Silat
When the Facts Change, I Change My Mind.
Here is what I said: "And in Europe people who speak multiple languages are a dime a dozen."
The 2016 Presidential Candidates Thread
- Thread starter CarolKing
- Start date
Here is what I said: "And in Europe people who speak multiple languages are a dime a dozen."
CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
On one of the late night shows last night it suggested that the reason Melania screwed up on the speech is because she was high on something. She needed to be in order have sex with Donald Trump. Of course saying it as a joke. It got me thinking. I'm sure she puts up with a lot. She also gets paid lavishly in return. Kinda like a high price hooker.
Did that come out of my mouth?
With this shit storm about the Melania's speech I really wonder how long Manaford will stay on the Trump team?
One day Manadord is told to say one thing then the next day a different story. Go figure. it makes everybody look like a liar the way it was handled.
Edit
Let's turn America back in time when many people were discriminated against. I don't think so. That's what "Make America Great Again" means.
On MSNBC someone mentioned all the chanting last night reminded them of a witch trial, with the Guilty, Guilty. Put her in jail. It's crazy stuff. So much anger and hatred. I don't get it?
It just shows me the Republican Party is the party of hate and blame. Not a party of ideas and opportunity. They are making themselves look bad IMO. That's OK but other countries see this. It's embarrassing. Have a little pride in your party, republicans. Also this is suppose to be the party of the Christians. The more religious party. Really?
Did that come out of my mouth?With this shit storm about the Melania's speech I really wonder how long Manaford will stay on the Trump team?
One day Manadord is told to say one thing then the next day a different story. Go figure. it makes everybody look like a liar the way it was handled.Edit
Let's turn America back in time when many people were discriminated against. I don't think so. That's what "Make America Great Again" means.
On MSNBC someone mentioned all the chanting last night reminded them of a witch trial, with the Guilty, Guilty. Put her in jail. It's crazy stuff. So much anger and hatred. I don't get it?
It just shows me the Republican Party is the party of hate and blame. Not a party of ideas and opportunity. They are making themselves look bad IMO. That's OK but other countries see this. It's embarrassing. Have a little pride in your party, republicans. Also this is suppose to be the party of the Christians. The more religious party. Really?
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cybrguy
Putin is a War Criminal
Reminds me of one of my favorite jokes.She also gets paid lavishly in return. Kinda like a high price hooker.
Man sits down next to a beautiful woman in a bar and they start a conversation. After a while the man says, "Would you have sex with me for a Million Dollars?"
She thinks for a minute and says, "Yes, for a Million dollars I would have sex with you."
The man says, "How 'bout for 5 bucks?"
The woman says, "Of course not, what do you think I am?!"
The man says, "We have already established what you are. Now we are negotiating price..."
lwien
Well-Known Member
So besides the "Lock her up" chanting that we heard at the convention, we now have this:
"Secret Service Investigating Trump Adviser Al Baldasaro Who Said Hillary Clinton Should Be 'Shot for Treason'"
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/secr...dviser-al-baldasaro-hillary/story?id=40743979
"Secret Service Investigating Trump Adviser Al Baldasaro Who Said Hillary Clinton Should Be 'Shot for Treason'"
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/secr...dviser-al-baldasaro-hillary/story?id=40743979
grokit
well-worn member
cybrguy
Putin is a War Criminal
So, if you believe Nader, what does that say for your claims that you love Bernie because "he is the last honest man"...Bernie playing the long game
If what Nader says is true, than Bernie is lying scum just as you say Clinton is.
grokit
well-worn member
I really don't understand your question; probably because there's no question mark.
It's more of a declaration, but mostly because you aren't making any sense...
How exactly is bernie lying, and what in particular do you disagree with nader about?
edit: I never said clinton was "lying scum" either.
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CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
I hear Neil Diamond on the speaker at the convention. I checked and Neil Diamond is OK with Trump now using his music. Mick Jagger doesn't want Trump using his music anymore and Queen said no more playing their music. I'm sure there's a big list of anti Trump musicians that are saying no.
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lwien
Well-Known Member
Neil Young gave him a no-go as well.
cybrguy
Putin is a War Criminal
This is the behavior of an honest pol? Setting her up for betrayal?
If you haven't called Hillary lying scum it is only semantics. You have certainly said she was a liar and not to be trusted.
This part was in error:
I read this as a quote of Nader (suggesting that he thought Bernie wouldn't vote for her) rather than the article author talking about Nader. My bad.
Generally speaking it wasn't a good post and if it were not quoted I would remove it.
grokit
well-worn member
You clearly don't understand what transpired in that conversation, or bernie's "long game" at all. He's just keeping hillary her accountable for her promises, doing his best to keep her from becoming lying scum!
I've posted certain articles I agree with, that assert that "she is a liar and not to be trusted". I don't believe that I said that personally. If I did I backed it up with factual evidence, like the articles I posted did.
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CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
I'm glad Ted Cruz didn't endorse Trump. He told folks to vote their concience. The crowd was booing and tried to drowned him out. Really weird too Trump walked in at the tail end of his speech. I'm curious the timing must have been planned. I thought it looked like to show his power and to be intimidating.
I was curious if Melania was there? I didn't see her.
I found this about the author of the Art of A Deal. Trump is suing him of course. He was on the Bill Maher special about the GOP Convention. I hope this wasn't already posted. I apologize if it has.
co-author of Donald Trump’s book The Art of the Deal, Tony Schwartz, has revealed he feels a “deep sense of remorse” for portraying the mogul in a positive light and says he believes a Trump presidency may “lead to the end of civilisation”.
The Art of the Deal was published in 1987. It spent 48 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold more than 1m copies. Trump, now the presumptive Republican party presidential candidate, was paid a $500,000 (£375,000) advance by publisher Random House. He split the sum with Schwartz and gave him half the royalties. However, in a new interview with the New Yorker, Schwartz talked extensively about the 18 months he spent working with Trump, and said he would have titled the book The Sociopath.
“I put lipstick on a pig,” he said. “I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is … I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilisation.”
Schwartz initially met Trump while interviewing him as a journalist. Talking to him again for a piece in Playboy in 1985, Trump told him about his book deal and Schwartz suggested he focus on his leadership style. Trump liked the idea and offered Schwartz the job, which he took to solve money troubles. “It was a huge windfall,” he told the New Yorker. “But I knew I was selling out. Literally, the term was invented to describe what I did.”
Schwartz, who now runs a consulting firm, spent 18 months with Trump – in his office, helicopter, meeting rooms and in his Manhattan apartment and Florida estate on weekends. His first attempts to get Trump to participate in a series of traditional interviews did not work. Schwartz said discussion was consistently hobbled due to Trump’s short attention span, with Trump fidgeting until he’d ultimately call off the session. “It’s impossible to keep him focused on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandisement, for more than a few minutes,” Schwartz said. “If he had to be briefed on a crisis in the Situation Room, it’s impossible to imagine him paying attention over a long period of time.”
I was curious if Melania was there? I didn't see her.
I found this about the author of the Art of A Deal. Trump is suing him of course. He was on the Bill Maher special about the GOP Convention. I hope this wasn't already posted. I apologize if it has.
co-author of Donald Trump’s book The Art of the Deal, Tony Schwartz, has revealed he feels a “deep sense of remorse” for portraying the mogul in a positive light and says he believes a Trump presidency may “lead to the end of civilisation”.
The Art of the Deal was published in 1987. It spent 48 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has sold more than 1m copies. Trump, now the presumptive Republican party presidential candidate, was paid a $500,000 (£375,000) advance by publisher Random House. He split the sum with Schwartz and gave him half the royalties. However, in a new interview with the New Yorker, Schwartz talked extensively about the 18 months he spent working with Trump, and said he would have titled the book The Sociopath.
“I put lipstick on a pig,” he said. “I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is … I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilisation.”
Schwartz initially met Trump while interviewing him as a journalist. Talking to him again for a piece in Playboy in 1985, Trump told him about his book deal and Schwartz suggested he focus on his leadership style. Trump liked the idea and offered Schwartz the job, which he took to solve money troubles. “It was a huge windfall,” he told the New Yorker. “But I knew I was selling out. Literally, the term was invented to describe what I did.”
Schwartz, who now runs a consulting firm, spent 18 months with Trump – in his office, helicopter, meeting rooms and in his Manhattan apartment and Florida estate on weekends. His first attempts to get Trump to participate in a series of traditional interviews did not work. Schwartz said discussion was consistently hobbled due to Trump’s short attention span, with Trump fidgeting until he’d ultimately call off the session. “It’s impossible to keep him focused on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandisement, for more than a few minutes,” Schwartz said. “If he had to be briefed on a crisis in the Situation Room, it’s impossible to imagine him paying attention over a long period of time.”
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lwien
Well-Known Member
So much for party unity.......
.
On the other hand, the Dem Convention is gonna be a love fest in comparison.
Wow, first the whole Melania speech thing on night 2 and now this on night 3. The GOP has be self-destructing for awhile now, but now, rather than just self-destructing on the track, they're now self-destructing heading into the station.
.On the other hand, the Dem Convention is gonna be a love fest in comparison.
Wow, first the whole Melania speech thing on night 2 and now this on night 3. The GOP has be self-destructing for awhile now, but now, rather than just self-destructing on the track, they're now self-destructing heading into the station.
Silat
When the Facts Change, I Change My Mind.
So much for party unity.......
On the other hand, the Dem Convention is gonna be a love fest in comparison.
Wow, first the whole Melania speech thing on night 2 and now this on night 3. The GOP has be self-destructing for awhile now, but now, rather than just self-destructing on the track, they're now self-destructing heading into the station.
Again I say: They are not self-destructing.
They are being re-birthed into the monster they created.
They are more dangerous than ever.
Gunky
Well-Known Member
Boy, that convention is nasty. Lock her up! Execute her! What kind of people say stuff like that? Mock trials and mob justice? This is beyond embarrassing. Disturbing and scary. To lift a phrase Scoot Walker repeated over and over in his speech tonight (though he meant something else), America deserves better.
lwien
Well-Known Member
I'm not talking about self-destructing into nothing.
I'm talking about their old party and their old party has been self-destructing for a long while now. Have they been morphing into something else all this time. Yup, I think so.
CarolKing
Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
Donald Trump's triumphant return to Cleveland, Ohio the day after becoming the Republican Party's presidential nominee was a photo-op for the ages, attracting more than 350 members of the media and a few hundred invited guests to a patch of grass near the shore of Lake Erie.
But Melania Trump was nowhere to be seen.
She has not appeared in public since Monday night's convention speech, which was quickly attacked for including a few lines cribbed from first lady Michelle Obama's 2008 Democratic convention speech.
A Trump staffer apologized for inadvertently adding Mrs. Obama's words to Mrs. Trump's speaking script. Mr. Trump refused to accept her resignation.
Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Mike Pence (right), his wife Karen (second right) and daughter Charlotte (center) were joined by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's family members – minus his wife Melania – as Trump's helicopter arrival signaled his return to Cleveland, Ohio as the GOP presidential nominee
But Melania Trump was nowhere to be seen.
She has not appeared in public since Monday night's convention speech, which was quickly attacked for including a few lines cribbed from first lady Michelle Obama's 2008 Democratic convention speech.
A Trump staffer apologized for inadvertently adding Mrs. Obama's words to Mrs. Trump's speaking script. Mr. Trump refused to accept her resignation.
Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Mike Pence (right), his wife Karen (second right) and daughter Charlotte (center) were joined by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's family members – minus his wife Melania – as Trump's helicopter arrival signaled his return to Cleveland, Ohio as the GOP presidential nominee
HellsWindStaff
Dharma Initiate
Hillary supporters here, spend so many posts simply name calling and bashing detractors as being uneducated, idiotic, uninformed, or delusional. You guys literally prove the liberal mantra correct. All animals are not equal, we get it. But, can you stop? It makes you guys into the very thing you are "fighting" against. So for your guys sake, cool down on the "my viewpoint is the only viewpoint that is correct".....
LOL at the article a few pages back saying that Trump supporters should be "ashamed" and should "be made to feel shame"
sounds like that guy's' a bit conceited? I guess the thing's I'm weighing are the "wrong ones". Or don't weigh his "superior opinions" enough 
As funny as the RNC celebrity speakers are, truly lol, I sincerely hope you guys don't put stock into entertainers political beliefs.....they are entertainers. An A-lister and a C lister, don't think ones political beliefs are better because they are more successful actors. That's a weird line to draw, couldn't tell if it was being made....hopefully not...
Can't wait for the exploitation next Tuesday at the DNC!
"featured speakers from Mother's of the Movement. The Mothers of the Movement participating include Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner; Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin; Maria Hamilton, mother of Dontré Hamilton; Lucia McBath, mother of Jordan Davis; Lezley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown; Cleopatra Pendleton-Cowley, mother of Hadiya Pendleton; Geneva Reed-Veal, mother of Sandra Bland."
Sounds like they'll be exploiting mother's griefs and their childrens deaths? I'll wait for whatever way it's spun for easier digestion of it not being exploitation of those things, but by the very nature of the event, it is.
Media spin.....I found it incredibly interesting the other day when @lwien said Fox News was burying the story of Melania plagiarism....? That's a weird perspective, I did a little project
We know what mendacious means, by the way. That's rich saying Trump supporters are too stupid and won't know what the word means, yet, the above is Faux News burying it.
You read the headlines. MSNBC has 3 headlines directly talking about the speech and plagiarism. And a LOT of opinion pieces saying how shitty this is gonna be for him. "Outrageous" "skewered on social media!" "The RNC is a debacle!" Scott baio defends his comments against women? That's cute, they were grilling him over a meme from before the RNC? I circled it but really not pertinent. But glad that's front page news..... Find it funny how their article titles literally lead you to bias even prior to reading.
You see nothing about the other 93% of the speech, "Faux" has that. You still are getting the critiques too about plagiarism... Didn't realize you needed a bunch of blistering opinion pieces for a story to not be buried.....oh, what's this? Donald Trump is handling it wrong.....and on Faux News? Darling Hillary would never have that on MSNBC. Should of screen capped a few weeks back after she wasn't getting investigated. I'm gonna continue I think, screens capping...helps disprove the false narrative. "Faux News" was arguably talking about it more.... less opinion pieces, but more bias
, what a weird perspective to have.......What's the deal with all the big game hunting? Bill Clinton being a misogynistic pig, when I said that, it was met with a choir of "her family isn't pertinent!! It's her right!!"
Explain how his sons big game hunting as reason to not want him in office is any less pertinent? I think it's disgusting but it means nothing for him being a viable candidate. "his family isn't pertinent! It's their right!"
@CarolKing im glad your family is better off now than 8 years ago, my family is not. They pay more, they aren't benefitting from that, so they are consequentially worse off then they were......are they delusional? You seem to deny that happens.....whose more delusional, a Republican who pays more and makes less and gripes about it, or a Democrat who simply says that doesn't happen?
"Obama has been nothing but crap and those people who think their lives have improved are delusional." See how stupid THAT sounds? But, you can substitute "shit" with "sunshine" and "improved" with "declined" and somehow its now kosher and detractors are delusional?? weird perspective too....
The "Grown Up" party being the Democrats?
Not sure I follow..... I mean, the tried and true sayin "they just don't get it!!" "Parents, just don't understand!" Lol. Are Democrats angsty teens? Plus you know, name calling. And temper tantrums. Did I mention literally pouting on the floor because they couldn't follow the rules set in place? That's the best one, my neighbors kid was doing that on my porch earlier. They sound really grown up I should of started this post with this, but thank you @cybrguy . Nice to see that you can vote Hillary and still not equate Trump supporters as stupid people. We all have our reasonings; the truly stupid ones simply shoehorn us all into one category.
@grokit , my understanding of the article, regarding Nader and Bernie. Bernie, he endorsed Hillary, and Hillary said she WILL do all those things. So, when she falls through on the promises, Bernie can come back and say, look, she fooled me again, she betrayed me! I would not say he is a liar or setting her up for failure. She simply has to follow through on her words......shouldn't be too hard eh? LOL.
thanks again to the people who can be bipartisan or tow the middle of the road even a tiny bit. You guys provide interesting discussion and perspectives. Actually, just much appreciated to anyone who doesn't just label people voting differently them as uneducated, idiotic, uninformed, or delusional. Sorry to detract, I'll let you guys go back to the pitchforks.
lwien
Well-Known Member
Media spin.....I found it incredibly interesting the other day when @lwien said Fox News was burying the story of Melania plagiarism....? That's a weird perspective, I did a little project
When I said that Fox buried the news, I was referring to the first day that this story came out. On that day, it was front page headlines on EVERY news outlet that I brought up that day with one exception............Fox. On that day, the story could only be read if one scrolled down the page and on subsequent days, it NEVER garnered the headline. I looked through about 10 different media outlets and FOX was the only one to carry the story like that on the day that it broke. Was I surprised? Not at all. Fox is what it is.
And in regards to my perspective, I did paint with a very broad brush and I should pull that back a bit being that I've come down on those that have done the exact same thing. Generalizations simply don't work being that there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule. I think I'll just leave it at that.
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TeeJay1952
Well-Known Member
@HellsWindStaff I hope my (our)perceived arrogance isn't what gets you to make up your mind. Vote your pocketbook. It is your right. But failing to see the vast difference in lifetime achievements...... People see what they want. I like to lead by example but fail sometimes. No one has ever changed their mind after reading an Internet Forum. We bring our prejudices to the discussion
Everyone brings their viewpoint. I hear you. You are mad. I hope things get better for you and yours.
I also hope the future will find the US in the USA. There is no guaranteed outcome only equal opportunity. Everyone gets a chance but the top 2% is a statistic and a reality. It invariably comes down to what are you going to do? Dreamy platitudes are not real world solutions.
Everyone brings their viewpoint. I hear you. You are mad. I hope things get better for you and yours.
I also hope the future will find the US in the USA. There is no guaranteed outcome only equal opportunity. Everyone gets a chance but the top 2% is a statistic and a reality. It invariably comes down to what are you going to do? Dreamy platitudes are not real world solutions.
cybrguy
Putin is a War Criminal
Honestly, I don't like Ted Cruz even a little bit. What he wants for America is nearly the opposite of what I want, and I can't imagine ever voting for him (for President) under any circumstances.
Never the less, I have to admire him for standing up against the Donald AT THE CONVENTION. That took some stones. I realize it is personal for him, but still, it is nice to have something to admire him for. It's not like Trump didn't personally attack most of the other Republicans who have decided to kiss his ring. Rubio in particular looks bad (to me) caving to him...
GOP divisions laid bare as Ted Cruz draws relentless boos
07/21/16 08:00 AM—Updated 07/21/16 08:20 AM
By Steve Benen
During the Republican presidential primaries, a variety of candidates, including Ted Cruz, were quite candid in their assessments of Donald Trump. GOP White House hopefuls characterized the television personality as a lunatic con artist, a pathological liar, a cancer on the party, and a racist who lacked the morals, intellect, and character necessary to lead.
But after the primaries, most of these critics decided to support Trump anyway. Ted Cruz, however, did not. The Texas senator, offended not only by Trump’s lack of integrity, but also by his attacks on Cruz’s wife and father, made clear he would not endorse the Republican nominee.
Team Trump and Republican National Convention organizers took a chance and gave Cruz a prime-time speaking slot anyway. As became painfully clear last night, the gamble did not pay off.
Donald Trump paid a steep price for his brutal insults and outrageous innuendo against his Republican primary rivals Wednesday when Ted Cruz, who placed second behind Trump in the delegate count, refused to endorse the GOP nominee during his nationally televised speech to the party’s convention.
The arena rained boos, chants, and jeers on Cruz, widening the Republican Party’s cracks into a chasm and completely overshadowing the rollout of Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence.
Not since 1964 has a prominent political leader faced intense booing – in prime time – at his or her own party’s national convention. Then, it was Nelson Rockefeller who endured jeers from Barry Goldwater’s far-right supporters as the New Yorker urged his party to push back against the extremists in their midst. (Republicans didn’t listen; Goldwater lost 44 states.)
This year, it was Cruz’s turn, with the Texan telling his party, “If you love our country and love your children as much as I know that you do, stand, and speak, and vote your conscience.” Convention attendees wanted and expected Cruz to extend his support to the party’s nominee, and when he didn’t, they turned on him with a vengeance.
It quickly became one of the defining moments of the Republican convention, and easily overshadowed the speech that soon followed – which was Pence accepting the party’s vice presidential nomination.
Whether Cruz’s act was noble or disgraceful is a matter of perspective, but it’s clear that the senator took a risk of his own by deliberately trying to embarrass his party’s presidential nominee at the nominee’s own convention.
From Cruz’s perspective, this isn’t especially complicated: he thinks he’s on the right side of history. Not only is Trump unfit for public office, the senator also believes Trump is going to lose, and there will have to be a reckoning as the party reflects on what went wrong.
And while the likes of Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, and Paul Ryan decided to play along, and put party over principle, Cruz has positioned himself as the Republican who said in effect, “No. I just can’t.”
What we don’t yet know is whether this will help or hurt Cruz going forward. It’s hardly a secret that the senator is laying the groundwork for a 2020 campaign, and his convention gambit will either be a stroke of genius or a blot on his record, depending which part of the party you ask. The Texan is taking a calculated risk, casting his lot with the GOP’s anti-Trump contingent, and expecting to have an I-told-you-so moment in roughly four months.
At the same time, Cruz is also thumbing his nose at many of the same Republican officials and insiders, who were outraged by what they saw as a classless slight last night, and whose backing he’ll likely seek during his next national campaign. The senator largely ran against his party’s establishment this year, and he came up far short against Trump. Will running the same play be more effective four years from now?
Either way, as the 2016 Republican National Convention nears its end, Cruz’s confrontation with the party’s delegates was a striking reminder that all is not well in this party – and the gathering that was intended to heal old wounds has found them ripped open anew.
Postscript: Things got so intense after the Texan’s speech that Heidi Cruz, Ted’s wife, reportedly had to be escorted out by security as Republicans taunted and shouted at her. It’s probably not what GOP organizers had in mind when they drew up the script for the evening.
Never the less, I have to admire him for standing up against the Donald AT THE CONVENTION. That took some stones. I realize it is personal for him, but still, it is nice to have something to admire him for. It's not like Trump didn't personally attack most of the other Republicans who have decided to kiss his ring. Rubio in particular looks bad (to me) caving to him...
GOP divisions laid bare as Ted Cruz draws relentless boos
07/21/16 08:00 AM—Updated 07/21/16 08:20 AM
By Steve Benen
During the Republican presidential primaries, a variety of candidates, including Ted Cruz, were quite candid in their assessments of Donald Trump. GOP White House hopefuls characterized the television personality as a lunatic con artist, a pathological liar, a cancer on the party, and a racist who lacked the morals, intellect, and character necessary to lead.
But after the primaries, most of these critics decided to support Trump anyway. Ted Cruz, however, did not. The Texas senator, offended not only by Trump’s lack of integrity, but also by his attacks on Cruz’s wife and father, made clear he would not endorse the Republican nominee.
Team Trump and Republican National Convention organizers took a chance and gave Cruz a prime-time speaking slot anyway. As became painfully clear last night, the gamble did not pay off.
Donald Trump paid a steep price for his brutal insults and outrageous innuendo against his Republican primary rivals Wednesday when Ted Cruz, who placed second behind Trump in the delegate count, refused to endorse the GOP nominee during his nationally televised speech to the party’s convention.
The arena rained boos, chants, and jeers on Cruz, widening the Republican Party’s cracks into a chasm and completely overshadowing the rollout of Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence.
Not since 1964 has a prominent political leader faced intense booing – in prime time – at his or her own party’s national convention. Then, it was Nelson Rockefeller who endured jeers from Barry Goldwater’s far-right supporters as the New Yorker urged his party to push back against the extremists in their midst. (Republicans didn’t listen; Goldwater lost 44 states.)
This year, it was Cruz’s turn, with the Texan telling his party, “If you love our country and love your children as much as I know that you do, stand, and speak, and vote your conscience.” Convention attendees wanted and expected Cruz to extend his support to the party’s nominee, and when he didn’t, they turned on him with a vengeance.
It quickly became one of the defining moments of the Republican convention, and easily overshadowed the speech that soon followed – which was Pence accepting the party’s vice presidential nomination.
Whether Cruz’s act was noble or disgraceful is a matter of perspective, but it’s clear that the senator took a risk of his own by deliberately trying to embarrass his party’s presidential nominee at the nominee’s own convention.
From Cruz’s perspective, this isn’t especially complicated: he thinks he’s on the right side of history. Not only is Trump unfit for public office, the senator also believes Trump is going to lose, and there will have to be a reckoning as the party reflects on what went wrong.
And while the likes of Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, and Paul Ryan decided to play along, and put party over principle, Cruz has positioned himself as the Republican who said in effect, “No. I just can’t.”
What we don’t yet know is whether this will help or hurt Cruz going forward. It’s hardly a secret that the senator is laying the groundwork for a 2020 campaign, and his convention gambit will either be a stroke of genius or a blot on his record, depending which part of the party you ask. The Texan is taking a calculated risk, casting his lot with the GOP’s anti-Trump contingent, and expecting to have an I-told-you-so moment in roughly four months.
At the same time, Cruz is also thumbing his nose at many of the same Republican officials and insiders, who were outraged by what they saw as a classless slight last night, and whose backing he’ll likely seek during his next national campaign. The senator largely ran against his party’s establishment this year, and he came up far short against Trump. Will running the same play be more effective four years from now?
Either way, as the 2016 Republican National Convention nears its end, Cruz’s confrontation with the party’s delegates was a striking reminder that all is not well in this party – and the gathering that was intended to heal old wounds has found them ripped open anew.
Postscript: Things got so intense after the Texan’s speech that Heidi Cruz, Ted’s wife, reportedly had to be escorted out by security as Republicans taunted and shouted at her. It’s probably not what GOP organizers had in mind when they drew up the script for the evening.
yogoshio
Annoying Libertarian
This was my exact response to Sanders. I think socialism is the opposite of what will turn this country around, but he does not bend from his standards (although his way of bowing out has raised my eyebrows a tad...) but I always respected him for standing firm.