This is a misconception. Six months ago Cruz supporters were the majority here and were also the most enthusiastic. Last night the Free Republic Caucus which is the daily online poll showed that nearly 90% of the people here now supported Trump. Most of the people here supporting Trump originally supported Cruz. That means they had to think about it.
This is actually striking. People here know and mostly acknowledge Trump's weaknesses, but as the contest has progressed they realized that Cruz has major flaws that are not appropriate in a president. But the biggest problem is that if one steps back and looks at the coming election Cruz cannot win. This is true on many levels, but the primary indication is that Cruz has done very poorly in the battleground states that any Republican nominee will have to do well in to win. And his poll numbers have actually declined since those losses.
So it doesn't matter if Trump makes a minor gaffe or says something that you find offensive. It also doesn't matter if as Glenn Beck claims that Cruz is the new Moses. Cruz can't win the general election and as much as many of us would love to see him as president, if he doesn't start working toward party unity the likely outcome is a Clinton victory.
If Clinton wins this one, everything that we still love about this country is going to go down the tubes. Kiss your guns goodbye, say hello to multiple new liberal Supreme Court Justices, say hello to unisex bathrooms everywhere, government funded abortions clinics will be on every corner, say goodbye to millions more jobs, welcome millions of new immigrant democrat voters, coal, oil, natural gas, will all be vilified, but most of all... all the traditions and institutions that have made America great will all be decimated. That is the end result when the remaining Cruz people continue this battle. It is every bit that serious! WE need to start pulling together. That is you and me brother, and we need to start doing it as soon as possible.
I don’t put much stock in any polls that aren’t actual cast ballots. Online polls are at best measurements of enthusiasm. Fringe candidates are regularly outsized in online polls.
That said, your argument is electability. Fair enough, I never considered Cruz a shoe in or easy winner for the general. An anti-American marxist with no executive experience has won the last two Presidential elections, so the idea that any Republican has a good chance at the general is nonsense. Its all uphill.
Trump is no exception. His negatives are huge. He is a ripe target on issues across the board. He cannot self-fund his general campaign and he has no fundraising mechanisms in place. Lord only knows where the money comes from for his run. Once the nominee, the media fascination will be over and the 24/7 negative stories will begin, along with negative commentary coming from sitcom characters to sportscasters. Mocking anyone who would support Trump will be the new late night mantra.
Trump is doing better than the others, but he has had a contentious run for the nomination that has alienated over half the party—hardly an indicator that he will do well picking up votes for the general. He takes opportunities like yesterday to rub salt in those wounds and I think a lot of his general election strategy is shaping up to be triangulating against conservatives. I’m not seeing a happy family dance any time soon.
It didn’t have to be like this. We didn’t have to burn down the house. Every single candidate on the stage was a better choice than Hillary, and here we are with nothing but damaged goods and Kasich the slime ball, who is just as likely as not to walk away with the nomination.