You said: “I’m not terribly against Cruz, I just don’t think he’s presidential material. Trump though, is an executive. Something different. And we need just that combination.”
Monty22002 that is my take also. Sen. Cruz is appears to be an honorable man. This election is not his time. Thankfully, Mr. Trump has stepped into the ring. His timing was correct on this election. In 2008, he must have realized that the pendulum would swing to the democrats after 8 years of Bush. In 2012, despite Obama’s failed policies, the electorate was willing to let him have four more years (race probably played a role as well as the democrat shenanigans.)
Earlier Trump flirted with the Reform Party but took one loo and realized that that was not the vehicle to launch his candidacy. It is good that he waited all those years. His time on television no doubt helped his image. There is nothing hidden about his life vis-a-vis the tabloids. It’s all been gone through, talked about and reported.
This election was the time. An failed, out-going democrat president and a weak field of republican candidates. Now there were some possibly good candidates but most are members of the uni-party. Thus Trump surges because he actually talks to real people. Granted, he is a billionaire, but most guys on the street take him as one of them because they think they have known him for so long. They know or perceive that he has big brass ones. Trump sells his brand and folks are okay with that. They expect a certain amount of braggadocio. Some folks like him because while they might disagree with what he says, he isn’t mealy mouth about it. He says it and you can agree or disagree...in other words, up front and the perception of truthfulness. That plays well in Peoria.
Trump may very well win it all because of timing. He might lose it all though, because the GOPe will do everything possible at the convention to make sure and steal away the delegates and give them to Bush/Graham or some such other silly combination of a ticket.
If the GOPe steals the delegates at the convention then everyone will sit home and Hillary will become president. The GOPe will be happy with the 55-45 split of the graft because with Trump they get 0. If Yeb! is lucky enough to win because HIllary is trotted off to jail three days before the election, then the GOPe will joyous with having the winning end of the 55-45 split of the graft. It’s all about who gets to throw the fancy cocktail parties. The vandals are at the gate and the vandals are us...the Uni-party will fight tooth and nail to prevent its loss of $.
You make good points. People like Trump cause he’s been around forever for one. There are Oprah interviews of him in the late 80s where he talked very similar as today and that’s just who he is.
I think he can beat Hillary. Actually, I think he can totally trash her state by state. It’ll be interesting to see him in a 1 on 1 debate setting instead of this ridiculous 10+ GOP debates we have now. There should never have been more than 6 early on, and now we should be down to 4 max.