Wednesday of Convention Week

Wednesday was a +Ted Cruz kind of day.  The various state delegations plan activities for their folks when the convention is not in session.  Accordingly, several of us from the Tennessee delegation, who had worked on the Cruz campaign, were invited to a reception this afternoon, at which the senator spoke.  He gave a wonderful, inspiring speech, during which he gave heartfelt thanks to us for our efforts.  Don't believe the hype you hear in the media.  This man is a brilliant, principled conservative who is genuine and who has a good heart.  He loves his country, as does his wife, Heidi.  I greatly respect them both.

It was with eager anticipation that I awaited the senator's speech at the convention Wednesday night.  The question on everyone's minds was, "Will he endorse Trump?"
The way I looked at it was this:  he had three paths and none of them were anything short of suicidal.
First, he could have "done a Kasich" - - refused to appear at the convention.
Second, he could have endorsed Trump, which would have alienated the conservative wing of the party, his loyal supporters.
Third, he could have done what he did, which was to give an inspiring, patriotic speech about the centrality of freedom, in which he congratulated Donald Trump on his win.

Ted Cruz was set up.
Trump asked Cruz to speak at the convention, approved Cruz's speech two days beforehand and then had his goons whip up the NY delegates to begin booing Cruz at a certain point in the speech.  I was in my plum spot in the front balcony.  Immediately below me and slightly to the right, I could see the Trump family box, where the children were seated.  You may have missed this, but....during the last minute or two of Cruz's speech, as the booing continued to intensify, "The Donald" appeared at the entrance to the family box.  I watched in horror as the spotlights found him and he began to wave, to pander to the crowd, to draw the attention to himself.  DURING CRUZ'S SPEECH!  Cruz left the stage to loud booing. His wife was treated so poorly she had to be escorted from the convention floor by Ken Cucchinelli.

This type of self-aggrandizing behavior is unprecedented.  Historically, the candidate does not even appear at the convention until the night he makes the acceptance speech, in this case, Thursday night. But, Donald appeared on stage in person Monday night, on live video feed Tuesday night and then his saboteur stagecraft on display Wednesday night.
There is something profoundly wrong with this type of behavior, from a man many Americans plan to elect as our nation's president.

It was an experience in which my nation's future flashed before my eyes.  And, I recoiled in horror at what I saw.