If you happen to be a Trump supporter, I ask that you first set aside any anger or frustrations and read with an open mind. Second, if you feel the need to comment on Ted Cruz’s speech, please be specific by identifying exactly which portion of the speech caused you to take offense.
“If you love our country, and love our children as much as you do, stand, and speak, and vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom, and to be faithful to the constitution.”[Full transcript]
The following are two “must-reads” from the morning following Ted Cruz’s speech at the RNC convention:
From Erick Erickson at The Resurgent:
“So in Cleveland now the Republican Party has its nominee. The GOP had one job this year and that was to beat Hillary Clinton. They have failed at that task. Trump will not beat Hillary Clinton and the very party leaders Trump’s supporters loathe will remain in their jobs come January helping Hillary Clinton orchestrate her inauguration. The Trump supporters have become the very Republican establishment they oppose and the very leaders of the party they hate will remain once Trump is gone. The GOP is now led by a Clinton donor and friend and party leaders bow before him pretending he is something other than what he is.”
Second, from RedState‘s Leon Wolf:
“The time for focusing on beating Hillary has passed. That ship sailed when the party didn’t feel like defeating Trump was an important enough reason to unite behind Cruz (or someone else, I would have taken any of the other candidates, personally). Trump himself isn’t going to focus on it, and neither will his supporters. So why are you begging conservatives to join in the destruction of their own party?”
And now back to Erick Erickson:
“Multiple press outlets are confirming what I first reported from Cruz sources. Manafort did threaten Cruz that if he did not change his speech the crowd would boo. Cruz refused and Manafort organized delegates to boo Cruz. They booed before Cruz had even finished a sentence that might have included an endorsement.”
Let that one sink in for a bit.
Here are a few facts surrounding the convention:
- Donald Trump invited Ted Cruz to speak at the RNC Convention with no pre-conditions of an endorsement.
- In the days prior to his speech, Ted Cruz told Donald Trump’s campaign team there would be no endorsement.
- Cruz provided a transcript of his speech to the Trump campaign and to the RNC. No objections were raised.
- According to Erick Erickson, as noted above, the boos amongst the convention crowd during Ted Cruz’s speech were instigated by Donald Trump’s campaign team with possible assistance from the RNC.
- Donald Trump entered the arena during Ted Cruz’s speech, thus stealing the spotlight as Cruz brought his speech to a close.
Why would Donald Trump do this? In my opinion, it was an example of just how vindictive of a person that he is. Cruz faced the consequences for refusing to bow down and kiss Mr. Trump’s ring. It should not go unnoticed that both Eric Trump and VP pick Mike Pence spoke after Ted Cruz that night, yet there was little to know media attention given to the content of their notable speeches. Where it not for the ensuing drama over the boos at Cruz, the speeches by Mike Pence and Eric Trump just might have even gotten recognition from the mainstream media.
But Donald Trump couldn’t even let it end that evening. On the Friday following the convention, Trump conducted a news conference where he intended to thank supporters and thank those that put on the convention. Yet he again felt the need to attack Ted Cruz once again.
This begins at the 13:50 mark, lasting about 2 minutes, and then again at the 18:35 mark for another 6 minutes. At this point, it got absolutely bizarre. Trump said he would refuse Ted Cruz’s endorsement if offered, and then brought back the claim that Ted Cruz’s dad, Rafael, was somehow involved with Lee Harvey Oswald and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
On a personal note, the news conference was made even more painful for me watching my Governor standing behind Donald Trump, nodding and giggling his approval. This came after Governor Mike Pence endorsed Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary.
Finally, I suggest that anyone who objected Ted Cruz’s suggestion that people “vote their conscience” and felt it was a dig on Donald Trump, you might want to do some self-reflection on yourself and your candidate of choice.
#NeverTrump #NeverClinton #AlwaysConstitution
