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 ...
‘What you don’t understand is that if Cruz doesn’t and instead shows disunity, many will not vote.’
Still an exaggerated view of Cruz’ impact. He is losing supporters, influence and credibility by the day. His post primary behavior has hurt him even among his loyal supporters.
Now the emphasis is shifting to the necessity of beating Hillary. If Cruz is unwilling to assist in that effort, it will harm Trump overall far less than you imagine.
I am not remotely trashing Trump.
I do not think the continuing accusations against Cruz are justified or productive
I also know (from endless polls) most Trump voters are anti-Hillary. I concur with that reasoning, in that Hillary would be a disaster.
Sounds like the ~100 never Trump delegates aren't neverTrump after all and it adds more evidence supporting my point that Cruz will most likely endorse Trump in his speech.
Cruz fell all over himself stressing that there had been no discussion of an endorsement. Those were the first words out of his mouth. They are the words, guaranteed, that anyone listening to him remembered afterwards.
Don’t know how old you are, but I was around when Reagan lost to Ford, and many Ford supporters said the same thing about Reagan’s impact.
No one knows the future, and even the great William F Buckley thought Reagan was not nearly as good nor viable as Reagan’s supporters did.
Keep being angry and keep miss reading things.
I accept trump as the nominee, but you fail to understand the influence and likability of Cruz outside of FreeRepublic which has become quite a moderate forum as of late.
The delegates in question had aligned with neverTrump. They could certainly have made Monday’s little dust up a lot worse. The wind went out of their sails when Cruz agreed to speak at Trump’s nominating convention. It’s hard to be a pro-Cruz neverTrump when your guy accepts a speaking slot at the enemy’s big event.
Those were the first words out of his mouth because that was the question he was asked.
They are the words, guaranteed, that anyone listening to him remembered afterwards.
I remember all words, both what Trump said and what Cruz said.
As I said in my previous post to you....
Cruz: We had no discussion whatsoever of any endorsement.
Trump: If there’s no endorsement, then I would not invite them to speak
Reagan actively campaigned for Ford. Ford was just not a good candidate. Put another way, Trump is no Ford.
It's hard for them to be neverTrump when their guy Cruz accepts a speaking slot AND ENDORSES TRUMP.
We shall see.
I think Cruz would be a fool to not endorse, I think if he does not he won't even be reelected in Texas. We'll see if he's as smart as we all thought later tonight.
Right, I agree my idea of what Cruz should say is not going to completely mend fences.
I was mostly quibbling with your idea of Cruz doubling down on his criticisms of Trump, which was in your original proposed wording.
I think doing that would get him boo’d off the stage, to the detriment of all, and I’d be one of the people booing. :-)
“Thanks for proving my point!”
You’re sadly mistaken if you think Ted is a good and honorable man, and that praise for him is falling on deaf ears.
In fact, our eyes and ears are wide open, and thus most of us have fully processed what a reprehensible toad that man really is. If he were even half the man you think he is, he would have run neck and neck with Trump, right down to wire on the convention floor.
That didn’t happen. Not even close. The people saw right through Ted Cruz, and gave him the thumbs down. He’s revealed himself as a shallow, narcissistic, Obama clone, who can speak conservatese. Nothing more.
‘Those were the first words out of his mouth because that was the question he was asked.’
Absolutely false. Cruz wasn’t asked about an endorsement. Both he and his spokesperson were being ungracious jerks by stressing it every chance they got. From the same article I previously linked:
“Sen. Cruz and Donald Trump had a good meeting this morning,” said Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier. “There was no discussion of any endorsement. Mr. Trump asked Sen. Cruz to speak at the Republican convention, and Sen. Cruz said he would be happy to do so.
And yet when Reagan was the nominee he never won the House and his Judges were tempered by the Democrats when they won the Senate bac.
You miss judge the power of coat tails
Reagan could not get the things he wanted in many ways because the Democrats who voted for him still voted for Democrars down ticket
If Trump doesn’t have a Republican Senate he has already said he WILL work with Democrats.
You should worship Trump better hope and pray we don’t lose the senate or we will end up with a liberal court
Check the timeline. The delegates abandoned the neverTrump movement when Cruz accepted the speaking slot. As my link illustrates, Cruz wasn’t missing an opportunity to stress that no discussion of an endorsement had occurred. To date, Cruz still hasn’t endorsed, but the neverTrump shenanigans are dead.
Try reading your posts to see how Trump negative they are. It is depressing, but glad you are anti Hillary also.
“Cruz said last week he would endorse Trump, and nothing has changed.”
I’m sorry, but Ted is a day late and a dollar short. He should have endorsed Trump as soon as it became mathematically clear that he would be the nominee.
His refusal to do so, since leaving the race, has only given fuel to the NeverTrumps, and has acted as a tacit approval of their treasonous machinations.
I don’t care what he says tonight. I won’t believe a word that comes out of the worm’s mouth.
Cruz should take a lesson from the Texas delegation last night when they referred to Trump as “our new friend.”
Classy all the way.
Your having trouble maintaining focus. The issue is Cruz’ endorsement or lack thereof. The entire Senate, the House, and Trump’s potential success, if elected, do not hinge on Cruz. It doesn’t all go Trump’s way if Cruz endorses, and Trump doesn’t lose it all if Cruz doesn’t endorse.
Try to maintain some perspective. You’ll find it helps.
“I hope people can discern if Cruz really gets too ambitious for his own gain.”
IF?
He ran for president as a freshman senator. That’s the very definition of overly ambitious.
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