By Scott Tibbs, July 22, 2016
When Donald Trump viciously personally attacked and smeared Ted Cruz's wife he lost all claim on an endorsement by Cruz. Frankly, I would lose respect for Cruz if he endorsed the man who attacked his wife the way Trump smeared Heidi Cruz.
Then Trump went farther. Much farther. He viciously personally attacked, defamed, slandered and smeared Cruz's father - AFTER Trump had clinched the nomination. There was absolutely no reason to do this. None. It was nothing but pure vindictiveness and spite, nothing more. And that kind of vindictive and hateful behavior raises serious concerns about this man having access to our nuclear arsenal.
Trump nullified any claim on a Cruz endorsement when he attacked Cruz's wife and father. There are some places you do not go and some things you do not get to come back from. Frankly, Trump is lucky Cruz did not knock his teeth down his throat.
Trump is the one who chose to make it personal with vicious personal attacks and smears on Ted Cruz's wife and father. And who knows? Trump may have been able to secure a Cruz endorsement if he had been a man instead of a tantrum-throwing spoiled child, and apologized for his wicked behavior. Trump clearly does not have the personal integrity to do that.
There are consequences when you behave this way. There are consequences when you go after a man's family. There is nobody to blame for that but Trump. This is 100% his fault.
Yes, Cruz made a pledge during the primary to support the nominee, as did the other candidates. Cruz is also bound by his Christian faith to honor his wife and honor his father. Let's not be purists here. We all know there is a line where someone who pledges to support the nominee is justified in abandoning that pledge. If Trump walked into an elementary school with an AR-15 and murdered 30 kindergartners, then obviously no one would be obligated to support him regardless of what pledge he signed .
Lets not pretend that line does not exist, because we all know it does. The question is where that line falls, not whether there is a line. The Republican Party is a political party, not a cult. Donald Trump is the Republican nominee for President, not a messiah or a prophet. And frankly, I have absolutely no interest in being part of a cult. The only God I worship is the Lord Jesus Christ.