In the beginning of this race, I announced my support of Ted Cruz. However, the longer this campaign goes on, the less I find myself supporting the Senator from Texas. What follows is not intended to impugn the character of Ted Cruz; or to suggest, as others do for Trump supporters, that patriots cannot find legitimate reasons to support Cruz. I still believe the best ticket is for the two to join forces. But as for what’s written below, these are observations of one patriotic conservative who desperately wants to change the course our country is on and who believes Donald Trump is the best candidate to do that.
I’m disgusted with the hypocrisy of many diehard trump opponents. Trump is said to have horrible numbers among women. However, Ted Cruz’s numbers are almost as bad: not to mention how low they will go once the media focuses upon his statements, that in an ideal world, women victims of rape or incest would be forced to have their attacker’s babies. Of course, you also have Cruz’s association with a Pastor who called for the murder of homosexuals. To me, this is as reprehensible as the views of David Duke. Yet, despite all the media focus upon Trump’s need to denounce that pig, I have heard no such demands made of Cruz. Why? Must people allow their support for a candidate blind them to hypocrisy?
The never Trump movement infuriates me. Demands were made on Trump from day one to sign a pledge to run as a Republican. However, as I made clear in my open letter to the GOP establishment, ever since Trump has been leading in delegate count, those who once demanded party loyalty, have claimed they won’t support him as the nominee. How can you demand loyalty from a man you yourself turn around and pledge never to support?
I find the endless accusations that all Trump supporters are vulgar racists, distasteful. Two thousand anonymous trolls on twitter, typing vulgar comments in support of Trump, prove absolutely nothing. I know many people who believe in Trump deeply. They include: my grandparents, parents, sister, and closest friends. How often, after a mas shooting, has we heard leftists in the media make broad generalizations: suggesting an attacker was a tea partier, thereby inferring all those who are Constitutional conservatives are somehow dangerous? The citation of a handful of random tweets to condemn as racists all who disagree with you is no different. It’s a tactic worthy of the left. Some of my fellow Conservative political pundits should be ashamed of themselves.
I have concerns with Senator Ted Cruz’s Senate record. Ted Cruz wants to put a moratorium on the H1B visa program in which skilled workers are allowed to come into the country due to an alleged lack of skilled Americans. He also attacks Trump for hiring H1B visa applicants instead of ordinary Americans. But Ted Cruz fails to mention that he proposed to increase allowable H1B visas, in the gang of eight bill, by 500%. Proposing to increase a program’s availability, then attacking those who take advantage of it, sounds ominously similar to the political bait and switch chicanery specialized by the establishment. And, if Cruz didn’t know such a drastic increase would lead to massive fraud, as he now claims, his judgment must be questioned. I have yet to receive an adequate explanation for his vote.
For the record, Trump has called the H1B visa program a disaster for American workers. It is. He’s right. His use of the program while running his business is not hypocrisy. He was using the laws in existence at the time in order to make money. That’s what business people do. It’s what we all do. Even though we want jobs to come back to America, we always purchase the product costing the least. Even though we know our country’s national debt is enormous, we always claim every allowable deduction on our taxes.
I cannot get over Ted Cruz’s vote in support of the Corker bill which rewrote the Constitution’s treaty clause. It was proposed by cowards in the Republican Party who were afraid Obama wouldn’t give them a say in the Iranian deal. Senator Cruz voted for the Corker bill: arguing it gave them more time to oppose the agreement. The only conclusion I can arrive at is Senator Cruz thinks it’s ok to rewrite the Constitution in certain circumstances. However, one might have thought following the Constitution and demanding a two thirds vote for the deals passage, might have done slightly more than rewriting the Constitution as Obama demanded. When it comes to illegally rewriting the Constitution through legislation, the ends never justify the means.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any concerns about Donald Trump. I don’t approve of his attacks on people as pedophiles, ugly, or suggesting that their wives aren’t as pretty as his. It disappoints me that he wont condemn objectionable comments made by former campaign officials; just as it discusts me that Cruz refused to condemn a super PAC commercial portraying Trump’s wife is a slut. I understand Trump is not the most conservative candidate in this race. I know Trump has changed his positions on issues and may do so again. If so, he will certainly face resistance from Conservatives like me who support him. Having said that, there is one final reason I have decided to support Donald Trump.
First, let me introduce you to a politician in Washington. He’s a first time senator, inexperienced in management, makes beautiful speeches, and attacks members of congress every chance he gets. Question. Am I talking about Barack Obama or Ted Cruz? The answer is both.
We all want to shrink government, reduce the national debt, rebuild our military, and bring jobs back to America. Like it or not, this all requires cooperation with Congress. Dissolving the IRs requires a statute revoking the agencies authority. Securing the border requires congressional funding. Reducing spending requires congressional Cooperation.
Cooperation doesn’t have to mean surrendering ones principles. Instead, it means persuading people to come over to our side. It means cajoling congressional members to pass legislation. It means getting along with even those who you despise. It means controlling the media’s narrative such that congressional members experience pressure to pass legislation favorable to our position. No one has a larger megaphone then Donald Trump. No one has an equal ability to turn the nation’s attention to issues. No one is as unconnected to the influence of politicians in DC.
Alternatively, Ted Cruz might appear attractive with his bombastic Senate speeches condemning fellow Republicans as liars and fools. While he’s correct, anything President Cruz hopes to accomplish will depend upon the Cooperation of those same liars and fools. I have seen nothing in Cruz’s past demonstrating an ability to charm and persuade those who he rightfully despises. This ability marks the dividing line between campaigning and governing. It is also how the Texas Senator drastically differs from Ronald Reagan who he’s so often compared to.
Thus, while patriots can certainly find valid reasons to support Ted Cruz, I have become concerned that he is not the instrument of change. I have already experienced seven and a half years of a president unable to work with congress, avoiding responsibility, and whose main distinguishing characteristic is an ability to make speeches with high minded rhetoric. With Trump, one thing is for sure: things will be different.