Posted on 07/20/2016 6:32:36 AM PDT by lodi90
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Sen. Ted Cruz's Texas-size political ambitions will be on full display Wednesday as the primary runner-up delivers a prime-time convention speech, but holds off on a full-throated endorsement of Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The conservative senator repeatedly clashed with Trump during a bitter primary fight, with the New York businessman mocking the lawmaker as "Lyin' Ted." With an eye toward 2020, Cruz's team drafted a convention speech focusing on adherence to the Constitution, a calling card for conservatives and a perceived contrast with Trump.
Cruz has not endorsed Trump despite pleas for party unity from the campaign and party officials. Nor is he expected to in his speech, which was carefully screened by Trump campaign officials, the senator's aides said.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
The enemy keeps identifying itself....
Let’s make sure we root out all of them and take our party back.....
Never let them back in....
Most Texans had never heard of him before he ran for president. He camped out in the state for two weeks leading up to the primaries to tell people who he was and managed to get 43% to vote for him. That means 57% of Texans still never heard of him, or do him and can’t stand the canadian fraud.
Cruz thought he was the smartest guy in the room. When the smartest guy in the room beat him, the mask came off.
Nossir. It's:
Cruz made a pledge to support the nominee. PLedge is unconditional. As a professing born-again Christian, he should honor his pledge.
Trump graciously gave Cruz a speaking slot tonight—something he could have pulled given the #NeverTrump floor activities of the first couple days and rumored walk-out by #NEverTrump delegates.
We will see if Cruz actually is an honorable man...
Yes I went from supporting Cruz for a short time to total loathing at this point. He’s right there with Jeb Bush on my never vote meter.
If Trumo loses, Saint Ted and Friar Kasich are on the blame-list and should be off the 2020 list.
Au contraire! Lyin Ryan plus those two tools expect to BE the list in 2020 if El Trumpo loses. That’s the whole point of their traitorism, don’t ja know ...
Glad someone said this. We don’t have another four years.
Here is another possibility:
Remember Trump is a master of setting the frame so that folks expect the media to get the better of him and then he gets the better of them. Right now the media doing his convention promotion for him.
So the “word on the street” is Cruz’s speech is going to be tepid support at best, a mild rebuke of trump at worst. Wow, Trump is an idiot for allowing Cruz to speak.....
The press is running with this. It gets the word out. Folks are going to be watching tonight to see what happens. You can expect near record numbers, including democratic folks who want to see Trump get his, and folks in the middle just tuning in to see what Rubio and Cruz say, it might be interesting. The press is on their own accord doing the promotion for the republicans hoping trump gets his.
Then Cruz comes out with a very good speech that makes the case for Trump and the republican conservative principles. By doing so when expectations are he will not, he makes himself a real possibility for post trump era leadership, much like Obama did in his speech in 2004. He may be self centered but he is not stupid. He is only 45 years old, he has 20 years to run for president ahead of him. He Rubio and Ryan are all young chaps who came to the convention because they stand to gain something, and they will not gain anything but by being Trump supporters.
Think about it, when Has trump not gamed the press to his advantage? He is no dummy and to keep people watching 2 more nights when the real issue of the nomination has been resolved is the issue, how to get folks to dial in? A fake out like this would be just the thing for a guy who understands on screen drama (his television series the apprentice).
Of course I could be wrong but I expect the press is being played again. Of course I and the Wife will tune in to see, just like every one else.
Brilliant game paly, if it turns out to be true.
“If Trump loses, I will never vote GOP again.”
That’s what the Cruz people are assuming.
Under their scenario, Trump loses badly. The Trump people leave the party in disgust and disappear leaving the Republican Party in wreckage.
Cruz is left to rebuild the ruins of the party in a more conservative image. If you hear any of his recent speeches, he says things like ‘dark days are ahead for us conservatives, and much hard work is ahead but we are up to the job.’
When he first hit the national political scene, I liked the guy.
Now that I know him better, I can't stand him and do NOT trust him.
Born in Canada to a foreign father means you're born an American?
Git the hell off my yard!
And if they all walked off a cliff it would be even better.
Cruz has got a lot of work to do to get people to like him.
Nope. After “8 years of a wonderful Trump Presidency”, we will be looking at Trump Jr. being sworn in. The man looks destined to me.
Goodness. Read this thread and read the loony slanders still being posted about Cruz, who is a good an honorable man.
Trump and Trump supporters painted, and continue, to paint that corner, just as Cruz painted Trump.
Trump was the victor. The normal course of things is for the victor to extend the olive branch and disavow some of the worst things said. We saw a little of that a couple days ago since Trump now says Cruz is a “good guy.”
Whether that is sufficient to sooth the bad blood remains to be seen.
I hope it was sufficient. This is the chance for Cruz to be the bigger man and go ahead and endorse Trump despite the continuing vitriol, but perhaps not.
You are one deluded sore loser Cruzlim. It wasn’t Trump who had a tantruming day of withdrawal press conference to green light all this divisive nonsense. It was Ted Cruz that did that.
Ted Cruz has earned every bit of post primary derision. Had he patriotically stood with Trump after Orlando or Dallas or Baton Rouge none of this would be discussed. Instead he has selfishly and unpatriotically continued his sore loser tantrum. That is 100% on Ted Cruz. Don’t put the blame anywhere else.
Don’t let him speak. Not endorse the nominee? Why ?
I hope you are correct.
Your suggestions would most likely work if the neverTrumps hadn’t poisoned the well. As matters stand, if you have been angry or impatient with their divisive, childish. Hillary-enabling antics, take a back seat to the Trump delegates. They are livid, guaranteed. They view Cruz as partly-to-largely responsible for his supporters unseemly behavior.
As a result, they will watch Cruz with eagle-eyed suspicion. He won’t have the leeway to make the case you suggested. Rather, to avoid boos, he’ll have to go one of two ways. A, a straightforward Trump endorsement up front, or B, a positive message about conservatism that avoids any and all references to the primary contest.
Or so it seems to me. But this evening, Lord willing, we’ll find out for sure.
If Hitlery wins, no one with an “R” after their name will ever be elected president again not in 2020, not ever.
After Hitlery gives amnesty and voting rights to 40 - 50 million illegals, and allow millions more to enter the country from Mexico, Central America, the Middle East, Africa, etc., and give them voting rights, too, the House, Senate and Presidency will be permanent “D”.
If Cruz or anyone else doesn’t realize that, they are dumb in spite of their ivy league degrees.
Not remotely.
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