There Was Some Art in that Deal: Cruz, Trump, and the GOP Dumpster Fire
The hysterics of the last 12 hours have been a low moment for observers of the punditry class, where new lows in quality commentary and intelligent observation have been set by various paid consultants and television talking heads (oh, and the highlight of pop intellingentia - the Twittersphere). But my piece today is not necessarily to state any kind of drooling fondness for Cruz's lack of endorsement for Trump last night, or to crucify him, as I barely even care at all. I am more just flabbergasted by how the greatest point of it all is being so badly missed: Donald Trump's deal-making is apparently a little less impressive than we were all led to believe, eh?Look, those who think Trump will make America great again are understandably miffed. Those who simply believe we must say things about Trump we don't believe to help beat Hillary are rationally frustrated. But can we just think through this for a second, please? Donald Trump spent months saying that Ted Cruz was a bold-faced liar. A liar. A full-blown, compulsive, liar. Someone who lies all the time. He tweeted awful personal gutter shots against Ted's wife, Heidi Cruz. And for a parting shot the day he bested him in Indiana, he came out and pulled no punches in saying that Ted's dad appeared to be part of the conspiracy to kill John F. Kennedy. When I listen to people talk with a straight face about how the guy he did all of that is the chosen Reaganite figure to make America great again, I marvel at the price deflation that has taken place in obtaining a lobotomy. So what we had was the nastiest, weirdest intra-party campaign fight in decades, and then the second place candidate getting invited to give a speech at the convention, flat out telling the invitee (art of the deal, Trump) that he would not be endorsing. Was it ambiguous? Ummmm, well, he gave a word-for-word transcript of the speech to them, sooooooo, there's that.But he promised to support the eventual nominee?What did Trump say about that? Oops.So again, maybe you think Cruz ruined his career last night (something tells me you won't think that the morning after the election). Time will tell the aftermath. I do know this - the next time some of these consultants get a chance to run a SuperPAC for Cruz, they'll be singing a different tune.Maybe you think he should have just said something to the effect of "regardless of what I or anyone in this room feels about Donald Trump and the way this campaign has gone, Hillary Clinton must be defeated." Fair enough. Perhaps the guy making fun of disabled people and implicating Cruz's dad in the JFK assassination is the guy to do it.And maybe you actually are impressed with Cruz's principle and courage (I would point out - for as much flak as Cruz is taking for not endorsing, do any of you think he would be in a better position today if he had endorsed?)But regardless of your views on Trump, Hillary, or even Cruz, I just want to say that I was told that Trump was the master dealmaker of the century. What I have seen so far is the biggest dumpster fire convention in history from a guy who we were told was the producer and entertainment star of the ages. And what we saw last night was a deal Trump made with Cruz which lacked any semblance of common sense, blew up in his face, and this morning, on the final day of the "unifying" convention, shows a party in more disarray than any time in my lifetime.With deals like this, who needs art.