction was unbelievable. It started out as a few hands waving in the air and some booing, and then it just grew and grew throughout the entire convention hall. And then boom! It was absolute bedlam.
I've been to most of the GOP conventions since 1980, and I've never seen anything like it. These people stood on their feet and booed. These are Republicans! They don't do this. They don't know how to stand up and boo. And yet, Cruz so divided them and worked them into such frenzy that it happened.
Cruz tried to pass it off as just the New York delegation acting up. But that is wrong. The whole hall was in an uproar. You couldn't even hear the last two paragraphs of Cruz's speech because the booing had reached such a crescendo.
Cruz left an absolute disaster in his wake when he finished that speech. Everyone was dispirited, as one might expect.
And then came Trump's running mate, Mike Pence. Pence delivered a terrific speech. He touched on all the major themes -- the economy, shaking up Washington and Trump's outsider roots. He talked about how Trump understands that middle-class wage earners have been hurt; they haven't had a raise in 15 years. That's something that Cruz, in all of his years of political experience, still doesn't understand!
Really, within the first 10 minutes of his speech, Mike Pence turned a demoralized, dispirited, depressed, negative convention into an upbeat and united one. He hit all the right notes and had a lot of optimism in his speech. The Cruz disaster, which had left the convention hall spinning just moments before, was suddenly swept away.
The entire hall started applauding Pence. Then they started cheering and got on their feet for Pence. Amazing.
Trump couldn't have made a better choice. Mike Pence single-handedly pulled the convention back together and united attendees with an optimistic message. He gave great support to Donald Trump and the ticket. He basically snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. He turned destruction into positive hope.
I've never seen anything like that.
Ted Cruz will never politically recover from this. His delegation from Texas wanted him to play ball with Trump -- and he wouldn't. He was freelancing in that speech. His political career is over. He's finished.
Donald Trump and Mike Pence are just beginning.
We have to wait and see what Trump does tonight in his speech; it could make or break his presidential campaign. I personally hope that he puts a lot of focus on positive changes for America. I want to see a lot of growth in that speech. I want to hear him talk about lowering taxes and curbing regulations.
But here's what I want to see most of all: a follow-through from what Pence started. One of Pence's messages on Wednesday night was that we -- meaning the ticket -- can turn this nation around. It's an American malaise right now, from the economy, to civil unrest, violence and the threat of terrorism. And that is what Trump must prove to the nation and the world -- that he can turn it around. He's got to convince them.
It's kind of like Ronald Reagan redux. Reagan was able to do this. He proved that he could do the job. That's what Trump needs to do.
That's huge. It's more important than any policy detail.
And that's the spirit Pence invoked on Wednesday night. Let's hope Trump does the same.
I was a Cruz supporter, donated day one (can I get my $60 back?), until he started focusing only on evangelical Christians and Glenn Beck (who I used to listen to daily) went into all-the-time Trump bashing.
Now I understand why his co-workers and past friends dislike him!
....as Newt said, it wasn't divided....it was 5000 against one.
And Pence did shine.
Trump knows how to pick ‘em.
Well stated. Short and sweet. Great observations.
Ted Cruz's mother was born and raised in Delaware, which made Ted Cruz a natural born citizen no matter where he was born. Like it or not.
It was the first time I heard Pence. He’s not flamboyant but he’s very articulate and focused on the message. I think he’ll be a solid contrast to the Democratic nominee.
Yes he is. Donald Trump could not have chosen a better team mate
HA! That' a keeper. Newt can be devastating.
I was once convinced Cruz was the person to resurrect this county from the bowels of Democrat depravity. A very agile and quick defender of Constitutionalism, the law, and right - good. Late last calendar year, I got very suspicious and tired of what I was seeing, especially by some of his ‘avid’ supporters here at FR.
My personal epiphany resulted in me abandoning Cruz for Trump.
What Cruz did, needed to be expunged - erased and forgotten. HE needs to be forgotten, frankly. He is not what he ever purported to be.
I was even (up to now) so foolish to believe all we need do is to convince these errant Cruz supporters to see the light. On listening to the first caller out of the box on Limbaugh’s Open Line Friday, I am CONVINCED we are beset with madmen and women. Maniacs and rabid contrarians who will never be convinced.
We will eventually end up seeing who are more numerous and more committed. That’s about all I can say now.
After Trump’s speech, Democrats said their DNC will focus on policy (policies). That is huge, because Hillary can not offer a vision to counter Donald’s.
That is another victory.
Some people are going to believe Ted Cruz is not eligible.
Regardless of whether he is or is not, that’s what they think, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Even further, it no longer matters whether he is or is not, because his political career is finished.
He’s never going to be president, so whatever.
The only disaster Cruz created was to himself.
Candidate Cruz heaped a load OF BS on trusting Texans:
<><> I didn't know I was a Canadian citizen when I ran for the Senate until the media exposed it.
<><> I told trusting Texas voters wifey and I were liquidating family assets so I could get into the Senate.
<><> I didn't know I was supposed to tell the FEC I borrowed over a million from my Wall Street margin accounts to fund my campaign.
<><> I told Mark Levin the borrowed funds were used for campaign ads....but I didn't report this as required.
<><> And so on and so forth, ad infinitum, ad nauseaum.
Cruz better get packing for Calgary.
BACKSTORY--In Texas, Cruz/s Senate election fairy tale has become legendary......portraying himself to trusting Texans as a scrappy populist putting everything on the line to overcome a wealthy establishment opponent.
He was whining in the media, telling trusting Texans that he, and his faithful little wife (a $700,000 globalist lawyer employed by G/S), were forced to liquidate their entire family savings (of slightly more than $1 million) to fuel a come-from-behind win in the Republican primary.
NOW TRUSTING TEXANS LEARN Cruz did not liquidate family assets.....he got his hands on over a million dollars from his hefty margin accounts at G/S and Citibank......and did not disclose this on FEC reports (to keep it a secret from trusting Texans).
Cruz did not disclose loans on FEC reports (required by law) b/c Texans would have discovered he was not the aw-shucks rube he pretended to be. He continued the rube act in order to milk votes from trusting Texans.
At the same time, he also did not disclose he was a Canadian citizen......the Harvard-educated lawyer w/ two Ivy League degrees said he didn't know.
When the Dallas Morning News published Cruz/s Canadian birth certificate, Cruz put trusting Texans through the charade of renouncing his Canadian citizenship.....even though Canada did not recognize dual citizenship at the time of his birth.
=============================================
Nowadays, these onetime Cruz supporters in Texas are airing their gripes----many are p!ssed at Cruz for not disclosing that as a Senate candidate, he was still a Canadian citizen. And is now expecting the whole country to rationalize that he's a NBC and eligible for the office......
Cruz got clobbered a long time ago...he just hasn't hit the floor, yet.
“Why did he even go? And then come out and say it was because Trump smeared his father and wife...”
Even if this were true, and it wasn’t, because what Trump said wasn’t a “smear”, then Cruz showed that his petty personal concerns were more important than participating in the fight of our lives, that is, the effort to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and our Republic from the continued depradations of the Marxocrats and their evil harridan, the Hildabeast. He’d rather see the collapse of our country and contribute to the destruction of all of our futures in liberty than to utter mere words of support for Trump. The guy is a cowardly and deranged asshole, plain and simple.
He sure did, and I hope Donald Trump will choose Newt Gingrich as his Senior Advisor after he is elected on November 8, 2017 and his inauguration on January 20,2017 as President Donald J. Trump
For the record..... several of his gorgeous VP/managers were very much on display this week
Pence was on the mark with his settled demeanor, articulation, and focus. Vanilla is exactly the right contrast to Trump's Chocolate Rocky Road with all the toppings. Seeing was believing.
He also impressed me with a comfort within his own skin as well as excellent timing and pauses of his speech for maximum effect.
I only concern is that Pence is able to truly re-consider his endorsement of TPP, opinion on unfettered Muslim Immigration and couple other GOPe-favored policies.
“His political career is over. He’s finished.”
Bye, bye Lyin’ Loon Ted.
Ted Cruz will pen anonymous screeds against Trump under the name, “Richard Cranium, Esq.”. Esq., as Cruz is a lawyer...
I share your hope.
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