You're laying it on a little thick. To get zotted from this community, you have to make a distinct effort. Yes, there are some third rails not to touch, but they are eminently logical at this stage in the process.
Squelching blatant propaganda which destroys any possibility of unity is a necessary task at this juncture.
Indeed, if Jim Robinson didn't make some effort to counter the constant Cruz fanboy propaganda, then he wouldn't be much of a Trump supporter.
Political campaigns are wars of propaganda, and Ted Cruz has lost this propaganda war.
A nobody is clean here. There can be no claim that any side hasn't engaged in propaganda to try to help advance their candidate.
But that phase is moving rapidly into the past.
So I don't see you somehow getting yourself accidentally zotted, unless your willingness to support of Donald Trump as the nominee isn't sincere in the first place.
I don't think anyone particularly enjoys engaging in a "war of words" with their fellow conservatives who support a different candidate.
But intellectual honesty and a sense of fairness should dictate that, at some point, reality can be accepted.
I will state once again for the record, that Ted Cruz was my first choice as a candidate at the time that Donald Trump announced his candidacy.
However, due to several actions that Cruz took, which demonstrated a lack of principle and leadership, and, conversely, showed him to be a naked opportunist who embraced Machiavellian tactics, and was even willing to jump into bed with the GOPe, Ted Cruz ended up losing me along the way, and Donald Trump won my support during the same time period.
This was not an accident, or a mistake, or something that wasn't deserved, IMHO. Frankly, Ted Cruz's egotism and narcissism, coupled with his amoral ambition, did his campaign in, in the eyes of more than a few former and potential supporters.
For instance, my Mom, who would be the last type of Republican to jump aboard the Trump train, liked Ted Cruz less and less, the more she saw of him.
That Cruz made some significant missteps cannot be denied. Perhaps Donald Trump, having already been in the public eye for decades, enjoyed an advantage here. Cruz was still being introduced to the electorate, and he really didn't end up making all that great of an impression. Essentially, only staunch, nearly fanatical ideological purists seem to have stuck with him, and many purists ultimately indeed did not.
I'd like to hear some thoughtful analysis from current or former Cruz supporters as to what they think went wrong. I don't think it's fair or accurate to just externalize everything onto Donald Trump. I'd like to read some honest assessments that avoid such shortcuts.
Peace.
Vote Trump
I watched my old FRiend the_doc get zotted for merely stating that he would not vote for Trump in the general election. Frankly since I live in California, I might not vote for him either, because my vote counts for nothing and my conscience prohibits me from wasting my vote on someone who isn't truly pro-life or pro-constitution. I have my doubts about what Trump believes, especially since he now wants to change the platform on abortion to make it more liberal.
A lot of people were zotted for saying things that were simply opinions that went contrary to the feelings of the owner. Of course that's his right, but it is also pretty dumb to zot old time Freepers who are standing on principle, even when that principle might seem to be counterproductive in the long run.
Personally, if I have to compromise my principles to vote for someone, I will not vote for them. I will suffer the consequences.
When I die, I am not going to be standing before the Free Republic Admin Moderator and asked to give an accounting of my life.
As a Cruz supporter I will try to answer what went wrong. Cruz appeal was to the “intellectual” conservative. He is (was) a candidate that we have been told could never win the primary. This year likely would have been different absent Trump’s entry into the race.
His first mistake was not supporting Trump against the riot in Chicago. He still had a chance at that time. I even winced at that. He also lost the PR battle over the intricate delegate selection rules. Trump was a master marketer on the big things.
I am in the #NeverHillary camp so I am more than willing to gamble on Trump. I hope he surrounds himself with some true small government conservatives but only time will tell.
Trump will not say it until his nomination is officially secure but I believe he will eventually show great respect for the battle Cruz waged. Not the missteps but the organizational approach. After all Trump slayed them all and only Cruz gave him any real fight.