Most of my colleagues seem to think Cruz’s only chance of success now is if Trump loses bigly. Jim writes: “Only in a scenario where Trump loses badly, and the party broadly agrees that nominating him was a terrible mistake, does Cruz look like the guy who was trying to take away the keys from a drunk driver.” I get the argument. But there’s another scenario: What if Trump wins?
I think most reasonable people can agree that there’s at least a non-trivial chance that a Trump presidency will be an unmitigated disaster and impeachment bait. It’s not guaranteed, but even a great many pundits and politicians who publicly swoon over Trump, privately admit in green rooms and at the bar that his presidency could be the Bellagio water fountains of sh*tshows.
If that’s the case, how will Cruz’s speech be remembered compared to say, Marco Rubio’s or Paul Ryan’s?