The question of electability has not been decided fourteen months before the election and quite a while before the primaries. That is the purpose of the process we are going through now. The game should not be declared over before the first pitch is thrown.
The question of relative virtue between the candidates on amnesty is a defense of Trump that so often comes up: Trump is no worse than other politicians therefore he should be excused a departure from conservative orthodoxy that would not be tolerated in any other candidate. This is an argument of rank relativism and should not be accepted by any conservative.
If Cruz is wrong on amnesty and on visas, he is wrong but it does not make anyone else who was also wrong, right. It is not clear what Trump means about amnesty except that he is willing to grant it to some illegal immigrants that he re-admits and judges to be "terrific."
If both Cruz and Trump are wrong on amnesty, we should ask ourselves, assuming no other candidate intrigues us, who is more conservative or, put another way, who is less conservative and therefore more likely to do mischief on all issues if elected?
The answer is obvious, Cruz is the better choice in that regard. The downside with Trump has yet to be calculated for select all.
