Free Republic

Cruz Control - Cruz helped to breed his own nemesis. And what does he have to show for it? Is his style of “true” conservatism now the more popular, the more compelling, the better understood? For someone so intelligent and so renowned as a debater, it’s hard to remember any of Cruz’s arguments. Admittedly, he was debating legions of opponents—a case where party leaders really did let the good candidates down, as mentioned above. Partly, however, his fluent arguments lacked a center, a focus. He had two rhetorical modes—the preacher and the debater. One was earnest and revivalist, summoning ultimate...

Donald Trump won't self-fund his general-election campaign, and will instead create a "world-class finance organization," the presumptive Republican nominee said in an interview on Wednesday. For a campaign expected to cost more than $1 billion, "I'll be putting up money, but won't be completely self-funding, as I did during the primaries," Mr. Trump said. The New York businessman, who did receive some mostly small unsolicited donations, lent his campaign $36 million of the $47 million he spent through March. That plan represents a shift for Mr. Trump, who has for months portrayed his Republican opponents as "puppets" for relying on...

Donald Trump won’t self-fund his general-election campaign, and will instead create a “world-class finance organization,” the presumptive Republican nominee said in an interview on Wednesday. For a campaign expected to cost more than $1 billion, “I’ll be putting up money, but won’t be completely self-funding, as I did during the primaries,” Mr. Trump said on Wednesday. The New York businessman, who did receive some mostly small unsolicited donations, lent his campaign $36 million of the $47 million he spent through March. That plan represents a shift for Mr. Trump, who has for months portrayed his Republican opponents as “puppets” for...

It is not uncommon for presidential candidates to pose as hard-core liberals or conservatives to appease their party’s activist base and then temper their views in the general election to win over moderates and undecided votes. But Donald Trump seems to be doing that before a single vote has been cast in the GOP primaries.