Posted on 03/17/2016 9:46:49 AM PDT by dps.inspect
I live in Missouri, the state Trump won by less than 2,000 (the last I heard). I had been saying all along that I’d be voting for Ted Cruz, mainly because he says he’s a Christian. But on the day of our election this week, I could not do it, I voted for Trump... knowing full well his foibles. Here’s the short story of my transformation:
I am a Christian man in my sixties, have not always been the best I could be, either as a man or a Christian, but I do try, sometimes. Months and even years back I saw Cruz as one of the only ones in DC who was standing for what I believe; I thought then, if he runs for POTUS, he’s got my vote. However, the more I’ve heard him speak, the less I've liked him, not because of the content of what he says, he says mostly the right things, but its the way in which he says them... inauthentic, insincere, disingenuous; these are words that describe my emotions when I see the expression on his face when he speaks, and then there’s that stupid little half-smile after he says a one line-er to applause... ick!
Right up until the day of the election, Tuesday, I had never really understood how instrumental Cruz was in giving us John Roberts, Chief Justice of the supreme court (the man that literally delivered Obamacare to the nation as law). The day of our election, I looked up an article from a Texas news/paper/mag, that railed on Cruz because he was one of the biggest voices selling John Roberts to the nation. Unfortunately for Cruz, I read that article before voting on Tuesday... that is mostly what sealed the deal, against voting for him.
Cruz may be a moral man, but the devil used him to help sink our nation to where we are today; moral maybe, but not wise. Why the hell would I want that man in the White House.
Comparatively, Trump is not what I'd call a moral man, at least by biblical standards, but we know that about him, its a given... he’s not trying to gloss over his, well, fallenness; he is what he is... I dumped Cruz for Trump. I made that decision within about two hours before I voted. It's not easy to explain but I felt a sense of freedom when I voted for Trump. My brother who is a Baptist pastor was nearly apoplectic when I told him I voted for Trump, he wanted me to feel very,very guilty, but I don’t, I actually feel quite good about it.
Adding to that, there is the "inbetween-the-lines" reasons that swung me to Trump. The biggest? All the entities that we conservatives and Christians see as our mortal opposition, the MSM, DC Elite, Republican Establishment, Liberal Progressives, Black Lives Matter, and now, Fox News have been trying to destroy Trump... "the enemy (Trump) of my enemy (the above noted) is my friend". I know their hatred of me and all that I hold dear, so when I see them descend on Trump with the same ferocity that I know they hold toward me and my kind, I count Trump as my kind. And now out of desperation, Ted Cruz seems to be siding with the enemy, not my kind... phooey on that!
Trump is not claiming Messiahship, like Obama does, and like Ted seems to imply (the savior of Conservatism), Trump is Trump! And you know what, I like that... as brash and unsavory as he may seem, compared to the PC Elites, Trump is more like me than anything I have seen!
It felt good to vote for Trump... I feel like a feminist freed from her bra strap, free at last, free at last...
Especially a politician.
Better than if Cruz is elected.
//like those who are questioning Cruz’s faith while at the same time accusing him of being holier than thou./
That is not mutually exclusive. There are holier than thou pseudo-Christians (Mormons for example)
Well Reagan’s first wife left him, so that may have made the difference.
Thanks for sharing.
I remember seeing Cruz’s speech at Liberty when he announced he was running. It was very impressive & inspiring. Still I couldn’t see him winning in the general election. Never bothered to process why exactly. Just didn’t feel it in my gut.
Watching the 1st month of Trump’s campaign, the rallies online & how he renders the media into dust every single time they try to hurt him convinced me that if he doesn’t win, my kids & grand-kids lose their freedom after I pass into the next life.
Perfectly said. The off-the-walls hatred being expressed here for one of the most conservative politicians in the USA is bizarre.
I see what you did there! LOL!
OK who is this”}
Now I want to take off my bra and it’s only 2:20. And I’m at work.
TMI, LOL
Dislike is far from hatred... I have read through most posts here, and have only found a few reflecting something near hatred... people overplaying their hand, when found out, are less to be desired than bat guano... and that’s not hatred, it is dislike for overstating for effect.
I was a Cruz guy from early on.
Donald Trump has been entertaining and it would be a very interesting 4 (or 8) years with him as President.
Some things Cruz has done during the campaign have given me pause. Knowing that there is no such thing as the perfect candidate, I have cut him some slack.
Basically, at this point, I would be happy with either of them. I think the Donald has a better chance in the general election.
Cruz’s path to the nomination is damn near impossible. He would have to win +80% of the remaining delegates. Since that isn’t going to happen, I would hope for an early reconciliation and unified front, but the Republicans being ones to shoot themselves in the foot, I don’t see that happening.
Freepers LOVED Robert’s for years. Thought he was the best thing since sliced bread until he had his Obamacare fallout. Ted was right about him up until then. Cruz couldn’t have possibily known that Obama might have something on Roberts. Most likely an adopted child that was brought to the US illegally.
Cruz would display better wisdom than I currently grant him, if he folded and asked Trump how he could help him win the general...
Just never putting on a bra in the first place feels
even better!
The short answer is Trump doesn't need Cruz. Trump has, and will continue to draw conservatives (like me) to him as he marches forward. He doesn't need to embrace Ted Cruz to make this happen. Just check out the Free Republic 2016 Caucus (updated daily) to see how this has happened over the past 30 days.
Frankly, as a very successful businessman, Trump has learned to trust his own instincts. He is the consumate counter-puncher ...just ask Marco Rubio (I'm purposely leaving out the word "Little" with which Trump effectively branded him). Christie figured this out early and has proven (over a short period of time) that he can be trusted to be a Team Trump player. He has probably set himself up for a very influential position; AG if I had to guess. Interestingly, you have not seen Trump's team announced, as he has deferred to his ability to surround himself with the best people AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.
Contrast that with Cruz, who today announces his team ...quite prematurely. It says to me that he cannot muster enough support on his own merits, so maybe I'll vote for him based on others. It reminds me of when I was voting for John McCain because he had selected Sarah Palin. Since that election (lost badly) McCain has probably been the worst sitting Senator in the Senate ...and this from a resident of Arizona, who is also a Viet Nam veteran.
No, the ball is completely in Cruz' court to do the right thing ...now while he still has some value. Think I'm wrong? How much stock does Rubio have now? How much more would he have had, had he accepted where he was and bowed out gracefully several weeks ago?
Yesterday, on another thread, I compared this to the TV game show, "Deal or No Deal," so popular a few years ago. When the game begins you have a chance to make $1,000,000 (i.e. the Presidency), but with each selected case (state primary) you risk devaluing you chances. The offers to get out usually begin pretty high, but come down substantially with each high value case squandered. The really smart people picked the highest value time to get out (usually proven when they hypothetically picked the next case). Ted, there are only a very few cases (state primaries you are likely to win) left. Indeed, this might be your best (and possibly, only) chance to make a deal.
Cruz graduated from Princeton University in 1992, and from Harvard Law School in 1995. Between 1999 and 2003, Cruz was the director of the Office of Policy Planning at the Federal Trade Commission, an associate deputy attorney general at the United States Department of Justice, and domestic policy advisor to President George W. Bush on the 2000 George W. Bush presidential campaign.
Roberts was appointed in 2005 and lying Ted was working for {Solicitor General}, Texas and arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court.
There is some lying, here, lucky american, and you are doing it.
I don’t blame Cruz for the Justice Roberts I may be wrong but I seem to remember Roberts had almost universal support in the conservative world. I do remember Bush being praised for the choice because the pick was bullet proof, Democrats didn’t really lay a glove on him.
As far as Cruz for SC ... I doubt he could be confirmed without the president spending enormous political capital. Not saying he isn’t qualified, just that how many SC justices have been confirmed after running for president as a rock ribbed religious conservative.
I find it funny that Cruz likes to slam Trump for running on peoples fears. I think he does exactly that by using the Bible as his crutch. Don’t think for a minute that he’s not trying to tell you that if you don’t support him, you are not a good Christian, because that seems to be the basis for his whole campaign.
It’s fear and it sells !!
If worse comes to worse, I would rather Trump and Cruz patch up their wounds and Cruz be chosen as V P. I believe if Cruz were asked, and his supporters pleaded with him to do it, he would do it for the good of the country. I remember in the first debate Trump made reference to “Ted helped me” it was a glossed over quick statement but it struck me and I have always remembered it. I believe Cruz would be valuable to Trump. I still want Cruz as Prez. But I can’t always get what I want. Rarely, actually! LOL
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