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Mike Pence Saved the Republican Party After That Cruz Disaster
Ted Cruz essentially gave a career-ending speech at the GOP convention on Wednesday night.
Cruz’s speech was a slap in the face to GOP nominee Donald Trump. This whole business about “vote your conscience” — that’s a wonderful-sounding phrase. But we all know what he meant: Don’t vote for Donald Trump.
I was in the convention hall and the crowd’s reaction was unbelievable. It started out as a few hands waving in the air and some booing and then it just grew and grew throughout the entire convention hall. And then boom! It was absolute bedlam.
I’ve been to most of the GOP conventions since 1980, and I’ve never seen anything like it. These people stood on their feet and booed. These are Republicans! They don’t do this.
They don’t know how to stand up and boo! And yet, Cruz so divided them and worked them into such a frenzy that it happened.
Cruz tried to pass it off as just the New York delegation acting up. But that is wrong. The whole hall was in an uproar. You couldn’t even hear the last two paragraphs of Cruz’s speech because the booing had reached such a crescendo!
Cruz left an absolute disaster in his wake when he finished that speech. Everyone was dispirited — as you might expect.
And then came Trump running mate Mike Pence.
Pence delivered a terrific speech. He touched on all the major themes – the economy, shaking up Washington and Trump being an outsider. He talked about how Trump understands that middle class wage earners have been hurt – they haven’t had a raise in 15 years. That’s something that Cruz, in all of his years of political experience, still doesn’t understand!
Really, in the space of about 10 or 12 minutes, Mike Pence turned a demoralized, dispirited, depressed, negative convention into an upbeat, optimistic, united convention. He hit all the right notes and had a lot of optimism in his speech. The Cruz disaster, that had left the convention hall spinning just moments before, was suddenly swept away.
The entire hall started applauding Pence. Then they started cheering for Pence. And they got on their feet and cheered for Pence. Amazing.
Trump couldn’t have made a better choice. Mike Pence single-handedly pulled that convention back together and united them with an optimistic message. He gave great support to Donald Trump and the ticket. He basically snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. He turned destruction into positive hope.
I’ve never seen anything like that.
Ted Cruz will never politically recover from this. His delegation from Texas wanted him to play ball with Trump — and he wouldn’t. He was freelancing in that speech. And that is why his political career is over. He’s finished.
But Donald Trump and Mike Pence are just beginning.
We have to wait and see what Trump does tonight in his speech — it could make or break his presidential campaign. I personally hope that he puts a lot of focus on optimistic, positive changes for America. I want to see a lot of growth in that speech. I want to hear him talk about lowering taxes and curbing regulations.
But here’s what I want to see most of all: a follow-through from what Pence started. One of Pence’s messages on Wednesday night was that we, meaning the ticket, can turn this nation around. It’s an American malaise right now — from the economy, to civil unrest, violence and the threat of terrorism. And that is what Trump must prove to the nation and the world — that he can turn it around. He’s got to convince them.
It’s kind of like Reagan redux. Ronald Reagan was able to do this. He proved that he could do the job. That’s what Trump needs to do.
That’s huge. That’s more important than any policy detail.
That’s the spirit that Pence started on Wednesday night. Let’s hope Trump does the same.
Published in General
Trump insiders gotta spin I guess.
If you appreciate America and liberty, you are going to feel foolish a year from now. If the Cheeto King wins.
Donald Trump was my 17th choice for the Republican nomination. But it’s over now and I have to live in the real world. I will pull the lever for Trump. It’s now time for the #Never Trumpers, Commentary Magazine and National Review to just let it go. Beating Hillary is now Priority One. As for Cruz, Trump has no one but himself to blame for letting him speak. You call the man’s wife ugly and accuse his father of whacking JFK then you expect a speech full of flowery endorsements? So much for Donald’s BIG BRAIN.
Ted’s 23 minutes made it so Newt, who gave a great speech, had to rush through so Pence would have enough time before the 11pm ET cutoff. When the noise erupted on television we wondered whether it was protesters who had gotten in—the camera was glued to Ted. I have read that Ted submitted his speech ahead of time, but it seemed to drift—probably off script.
I didn’t know much about Mike Pence before last night. He was impressive.
You’re not from Texas, are you? I can tell.
Seawriter
I have little love for Cruz, but that line was basically a Rorschach test. The only reason anyone should think that “vote your conscience” is an attack on their candidate is if they think their candidate is unconscionable.
I said it before but it’s worth repeating here: There is more conservatism in Ted Cruz’s toenail clipping than Donald Trump will ever manage to squeak out.
The only one embarrassing himself here is you, Mr. Kudlow.
Ted Cruz gave a career ending speech at the Convention like Bill Clinton gave a career ending speech at the 1988 Convention.
Sorry Larry, but your guy can’t unify the party.
He said all along he could win without Republicans.
I’m granting his wish.
Sorry, Larry, but for many of us, character and a public life lived consistently with Conservative principles and policies matter. They are more important than bowing before the throne and kissing the ring of this most unprincipled nominee – a guy who hijacked my party in large part because establishment GOP office holders (Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell) did nothing with Congressional majorities handed them by Conservatives in 2010 and 2014. Would I rather have Trump as president than Hillary? Yes, but I’d also prefer a 30-year prison sentence to execution by lethal injection. So for the Larry Kudlows, Ben Carsons and Mike Pences of the world, I have no problem with you supporting, endorsing, voting for, and even running with, the “short-fingered vulgarian”. But please don’t refer to him as “that good man” (as Mike Pence did last night). Is your memory so short that you have forgotten the puerile verbal assaults launched by Trump against virtually every one of his primary rivals? Behavior that none of us would tolerate from a fourth-grader? (And what kind of Christian would EVER say, “Why do I have to repent or ask for forgiveness if I am not making mistakes?”) Gullible evangelicals, financial journalists, vanquished primary opponents, and opportunistic Republican office holders who have now dutifully fallen into line may feel smug today, but sometime after the election, it will become clear – even to them – that they were duped by a grotesque charlatan and political con artist.
With the booing, the mob had one message, conservatives are not welcome, and I am not sure I care. It is the same old stuff that costs us every election. They don’t care about changing Washington. They just wanted their own power.I am done with the top spot, it can stay unchecked. I will vote for some down ballot candidates and pray for the country, but not sure why. Can I pray for a country that has turned its back on God? The Trumpies are posers, having morphed into what they first claimed they hated. The best recommendation anyone can give is Hillary would be worse. Maybe they deserve worse. They are hot air. Watch them not open their wallets to fund his campaign.
Indeed, the very idea of supporting the constitution and voting principle offended folks who know Trump is a fraud. The Trump crowd is beginning to sound like BLM and other organized Democrat mobs. Trump needs to give conservatives reasons to ignore these people. I’ve already reconciled myself to vote against Hillary, because, well she’s Hillary, but many haven’t. Give us a break. Cruz by the way just moved forward and consolidated his position as a real conservative and a man of backbone and principle. He’s young, Trump isn’t and the Democrat party is so rotten even olfactory challenged Democrats can smell it. Still, they are totalitarians and can’t be given power. We’ll survive Trump. It is not obvious we’ll survive the Democrats.
When the Trumplings get what they say they want, when the GOP is burned to the ground, and the Trumplings are standing around saying, “Okay, now what?” while watching Democrat victory after Democrat victory, Ted Cruz will be standing there saying, “I told you so.”
Cruz will be remembered either as Winston Churchill or Judas Iscariot. If Trump loses, or if he wins if his presidency fails in major ways, it’ll be the former. If Trump wins and his presidency is a success in major ways, the latter.
Politicians, like Cruz, trade on party loyalty when it’s their turn to run. The fact that he had a public snit like that means I can’t foresee any reason to ever vote for him in another primary (as I did). In fact, the longer the primaries went on, the creepier Cruz got, and the more I regretted that vote.
And if Trump loses, a year from now you are going to be very sorry Clinton won.
Will.Not.Vote.For.Hillary.
So, I guess, I have to vote Trump. But I won’t like it, and I’ll have to go and wash my hands after pulling that lever. Sigh. Trump is so dreadful…but Hillary is worse in countless ways. What a situation we’re in this year. Sigh.
Whatever the objective that was the worst speech I have seen Cruz give. It meandered in search of a point. One line and applause, one line and applause. It was terrible.
Maybe he meant career-ending for Trump.
Forgive me, but this is insulting nonsense. I want the GOP to lead America to success, because the democrats surely won’t. If the GOP is burning to the ground it’s only because of the astonishing stupidity of the party leadership, which has repeatedly refused to do what the public wants and has voted for them to do.
In that eventuality us “Trumplings” will be working hard to build our own party, much like how the Tea Party activism managed to save the gop from its bottomless incompetence, circa 2010.
And the rank and file voters will be remembering that he deliberately worked to undermine the party, just so he could get his chance to say I told you so.
Bad choice, Ted, in my view. Everyone will remember. Everyone.
No kidding “Vote your conscience” – what a dog whistle!
As a political commentator, Mr. Kudlow makes a great economist. At least this serves one purpose–a bit less “aren’t we victims” sentiment from Trump supporters complaining about writing on the main feed.
Color me Reluctant Trump. He was my 16th pick of 17. I will vote for him, because he is not Hillary, and the Hildabeest is evil – she sells our country out for money and power.
But if the Republicans have turned into just another bunch of thugs out for power, then I’m done with them. The trouble is, I can’t tell if Trump and Co. or the GOPe are the more venal and power hungry. If Cruz has [CoC]ed them both off, as witness this post, that’s a point in his favor as far as I’m concerned.
How is this a ‘disaster’ when the Trump camp knew what he’d say in his speech?
Larry, does this mean that I can ridicule your wife’s looks, deal in preposterous lies about your parents, and endlessly employ middle school epithets about you, refuse to apologize for any of it, and you will still say wonderful things about me as if we’re old friends?
Of course I would never do any of that, which I gather disqualifies me from high office, and your approbation.
So the test is to make sure we ‘kiss the ring’ or we aren’t allowed to play anymore? Trump is running for President of the United States right, not King?
Note how this “career ending” talking point has been repeated verbatim by Trump hacks and GOPe toadies from the minute Cruz stepped off the stage. This whole affair was an orchestrated hit job to try and destroy Cruz’s political career. We’ll see if the people of Texas fall for it.
I wish I was so happily wrong about everything all the time. I’d look great on TV.
I agree. I get the vibe from Trump supporters that I should be ashamed of myself for not supporting Trump. Well, I’m not ashamed. Seems like they can’t say the same.
Trump has assimilated the GOPe. They are the same group now. Trump, paradoxically, has proved that the establishment has no spine, by making the establishment become part the Trumpian anti-establishment (making it the Trumpian establishment). If you can follow what I just wrote, you’re smarter than me.
Me too.
Two of my top three favorite candidates – Rand Paul and Ted Cruz – are disdained by many of the old guard in the GOP. John McCain calls them wacko birds and Lyndsey Graham says no one in the Senate would object to Ted Cruz’s murder. If Paul or Cruz had beat the odds and became the party’s nominee I would have been pretty damned thrilled. If McCain or Graham had spoken at the convention and talked about conservative ideals and told people to vote their conscience without endorsing Paul or Cruz, I’d still be so happy that my guy had made it this far I really wouldn’t care that some Republicans who were philosophically opposed to him didn’t kiss the ring.
Mr. Kudlow, your friend Donald Trump is the nominee even though a very large portion of the GOP will vote for him only because they judge Hillary Clinton to be the greater of two evils. Be grateful for the support he does have.
Good thing there are people here to explain it to me. I didn’t watch any of this as broadcast by the hate media, but I read about it here on Ricochet, as described by both pro- and anti-Trump people, and didn’t take Cruz’s remarks to mean that at all. My bad.