It’s the first day of spring in Southern California. And it’s
cool and windy, with a shot of warmth from the sunlight. The weather has an
unexpected fall or even winter touch to it. Nothing at all like what
Californians were enduring for two years in a row. Unprecedented heat waves in
January 2014 and even throughout 2015 had everyone worrying about water
rationing, water rates, and the rising costs of business. More Californians are
waking up. El Nino has brought unprecedented rainfall the driest, largest (in
terms of population) and one of the most liberal states in the union.
It’s still snowing in the mountains, and Los Angeles yuppies
are snowboarding in Big Bear.
It’s raining in California.
 |
By extension, political pundits claim that hell is freezing
over.
Why?
US Senator, former Presidential candidate, and self-proclaimed
Chamber of Commerce Republican Lindsey Graham is supporting (not quite fully
endorsing) his fellow (and somewhat former) adversary Ted Cruz. Graham had
claimed that the Republican Party has gone bat-sh*t crazy. Now he has joined
the madness. The South Carolina successor to Strom Thurmond even joked that
anyone could shoot Ted Cruz on the floor of the US Senate, and no one would be
able to convict him.
Fast forward two weeks, and the Crumbly S’more of Washington
is fundraising for Cruz.
This is incredible. Every major Establishment power-broker,
which is going broke and getting powdered for their decreasing influence in the
Republican Party, has kowtowed to the “most despised man in the US Senate.”
Why?
For months, South
Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has been warning the nation about Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz. But on Thursday, Graham told CNN that not only is he supporting
Cruz, he's fundraising for him. Graham pointed to Donald Trump's rise as the
reason, explaining that Cruz might be the only one to stop him. "I think
he's the best alternative to beat Donald Trump. I'm going to help Ted in any
way I can."
The Republican Party front-runner is a reality show TV
star/real estate mogul who has espoused every liberal position (and three
woman). Now suddenly he is carrying the banner of Ronald Reagan. Yes, he took
pictures with the Gipper during his administration, but Trump loves the
photo-ops with the Clintons, and even donated money to nearly every Democrat
under the sun. Even California Attorney General Korrupt Kamala Harris (who is running
to replace Barbara Boxer in the US Senate).
It gets worse for the GOP status quo. Every insider puppet
chosen to carry the mantle of George Bush (including his brother Jeb) has faltered
at the hands of the Donald, and the hordes of angry voters ready to pitch the
entire system in the abyss. Notice that the junior US Senator from Texas has
not changed his views or his ideological leanings. Notice also that he has not
apologized for his strong, stern stances on key issues, or for calling Senate
Majority Leader a liar.
Let us never forget: Cruz never went to the
Establishment. The Establishment went to Cruz, just like the embittered funeral
director in “The Godfather” seeking justice went to Vito Corleone. Except that
Ted Cruz doesn’t wait for mafia hits. He tells it like it is. And you won’t
find a horse head in your bed the next day. Cruz did not even have to make an
offer. Graham, and now Mitt Romney cannot refuse.
They need Ted Cruz!
 |
Another former Presidential candidate (without out-sized,
media-hyped aspirations two years ago) Chris Christie was right when he
declared in his 2012 RNC Keynote speech: “Real leaders change polls, they don’t
follow them.” Too bad the New Jersey Governor did not follow his own advice. At
least Cruz did, and is cruising toward holding not just the Washington Cartel
in Washington at bay, but also keeping in line the faux-conservative populism
of Donald Trump.
I want a record, not just rhetoric. With Cruz, voters can
get the best of the both worlds, but he needs to do more than declare how much
better he is to “Le Grand Orange” (as my good friend from Torrance, Nathan
Mintz, likes to call him).
Cruz’ appeal is growing. Moderates, powerbrokers, and the
widening field of “NeverTrump” are starting to shout “Cruz and only Cruz”.
The numbers are daunting. Let’s be realistic. A brokered
convention is more likely than a Cruz nomination, but both results exceed the
outcome of a Trump nomination, and have slowed the would-be Trump coronation. Even
Newt Gingrich got this wrong.
Hell is freezing over, and the devils are throwing snowballs
at each other.
Not only that, but for the first time in recent memory, and
my political involvement, California will be a competitive battleground state.
Trump and Cruz will be fighting for delegates right here in the sunny (or will
it be rainy?) Golden State.
The current illiberal, loony Governor Jerry Brown is so
shaken by The Donald as potential GOP Nominee, he has threatened to help build
the wall—one around California, of course, instead of along the southern border.
Would that make me an illegal alien if I fled to Arizona? Sometimes I feel like
one in my own state!
We’ve already seen hell freeze many times over this election
cycle. Maybe Brown will choose Ted Cruz, too. He’s already turned over more
power and favors to the La Raza lobby in Sacramento. Certainly he would
consider supporting the first Hispanic to run for President and (possibly) win
his political party’s nomination.
Wouldn’t he? Here come the snowballs!
No comments:
Post a Comment