Good move. The public will be more receptive to a GOP candidate after 3 terms of a democrat in office.
However, I don’t think it’ll be Cruz. But I could be wrong.
I don’t think it’s at all likely that Trump will come in behind Johnson, but the Chicago Tribune is making noises like they are laying the groundwork to endorse Johnson in the general election.
I wonder if any other major media outlook is toying with a Johnson endorsement.
Kasich’s choice to not attend the convention will allow him to be one of the few GOP candidates from the 2016 primaries who doesn’t have the stink of Trump on him. That may or may not work for him in 2020.
But after last night I suspect Cruz is done.
We ALREADY know that Trump isn’t a conservative.
One of the many, many strange things of this cycle is that that no longer (at least temporarily) matters.
Well, we know it’s coming.
You seem to think they’re Democrats. No, son, the GOP are in the winning business.
And that’s what he got out of it. He for once actually looked principled, rather than like a bullheaded, corrupt fraud.
Which means how much, exactly? We all saw Rick hang in there to near the bitter end to position himself for 2016. That went well.
Is it just me, or does anyone see the parallels between Trump and Cruz and the plot in There Will Be Blood, with Trump playing the role of Daniel Plainview and Cruz as Eli Sunday? Perhaps this is the final scene in which Trump chases Cruz around with a bowling pin.
And giving us the business, good and hard!
He looked like a bullheaded corrupt fraud to the only people he ever had a chance of getting votes from. Ted Cruz is going to spend the next four years being Ted Cruz, the only ones who will remember his “principled” stand are the ones who booed him off stage.
As mentioned, it depends on the election outcome, but I think Cruz is likely to have seriously damaged himself for a future presidential run. The reaction, even among real conservatives (not Trump’s core base of rightist populist nationalists, Trump has clarified that divide) was quite negative in general. Only a few very anti-Trump conservatives, either in the punditry or the grassroots AFAICT, were favorably impressed. Needless to say the fact that some liberals were willing to give Cruz backhanded compliments is not going help him.
I don’t see it as that likely the GOP primary base will turn on a dime to focusing on Trump or Trumpist populism as the problem if Trump loses, I think they’ll also still be angry at Cruz’ position. It’s also colored by my opinion that Trump isn’t likely to get blown out. I think it more likely the final EC vote is the same to slightly better for the GOP than 2012, though Trump actually winning isn’t that likely either. In that environment the best position to be in will be dutiful nominal supporter of ‘the nominee’, not sycophant of the defeated candidate (eg. Christie) or seen as contributing to his defeat (Cruz).
I think Rubio’s strategy was better from POV of future in the GOP: make a halfhearted endorsement of Trump, which you can always say you were honor bound to do because of ‘the pledge’, then keep a low profile (he video’d in his speech which wasn’t effusive about Trump but not viewed as defiant).
Because he’s *against *letting ISIS kill gays? Yeah, you’re right.
Cruz hasn’t burned any bridges that were actually left. I don’t think this hurts him at all.
Okay, so this didn’t quite down the way I thought, but I think it’s fair to say that Ted Cruz is rolling on the floor laughing his ass off at how utterly stupid Donald Trump and the Republicans look right now. I think he could still set himself up to be the right wing savior.
Ted Cruz first has to get re-elected in 2018. Supposedly either Julian or Joaquín Castro may challenge him. Now, that’s going to be difficult in Republican Texas, but if he loses, he’s not likely a valid presidential candidate in 2020.