Tag: Ted Cruz

Trump and Cruz — The New Win-Win…

Okay, let’s be really clear about the Ted Cruz speech at the RNC.  Trump and his campaign knew exactly what Cruz was going to say in that speech, and they put him up there anyway.  Why?  Theater.  Well, sort of…

Trump doesn’t know classical theater, but what he does know?  Professional wrestling.  He’s spent a good deal of time on stage with the WWE, and he understands exactly how it works.  Cruz gets to speak his peace at the convention for the same reason the bad-guy wrestlers get so much air time talking smack about the good-guy wrestlers, just before the good-guy wrestler makes his appearance and the bad-guy wrestler wraps it up and quickly slinks away.  Did you notice Trump’s appearance right at the end of Cruz’s speech?  That was no accident or impromptu reaction.  That was classic stagecraft, in the WWE tradition.

This was an easy “win” for Trump.  He gets to remind everyone of his overwhelming “victory” by parading his vanquished foe on stage for his fans to jeer at.  Trump gets to be the “victim”, attacked by Cruz’s refusal to endorse him. And he gets to portray Cruz as the poster-child of the conscience-voting ant-Trump Republicans, arguably their worst possible representative.  So Trump gets to be the good guy, under attack but prevailing, banishing his foes back to the political underworld from which they came.

But don’t feel bad for Cruz, it’s a “win” for him too.  He gets to “stand up for his principles”.  He gets to basically deliver a giant FU to Trump at his own convention.  And he positions himself perfectly for 2020.

Cruz is betting that the Trump campaign implodes in the general, or at least fails at electoral math.  (A real possibility, given Trump’s skill with numbers, facts, reality, etc.)  It’s not just a good bet, it’s really his only play.  A Trump win leaves Cruz out in the cold regardless of anything he does, but a Trump loss?  That’s something he can work with.  If Trump tanks and Clinton wins, Cruz is perfectly positioned for 2020 as the conservative, principled candidate.  The man who stood his ground, refused to back down to the Trump machine, and still appeals to the right and the far right.  His “strength” and “principles” become a stark contrast to Hillary, who is unlikely to win any converts, and a 2020 win for Ted becomes a very real possibility.

So yeah,  Trump knew exactly what Cruz was going to say.  And Cruz knew exactly why Trump was going to let him say it.  They probably had long meetings and conference calls about it, planning it all out.  It is the classic political win-win scenario.  Everyone wins.  Everyone benefits.  (Except as always, us.)

 

photo from the Tea Party Tribune

Our Choices So Far

It is a long ways to November, and I’m not gonna make it unless I scale back a bit. So for now, at least until I can’t stand it any longer, this is all I have to say about the presidential race…

In no particular order…

Hillary Clinton – is an opportunist. She is untrustworthy. She has an open marriage with the truth. She will say or do anything if she thinks it will get her votes. She has no real character and no real direction. Her only goal for becoming president is to become president. No one knows what she would do if president, but we could always hack her mail server to find out. But… She is a better choice than Trump.

Ted Cruz – is a mean little obstructionist wing-nut. He has alienated everyone in Congress. Even other Republicans don’t like him. He is more concerned with winning a political point than doing what is right for America. Despite claiming to be a Constitutional scholar, he would completely dismantle the 1st Amendment given the opportunity. He is everything that is wrong with modern American politics. But… He is a better choice than Trump.

Marco Rubio – is an ineffective first term junior Senator, completely beholden to his party establishment, and who religiously clings to the party line, even when it makes him look like an idiot. In other words, he is basically the Republican version of a Barack Obama. He is inexperienced, he is a lightweight, and he is in way over his head. But… He is a better choice than Trump.

Bernie Sanders – is a democratic socialist in the European tradition. He will increase government spending. He will increase taxes. He is convinced you will be better off for it. I am not convinced. Though he means well, many of his plans are naive at best, catastrophic at worst. But… He is a better choice than Trump.

Donald Trump – is a giant gasbag full of hate, nonsense, buffoonery, and bacon grease. He wants to make America great again by getting rid of all the Mexicans and Muslims, much like a certain German politician wanted to restore the Fatherland by getting rid of the Blacks and the Jews. He laughs at the handicapped. He enjoys watching his minions beat up protesters. He doesn’t realize Mexicans have developed a new anti-wall technology called “tunnels”. He could be the villain in an Austin Powers movie, but he would have to tone it down a bit. He is a better choice than Re-animated Zombie Hitler, but not by much.

America – there are only four viable non-Trump choices left – as distasteful as it is, we have to pick one of these four idiots to be our next president. At this point, I don’t even care which one, just pick one of them. I will go along with whoever you like. We can try again in four years, with a different set of idiots. But seriously… literally any candidate but Trump.