Give Us Liberty

Trump Orchestrated Cruz's Flop

By Marc Rudov

If button-down Mitt Romney had been the nominee at this week’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland, could you imagine him allowing the same litany of attacks on Hillary Clinton, especially when Democrat-supporting media pundits were crying foul?

Never.

But this convention is no ordinary convention, because Donald Trump is no ordinary candidate — and that’s why he’s the Republican nominee.

In fact, RNC 2016, like his entire campaign, is Donald Trump’s contravention.

Instead of trying to appease liberals and establishment Republicans with a “safe” VP pick, Trump chose Mike Pence, who describes himself as Christian, conservative, and Republican, in that order.

Moreover, he invited his chief opponent and nemesis, Ted Cruz, to address the delegates on Wednesday, in prime time, the same night Pence spoke. Was this smart?

It was masterful.

Cruz committed professional suicide. He accepted the invitation and, in an act of predictable self-aggrandizement, generically admonished the American electorate to “vote your conscience” in November. 

The delegates in the Quicken Loans Arena, who had cheered his ascension to the stage just 23 minutes earlier, booed Cruz off of it for snubbing Trump.

In my opinion, Trump, who had an advance copy of Cruz’s speech, anticipated and relished this disaster — but not an outcry so ferocious that security guards had to escort Heidi Cruz from the building. 

Trump knows that Republicans badly want and need a victory this time, and believe he’s the guy who, finally, has the guts and gravitas to win. 

They’ve watched McCain and Romney lose to Obama, Republican legislators promise and fail to repeal Obamacare, and judges in state and federal courts, and justices on the Supreme Court, thumb their noses at the Constitution.

Many unassailable conservatives talk a good game and can cite constitutional passages and cases. But, they cannot lead, cannot effect change, and cannot stop the growth of government and the shrinkage of liberty. 

So, if Trump isn’t the model conservative, they don’t care. He is their final hope to save America, lest it suffer irreversible decline. And, that’s why the delegates expressed such enmity toward Cruz.

Throughout the week, speaker after speaker, including Trump’s loyal and talented family, roused the delegates to support the Constitution; law and order; the return of their individual freedoms, wealth, and national pride — and their nominee, who palpably loves his country and its citizens.

Contrast that with what most assuredly will emanate from the Democratic National Convention next week in Philadelphia: Hillary Clinton and her cadre of disdainful progressives will spew victimhood, social injustice, race, abortion, open borders, wealth-bashing, and paternalistic government as the cure-all.

Finally, Donald Trump, who rose from private citizen to nominee in 13 months, confounding the “experts” who called him a sideshow, closed the RNC with a memorable, authoritative, hope-inspiring 76-minute oration. 

True to his singular style of contravention, he comingled themes of protection and protectionism, peace and prosperity, toughness and tenderness. 

He’s now the talk of the world. Ted Cruz has become an asterisk and Hillary Clinton a second-class rival.

When he left the arena with his family, amidst the cascade of balloons and confetti, there was little doubt — even at MSNBC — that Trump is in charge, is the next commander in chief, and will make America great again.

Marc Rudov is a branding adviser to CEOs, and is the author of "Be Unique or Be Ignored: The CEO's Guide to Branding." He is the founder of MarcRudov.com. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.