speech, and his acceptance of the nomination. I was never a
#NeverTrumper, and I never will. I am voting for the
Donald in November, rodeo clown antics be damned.
He has actually flexed
some conservative muscle. I do not accept the conservative Cassandras who
bewail the death of conservatism. They are acting more like Narcissus, just
plain angry that
their conservative did not win the
nomination. I feel their pain (without the bottom lip-biting, though). Three of
my conservative candidates did not earn the crown of nomination.
Does that diminish my
choices or their campaigns? Not at all. The truth is, the party and its
leadership were not listening to the dire concerns of the large swatch of
citizens. The outrage with the Washington political class did not burst out all
of a sudden, but simmered to its present boil following “a long train of abuses
and usurpations.”Bailouts, big wars
with no wins in sight, plus insecure borders which benefited the well-connected
few—all of it enraged people. What bothered me so
much then, and still rankles a little now, was how deeply the voting public
dismissed and/or distrusted U. S. Senator Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz was another
one of the show-stopping convention speakers, with an astounding record. He sacrificed the
creature comforts for a federal legislator, calling out his colleagues on both
sides of the aisle for not fighting enough, or for doing the bidding of wealthy
donors instead of the widespread populace. He spoke the truth, charmed the
crowds, fought to defund Obamacare while defending the Constitution. As a candidate, he got
too cozy with Trump in the early stages, convinced that “New York Values” would
flame out and Cruz could gain the lead, then regain for the win. It was not to
be. This raging, populist frustration would bat down sixteen incredible candidates,
even he minor leaguers with more merit than any of the Democratic candidates. Now to the Pledge.
Two of my conservative
peers challenged me to look over the solemn oath, the promise which each
Republican candidate made. Townhall’s very own Kurt Schlicter (a
featured guest at my club the Beach Cities Republicans the same day as Trump’s
acceptance speech) acknowledged his doubts about Cruz’s decision not to endorse
Trump. I respect that
conflict. Republicans have to unite the party to win.
Marco Rubio was crystal clear in March
:”[T]he Democrats have
two people left in the race. One of them is a socialist. America doesn’t want
to be a socialist country. If you want to be a socialist country, then move to
a socialist country.
The other one is under
FBI investigation … and anyone who lies to the families of victims who lost
their lives in the service of our country can never be the commander- in-chief
of the United States.”Bam! So, Cruz chooses not
to endorse Donald Trump. Guess what? Lots of Republicans are not too thrilled
with their top ticket nominee. U. S. Senate incumbents are supporting him but
with little more fanfare than “Congrats, now go away.” Others are staying
silence (or just plain staying away). No formal endorsements or announcements
on social media do not signal “#NeverTrump” either. Cruz can vote for the
Donald with boldly declaring that everyone else in America should. I know that
I will.
“But Cruz promised!”
Granted, a pledge is a
pledge. Easy for you and me to say as much. How would you feel, though, about a
man who trashed and maligned your family? We can speculate, sure …And what was the
pledge? Cruz said he would “support the nominee”, which meant no third-party
run. Here’s the clip wherehe
affirms his support.(Both photos courtesy of Gage Skidmore)But not “endorsement”. At one time, Trump
had renounced his pledge. Why hasn’t anyone brought this little
(hypocritical?) tidbit to light? In March, just before the Wisconsin primary,
Trump had made light of Cruz’s endorsement, stating that he doesn’t need the
senator’s support. That is a fact. A candidate who crushes a consummate
conservative by double-digits in a deep red state like Indiana (two months
after Wisconsin) does not need any one endorsement going forward. Also, Cruz began
back-pedaling his resolve to endorse Donald as nominees during the same
Wisconsin tow hall. By then, Trump viciously and gratuitously maligned his wife
and his father. “That goes beyond the pale,” Cruz declared plainly. And he was right. The 2016 RNC
Convention was rolling along fine. Some expected names did not appear (Bush,
McCain, Romney), and other, highly-prized and favored speakers marked the wild
and enthusiastic crowds. Then came Cruz. He rallied his fellow Republicans to
fight for liberty and vote their conscience. What’s wrong with
that? The boos followed, but
I was cheering. Cruz chose wisely. His non-endorsement did not spring from
bitterness or spite, but a just consequence for Trump’s wicked attacks. Unlike
most politicians, who run away from stern even upset crowds, he
submitted before the Texas delegation
and explained clearly why
he had refused to endorse Trump:
“I addressed the
convention because Donald asked me to … he didn’t ask me to endorse, and I told
him three days ago I was not going to endorse him.”There was a clear
understanding up front.
“I am not in the habit
of supporting people who attack my wife and who attack my father.”Indeed. The lies were
outrageous, unjustified, should not be rewarded with a “puppy dog” endorsement
to follow. The oath to wife and family comes first. Who cares how loud the
boos were? Cruz retained integrity and dignity. Former Alaska Governor Sarah
Palin mocked Cruz with “Delete his career.” Reminder: Palin the governor walked
off the job without completing her first term: another pledge breaker! Forget the critics. I
endorse Ted Cruz’s decision not to endorse. Besides, Trump repeated that he
didn’t need it, wouldn’t accept it—and then went back to attacking his father
and wife—again! Cruz’s decision is
vindicated, and he awaits a glowing future.
