Comparing the present Trump’s actions in this campaign with past presidents during their campaigns, well I too young to remember much about the Nixon 1960 campaign, but Trump has far exceeded what used to be standards for candidates. I can’t assess what Trump has said in private if that is what you are referring to with Obama, Nixon, and Johnson.

What are Trump’s policies on immigration, gun control, abortion, entitlements, health care, NATO, Russia, Iraq? Consider how they are fluid and malleable, with exception of Iraq where he is at best a 9-11 Truther and “Take their oil!’

But that’s of less import. The main question: whose policies are better: Trump’s (donaldjtrump.com/positions) or Clinton’s (hillaryclinton.com/issues/). I find the choice easy to make.

Then again, I tend to be more of an “issues” instead of a “feelings” sort of person when it comes to these sorts of decisions. A vulgar guy with more good policies trumps a melifluous guy with mainly horrible policies.

Trump crossed the line many times with many people. IMO Cruz may have realized that this personality trait in Trump is far beyond petty and goes to essential personality characteristics and fitness for office.

But the primaries are over. Now is the national election. For personal feelings to rule the political calculations is, again IMO, letting personal feelings overrule the political picture, and is being petty.

“Now why the most vociferous of the TrumpTrolls hated Cruz, is a bit more difficult to figure, unless you do grant that they hated him for much the same reason many hated Romney … “

The core of Trump’s supporters hated Cruz because he was a threat. Their willingness to believe the most absurd lies shows that they were searching for a reason to dislike him. I do allow that some of them are really that kooky though.

Then, after all that, Cruz had the gall to not kiss Trump’s ring like the other toadies.

Of course I care about other issues such as creeping socialism and growth of government, illegal immigration, terror, etc, but they aren’t deal killers for me.

So we’re not all destructive and argumentative. In fact, once my decision is made, I view the the other arguments quite dispassionately.

As I’ve written before, I have no quarrel with people who have reluctantly come to vote for Trump because they consider him the better of the two.

After all, I may end up in that boat myself.

I also have no quarrel with those who decide they cannot in all good conscience vote for him.

However, I disagree that Cruz’s behavior has been faulty. After what Trump has done, particularly what he said about Cruz’s family, Cruz could not have endorsed him and retained his own personal integrity, in my opinion.

My initial ranking of the candidates was Walker, Perry, Cruz, and (perhaps) Fiorina. Didn’t really rank the rest, although if pressed, I’d’ve put Trump toward the bottom, mainly because his style is not one I care for and his background led me to see him as more of a Kennedy Democrat than a libertarian-conservative. I did, however, recognize his style as employing an entertainment schtick in a political environment.

On the other hand, I didn’t find him as innately terrifying nor disgusting as many did. I read some of the critiques of him, and many seemed more emotional than substantive–and way too many involved twisting and putting the worst interpretation on things in a manner more consistent with the techniques of “progressive” social justice bullies. (Aside. Ms. Neo: I found your critiques to be among the best and most reasoned and thoughtful overall. Although my conclusions did not coincide with yours, I had to take them seriously.)

Also ignored was the character of the federal bureaucracy, especially in the more politicized parts (e.g., DoJ, IRS). These would gladly go along with any Democrat over-reach, but would tend to resist any changes from a Republican.

Our primary was after Trump had clinched the nomination. I voted for Cruz. My wife (whose preferences were similar to mine) voted for Trump. Her reason: she believed that Cruz, by his actions after Trump’s clinching, indicated a lack of seeing the big picture, and were petty. (She is usually an excellent judge of character; in retrospect, she was probably right.)

What often throws people off about Trump is that he is more context-sensitive than we are used to. E.g., his conference with Pres. Peé±a Nieto and his speech at a majority-black church in Detroit were not particularly surprising.

Anyway, as a very astute person once pointed out, a mind is a difficult thing to change. Too many #NeverTrumpers have made that a part of their identity. National Review pretty much painted itself into a corner. It is difficult to say, “I was very concerned about this–and still am to a degree–but there is much good as well.”

As for me, after reviewing Trump’s policy positions (www.donaldjtrump.com/positions), that’s where I’m at. I was concerned–and still am to a degree–but there is much good as well.

Nick Says:
September 6th, 2016 at 2:10 pm

DNW — It doesn’t work online because there are always people who say absurd things and mean them. We need to stop doing impressions of bad thinking and actually say what we mean. At a minimum, write “I don’t understand how people think the following:”. It makes the comment less zippy, but it improves communication. Anyway, we often distort people’s arguments when we paraphrase them even non-sarcastically. Better to say say yes when we mean yes and no when we mean no.”

Well, after making forty-eleven comments here day in and day out for some number of years, I guess I figured that as a result I could let rip, and any readers even bothering to look at my comment would be likely to be pretty quick on the uptake.

However, given that I have had only minimal direct interaction with the two readers who rightly pointed out the deficiencies of the attitude embodied by the voice and pose I adopted, their response was probably justified too.

I believe that the Trump trolls hated Cruz mostly because they recognized early on that he was Trump’s main rival for the angry-at-the-GOPe crowd. He had actually been fighting the good fight while Trump was still giving money to and praising liberal causes. Cruz had to be discredited in any way possible (lies are best) in order for Trump to grab that vote of “burn it downers.”

Ah, and they also geniunely hated Cruz because he is so smart and somewhat geeky.

See also this.