Ted Cruz on Voting One's Conscience in Election 2016

Senator Ted Cruz gave a remarkable speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention.  While he congratulated GOP nominee Donald Trump (R-NY) for his victory in the primaries, Cruz resisted the cajoling by the media and Trump surrogates to endorse the Manhattan mogul turned Reality TV host turned Populist politician.

Instead, Cruz espoused traditional conservative Republican Party principles and urged those watching to support such candidates in the fall elections.

This message was no surprise to the Donald, as he was given an advanced copy two hours before delivery.  Publicly, Trump claims that Cruz' non endorsement was "no big deal".

However, this nonchalance is impeached by behind the scenes maneuvers. Trump sent surrogates to whip their people to boo Cruz's call for conscience.  They may have been blindly supporting their ticket, but listening to the words delivered, they impugned freedom, faithfulness to the Constitution and fidelity to one's conscience in the boos. 

[L] Donald Trump Jr. [R] GOP Presidential Nominee Donald Trump hearing Sen. Cruz at GOP Convention

Some delegates reported that Trump convention floor whips predicted to wait until tomorrow until Cruz is torn apart by a female and a male media type.  Enquiring minds (sic) want to know-- who could this be?

The day after his convention speech, Cruz  was challenged by a delegate why he broke his loyalty pledge. Cruz cited how Trump had personally attacked his wife's looks and implicated his father as being involved in the JFK assassination conspiracy. 

 Cruz could have added Trump's libelous labeling of him as "liar" and the gutless accusations that he did could not run for President because he was not a natural born citizen.  The latter charge was gutless as Trump was one of the few Americans who had standing to sue, and Trump blustered but never filed.  Yet Trump would bring out the hoary chestnut whenever he felt threatened by Cruz in the campaign.

Unlike Trump's take that it is all about him, there is the rest of the Republican party down the ticket. It is important for those incumbents and prospective office holders to define their political philosophies, which may differ from the unprinciple populism which prevailed for the top of the ticket.

Between Trump-ism and the suppression of floor votes on grassroots oriented Rules on day one of the convention, there may be a growing chasm between being a Republican and being a conservative. This is the dialectic which Cruz urged voters of conscience to decide.