Donald Trump is depicted by many in the GOP and its de facto chief spokesman, Ted Cruz, as an inveterate “dealmaker” who will compromise conservative principles by “cutting deals” with Congress if elected President.
Let’s put aside the fact that “making deals” is actually viewed positively by many Americans fed up with a Congress and President that have been unable for the past seven years to address the many urgent domestic and foreign challenges facing our country. Someone should inform Ted Cruz that standing up for principles and not accomplishing anything does little to help the plights of struggling Americans.
Instead, let’s focus on the fact that Ted Cruz, who lost to Trump in the Louisiana primary, has been busy “working behind closed doors” to win more delegates from party bosses in that state. The “anti-Trump” faction spins the story that Cruz is displaying his shrewd political savvy in seizing an opportunity to win delegates he actually hasn’t earned from Louisiana voters. One can only wonder how Trump would have been portrayed had he seized that same opportunity. Why isn’t anyone asking what kind of “deal” Cruz is making with the Louisiana powers that be in order to secure their support?
Moreover, what is Cruz offering all his new supporters who until very recently publicly expressed disdain for him? Why are Lindsey Graham, Carly Fiorina and many others suddenly supporting him? Perhaps they view Cruz as the lesser of two evils, but one really must wonder why such strong-minded, “principled” individuals would roll over so easily.
We will probably never know what “horse trading” is occurring at this very moment among GOP bigwigs at all levels of government to undermine Trump’s candidacy in upcoming primaries and ultimately at the convention this summer.
As if the blatant hypocrisy of the foregoing isn’t shameful enough, Trump’s critics suggest that maybe the self-proclaimed “world’s greatest dealmaker” isn’t as great as he thinks precisely because he has avoided those sneaky and underhanded tactics to acquire more delegates, concentrating instead on garnering the support of “we the people” to propel his campaign forward.
The hypocrisy goes well beyond those examples. Donald Trump has been accused of feeding off fear and negative sentiment to win voters, but Ted Cruz’ most compelling plea so far has been to persuade Americans that the prospect of Trump or Clinton becoming President would be a disaster for our country.
Trump’s critics also say he changes his views on a whim to conform to prevailing public sentiment. Is that any more egregious than the GOP establishment contemplating changing their rules for nominating their candidate in order to load the odds in favor their choice?
Time will tell whether the aggressive, politically incorrect iconic businessman can be trumped by the self-indulgent, ruthless tactics of professional politicians.
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