I generally agree, and recommend one alteration to your formulation:
Back off on the anti-Trump rhetoric, play nicely through the rest of the primaries, and show up with fewer delegates. Then ask Mr. Trump:
“What’s it worth to you to have a coronation today?”
And score as many points for conservatism as you can.
Supreme Court Justices pre-named.
0bamaCare dismantled.
Department Heads we like.
Then join hands on the podium and ask all your delegates to join Mr. Trump in beating Hillary.
Win / Win.
The art of the deal.
Cruz inordinately sees himself as Reagan in 1976. He wants to repeat that even to the floor fight and the 1980 coronation and win.
However, the field of battle is different this time. Cruz is not fighting the Establishment Liberals (Ford). Trump is a different animal calling for a different strategy.
Trump may or may not beat Hillary. But Cruz cannot beat Trump without it being a pyric victory. So Ted needs to back off, let Trump win and the chips fall, score some points, and still be the guy all the TRUMP supporters want next time. The only way to do that is to JOIN HANDS.
Brilliant summation. That is what he should do.
The GOPe is using him, and there is the problem. He just doesnt know it/can see it because he is blind to the fact.
Sounds good to me...this is the type of thing needed. If Cruz can find a way to ally with Trump and step back from the brink, the GOP and America wins in November.
IMHO, if there is an all out dog fight...we will lose in November.
Cruz can make the former happen.
The art of the deal.
Gonna need to sanitize the WH after the likes of Al Sharpton.
God bless Trump.
Thank you Mr. Trump on behalf of the American People.
But will Trump actually follow through? Based on his past and recent comments it’s highly likely he will run to the left.
The Don would like you Uncle Milt.
IF Cruz did this we could have Trump for 8 years - followed by Cruz for eight years... Besides, Trump's would be a million times better at knocking out Establishment gatekeepers... making it much easier when it's Cruz's time.
If these two stood up and admitted that it has been nothing but Kabuki theater since day 1 and walk arm in arm to the White House, We The People would be back in charge for at least the next 16 years.
I would hope that Trump will select cabinet secretaries and agency heads who are competent hard headed leaders and managers - not someone who passes muster as folks "we" whoever we is like. We have all kinds of folks running agencies now who are liked by someone. They cannot manager their deputies to get them a cup of coffee. They are incompetent. It is a long time since we had a Dean Acheson or George C Marshall as a cabinet secretary.