Nothing like a stroll down memory lane to put things in perspective. Five years ago tomorrow was a landmark day in the life of Ted Cruz. He was booed at the Republican National Convention for refusing to endorse Donald Trump. In doing so he was showing some uncharacteristic mettle. If Cruz had kept going with that stance and not pathetically rolled over and become a lap dog, he might have actually filled the vacuum of leadership in the GOP.
Ted Cruz on why he refused to bend the knee to Trump. "History isn't kind to the man who holds Mussolini's jacket." https://t.co/KJsZGYeGdT pic.twitter.com/AGr9BfGrpM
— Kombiz Lavasany (@kombiz) July 19, 2021
If you recollect that convention at all, it was a wild, hostile mess. Delegates were literally taking their credentials off their necks and hurling them on the floor. The entire delegations of both Iowa and Colorado stormed out of the venue at one point. Out of this crucible of ill will and rancor, Donald Trump ascended to the top of the ticket.
The quote about Mussolini’s jacket comes from a book review by The Guardian, which details how Fox News was instrumental in getting candidate Trump elected, much to the chagrin of Ted Cruz, who was thrilled with a big win in the Wisconsin primary.
After his victory speech, Cruz settled down to watching Fox News on his campaign bus. Alberta writes that he was initially pleased to see his photograph on the screen – an unusual bonus given blanket coverage of Trump by all main TV stations.
But then Sean Hannity, the unashamedly partisan and extreme rightwing Fox News host, interjected by pointing out Trump’s strong standing in upcoming primaries in New York, the north-east, Indiana and West Virginia. At that point, the author says, the Texan blew.
“What the fuck?” he shouted, leaping from his seat and startling staff who had never seen him quite as agitated. […]
The author notes that Cruz and Ailes used to be close, regularly having breakfast in New York. Cruz was a frequent guest of the channel, given his rightwing positions and standing among evangelicals.
But as the 2016 primary cycle unfolded, Ailes cut himself off from Cruz, Alberta reports. By the New Year, just weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the TV executive was no longer taking the politician’s calls.
Cruz does not reserve his criticism of the media exclusively for Fox News. He tells the author the journalistic establishment acted as one in smothering Trump with coverage.
“I didn’t anticipate that Trump would receive over three billion dollars in free media,” the senator is quoted as saying. “There is no precedent for that in the history of the United States of America.”
Cruz may have been seeing straight at that time, just as Lindsey Graham was at one point, but neither one of them had the guts to maintain the posture. Granted, once a candidate is chosen for the top of the ticket, it behooves everyone else to put past hostilities aside and get behind the nominee, for the good of the party. But getting behind the nominee and becoming the nominee’s bitch are two different things. Graham and Cruz became Trump’s groupies. Why, only they know.
But if either one of them had any real leadership qualities, one of them might be leading the GOP out of the mess it got itself in five years ago. That is not the case. There is a dearth of leadership in the Republican party because nobody has a spine. The only Republican displaying any balls right now is Liz Cheney and you know where that has gotten her.
Not long after, Cruz had Trump’s jacket dry-cleaned and pressed.
I’d think it more likely that “Not long after, Cruz was seen sporting some white stains on his face and walking funny,” given the way Cruz did a 180 regarding Trump. Ten-dollar crack whores have more integrity than Cruz displayed in 2016.
Or since.