I just reminded myself that Senator Cruz, despite those moments in which The Great Denier denigrated both his father and his wife most vilely, 3 weeks ago endorsed Mr. Trump, as Steve Benen notes:
In other words, if today’s announcement makes it seem as if Cruz is a craven opportunist, far more interested in partisan gamesmanship than deeply held principles, it’s probably because he’s making it difficult to draw any other conclusion. …
Let’s also not forget that Trump also attacked Cruz’s wife and father. It was certainly on the senator’s mind in July when he told the Texas delegation to the Republican convention, “I am not in the habit of supporting someone who attacks my wife and attacks my father…. That pledge [to endorse the eventual nominee] was not a blanket commitment that if you go and slander and attack Heidi, that I’m going to nonetheless come like a servile puppy dog and say, ‘Thank you very much for maligning my wife and maligning my father.’”
So Senator Cruz decided that, despite how his honor was impugned, his chances of obtaining the GOP nomination in 2020 might be better if he became a team player.
I think he’s now screwed the pooch. One, despite gross family insults, he’s swallowed his pride – and his promise – and done the endorsement. That will not be forgotten by whatever constitutes the GOP faithful in three years. And now? Now he’s associated with someone with sexual improprieties to his name, and, possibly even worse, the same man is the denying reality. He virtually is calling for revolution if he fails; and the cherry on top is his refusal to even acknowledge he’s in trouble. The polls are manipulated, the media is against him.
If the GOP is wise – and America wonderfully lucky – the GOP will conduct a serious postmortem after the election in which sober, moderate conservatives such as Lugar and Bartlett take the lead in booting out such reality and science deniers as Inhofe, Limbaugh, and many others, both on the radio and in the party leadership, for taking the party down a road where a majority of America despises them for their positions, and for their abdication of the responsibilities of governance; the latter is certainly a specialty of Senator Cruz.
That’s what Cruz’ lust for power has brought him to – a close association with a candidate who has expressed a personal loathing for him and insulted his wife and his father. He’ll be seen to have swallowed his principles to honor a promise to support a fool whose only talent is stirring up those who’ve lost hope with hatred. Bring along with that a Senate that reportedly can’t stand him, and, rather than consider Cruz a possible candidate for the GOP nomination next time around, I have to wonder if he’ll even be in politics.
