#345101

Late Wednesday night, a source within the Cruz team informed Daily Wire exclusively that the Trump campaign had sandbagged Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) over his speech at the Republican National Convention.

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Trump called for the U.S. to set conditions for helping NATO allies.

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London's new and first Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan has refused to back a request for the terrorist outfit Hezbollah to be a proscribed organisation

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"Dr. Berhane Asmelash, a former prisoner and victim of torture, described prisoners being tied up and hung from trees. One form of hanging is known as the 'Jesus Christ,' he said, because the victim looks as though they are on a crucifix." — Eritrea.

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What happened last night on Facebook, Twitter, Instant Messenger, and e-mail was unprecedented, for this writer at least. It started almost as soon as Ted Cruz left the podium in Cleveland, and it built up momentum until it quickly became an avalanche. I didn’t just hear from politicos (though I certainly did hear from them) or conservatives (ditto) – I heard from liberals, moderates, and even from friends who I believe are relatively apolitical. Some wanted to hear my opinion on Cruz’s speech and the subsequent reaction. But most just wanted to let me know that they thought it was fantastic.
Most of those I heard from were movement conservatives – not surprising considering that movement conservatives have been among the strongest anti-Trump partisans. But other messages came from liberals, including my sister, who messaged me “Yeah, Ted Cruz!”, constituting the first time she has ever praised a Republican other than her brother.
Obviously, not everyone at the convention center felt the same way, though to some degree, as Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort seemed to acknowledge, the boos were choreographed by the Trump campaign. Yet the party establishment (and hard-core Trump supporters) will be more furious at Cruz than ever before, at least until November, at which point the political wisdom, or lack thereof, of Cruz’s move will be more apparent. However, it is well worth pointing out, even a Trump victory in 2016 would not automatically be devastating to Cruz’s future prospects. Trump must both win in 2016 and govern reasonably effectively (by conservative lights) for Cruz’s non-endorsement to live in long-term infamy. Cruz is betting that won’t happen.
Yet for all of the political analysis of Cruz’s supposed calculation in not endorsing, much of it seems too clever by half, with the analysis largely reflecting the author’s predisposition toward Cruz. In that regard, I should state my own biases. While I have at times been critical of Cruz, in general I am a fan. I endorsed him in the 2016 election, and nothing from last night causes me to reconsider that endorsement (quite the opposite). What’s more, Cruz’s decision shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone paying attention to the post-election statements from either the senator or his team. In various conversations with people close to the campaign in recent weeks, they were unanimous that they did not expect Senator Cruz to ever endorse Donald Trump, and certainly not at the convention. And Senator Cruz’s team went out of its way when they were given a speaking slot to indicate that an endorsement was not required of them in exchange for it. Frankly, it was gross political malpractice by the Trump team to allow Cruz to deliver his speech essentially unvetted, yet, given other gaffes made at the convention, it can hardly be seen as surprising.
In this case, the simplest explanation for Senator Cruz’s behavior is also the best one. He didn’t endorse Trump because he didn’t think Trump was worthy of endorsement.
Donald Trump insulted Cruz’s wife, (presumably) planted false tabloid stories about him in the National Inquirer, and suggested, completely baselessly, that his father might have been involved in the assassination of President Kennedy. Beyond these outrageous personal insults, it is clear that Trump’s conservatism, such as it is, has little in common with the limited-government, pro-federalism conservatism of Senator Cruz.
Does that mean that Cruz might not have endorsed Trump were it obviously politically advantageous for him to do so?
Of course not.
Cruz is a political animal—he isn’t Ron Paul searching for the most extreme way of standing by his principles with no regard to their practical consequences. But those close to Cruz felt that strategically, the political implications of his move were unknowable. While a Rubio-style soft endorsement would have been politically much safer, ultimately there were presumably enough unknown unknowns about the politics that Senator Cruz decided that the best course of action was simply to do what he felt was right and hope, without any guarantees, that the politics would eventually work out for him.
Ultimately, Cruz’s performance in the hall outlined his strongest political quality: his courageousness, a virtue that, ironically, he shares to some degree with his Trumpian nemesis. For those of us who believe that courage is the virtue we will need most if we are to have any chance of effectively challenging liberalism’s false premises and rolling back its cultural hegemony, that courageousness is the reason why we can make peace with Cruz, whatever his other flaws.
And Cruz’s courage is very different from Trump’s. Trump’s “courage” is more akin to the courage of a man who simply doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him (and therefore it tends to come packaged with a healthy dose of pathological narcissism and a failure to listen to good advice). Despite the stoic face he puts on, it is clear that Cruz is to some degree bothered by the opprobrium that is heaped on him (indeed, his discomfort was even visible at times during the speech). But it is a far more human and admirable courage than Trump’s hyper-confident bluster. This is not to suggest that Cruz is not a calculating politician (indeed he is, far more than most). Nor does it deny that he may well bear some responsibility for other behaviors that have not endeared him to his Senate colleagues. But at the end of the day, after all of the calculating is done, Senator Cruz, in a greater degree than any other national Republican, is willing to go out alone and defend an unpopular conservative position when doing so may have substantial personal and political costs.
“It was the glory of this man that he could stand alone with the truth, and calmly await the result,” said Frederick Douglass at the funeral of his fellow radical abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, who first took up the cause at a time when it was deeply unpopular. While the stakes of Cruz’s speech, significant though they were, pale in comparison with the battles fought by Douglass and Garrison, the core principles Douglass stated apply equally. And in this case, the truth, whether or not the delegates in Cleveland wanted to hear it, is that Donald Trump, whatever virtues and vices he may have, and regardless of whatever GOP officialdom wants to pretend, is not a conservative, at least in the way that Americans have thought of conservatism over the last several decades. Ted Cruz didn’t join #NeverTrump yesterday. But he did declare that he wasn’t going to pretend that Trump’s record was something it wasn’t.
Senator Cruz’s decision was clearly unpopular with many GOP delegates and insiders in Cleveland. But for many in the wider political world outside the convention hall, Lyin’ Ted became Lion Ted on Wednesday night. And 2016 will likely not be the last time we’ll hear his roar.
— Jeremy Carl is a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

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A new bill proposing fines for social media sites that do not remove terror-promoting content received the coalition’s approval on Sunday.

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Ted Cruz’s biggest fan in Utah, Mike Lee, was cheering him on during his epic speech tonight, along with the entire Utah delegation. Watch: Utah delegation & @SenMikeLee go wild for @tedc…

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#345109

Last night, Ted Cruz proved a lot of things about himself and about the things he believed. But the most important thing he proved was about Donald Trump's supporters: he proved that they are more interested in settling perceived grievances with the Republican party than they are in actually winning the White House. Here's how I know: Mike Pence gave a speech last night. Pence | Read More »

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The Latest on the Republican National Convention (all times EDT):

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Speaking to The New York Times, Donald Trump showed that when it comes to foreign policy, he is as leftist as Barack Obama and as insanely isolationist as an ostrich with its head in the sand.

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So, as the dust settles from the chaos that broke out on the convention floor over Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) speech failing to openly endorse Donald Trump, here are some facts upon which to reflect:

#345114

Tetrick says the response to his open letter ad to Donald Trump in the New York Times and the Cleveland Plain Dealer was overwhelming and humbling.

#345115

On Wednesday night, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke before the Republican National Convention. Cruz received a long standing ovation, then led off by congratulating Donald Trump on winning the Republican nomination. This received another standing ovation. “Like each of you, I want to see the principles that our party believes prevail in November,” Cruz said. But it was as close to an endorsement as Cruz would get.

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**CHAT RULES:** 1. No racism, or TRUMP bashing here. 2. Please do not abuse symbols or use excessive emojis. 3. Please try to speak English so everyone can u...

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“Wow, Ted Cruz got booed off the stage, didn't honor the pledge! I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway. No big deal!”

#345119

A year after Donald Trump launched his presidential bid, and against all expectations, the business mogul is the presumptive GOP nominee. These are the voters who supported him.

#345120

Ted Cruz willfully put himself in the middle of a Trumpstorm by speaking at the Republican National Convention and not endorsing the nominee, Donald Trump. He is, once again, the most hated man in …

#345121

Still on the fence? Here are the top five reasons you absolutely, positively cannot vote for Hillary Clinton. REFERENCES AT http://louderwithcrowder.com/the-...

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Charles Kinsey, a therapist helping an autistic patient, was shot by North Miami Police while on the ground with his…

#345125

Three Muslim teenagers who bombed a Sikh temple have been found guilty of attempted murder and causing an explosion - but not terrorism.
