Cruz defends distance from Trump: I won't be 'servile puppy'

[DonViejo]

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Thursday morning defended distancing himself from Donald Trump, refusing to say he’s voting for Trump and ripping the Republican National Convention’s response to his speech the night before.

Speaking to Texas’s delegation at the convention at a Thursday breakfast, Cruz said his pledge to support the GOP’s eventual nominee was “abrogated” when the campaign between Trump and him became personal.

“I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father,” he said.

"Neither he nor his campaign has taken back a word of what they said about my family,” Cruz added, his voice rising. He was referring to Trump floating rumors alleging his father was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and retweeted a disparaging picture of Cruz's wife, Heidi.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/288645-cruz-wont-say-whether-hes-voting-for-trump

[tallahasseedem]

1. The longer he keeps himself in the press right now,

the better.

[auntpurl]

10. Exactly. Keep talking, Ted!

[Her Sister]

51. Hee Hee Hee!

[JoePhilly]

2. Bwahahahahaha!!!

[tonyt53]

3. Cruz just reaffirmed last night that he is an equal opportunity prick.

[7962]

40. yep; so much for the "pledge" everyone made such a big deal over! nt

[Iliyah]

4. Wait, I read from Tweety and CNN that this is a ummmm, set up reality show by

the a-hole, T-rump. Also, Pence who?????

[jcgoldie]

8. I think Trump staged the response

But Cruz wasn't in on it.

[C_U_L8R]

5. Food fight!

Oh this is delicious.

[geek tragedy]

6. karma for the short-fingered vulgarian nt

[Justice]

7. I respect Ted for defending his wife and father.

I also respect his point about campaign not apologizing for what was said.

[Surya Gayatri]

12. Couldn't agree more. Like he said, when you attack my wife and my father, all previously agreed

pledges are "abrogated".

I have more respect for him now than previously. Still near zero, but slightly more than before.

[cwydro]

21. My thoughts exactly.

Never thought I'd feel this way lol!

[Surya Gayatri]

22. Like everybody keeps saying, this convention is totally without precedent! LOL!

[maddiemom]

34. Same here.

[Lucky Luciano]

24. Agreed - monumental asshole, but he is right to defend his family from that baboon. nt

[Sheepshank]

32. There are very very many Republicans that don't want to vote for Trump

they just don't want to be the only ones, but the have a conscience, they have standards, a moral compass that is screaming at them to walk away from Trump.

As I'd said on another post, Ted Cruz just pulled his finger out of the hole in the dam. Others are going to follow their conscience. Add that to the Bush Co no show, the Kasich no show, Ryan's very public hesitancy and delays in endorsing..... Trump is in trouble.

Trump may tweet that it's no big deal.....but he's a consummate liar. It's a big deal, and many others will follow Ted's lead (many likely will vote very privately to avoid a public flogging).

[LiberalLovinLug]

37. Of all the people we have to bestow our respect to...

But I agree. What kind of man would let those kinds of personal attacks on family members stand? And not only that go up before crowds and praise and endorse the person that has attacked...who has never even apologized? Meanwhile Christie submits like a good puppy after being insulted left and right by Trump during the primaries.

To me, it would be surprising if he HAD endorsed. But then why have him speak at all? This gamble will pay off for Cruz I fear. After the Don crashes and burns...whether he actually wins or not...Ted will be the "wounded but not fallen" candidate that rises from the ashes. The one with..... .....integrity.

[gogo_du]

44. Same

I'm getting more and more concerned that more people aren't standing up for themselves after that brutal process. With all the name calling and deeply personal insults. Is this what we are heading towards?

[liberal N proud]

9. This slimeball is trying to make me respect him

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. You can see why Boehner thought he was an asshole

He really is! But it's so great that he is.

That said, I think they need to bring back the real context: Donald Trump called Cruz's wife ugly, and his father a murderer! I mean, honestly.

[bulloney]

17. Well, if you're going to be an asshole, be the biggest and best you can be!

I would say Cruz lives by that rule.

[bullwinkle428]

13. If I could creat animated gifs, I would totally make one with Cruz's head

on a scorpion body, stalking a frog-bodied Trump head!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. Dare I say that I respect Ted Cruz for one reason...and one reason only...

He is protecting and honoring the dignity of his wife and father, unlike John McCain who still supposed Bush after he allowed KKKarl Rove to go after his wife and adopted daughter.

I have much respect for Cruz on this issue alone.

[auntpurl]

15. Eh, he's more likely doing it because he knows Trump will lose in November

and he's positioning himself for 2020.

He's a snake, but he's not stupid.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

19. Agreed. But I still give him some credit for defending his family.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. FReaks & Conservatives are up in arms vowing that Cruz is finished as a Republican. . . . nt

[Dustlawyer]

23. +1!!!

He is a cold and calculating asshole who is only doing this to set up his next run. By doing this he is betting the farm that Trump will lose. This sets him apart from whoever will run on the Republican side next time and he is playing the odds.

I was hoping Trump would get the nomination because giving Cruz a shot at the White House was even scarier than Trump. Cruz is smart and evil, Trump is just ignorant and nuts!

[kairos12]

27. Agreed. Cruz is messianic crazy.

[lakercub]

28. Which is why this is my new favorite moment of the convention

He actually was remarkably stupid here, if he had future aspirations. He's absolutely right to trash any agreement with Trump after the Trump attacks on his family, but going out to center stage and making it an "all about Ted" moment is looked upon as absolute betrayal by most of the republicans. Two years from now they won't remember all the stupid crap they supported from Trump, or all the Trump BS (these folks are good at forgetting what they once believed with all their hearts), but they will remember betrayal. Cruz doomed himself permanently yesterday in what I can only describe as a Kamikaze attack on Trump.

Melania's a plagiarist, nobody's talking about Pence on Pence's big day, Cruz is done, the party is in turmoil, and no one who is undecided has heard any reason whatsoever why they should vote Trump, only why they should hate Hillary. Short of a natural gas leak in the stadium igniting, I don't know how this convention can get any worse for them.

[Legends303]

16. Well at least you got to give him credit for something he can hold a grudge

[They_Live]

18. Sausage Time!

He and Trump should have a breath holding contest.

[PatSeg]

25. Ted was never a team player

in the senate, which is why no one on either side of the aisle could stand him.

Glad he didn't bow down to the Trump though. He really didn't have anything to lose.

[kairos12]

26. Cruz is crazier by half than Drumpt.

[Cali_Democrat]

29. LOL! I love this!

[Orsino]

30. ...except for *real* billionaires. n/t

[Hekate]

31. I have to give him props for that much. Most of the rest of them don't have the spine of a slug.

[KingCharlemagne]

36. The contrast between Cruz and the mealy-mouthed Ryan and McConnell could

not be any starker.

[keithbvadu2]

33. Whatever excuse Cruz wants to use to back out of his word.

[maddiemom]

35. Yeah. Basically having your wife called ugly and your dad called an assassin ...

is a pretty lame excuse for "backing out" of your word. I despise Cruz and know he was being somewhat self-serving here, but the lack of backbone in the other former candidates (Please, Sir, may I have another?) is truly disgusting.

[keithbvadu2]

38. Are you talking about Christie or Carson?

[maddiemom]

41. I am talking about the originator of those remarks: Donald Trump.

Notice I said "basically called", meaning he "insinuated" his way around the accusations, but made his insults perfectly clear.

[Her Sister]

39. Yes, Trump bullied and harassed everyone during the Primary

That's his character.

[Liberal In Red State]

42. Can't stand Cruz . . . makes my skin crawl . . . having said that . . . standing up for his wife and

father . . . he should have said it on the convention floor not wait until the next morning. Who knows maybe last night killed his chances in 2 years! 👏🏻

[Warren DeMontague]

43. Good Lord

I find myself in the odd position of sort of agreeing with the weird, oily dude

[3catwoman3]

45. I cannot bring myself to say I respect Cruz, but I do...

...think he did the right thing not to roll over for the bully.

[Demobrat]

46. I'm just enjoying the fact that

Cruz's actions make Christie look like such a tool by comparison.

[Nye Bevan]

47. I'm not a Cruz fan, but I respect him way, way more than Spit-Shine Christie,

at this point.

[RoadRunner]

48. Amazing they both *claim* to be Christian

When Jesus was very clear when he said if you want to follow me, deny your self. Both of them are all in for their self, nothing else matters to them. It's all about them.

[mdbl]

49. Ted Crudz is just a different dog of the same species as Trump

And if he thinks anyone gives a sh&% about his anger, he's sadly mistaken. His own party kicked him to the curb. Take the hint Ted. Maybe there's a job for you on a shopping channel.

[Tarc]

50. This is the difference between the Dem divide and the GOP divide

We differed, sometimes sharply on policy, on ideology.

The GOP differed on a deeply personal level; small hands, hot wives, and other nonsense.