The GOP Establishment Has Found The One Thing That Can Make Donald Trump Palatable: Ted Cruz

[applegrove]

The GOP Establishment Has Found The One Thing That Can Make Donald Trump Palatable: Ted Cruz

by Ryan Grim and Sam Stein at the Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gop-establishment-donald-trump-ted-cruz_us_56a058e0e4b0404eb8f04d0a?utm_hp_ref=politics

"SNIP..............


"Cruz has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way in D.C., whereas Trump hasn't, and Trump up until this year was pretty much a player," said Craig Shirley, a longtime GOP strategist and charter member of the establishment. "Ultimately, the Washington establishment deep down -- although they find Trump tacky or distasteful -- they think that they ultimately can work with him. Deep down, a lot of people think it is an act."

There is ample reason for Republican insiders to feel more affinity to the real estate mogul than to the brash Texas tea party senator. As Shirley noted, Washington has spent decades doing business with Trump, if not personally begging him for checks.

But, mainly, the reason that Republican leaders are moving toward Trump has nothing to do with him. They viscerally, unashamedly loathe Cruz.

“Nobody likes him.” It's a line Trump has used several times to describe Cruz, but it's also a quote attributed to GOP greybeard Bob Dole that was published Wednesday by The New York Times (of all places). Another former Republican Senate majority leader, Trent Lott (R-Miss.), said the same day that he, too, would take Trump over Cruz. That came a day after Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, the longest-serving governor in the nation, broke his longstanding neutrality to encourage caucus-goers to vote against the Texas senator. That, in turn, came a week after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the party's 2008 presidential nominee, said there were "issues" over whether Cruz was even eligible for the presidency -- putting McCain philosophically in cahoots with Trump, a man who not too long ago mocked his war service.



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[libdem4life]

1. ...rats and the sinking ship ...

[tularetom]

2. Trump has already managed to counteract that with the thing that can make anybody unpalatable

Sarah Palin.

[hifiguy]

3. ioW, Cruz is such a completely and perfectly insufferable asshole

that even the other assholes can't stand him.

Well, there's a recipe for political success.

What a bunch of maroons.