Why Dole now? Political calculus on Cruz, Trump

John pointed-out that Gregory T. Angelo, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, an advocacy group for gay Republicans, has said of Trump, “He is one of the best, if not the best, pro-gay Republican candidates to ever run for the presidency”, and that Trump would do no harm on same-sex marriage, and has a “stand-out position” on nondiscrimination legislation. “Very nasty guy”, Trump said on ABC’s “This Week”.

“I get that on the presidential campaign he suddenly discovered illegal immigration as a problem”, Cruz said of Trump. Ted Cruz – with 36% among likely GOP voters, according to the latest national poll released by Monmouth University on Wednesday.

It’s an interesting mix today, with Guardian reporters following Hillary Clinton and Ben Carson in Iowa, Donald Trump and Bill Clinton in Nevada and no fewer than four Republican candidates in New Hampshire – Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

“So the race has come down to, as it always does, a conservative in the race, Ted Cruz, and a moderate liberal in the race, Donald Trump, which is fitting because Donald Trump has had liberal views, progressive liberal views for nearly all of his entire life, and now all of a sudden he’s a conservative”, he added. “We are on the final leg of a 15-stop bus tour and I will tell you the excitement we are seeing on the ground is incredible”, Cruz said. On the Sunday shows recently, seven months ago, he said he was the establishment. When Donald Trump emerged in his strong and blustery way there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and the people saw a way out even if they didn’t like everything he stood for.

Cruz’s framing of politics as a battle between the grass roots and a hydra-headed “establishment” dates back to his successful 2012 Senate bid.

Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham, who recently dropped out of the GOP primary, blasted Cruz over the filibuster earlier this week, saying it hurt the party. “He will cut deals with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer”. “Instead, Mr. Cruz uses the word ‘conservative'”.

He’s been more consistent in attacking “the establishment” in terms similar to Cruz.

Mr Dole, 92, pulled no punches in his description of the strongly-tipped Texas senator, labelling him an “extremist” who no one liked, and who was not true to the values of the Republicans. Dole’s characterization of Cruz as a “conservative”, not a loyal “Republican”, was exactly the sort of pivot the senator was looking for. “I am an American second”. And I’m a Republican fourth.