I sure admire your level tone, Califreak. :^)
"A few bones" is an understatement of closet contents for Trump, from a wife who posed for a nudie mag to enthusiastic support for Barak Obama only 8 years ago. So the idea that he "might" prove a "crushing disappointment as well," is another vast understatement. Not might, probably.
The most striking of your reasons:
I plan to vote for Trump because he is not a politician.
It is also a primary reason to reject him. Trump has zero, zip political compass. That's why he could so easily and convincingly be a happy supporter of Barak Obama, for Pete's sake, only eight years ago, yet be a "conservative" in so many ardently hopeful and romantic American patriots' eyes today. He's a celebrity personality; people are voting for the man in the hopes he'll live up to their political goals, in spite of Trump's clear lack of political compass.
My vote for Cruz isn't for the man, it's for a political philosophy. Ted Cruz adheres to a political compass; I'm voting for Cruz to hold to that course when I vote for him or other principled conservatives like one pinged to this post. There's a big difference between voting for a man and voting for a principle.
I know where Cruz stands on most issues just because I know his political compass.
Trump's stand on any issue is fleeting because he lacks a political compass, although is driven by a sincere showman's enthusiasm. God forbid, maybe a bit like the Music Man. Trump goes by the "think" system.
Back in 1999, when Trump openly advocated for universal health care, Cruz rejected the concept as soundly then as he does now, and the same with the 2nd Amendment. Trump has haltingly migrated on both issues ... and would continue migrating after he got in office, probably leftward as has been his lifelong tilt, being an executive who cultivates profitable organization (translation: people, government). What Trump stands for in government, is a total crap shoot in terms of voting for him.
Cruz will hold the course as he always has because he's a politician with a very good hold on the best political compass. I'll vote for that.
I'll decline risking accidental support of more and bigger government, which is probably what Trump would ultimately bring.
He’s got to be better than anything the dems put up though.
Ten years ago, I'd have agreed. Today I heed my tagline because it's the truth. Now, I only vote for what I want to win. Evidence as opposed to words indicate that Trump is more than risky toward bigger government, retaining a well-meaning government mindset that represents what I want to lose.
Like I said, now I only vote for what I want to win. I wish everyone would do that -- we'd be better off.
Like I said, now I only vote for what I want to win. I wish everyone would resist the temptation to vote "against" -- we'd be better off.
Voting "against" is the means by which moral limited government conservatives are swindled into voting for more and bigger amoral government.