September 23, 2016

"After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump."

It's not even an endorsement, is it? Just a statement of a plan to vote for Trump.

Oh, Ted. Who are you?

Dumped on a Friday. Bleh.

But Cruz won the big swing states Wisconsin and Colorado and Iowa. He could help, but he's pretty useless in his clammy coldness, is he not?

137 comments:

cubanbob said...

I voted for Cruz. I'm glad that in his capacity as a US Senator from Texas he is supporting the better candidate for President for the interests of the State of Texas as expressed by the voters who voted for Cruz.

DavidD said...

I have made my peace, as well, with the side of myself that had been holding out for some better option; alas, there isn't one.

Living in a swung state, I too will vote for Trump. God help us all.

eric said...

I'm glad Cruz finally got on the Trump train.

Heck, even Scott Adams has changed his vote from Hillary to Trump!

Landslide coming?

Unknown said...

Can you imagine the hysteria if Cruz was the nominee? The Democrats wouldn't stop at Hitler, they would call Cruz a Knight Templar here to rape you and put you into a pew at the local Christian prison known as church. They would call him a Crusader, etc etc.

All at the same time praising Saladin and lamenting Charles Martel's victory at the Battle of Poiters, of course.

--Vance

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

When the dust has settled, act like a man, not a little bitch. Cruz demonstrates why Trump had him measured and fitted for a political pine box in the primaries.

khesanh0802 said...

Better than nothing. Dissident R's (damn fools!) are finally realizing what the plebes realized from the beginning. The choice is Trump or Clinton. That's it. The dissident R's can not elect their egos no matter how much they would like to.

sojerofgod said...

I too voted for Cruz over Trump. Since then I have been very disappointed in Ted Cruz because of his inability to place America over his personal feelings and fortunes. Ted, this is not bad but it's not enough. If you want a prayer of rehabilitating your reputation with a lot of voters you are going to have get up on your hind legs and to go all in for Trump to defeat Medusa.

HT said...

Yep, the Frank Burns of politics.

sojerofgod said...

Oh,
I have been characterizing this cycle as the Clash of the titans Election, with the contestants being Medusa VS the Orange Kraken. In their last bout Medusa got the better of him.
My money is on the Kraken this time.

wildswan said...

I voted for Cruz in Wisconsin and I'm glad he's finally come around. Whether it will help Trump - it does show that a conservative leader can support "the Republican candidate. Others might be coming over to Trump's side without mentioning it.

I read an interesting article which suggested that no matter who is elected that person will be strongly opposed by a majority of the American people from Day One. (This is based on the negative ratings of Trump and Clinton which are both over 50%.) Somehow that struck me as really funny.

"Country is going in the wrong direction" is at 70%. "Neither Trump nor Clinton, world struck by asteroid" is picking up support (13%). Like to see those two represented at the debates. Milo and John Cleese.

Bad Lieutenant said...

All I want from Cruz is his organization, his ground game operation, his analytics. Let him supply them and provide turnout. I do wonder what he is thinking. How does this affect the race? What difference in the swing states? Would be nice if Kasich, that schmuck, gets on board too and helps deliver Ohio. Hope Rubio is or will help in FL too. To the extent that any if it helps.

I wonder what is driving it. Trump looking like a winner? Behaving more acceptably? Clinton looking weaker, more horrible?

David Begley said...

I met Ted Cruz at Penny's Diner in Missouri Valley, Iowa. Seeing him on TV I can see where one could reach that "clammy coldness" opinion but I saw him talk to every voter and hug a bunch of people. The hugging surprised me greatly.

My sense is that he is always "on" as a debater and appellate lawyer. Kind of stilted and artificial. Top of his class at Harvard Law and it shows too much.

I also met his wife at Big Fred's Pizza Garden in Omaha. She is very short, sweet and pretty. Not the typical Goldman Sachs employee. She was a very good speaker. More authentic than Ted.

Big Mike said...

The Cruz ground organization could be very useful for these last six weeks of the campaign.

mockturtle said...

As I commented in another thread, you can't hold a grudge in politics without cutting your own throat.

Fabi said...

Ted has poor political instincts. He could have walked out of the convention as a healer and a huge favorite in a future primary. That didn't happen.

Meade said...

In the Wisconsin primary, my vote went to Cruz not because I wanted Cruz to be president but because I wanted an open Republican convention. In November, Trump might get my vote not because I want him to be president but because the Clintons have to be stopped.

David Duffy said...

"Living in a swung state"

As a fellow David D I'm with the God help us. But, what is a swung state?

Is it like my California? No matter how tortured my vote, my whole state has already swung to Hillary by absentee ballots before I even get to walk down to the local church where Mrs. Duffy and I mark our ballots--She always third party, me lowly Republican.

rhhardin said...

You lose stuff in your conscience all the time. If it's not anywhere else, it must be there.

rhhardin said...

The prayer probably helped too. God is on Trump's side.

gbarto said...

I liked his post (not literally, not on FB). A sudden conversion would have looked bad and betrayed his supporters. This was more and acknowledgement that Trump is what's left and it's time to get on board.

rehajm said...

Heck, even Scott Adams has changed his vote from Hillary to Trump!

Landslide coming?


Kim Kardashian 'may' switch because Jenner talked her into it. Kim is influential.

Rosalyn C. said...

IOW Cruz said, you don't have to like Trump, just vote for him.

Here's the thing, they all tried to knock out Trump with everything they could think of, and that includes Cruz. Trump really wasn't any nastier so why hold a grudge other than (a weak) ego and thinner skin? How did Cruz really believe he would win in a general election when his nomination run was based on creating a Constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage?

Actually if I remember correctly, Ben Carson didn't go nasty, and he was also the first to endorse Trump with no ulterior motives. But then he's not a politician and his self worth was never tied to winning the nomination or the election.)

Chuck said...

Professor Althouse;

Surely you remember Donald Trump's unhinged ranting about pictures of Lee Harvey Oswald, courtesy of a story in the National Enquirer.

Why wouldn't you expect Cruz to have nothing but loathing and contempt for Trump? If Cruz is declaring who he is going to vote for, it is for his own reasons. Not anything like what you might want from him.

Would Ted Cruz have been your own absolute last choice, of all candidates from all parties, to win the Presidency?

Just so that everyone can get a good healthy dis-taste of Trump at his looniest in this campaign, here ya go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9vj9Tl0omw

Anonymous said...

I think this is good for Trump. Makes news. Sets the tone of some of the smarter nevertrumpers.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Well, Trump himself isn't a politician either.

Bob Boyd said...

Maybe Trump can make Cruz head of our Arctic Fisheries or something.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Chuck,

Rubio would've been my first choice. Cruz was second, though. Trump was, oh, sixth or so.

Anonymous said...

This election is the global elite against everyone else. People more concerned about Trumps hair cut than Hillary's health are fitting themselves into a nice global elite jacket.

Anonymous said...

The Clinton's have to be stopped! In he meantime Trump's ties to Russian money and influence is becoming clearer. Yet Clinton is seen as the greater evil, the greater threat? You righties or Trumpists or whatever you are, are a messed up bunch.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/the-mystery-of-trumps-man-in-moscow-214283

In March, in a bold “Oh yeah?” moment during an interview with the Washington Post’s editorial board, Donald Trump took the paper’s dare and revealed, then and there, his very short list of foreign policy advisors. There were just five, though he said, “I have quite a few more.” The list was a head-scratcher, a random assortment of obscure and questionable pundits. One of the names, offered without elaboration, was, “Carter Page, PhD.

Who?

Someone, apparently, has heard of him: On Friday, Yahoo News reported that Page was being probed by US intelligence for purported back-channel ties to Russian leaders. The story resurfaced the name of a character who’d all but vanished from the campaign, and reawakened questions about who, exactly, Donald Trump was surrounding himself with.


tim in vermont said...

How much Russian money did the Clinton Foundation take before approving the Uranium One deal with moved Putin closer to dominating the Uranium market with the sale of a number of North American uranium mines? Lots of millions, that's how many.

Clinton demanded money be paid to her charity before meeting with people as Secretary of State. What did the "charity" do with the money? Well, for one thing, it paid 10K a month the Blumenthal to give Hillary advice to invade Libya and get involved in the Syrian civil war.

Birkel said...

Cruz takes exactly the position I have. I would have preferred Cruz. But that ship sailed and Trump is the best available option.

tim in vermont said...

It turns out maybe that the very VIP person's name that stonetear was trying to strip from Clinton's emails was maybe BarryH@Whitehouse.gov. Obama denied knowing about her private email, yet it appears he used it. Which is why Comey sold the country out for Hillary. Anybody who gets involved with her gets their hands dirty, even Obama.

rcocean said...

I'm always struck at what contempt these politicians have for people. I guess its well deserved.

The Clinton's have made a career out of non-stop lies. Romney flipped-flopped on everything. McCain always spends 5 years pushing Amnesty and open borders and the 6th year saying "Just build the dang fence". Kasich and Jeb get up in public and pledge to support the Republican nominee, cross their hearts and hope to die, and now have reneged.

And now Cruz, has flipped and now flopped. First pledging he wouldn't support trump, then stating for months he wouldn't because of his wife's honor, and now he's supporting Trump.

Incredible.

Etienne said...

Ted who?

buwaya said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SLvtP6KMUM

Расцветали яблони и груши,
Поплыли туманы над рекой.
Выходила на берег Катюша,
На высокий берег на крутой.

-
Выходила, песню заводила
Про степного, сизого орла,
Про того, которого любила,
Про того, чьи письма берегла.

-
Ой ты, песня, песенка девичья,
Ты лети за ясным солнцем вслед.
И бойцу на дальнем пограничье
От Катюши передай привет.

-
Пусть он вспомнит девушку простую,
Пусть услышит, как она поёт,
Пусть он землю бережёт родную,
А любовь Катюша сбережёт.

robother said...

Angling for a position behind Trump at the Inauguration? Careful, Donald, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

DavidD said...

Thanks, Dave D.

I hadn't even noticed that I'd tapped "swung" instead of "swing".

Or, a swung state is a swing state that has been a swing state in the past, too....

tim in vermont said...

I blame Cruz's blind ambition for this whole mess.

rcocean said...

In my eyes, Cruz has damaged himself beyond repair. It took months of praying to Jesus to help him decide to oppose Hillary and honor his pledge?

Implying what? That Trump is Satan's tool?

It reminds of that Carnival Clown, erick erickson, who is running around saying only "Bad Christians" will vote for trump.

David Begley said...

Walker had better get the Badgers fired up. And stop voter fraud in Madison and Milwaukee. And, yes, it exists.

And what happened with that wrongly decided voter ID case by the liberal federal judge in Madison? The IP expert.

Ambrose said...

Is Texas even in play?

Chuck said...

rcocean said...
In my eyes, Cruz has damaged himself beyond repair.


So would you have said that about Rubio? McCain? Paul Ryan? All three got into it with Trump in some fashion. All three got "primaried." And all three destroyed their Trump-lite opponents. John Kasich could win any non-term limited office he wanted in Ohio. Rob Portman distanced himself from Trump in his Senate re-election race, and is winning big.

Trump's coattails are nonexistent.

traditionalguy said...

Cruz is a great man of God. His father says God told him so.

Now, if only Ted was a natural born American citizen without a Bush Globalist wife he cheats on and a Bush CIA trained Cuban operative father who was involved with the hit team that murdered JFK in Dallas, why then I bet he could win another election in Texas, or maybe not.

Mike Sylwester said...

I am a single-issue voter on the immigration issue in this election.

I favored Trump from April through October 2015, but I didn't like his demeanor.

When Cruz published a satisfactory position on immigration, I switched to Cruz in November 2015. I voted for him in the New Jersey primary election even though he had dropped out.

I certainly will vote for Trump in the general election, even though I still don't like his demeanor.

I am happy that Cruz too will vote for Trump.

Lucien said...

@Unknown:

Battle of Tours (732), not Poitiers.Poitiers was one of those English v. French things with longbows, like Crecy and Agincourt.

narciso said...

not to mention sid enabling the georgian opponent to saakashvilli, ivanishvilli, ally of volodya,

in other news,

https://twitter.com/apblake/status/779455573309919232

gbarto said...

Ok, I don't understand the Katoosha reference. Didn't she drown herself at the end? Or am I thinking of a different song?

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

buwaya said...

Расцветали яблони и груши,
Поплыли туманы над рекой.
Выходила на берег Катюша,
На высокий берег на крутой.


Practicing in order to give pleasure to our prospective new overlords?

HT said...

Meade said...

In the Wisconsin primary, my vote went to Cruz not because I wanted Cruz to be president but because I wanted an open Republican convention. In November, Trump might get my vote not because I want him to be president but because the Clintons have to be stopped.
9/23/16, 7:59 PM

They both have to be stopped. Why don't we do something - let's agree as "reps" and the "dems" that whoever of the two is elected, we work hard to get that person impeached so that the next pres will be either Pence or Kaine.

Meade said...

I'd still like to know just exactly who the hell that is in the grainy black & white with Lee Harvey Oswald, handing out pamphlets in Dallas.

Laslo Spatula said...

When a rat realizes that the boat is NOT sinking he clambers back on board.

I am The Replacement Laslo.

Unknown said...

It may be that some of the less unsavory Republican types will come home late. Like Cruz is doing. I'm no more enthusiastic about the Donald than he is. Hillary is not to be contemplated. The one certain joy I'll get from Trump's election is watching the assholes lose their stinking minds. That will probably be about it unless he surprises me. He may get some better late than never comfort from more principled outsider voters. Deplorables come in several flavors and a weak convergence may be enough for him. If Hillary is within several points of winning my state on election day I'll have a difficult decision. So will anyone with sense enough to feel their gorge rise at the sight of her. Election years are always like this for me but this year sets a new standard.

Laslo Spatula said...

Meade said...
I'd still like to know just exactly who the hell that is in the grainy black & white with Lee Harvey Oswald, handing out pamphlets in Dallas.

Or is it that you recognize Cruz's father and wonder: is that REALLY Oswald in the photo?

Because: juxtaposition.

I am The Replacement Laslo.

The Godfather said...

It may not matter to most of the commenters here, but it matters to me (and I'm no Cruzer). I might (MIGHT!) do what I never thought I'd do: Vote for Tromp.

"Vote for the lout. It's important."

David said...

Meanwhile Hillary wants a step stool for the debate to make her look taller.

Won't she look bad when someone has to help her on and off the stool.

Just kidding about that. But why does she not just embrace the size differential. She could use it to her advantage.

narciso said...

is this the card,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CYF29saA9w

that enquirer story came from wayne madsen, a friend of hugo in the security services, who believed a 1,000 things a day,

buwaya said...

Suggested response whenever an Unknown brings up the Russians.

Also, Katyusha, as a song, is pretty cool.

Kate said...

@robother -- You owe me a keyboard. :)

buwaya said...

Suggested response whenever an Unknown brings up the Russians.

Also, Katyusha, as a song, is pretty cool.

One of the boys sent me the "Girls Und Panzer" version -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4H70U26HxM

HT said...

Vote for the "crook." It's more important.

mockturtle said...

When a rat realizes that the boat is NOT sinking he clambers back on board.

Well said, Laslo! Cruz even looks somewhat rat-like, don't you think?

Jon Ericson said...

Blogger rcocean said...
It reminds of that Carnival Clown, erick erickson, who is running around saying only "Bad Christians" will vote for trump.


Yeah, a real fork toward the mean.
Not a real Svenska.
Have some Jello salad.
The lutefisk is very tender tonight!

mockturtle said...

Won't she look bad when someone has to help her on and off the stool.

And, if she faints, she'll fall that much further.

Joe said...

On paper, my views most closely match those of Cruz. Unfortunately, it became blindingly obvious that he was a giant dick. with so few fans, I fail to see how his tepid endorsement will matter.

Laslo Spatula said...

"...but he's pretty useless in his clammy coldness, is he not?"

I agree with clammy, but not so much the usual bluish clammy tint: more greenish.

Sad: he's got the face Hillary deserves.

I am The Replacement Laslo.


Bob Boyd said...

Meade said..."I'd still like to know just exactly who the hell that is in the grainy black & white with Lee Harvey Oswald, handing out pamphlets in Dallas."

They weren't pamphlets, they were pictures of Melania's mother on fur rug.

holdfast said...

An OK start for Cruz. Let's see what he does on the ground. If he can just pick one or two swing states where he did well in the primary, and spend some serious time there pushing GOTV and using his ground organization, Trump and all of us #NeverHillary types might just ow owe him big time.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Chuck said...

You know what, nobody cares what you said. If Ted Cruz can suck Trump's dick so can you. Whatever you're going to do or not do, nobody needs to hear you talk.

You know what, with your dancing, you really seem like you think that somebody could find you. You think Trump won't find you? You better get it right.

You are really much better off keeping quiet.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Godfather, I remember you. I care what you think. I'm glad to hear that you're coming around. I hold out hope for all the Sinners to return.

grimson said...

If Cruz thought Trump were sure to lose, there would be no benefit to endorsing him, and possibly be a negative in future campaigns.

Saying he will vote for Trump is an indication that he thinks Trump can win, and as others have noted, finally realizes that Trump is preferable to Clinton for the GOP.

The significance of his announcement is that it could be the harbinger of a preference cascade. And although this is setting a low bar, with his announcement, Cruz has done more than anyone in the Bush family.

Meade said...

"They weren't pamphlets, they were pictures of Melania's mother on fur rug."

Wait. You're saying Ted Cruz is Baron Trump's 1/2 uncle? Okay. Hey, this is finally starting to make sense!

Jon Ericson said...

Stop making sense!

mockturtle said...

Cruz has done more than anyone in the Bush family.

The Bushes are so in bed with the Saudis that they probably will vote for Hillary because she shares that bed.

Big Mike said...

I'm with Ted. I'm voting for Melania's husband.

Bob Boyd said...

1/2 cousin half removed

Meade said...

Which would make him... WOW -- a full -blooded orangutan!

Ted, I mean, not Barron.

MacMacConnell said...

So let's see Cruz was bad for telling folks to vote their conscience, basically doing what Reagan did to Ford.

Now Cruz is bad for endorsing Trump. Who needs who?




Bad Lieutenant said...

Mac, ?

Bob Boyd said...

Ted.
Yes.
And if you think this all makes sense now, wait until you find out who really killed Harambe and why.

Quaestor said...

Little Catherine by M.V. Iskovsky, Commie poet

Blossom apple and pear,
Mist over the river.
Katyusha stepped out,
On the high bank of the steep.

She was walking, singing a song
About rock-steppe eagle
Of the one she loved,
Of the one whose letters treasured.

Oh thou, song of a maiden,
Head for the bright sun
And the soldier on the far frontier
From Katyusha bring a greeting.

Let him remember an ordinary girl,
Let him hear how she sings,
Let him preserve the Motherland,
A Katyusha preserves their love.

Blossom apple and pear,
Mist over the river.
Katyusha stepped out,
On the high bank of the steep.


Basic patriotism. Even though Mikhail Vasil'evich Isakovsky was an unrepentant Stalinist until the day he died, he could invoke a simple pure feeling that far too many Americans lack. I suppose ARM finds that objectionable, giving his lickspittal devotion to all things Obama.

Amexpat said...

After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience

What a crock of shit. This was done as a calculated move to help his political future down the road.

Faux reformist politicians like Cruz and Trumps are even more despicable than the self serving hacks they are trying to replace.

MacMacConnell said...

"Mac?"
At this point Trump needs Cruz. We can laugh a Cruz for praying, but knowing his Christian faith, I doubt he was praying for who to vote for. Cruz was praying to find forgiveness in his heart toward Trump.

jg said...

Thank you, all, for your grudging support. Yours may matter most.

MacMacConnell said...

Amexpat
Yes just like Reagan destroyed his political future by not endorsing Ford.

Dude1394 said...

Well I happen to think this is not a normal Friday with the debates on Monday. It will get huge play leading up to it. It also continues to illustrate trump surging, not faltering.

Sure it was an endorsement, he even laid out his conservative reasons for it.

I wonder if Beldar is drunk yet?

Dude1394 said...

One of the arguments the nevertrumpers used was that with trump at the top of the ticket, they would be decimated. They have shown themselves again to be kinda clueless when it comes to politics.

I haven't heard much about the senate races lately and I am pretty sure I know why, they are probably not trending Hilary's way. Why would they, she is as exciting and energetic as dirt.

Lydia said...

tim in vermont @8:39 PM:

I blame Cruz's blind ambition for this whole mess.

Yes!

readering said...

What was that thing at the convention in Cleveland? Seemed kind of a big deal at the time.

effinayright said...

"Kim Kardashian 'may' switch because Jenner talked her into it. Kim is influential."

********

Yes. With women. REPEAL the 19th Amendment!!! NOW!!!

MacMacConnell said...

Ok, Lydia you are a lying cunt, you're screwing your boss, your mother is a whore and your father a communist, oh by the way will you endorse me for president.

See how it works?

walter said...

I love the macho shits who think they somehow would weather the Trump Train's scorched Earth attacks with more aplomb.
Coming around to the lesser of two evils is easier for you back benchers.


"Oh, Ted. Who are you?
Dumped on a Friday. Bleh."

"Bleh"..who are you, Ann?

walter said...

(besides a voter swung by Obama's '08 bullshit)

Michael The Magnificent said...

I have said, I'd like to read of the Trump presidency from the safety, comfort, and distance of history books. I'd like to know if protectionism works out better this time than it did in the past. Alas, I cannot abide the presidency of Hillary, being the lifelong crook that she is, and thus am left with a reluctant vote for Trump.

I do not do this enthusiastically, though I enthusiastically vote against the serial crook Hillary, and her serial sexual abuser Bill.

I am sick of voting for the least worst candidate, but I have no other choice. No third party candidate is sane, nor viable.

gadfly said...

So Althouse buys into the "Lyin' Ted" moniker that the greatest liar of all times put out there in his "campaign?" Strange indeed that the reader of all readers could not determine that the Cruz campaign was making a concerted and honest attempt to put conservative ideas and ideals back into the White House. Ted says that he has been praying for months to get to the right decision, but sometimes even the religious don't hear God.

Ann's recent snippets suggesting that Trump is somehow better because he is a much more interesting guy is a poor excuse for allowing emotion to supersede rationality. We will regret the results of the 2016 election no matter who wins. Ted gives in to the logic that Hillary is an option we cannot afford, but he ignores Trump's shameless disregard for honesty and for his ignorance of basic economics. What Cruz said in the campaign about Trump was exactly right and what he is doing now is dead wrong. What Trump did to Ted and his family is absolutely unforgivable.

Should the Carny Barker (and since my youth, I have never trusted a single carnival worker) get elected, the thread holding together our weakened economy will collapse when this hip-shooting Bull in the China Shop gets through reeking havoc.

Jon Ericson said...

Thank you for your concern.

MacMacConnell said...

"No third party candidate is sane, nor viable."

Watched the Stossel interview and "Town Hall" with Dr. Stein on Fox tonight. The woman is pretty for her age and is well spoken, but wacko.

MacMacConnell said...

Gadfly
Totally agree, but at this point in time Trump is the best and only option. Cruz knows this. Trump will be dealing with a Republican House and Senate, there will be compromise. The government needs a destructor, a Bull in the China Shop.

walter said...

So..Gadfly in your determination, which candidate is the net, least negative?
I know you want to keep your precious fingerprints off this..but do you feel (since you single out) Trump's economic policies are more damaging than Hil's?
Or will you just continue to piss on process?

Achilles said...


Blogger Mac McConnell said...
Amexpat
"Yes just like Reagan destroyed his political future by not endorsing Ford."

This is what Reagan actually said:

"We must go forth from here united, determined that what a great general said a few years ago is true: There is no substitute for victory, Mr. President."

You #nevertumpers are tiresome as shit. Reagan absolutely endorsed Ford. You will either vote for Trump or you are useless.

Achilles said...

I started this campaign supporting Cruz. I still hope he gets primaried in 2018. He ran the douchiest campaign I have seen a republican run in the primary beating out Mitt Romney by a naked picture of an opponents wife.

If he gets onboard and actually helps out he can earn forgiveness but being a fair weather endorser is not enough. Trump is clearly winning. At this point Cruz is just looking out for himself again and this is not good enough.

walter said...

"He ran the douchiest campaign I have seen a republican run in the primary beating out Mitt Romney by a naked picture of an opponents wife. "
?

MacMacConnell said...

Achilles
Reagan never endorsed Ford, nor did he campaign for him. I was there in KC, I worked to dump Ford and the criticism of Reagan was similar to that of Cruz at the end of Reagan's speech.

I'm not a #neverTrumper, I am a Cruz fan and understand his position, Trump trashed him, just like Ford did Reagan.

Here's Cruz's endorsement, Reagan never did this for Ford.

http://heavy.com/news/2016/09/read-ted-cruz-full-statement-announcement-post-will-endorse-endorses-endorsement-donald-trump-for-president/

Achilles said...

You can read the last sentence of Reagan's speech. I pasted it right there. That is an endorsement. It clearly states that he wants Ford to win and we must be united.

Trump responded to Cruz. Cruz lied about several positions Trump is running on. He did this Blatantly and repeatedly. Cruz started rumors about other candidates leaving the race. They posted naked pictures of melania in campaign adds. Cruz went to lengths to steal delegates in states Trump won. The day of the Indiana primary Cruz melted down. Those speeches destroy any usefulness an endorsement now has.

Cruz coming around and endorsing trump now is just another selfish move on his part. It is no different than picking the broncos in the 4th quarter of the super bowl. He was planning his 2020 run. If he wasn't such a douche he would be VP in January.

Bruce Hayden said...

I don't think that this was just because Cruz saw that Trump was gaining traction, and, may, indeed, win. The Republicans who don't ultimately support Trump would be politically dead nationally if Trump loses. The mass of the Republican electorate would put some of the blame for his loss on them. JEB Bush can just hope that by the time his son, George P, comes around that he has been forgiven. Because, if he, himself, were to run again in four years, he would likely do even worse than this time, if that were possible. Being butt hurt is fine, but you need to put that behind you for the good of the party, as Cruz did here.

I like Ted Cruz, and might have been a good candidate, or even President. But, despite all his flaws, I do believe that Trump is the one who can best beat Crooked Hillary. He has shown an amazing ability to play the Dem operatives with bylines pretending to be the MSM, and gotten inside her decision loop repeatedly. The deck was stacked by the media against any Republican, as evidenced by how they were able to drag Obama across the finish line by covering up much of his past, while manufacturing dirt against his opponents out of whole cloth.

walter said...

Achilles,
What were the positions Cruz lied about?
Were you on board for Trump's invoking of the vaunted Nat. Enq finger pointing at Cruz' Dad in Kennedy conspiracy?

Qwinn said...

I just read every single post in this thread.

Number of posts addressing even just *one* of the conservative principles that Trump *promised* during his campaign: Zero.

Seriously. Zero. Cruz just laid out a very persuasive conservative case for Trump *IF* Trump can be trusted to keep to the positions Cruz just pointed out Trump claimed to hold during the primaries.

Very conservative positions. A lot of which Cruz also holds. He pointed out seven VERY important, cogent, and excellently prioritized list of positions in which Trump has promised much better than Hillary with compelling arguments for each.

And every single one of you, from the hostess on down, has determined that you know that the very well written and obviously thoroughly seriously evaluated argument doesn't really mean anything, because, well, he's ugly.

Trumpkins really seriously can be utter assholes. Several on display in this thread. traditionalguy deserves top dishonors in that regard.

I will have to vote for Trump. I will do it in an even more hopeless a fashion than I did when I *had* to vote for Romney, and I *had* to vote for McCain, and I *had* to vote for Bush, and I *had* to vote for Dole, and yeah, Papa Bush.

I missed my chance to vote for Reagan by only a couple of years. I have therefore never actually been able to pull the lever in the booth without holding my nose (because NONE of those were conservative), except in two primaries, Fred Thompson in 2008, and Cruz this year.

But apparently we have a vast surplus of politicians who can lay down an ironclad case with clear motives and rationales that can't really be disputed. I'm sure you can all name half a dozen other candidates and potential presidents who can make the conservative case as well as Cruz can. Please share. Cause he can consistently make the best case for conservatism, with all the right priorities, that I've heard since Reagan.

And not a single one of you had one word to say in discussing ANYTHING HE ACTUALLY SAID. Not in like 70 posts. Not one quote of anything. Not one question about where he really stands. No need to parse one word -

And that's why so many people hate him. Because if someone is so clear spoken and consistent enough that you *don't* need to wonder where he really stands, cause he tells you and he's voted the way he speaks *very* consistently...

Well, yeah, again, we must have a lot of clear spoken and brilliant politicians out there, seeing as we can discard them over the most trivial bullshit, while the liars who need every single vowel parsed from every consonant hold our constant unrelenting attention.

I'm voting for Trump because I prefer SMOD to Cthulu.

MacMacConnell said...

Achilles
No one in the Cruz campaign posted the nude GQ images, they were posted by Make America Awesome super PAC. It's an anti-Trump PAC and did not support any particular Republican candidate till Cruz became the only one that could mathematically have a chance to beat Trump. You can tell by their name it's a play on "Make America Great Again". These guys were the original internet guerilla #neverTrumpers, any Republican but Trump.

Qwinn said...

Anyway, in the Trumpkin rage to demonize anyone in the "NeverTrump" camp, which is anyone who isn't a Trumpkin, there is no room for the conservative who is f'ing pissed because not only do we have to vote for ANOTHER non-conservative, and yeah, this one is even LESS conservative than Romney, who was about as conservative as McCain... yeah, on and on... for a conservative, every 4 years the shit sandwich gets more shit and less bread. Trump is just further down that slide. But in Trumpkin land, we're not allowed to be pissed about that, no, it's actually *all our fault*. Us conservatives. Actual conservatives who haven't gotten past a primary since 1984. The message to us is, you'll eat our next shit sandwich, you'll like it, and no, it's been 30 years since the last time you guys got the guy you wanted in office he was pretty freakin' awesome, but no, we're NOT going to let you have another shot at it, ever again, because we have TRUMP for you instead!

I don't know if this country will ever get a true conservative past the primary again. The only one in this field was Cruz. The only one in 2008 was Thompson. There really haven't been any others. At least, those were the only two who you can tell understand conservative principles because they both "explained" them well. But from "not enough fire in the belly" to "his dad shot JFK!", we get shit on every primary, and we get shit on *even when we agree to eat the sandwich yet again*, just like Cruz is being forced to do. And that's still not good enough for the vast majority of you.

It's so utterly demoralizing. Because the crowd that hangs here has some of the most thoughtful intelligent conservative voices I've found on the web, and even most of *you* are doing it, or have fallen for it. None of you care to discuss even one word of what Cruz actually said. Most of you just want to tear him down again, because conservatives simply cannot debase themselves enough to satisfy the horde.

So f'ing depressing.

MacMacConnell said...

Qwinn
Well done.

rcommal said...

Methinks, at last, that Althouse not only is, but has been, accepting the inevitable in the inimitable, Althousian way.

sdharms said...

Ann, your comment about Ted Cruz is pathetic, spoken like a true Yankee.

sdharms said...

I don't understand why Ted Cruz cant be allowed to make his decision. Each of you will be allowed to make yyours. He said at the RNC, "vote your conscience". I will. I don't want trump but I fear Hillary. Those of lyou in the chattering class and political class created trump over 30 years of duplicity, lying, and cowardice. Cruz was trying to help and you all destroyed him. Is he perfect? No. But get over yourselves. You all are not only not perfect, you are pathetic.

traditionalguy said...

To all of the Never-Trumpers still enamored with Ted Cruz, let me reach out to and posit to you that you are wrong.

Ted Cruz has mastered the ideology needed to claim the dual thrones of John Bircher Purity and True Believer Christianity. Great ideology combination you've got there Mr Cruz.

But in the realm of political leadership, a man or a woman who can deal with reality always beats the Priests of the Idol of Ideology.

That is why nobody who has interacted with Cruz becomes his friend. Instead they actually hate the man, because he betrays them in a second, and then pleads that he had to it because of the Purity of his Ideology.

As to being an asshole in attacking a well meaning Cruz, that comes under a succint line from Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. "If a man decorates his saloon with the body of my friend, he ought to have armed himself."

Oso Negro said...

Prof. Althouse, you have an unreasoning fear of conservative Christians. You should reflect on this. I have noticed the same in my uncle. In his mind, there is always a threat of the religious right curtailing a cherished "right" such as abortion or homosexual marriage. Oddly, it never happens, and instead we march steadily toward some pan-global leftist totalitarianism. But where the Christians implore, Progressives command. Do you feel the difference? "Please help your neighbor in need" is very different from "pay for Kinesha's post-gender reassignment surgery babies, or go to prison, you racist homophobic scum".

Yancey Ward said...

Cruz missed any chance at relevancy at the RNC. He had an opportunity to be Reaganesque, but let his personal feelings, which got hurt during the primaries, get in the way.

Of the candidates, I probably aligned best with Cruz politically and philosophically, and I had been hoping he would win after Rubio dropped out. And I thought some of Trump's rhetoric against him was unduly harsh and untruthful, but politics isn't beanbag. You have to leave your personal feelings at home if you are going onto the political stage, and if you hope to be successful at it. One of my biggest complaints about Trump is that he is prone to the same damned thing, though, lately, he seems to be getting it under control.

Mudslinging is a part of the process- Trump distinguishes himself mainly by not outsourcing it to surrogates, which shows, I think, that he is simply not a politician in the normal sense. Cruz did major damage to any future he had politically by holding that grudge. As somone above wrote, he cut his own throat.

Rusty said...

Qwinn @ 2:50
You know what would be funny as hell?

If Trump nominated Cruz for the Supreme Court.
I can just hear the pop,pop,pop of tiny liberal heads exploding.

Chuck said...

traditionalguy said...
...

That is why nobody who has interacted with Cruz becomes his friend. Instead they actually hate the man, because he betrays them in a second, and then pleads that he had to it because of the Purity of his Ideology.


In fact Donald Trump is the guy who has no friends. You know who says Donald Trump has no friends? It's Donald Trump who said he has no friends. And lots of people in New York, who have know Trump for years, and who would know if he had a circle of friends, and who also say that the guy has few if any friends:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/nyregion/for-donald-trump-friends-in-few-places.html?_r=0

Rusty said...

Chuck @7:18

And this is important to you, why?

MacMacConnell said...

Rusty
"If Trump nominated Cruz for the Supreme Court.
I can just hear the pop,pop,pop of tiny liberal heads exploding."

I could go for that. Trump readjusts his list of SCOTUS nominees and within 24 hours Cruz endorses Trump.

grackle said...

My Cruz thoughts:

He kept his campaign promise to do everything in his power to repeal Obamacare. His basic problem was a GOP congressional leadership who were outmaneuvered on every front by the Democrat minority and Obama. The GOP was elected to a majority in both houses in part because their constituents wanted them to repeal Obamacare. But because of Ryan and McConnell’s poor leadership and all but automatic political timidity Cruz’s anti-Obamacare crusade was doomed.

Cruz is a strong defender of the 2nd Amendment. He’s a strict constructionist, which I believe is the correct way to read the constitution. I believe he would make a good SCOTUS choice. But Cruz’s superpac distributed a titillating photo of Trump’s spouse in Mormon country which triggered a nasty Trump response … so … no hope there.

Cruz can expect nothing from Trump but Trump’s polite public acceptance of Cruz’s too late and awkward non-endorsement, which I believe comes now only because of the political Dead Zone Cruz found himself mired in when he returned to Texas. It turns out that there are loads of Trump supporters in the Lone Star state.

Cruz as the GOP nominee would have been chewed up by the MSM and spat out in the same pile as Romney, McCain, etc.

Cause he[Cruz] can consistently make the best case for conservatism, with all the right priorities, that I've heard since Reagan.

He’s good at that but he couldn’t get past the primaries so it’s irrelevant. You have be able to win. He can still do some good in the Senate … if he can get re-elected. Personally I believe his chance to be the GOP nominee in the future is nil due to his ill advised performance in Cleveland. He should have stayed away from the convention.

It's an anti-Trump PAC and did not support any particular Republican candidate till Cruz became the only one that could mathematically have a chance to beat Trump.

Let’s not be coy, OK? It was a pro-Cruz superpac. I think Trump has a couple of superpacs supporting him. Anyone who believes these superpacs have no connections with the candidates is simply being naïve. The law against corroboration is impossible to enforce and easy to disobey with impunity – which is a recipe for violation. It’s little more than a glorified “honor system.”

Rockport Conservative said...

I am a Texan who has supported Cruz and will in the future. I am happy to hear he is actually doing what he pledged to do, support the Republican candidate. Cruz is very unpopular with some, but his true supporters appreciate what others dislike. If he says he will do something, he will do it. That is the very reason he is so unpopular with fellow senators, he upholds his promises to his constituents. He was never a "never Trumper" he told others to vote their conscience and now he will vote his, a definite anti-Hillary vote, but also one he pledged.

mockturtle said...

Grackle, I think Trump would consider Cruz for a SCOTUS appointment. He's not one to hold a grudge but is largely pragmatic.

Qwinn said...

Cruz had absolutely zero *legitimate* obligation to endorse Trump, because Trump reneged on what is obviously a reciprocal agreement *first*. When Trump declared that *he* would not endorse the eventual nominee, every single agreement to endorse him in return was null and void. Unfortunately, his followers pretended that this extremely obvious point was completely irrelevant, long enough and loud enough that everyone thinks Cruz was still under some kind of obligation. Cruz is smart enough to bow to that political reality despite the manifest unfairness of it, and "fulfilled his pledge". A pledge Trump himself made and then reneged on before he knew he'd win. But, somehow, no one has one bad word to say about Trump for doing that.

Even more depressing.

Meade said...

Hard to imagine the U.S. Senate allowing a Cruz SCOTUS appointment.

Rusty said...

Even funnier if they did though. amirite

grackle said...

Grackle, I think Trump would consider Cruz for a SCOTUS appointment. He's not one to hold a grudge but is largely pragmatic

You could be right. Trump has a penchant for doing the unexpected.

Bruce Hayden said...

@Meade - but it would get Cruz out of the Senate, where he couldn't rock the boat, as he has been, and he would make a great Scalia replacement. I think that he would do better there than in the Senate, where a lot of his colleagues seem to hate him. I think that he just might have a chance after the 2018 election (where the Dems have a lot of seats at stake) in a Trump Presidency. Didn't Dingy Harry Reid eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominations? If so, a confirmation would take a mere 50 votes (plus VP to break the tie).

Bruce Hayden said...

Part of what is attractive about a Cruz SCOTUS nomination is that he is so dogmatic. Time after time, Republicans put someone on that Court, whom they believe to be a trustworthy conservative, and they either change their stripes pretty quickly (Stevens and Souter) or drift off to the left a bit (Kennedy, O'Conner, and maybe Roberts). The only one comparable on the Dem side in recent times was JFK appointee (and CU football star) "Whizzer" White. Unlikely to happen, I think, with a Cruz nomination.

Static Ping said...

I'm not sure how else Cruz could have done this. Cruz's greatest impact would be on two groups: social conservatives and NeverTrumpers. Both these groups are hesitant to support Trump and mostly for good reasons. After seeing how Trump treated Ted and his family during the primaries, an enthusiastic endorsement of Trump by Cruz would seem completely phony; it would help Trump not at all and harm Cruz greatly. This sort of "I do not really want to endorse him, but it is the only principled choice at this point" action is probably the most effective to get at Cruz's groups as they are currently experiencing the same struggles on their voting decisions. It will change some minds.

Could he have done it better? I suppose. Perfection is always out there.

Jupiter said...

I take Ted Cruz at his word. Obviously, he had a hard time getting over some of the things that happened during the campaign, but he has explained why he intends to vote for Trump, and his reasons are excellent.

Cruz seems to understand what the NeverTrumpers do not; This is not about the candidates, it is about the people they will appoint. Presidential candidates *always* promise all sorts of rubbish that they have no way of delivering. The most important question about a President is who he will hire. And we all know the kind of filthy lowlife scum Hillary Clinton would choose as our oppressors.

Obviously, Trump is no traditional conservative. And so what? He is a loose cannon, and there is no telling what he may do. But eight years of Hillary Clinton and most of us will be dead or in the gulags. She is a nightmare, but her friends are much, much worse.

mockturtle said...

but it would get Cruz out of the Senate, where he couldn't rock the boat, as he has been, and he would make a great Scalia replacement.

That would be a tempting incentive for them to approve Cruz for SCOTUS, wouldn't it?

Hyphenated American said...

"But in the realm of political leadership, a man or a woman who can deal with reality always beats the Priests of the Idol of Ideology."

Problem is, reality is very dogmatic and a ideological, it does not care about your wishes, desires, emotions. The laws of nature do not compromise. If something cannot go on forever, it will end. If something is unsustainable, it will too come to an end.

Liberal economic policies are unsustainable, out debt and spending are unsustainable, so they will all end, the longer you wait, the harder it will be. Obamacare, social security, Medicare, medicaid, welfare are unsustainable. The conservative "priests of the idol of ideology" are the truth tellers.

Bad Lieutenant said...

And not a single one of you had one word to say in discussing ANYTHING HE ACTUALLY SAID. Not in like 70 posts. Not one quote of anything. Not one question about where [Ted Cruz] really stands. No need to parse one word -

The price of failure, Mr Bond. The way you propagate your ideas after losing is to get with the winner.

Cruz has many virtues but ultimately he's sneaky, he's weak, and he lost.

He has his uses. I am happy to have his organization at the service of Trump. He may be suitably rewarded. But tested in the fire, he was not the man for the big chair. I have no enmity for him, because he surrendered/because he did the right thing. He is valuable as a servant, not as a master. Many fine people who supported, and support, Ted Cruz, see his virtues, but overlook his flaws.

As for whoever put the Knauss nudes out, whether Cruz or Nevertrumpers:

How's that working out for you?

P.S. Parsing is how we got to where we are today. Parsing is "what the meaning of is is."

richardsson said...

It's a perfunctory acknowledgement of reality not important to anyone other than Cruz. #Nevertrump was a two sided bad bet---tails I lose; heads I lose. Whether Trump wins or loses, they're either irrelevant or the goats.

Bad Lieutenant said...

And just imagine, richardsson, they thought this was brilliant, they thought this was full of win!

walter said...

Static Ping said...an enthusiastic endorsement of Trump by Cruz would seem completely phony
-Yes..to expect otherwise is ridiculous.

Meade said...

@Bruce Hayden — You might be right about Cruz to the SCOTUS, with similarities to the way Eisenhower elevated Earl Warren to get him out of California Republican politics, allegedly as a favor to Nixon.