My hunch is that Cruz’s failure to endorse was more personal than political. Trump insulted his wife and implied his father was an accomplice in Kennedy’s assassination. If someone does something like that to you, are you going to tell people to vote for him for President? Cruz may just be acting like a normal husband and son. Politicians don’t have exclusively political motives. Sometimes, it’s personal. Cruz will wait and see. He could endorse Trump in October to greater effect than today.
Ivanka Trump is one of the best arguments for voting for her father. He listens to her, and trusts her judgement, and values her opinion of him. The love of a daughter can restrain even someone as impulsive as Trump. The big fear with Trump is that he’d do something really nutty, and harmful to this country, and wouldn’t listen to reason. With Ivanka and her husband keeping an eye on him that’s unlikely. Maybe.
I bought some COP this morning, on the off chance that Trump will endorse opening ANWR tonight, or at least state his support for the Transfer of Public Lands. Harold Hamm’s speech last night was an implicit endorsement of TPL, and now there’s talk that he might be Secretary of Energy. It would all make political and economic sense, with only the environmentalists upset. They all hate Trump anyway, so no loss. He could tie it all in with the Keystone Pipeline in one pretty package.
Hal Wick of South Dakota tried to get the Article V BBA into the GOP Platform, but lacked support on the Committee. This was a failure of organization on our part. The Trump forces on Platform were not whipping against us, which is some consolation. He may have an open mind on this. Ivanka could turn him if she wanted to. So there’s some cause for hope.
Better news from the Assembly of State Legislatures recent meeting in Philadelphia. 45 States were represented, and, in this their fifth meeting, they were able to adopt proposed Rules for an Amendment Convention. This is major progress, and will be helpful as we make our push to 34 next year.
Tony Schwartz ghost wrote The Art of the Deal, and tells all to the New Yorker. This guy thinks Trump’s crazy, and he got to know him up close and personal. He’s a big time liberal, so take it with a grain of salt. Why did this guy wait until Trump got the nomination? He makes Trump sound like he’s got the attention span of a gnat, refuses to do due diligence, and is a kind of sociopath. This doesn’t square with Trump’s current family life, but who the hell knows? I guess we’ll all find out.
I don’t feel comfortable giving power to a man with such deep insecurities as Trump. Clinton’s no better, unfortunately. She’s a bitter, angry woman, who has been humiliated by her sexual predator husband since they moved back to Arkansas. In her own way, she’s as much of a nut as Trump. I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her. She’d be a terrible President. But so would Trump. Maybe.
Gary Johnson would do a good job, though he needs to reexamine his position on immigration. We’re a libertarian country in a world hostile to libertarianism. Every person we allow into this country is being granted a privilege, and they have to be of value to the current citizenry to justify that privilege. That’s not jingoism, it’s common sense. But unless Johnson starts making some waves in August he won’t make the debates, so it would all be moot. He needs some political imagination, which is in short supply.
I didn’t parse Cruz’s language on his recommendation for election day. He may have been hinting: take a look at the Libertarian. I was very pleased to see him go whole hog against the establishment. They’re the real problem, and that’s where the votes are. Cruz will still be on the sunny side of 50 in 2020, and I don’t think he hurt himself last night. He’s willing to gamble that Trump either loses or is a disaster in the White House. If Trump is something of a success as President he’s probably a one termer anyway, and 2020 would be wide open.
The best thing Cruz can do is get involved with the Article V movement. It’s right, and it’s a political winner. He’d make a lot of friends if he did.
reaganproject.com 