Patterico's Pontifications

5/27/2016

Ted Cruz On Whether A True Conservative Should Support Trump

Filed under: General — Dana @ 5:42 pm



[guest post by Dana]

In a radio interview earlier today, there was this interesting exchange between Oklahoma radio host Pat Campbell and Ted Cruz:

CAMPBELL: This is something many of my listeners are struggling with. Should a true conservative, should a true conservative support Donald Trump if in fact he is the Republican nominee.

CRUZ: Well, that’s a decision that every voter is going to have to make. And it’s going to be a decision that is going have to come from prayer and careful examination as to whether he has demonstrated he has earned your vote. Whether he has demonstrated that he is standing for the principles that built this country. I am where I think a lot of voters are, which is looking and listening. I am deeply concerned for our country.

To my ear, this sounds like a no for Cruz supporting Trump – at this point anyway. Given that the vast majority of former Republican candidates and a long list of elected officials who claimed to be conservatives, have fallen in line and announced their support for Trump, there is a curiosity about whether Cruz will likewise yield. It would be refreshing to see a politician remain true to his conservative principles, ideals, and convictions, and announce that, in good conscience, he is unable to support a non-conservative, Big Government type who has trouble distinguishing fact from fiction, and easily lies when it’s to his advantage. And even when it’s not. There’s also this: If Cruz were to announce his support of Trump, the fallout would likely result in even greater damage to his credibility than what Marco Rubio is currently enduring.

–Dana

52 Responses to “Ted Cruz On Whether A True Conservative Should Support Trump”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (0ee61a)

  2. wow

    harvardtrash ted is reduced to “earlier today” interviews with “Oklahoma radio host Pat Campbell”

    he totally owns 2020

    happyfeet (831175)

  3. I think a very muted “he may be bad, but Hillary is worse” sort of endorsement, with no active campaigning for Trump, would not impact his credibility. It is after all the position of several people here who do not fall into the category of Trumpeters.

    kishnevi (b9b7a2)

  4. I think that is a viable argument, kishnevi. I have felt that all along. However, it’s just really, really difficult imagining voting yes for Trump. With regard to Cruz, I wonder if even a quiet anyone-but-Hillary sort of support would nonetheless less damage him too much for any thoughts of a 2020 run.

    Dana (0ee61a)

  5. Mr. Cruz has already forfeited his claim on the Trump voters, so 2020 looks kinda santorummy for the boy

    he’s gonna have to make do with the trailer park christers and the i like my media noche with maple syrup on the side crowd

    happyfeet (831175)

  6. oopers

    *medianoche*

    happyfeet (831175)

  7. The insufferably self-righteous “Never Trumpers” are taking the high road – right off the side of a mountain. Unfortunately, they may take the rest of us with them.

    Deuce Frehley (73c323)

  8. not me, Mr. Frehley

    i’m a cling

    tres bitterly

    to the side of that mountain

    and i tell you what, harvardtrash ted

    you know you got my sympathy

    but don’t shoot shoot shoot pee-stank at me

    happyfeet (831175)

  9. fine try, not try, it’s a free country, for a while anyways.

    narciso (732bc0)

  10. Somebody probably has to send Ted Cruz some chocolate.

    Nah. He doesn’t seem like the type that would have their head turned by flowers, even if the card was nice.

    Chocolate. Big red “T” shaped box.

    And maybe a taster to allay his anxieties and show him there are no hard feelings.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  11. dear jesus hi it’s harvardtrash ted

    i’m praying to you my holy sin-smiting buddy-boo cause of my moral compass is not informing me as to whether or not i should vote for a filthy pee-stanky criminal or Mr. Trump

    as you understand, he (“he” meaning Mr. Donald Trump) once retweeted an unflattering picture of my goldy sacky, so i’m just all tored up by this

    please to send me a sign jesus

    i’m adrift without you guidance jesus

    warm regards,

    harvardtrash ted

    happyfeet (831175)

  12. I think Cruz, like Ryan, will hold back to leverage his position at the convention. Despite what the Trumpitarians have to say. The nastier they are, the less inclined anyone on the fence will be to join with such ignorance. As Hugh Hewitt said, “you trump supporters aren’t helping your candidate at all” and that’s the truth!

    David L (8a2ccf)

  13. Easy. Okay. Send him some missionaries baring chocolate.

    Jut don’t forget the chocolate part.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  14. goota love that chockit!

    happyfeet (831175)

  15. oops *gotta* love that chockit i mean

    i had a surfeit of vowels in my previous comment

    happyfeet (831175)

  16. What kishnevi said
    I can imagine voting for Trump
    HRC is such a nightmare that voting against her is a reasonable choice,
    even if one thinks Trump will be a disaster or worse

    Still looking for a miracle that spares us.

    MD in Philly (6d89d7)

  17. The Creative Ladies’ Ministry featuring chocolate and friends with Julia Bettencourt.

    Bettencourt – perfect.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  18. yes yes

    a man having principles cannot stand

    we need men with no principles

    we need men who love their goldy sacky money

    we need men who batter women

    we need poo-stank not pee-stank

    we need that newyorkliberaltrash

    we need to be lied to!

    we need to be conned!

    please teddy bear, leave us alone with your principled stand!

    we don’t need that here in failmerica

    not with the failmerican king coming!

    sadfeet (ddead1)

  19. Let’s find out together… http://americandigest.org/sidelines/2016/05/#a033590

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  20. The insufferably self-righteous “Never Trumpers” are taking the high road – right off the side of a mountain. Unfortunately, they may take the rest of us with them.

    Deuce Frehley (73c323) — 5/27/2016 @ 6:25 pm

    Well then, I guess Trumpers just have to work that much harder to get their Golden Boy in office. You can support him all you want. I ain’t doing it. If that means we aren’t internet BFFs, eh.

    Bill H (971e5f)

  21. Perhaps a little less positioning himself for 2020 would be the most appropriate course of action for Cruz.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  22. MD in Philly,

    Why bother giving it any thought until the last week in October? ISTM consideration of ways to help Toomey would be more productive. If Pennsylvania is actually in play (very, very doubtful) there will be plenty of time in the last week to make a decision.

    Rick Ballard (161c5b)

  23. The lack of an independent candidate of any stature has left people with nowhere to turn. Had Romney got off his duff and run last month, rather than try to cajole third-raters to do so for him, maybe we would be seeing a different cascade.

    But the choice now is between Trump and “abstain” (i.e. “half-Hillary”) and that’s really awkward for a GOP politician. Voters can get away with it. Bloggers can maybe get away with it (we will see, and I suspect Pat would rather hang ’em up than sell out). Politicians have careers, and there aren’t many choices right now.

    Trump needs Cruz to sign on. Trump may even know this; for sure his smarter people are telling him this. Cruz wants something, and I think we all know what it is. We’ll see.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  24. It’s a choice between a bologna sandwich (Trump) and a double sh*tburger smothered in criminality with a large side-order of lies (Demoness Dowager Clinton).

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  25. Somebody probably has to send Ted Cruz some chocolate.

    Are you suggesting he’s seen a dementor?

    kishnevi (b9b7a2)

  26. Mr. Cruz wants Mr. The Donald to look into his goldy sacky’s distressed hurting haunted eyes and say i’m so sorry honey bunny pickle-poo

    you’re beautimous!

    happyfeet (831175)

  27. not gonna happen

    happyfeet (831175)

  28. If only it was a bologna sandwich!

    Or did you mean a baloney sandwich?

    kishnevi (b9b7a2)

  29. It’s a choice between a bologna sandwich (Trump) and a double sh*tburger smothered in criminality

    It’s between a bag of hammers and a bag of weasels.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  30. Are you suggesting he’s seen a dementor?

    No, but Trump has apparently see a whole posse.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  31. I think a very muted “he may be bad, but Hillary is worse” sort of endorsement, with no active campaigning for Trump, would not impact his credibility.

    That would be seen as trying to undermine Trump. Saying nothing would be better for Trump than that.

    Back in 2012 people thought Christy acted like he didn’t really want Romney to win. It definitely didn’t help him in 2016.

    Gerald A (7c7ffb)

  32. #31
    I mean “Christie”.

    Gerald A (7c7ffb)

  33. I hope Cruz does all that he can to support and encourage down-ballot conservatives. They won’t get much support from the GOP or its nominee in this election year.

    DRJ (15874d)

  34. The sort of down-ballot conservative worth supporting would oppose Trump when he (or his VP, since he will be uninterested in the details of governance) tries to overreach.

    There are likely precious few of these but they deserve all of our support.

    I wonder who is running who is worth supporting.

    Patterico (5ff298)

  35. stay puft is mostly about him, hence the keynote speech, which was terrible, as compared to someone else who did a much better job,

    narciso (732bc0)

  36. 28… Oscar Mayer™ Bologna Sandwich… sometimes spelled baloney or boloney, kishnevi. But you get my drift.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  37. lol pikachu

    you hate you some goldysacky money

    except when your Mr Big gets goldysacky money

    spray tan lying braggy braggy hair plugs what takes and gives bribes is like dreamboat quarterback in high school

    if you love him right and do his homework he might love you back in a cloud of axe body spray

    pikachu needs to remember high school: Mr Big always goes home with the eurotrash hookers

    you might could get some bathroom action though

    dare to dream

    trumpyfeet (0a2b49)

  38. dude

    ur so dark

    happyfeet (831175)

  39. lol at least i don’t write mrs donald trump on my peechee folder

    trumpyfeet (0a2b49)

  40. yes it’s not like they’ve been persecuted for decades on end, and saddam tried to wipe them out,

    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-orders-troops-in-syria-to-remove-kurdish-insignia-isis/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=24956879

    narciso (732bc0)

  41. lol that’s so cool i just ordered some pee chees from amazon

    not entirely sure they make them anymore

    happyfeet (831175)

  42. Mr. Cruz wants Mr. The Donald

    It rhymes with calia’s bleat.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  43. The insufferably self-righteous “Never Trumpers” are taking the high road – right off the side of a mountain. Unfortunately, they may take the rest of us with them.
    Deuce Frehley (73c323) — 5/27/2016 @ 6:25 pm

    That’s the reason I’m doing it. The strongest argument against Trump are his dogmeat supporters. I want them down and out. Banzai, baby!

    nk (dbc370)

  44. I don’t vote for Democrats, even if they get the GOP nomination.

    #NeverTrump
    #NeverHillary

    Finrod (26657d)

  45. Mr. Cruz wants Mr. The Donald to look into his goldy sacky’s distressed hurting haunted eyes and say i’m so sorry honey bunny pickle-poo

    you’re beautimous!

    happyfeet (831175) — 5/27/2016 @ 7:10 pm

    yes yes!

    But the Mr. Donald wants Mr. Cruz to bow down and look up into his goldy sacky crazy eyes and beg forgiveness for going agains the Don.

    all he wants is to get goldy sacky their money that’s all the Don wants

    cruzyboy was the wrong goldy sacky guy clearly

    the Don is much better with the goldy sackys.

    sadfeet (ddead1)

  46. 24. It’s a choice between a bologna sandwich (Trump) and a double sh*tburger smothered in criminality with a large side-order of lies (Demoness Dowager Clinton).

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 5/27/2016 @ 7:05 pm

    If it were that, the choice would be easy. Instead we are forced to choose between the the Sh*t McMuffin from the all-day breakfast menu or, OR!, the Double McSh*t burger from the dollar menu.

    Steve57 (2aedfb)

  47. If someone were offering me a bologna sandwich I would take it.

    Steve57 (2aedfb)

  48. How much sh*t do you want to eat this election cycle, the parties are contesting to discover.

    Steve57 (2aedfb)

  49. Donnie is embarrassing. Panderer, liar, and con man…..only the most willing mark could fall for his shtick.

    Hillary is a sad creature, so desperate for power….but Donald is the ego in search of approval.

    They are both disasters.

    I dont know how the country recovers from what happens next.

    Alec j (def15e)

  50. I cannot vote for Elmo.
    I will not vote for KHilarity.
    I shall proudly write in Ted Cruz.

    Shawn Marshall (a9d1dd)

  51. I am still wondering if somebody’s planning a coup in the Texas Republican Party, followed by secession from the GOP, and putting somebody else’s name on the Texas ballot for president,.

    Maybe using some kind of convention fight, or the choice as Vice President, as the excuse. They may be waiting and hoping for Trump to make some kind of a mistake.

    It sorts of sounds like that, from what is not being said.

    If a secession from the national GOP happens, Texas may not be the only state whose Republican Party will defect.

    But it won’t help to carry usually Republican states, if the goal is to prevent both Hillary Clinron and Donald Trump from becoming president. They’ve really got to try to carry Californoa, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, Illinois and some other states. This can’t be done with Ted Cruz. Independent lines may be easier there. or someone may want to see a Democrat defection so as to through some of those states into the Republican column (while stealing other, more Republican states, for a thrd party)

    The goal, however, might be just to maintain future political credibility.

    Sammy Finkelman (febafc)


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