Thank you!
I agree except on giving up. The pro-Trump anti-Cruz insults, and the anti-Trump pro-Cruz ones, are all shockingly inappropriate. We should stick to criticisms of the candidates, and those should be based on verifiable facts that are not cherry picked and not taken out of context.
I despise Jeb "act of love" Bush, and I bash him for his views, but I didn't bash the rare Jeb supporters who mostly showed up as new members eight months ago. My "act of love" criticism is based on speeches where I have heard him say that in context, and on his sustained positions on rewarding illegal aliens for their crimes. My other criticisms of Jeb are similarly based on his actual words and sustained positions in context.
I despise Marco "Gang-of-Eight" Rubio and bashed him as a liar and a traitor, but I didn't bash the rare Rubio supporters, some of whom are long time FR regulars. My criticisms of Rubio are based on his actual votes and speeches, just as my criticisms of Jeb are, and I have carefully checked that those are consistent positions in context.
I may despise Kasich even more than Jeb or Rubio (pro-Amnesty, pro-assualt weapons ban, and now "bake the cupcake" dismissal of religious freedom), but I won't bash his two supporters that I've seen here. As with Rubio and Jeb, I had to watch the video of Kasich making reprehensible statements before I fully accepted that he is an unacceptable, anti-freedom traitor.
This is certainly the most dangerous time for American freedom in our history. We are at far greater internal risk than in the first Civil War, and we are at far greater external risk than in WWII. I can understand the tension. However, we should keep it civil between conservatives, even conservatives who trust Trump's questionable background and conservatives who trust Cruz's questionable outsider status.
My own views, not that they matter: I consider Cruz the best person for the White House among all those who ran this year. I believe Cruz now has zero chance of getting the nomination, since the only way to stop Trump is with an open convention, and I expect the establishment to give the nomination to someone other than Trump or Cruz if they get an open convention. I trust Trump far less than Cruz to stay conservative in office (I've read a lot of recent and older stuff from both), but I trust him to be more conservative than any establishment pick would be. Since the only realistic choices are Trump or someone equivalent to Kasich, I'll vote Trump in the Maryland primary and the nervously hope Trump will win. I hope people will respond to our positions politely and respectfully, whether they agree or not.
May I nominate you for the best, most thoughtful post of the week?
Interesting, thanks. We’re mostly in sync entirely. I’m starting to flag the comments that are out of line.
I’m in CA and will vote Cruz despite the risks he will not win the nomination and that he will get so slimed in the general that he won’t win that either.
I have a lot of like for Rubio because I remember how he arose. But the gang-of-eight was awful and thus I could only vote for him against a Dem and not when a Cruz or Perry would be on the ballot.
I’m in CA so illegal immigration has been a real issue for many, many years here. That many eastern and midwestern Republicans don’t see this as a security issue, a rule-of-law issue, and an economic issue is awful. And the Jeb Bush stuff on this issue was sickening.
It should be an interesting next few months. I am greatly dismayed because I see the potential for Hillary being prez in 2017 as very, very likely.