Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
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
Larry your apologetic of Trump: ” Yes it’s unfortunate that he said ___ but what he really means now is___.” is not without precedent; it’s known as Sarah Palin. It didn’t work out to well for her cheerleaders. You might want to consider that.
.
I have no issues with Ted Cruz being true to himself. He is way less despicable than most career politicians
On a pleasant note this is such a phenomally biased proTrump article, utterly ignoring his character, that I’m sure the opposite of the rabble alliance is at status epilepticis.
Well… I understand and agree with what you just wrote.
Larry, when your buddy Trump loses 40 states, I believe the Trumpkins will be the ones experiencing career-ending moments. We will not forget those who enthusiastically hoisted this clown on our party.
Mr. Kudlow, you may have Gov. (VP?) Pence and the whole of the Republican party. There are some of us who will take Ted Cruz and what he stands for. We will also take Mike Lee and Ken Cuccinelli since Republicans have no use for them. If Rand Paul earns re-election we will gladly take the good doctor as well.
I understand the Republican party doesn’t have any use for the House Freedom Caucus. They are welcome as well.
That will leave you with a nice collection of 1970’s open border Democrats and Mr. Trump.
Deal.
Cruz could have done what Nixon did in 1964 and Reagan did in 1976. Instead, he chose the path of pettiness.
Reagan didn’t endorse Ford either.
A Trump supporter accusing someone of pettiness? My irony meter just exploded.
Yeah, but if he said he was going to vote for Donald Trump they were going to build a statue of him or something I guess.
Sir, you are the man, and I listen to your podcast and read your columns. On one occasion I was thinking of your writing style when I wrote something on Ricochet. (It got a Main Feed promotion, so maybe it worked!)
But this is one place where I withhold agreement from you:
I’m not sure why it should be taken to mean that. I can imagine myself saying it and meaning only that a reasonable person with a clean conscience can make his own decision on this. There are, as I’ve tried to document here on Ricochet, several respectable positions on this situation.
I find myself swayed by arguments here on both side of this issue. I’m going to default back to my position of “Stop Hillary at all costs” and quit worrying about the details. No sense in over-thinking this.
This is cringe-inducing.
Oh! I’m so glad you are immune to this impulse. Pray tell, what is a Trump insider?
May we have a post about the latest Falcon launch? The huge expensive first stage landed for reuse!
I get the distinct impression that many of the upcoming comments on this post are recycled, too.
I watched Trump’s speech tonight. Remarkable difference compared to any utterance of Hillary’s. But, I’m sure the entirely expected circular GOP firing squad is just getting warmed up.
Don’t be obtuse. Of course that’s what Ted plainly implied. And this POV is from an original Cruz fan.
Even Newt in the guise of Miracle Max couldn’t adequately spin it. He tried hard, though.
Lose with Cruz.
So does that mean we should no longer call Trump out on his nonsense? If Trump does not want to be criticized he should just stop doing and saying things I find objectionable. This is what sticks in my throat about the situation. To support him I have to tacitly endorse his opinions. I don’t share those opinions. So then I have to lie, or like Ted Cruz just tell people to vote their conscience. Being honest to my family and friends is a bigger priority to me than beating Hillary.
It seems to me that rather than getting into a spat with Cruz over what he said, the Trump campaign should take the lemons and make some lemonade out of them. In other words, it doesn’t matter what Cruz meant. Take his statement and run with it. Vote your conscience? Absolutely! Do you want a Hillary presidency on your conscience? Of course not. So vote your conscience by voting Trump and keep her out of the White House. Or something along those lines.
That approach makes a lot more sense to me than wailing and gnashing their teeth over what was said. Lemonade tastes a lot better than lemon juice.
I think Ted Cruz forgot that Ronald Reagan stood on the stage next to Gerald Ford and endorsed him enthusiastically in 1976. 2020 will not play out for Cruz in the way that 1980 did for Reagan.
Whatever else may be said about this week as far as I know Graham has been nowhere seen, so there’s that at least.
I think you are the only one that remembers that. Everywhere else I read Reagan did not endorse Ford.
I worked for the Reagan campaign in 1976. I think the notion that Reagan didn’t endorse Ford in 1976 has become one of those urban legends that just aren’t true.
Welcome to GOPe Mike. Don’t complain to me when your wall never materializes.
Perhaps you should write a post about it because I’ve read 3+ comments in the past 36 hours that all say Reagan did not endorse Ford at the convention.
Honestly, I thought most people would take it that way.
They probably would have, had Trump not blown it out of proportion. The whole story wouldn’t have lasted past the morning news cycle. This is an orchestrated campaign to drub Cruz out of the party. The establishment and Trump are now hand in hand and have drawn a line in the sand. It’s now 100% subservience or else.
Nope.
Seawriter
We support our own.