I think it would be wise, after 2016, to realize that we're going to need a big tent if we're going to have any chance of remaining competitive with the Democrats in the future.
I appreciate your optimism, but let us consider reality for a moment.
Mathematically, there is no chance for the GOP to compete with the Democrats in the future. Declining birthrates, soaring emplacement of foreign nationals to replace citizens, and an open border welfare state alone belittle any chance of competing with a Socialist/Leftist party.
That the GOP has now officially embraced the Democrat social platform and big government corporatism with punitive trade policies - there is no discernible difference between two ostensibly liberal Left parties and the most radical will get the support and attention.
The GOP has opened their giant tent to embrace the Democrat and Leftist Agenda and platform, and made it very certain that Constitutional Conservatives whose fealty is the the Constitution and not to party - are not welcome at all, and have in-fact been run out of the party by the Establishment with major help from Trump.
Like it or not, Cruz has a large following, large enough that he was able to last longer than any other recent primary loser. So continuing to attack him, especially when he represents so many of the core values of conservative thought that make us different from the Democrats, is not smart; also note that Cruz is young enough to be Trump's son and will be in politics a lot longer than Trump, who will probably run one more election if that, will.
While that was true perhaps last week, now that the GOP has built a wall to empower Priebus and the Establishment with sole rule-making powers, Cruz has no future in the Republican party - possibly on orders from McConnell himself. Trump just declared this morning he was going to fund a PAC to oust Cruz from the Senate next election. They will make what McConnell did with Thad Cochran's race against the Conservative, tame in comparison.
Trump has brought some issues to the forefront that needed to be discussed, namely that domestic and economic defense are just as important to our security as the use of our military.
He did that in the beginning of his run for the purpose of telling the GOP base what it has been begging to hear, and thus drawing them to his support which only grew as he went after the liberal media. Once he was the clear front-runner he began to turn on every Conservative in the most vicious and vile manner ever seen in modern US politics.
It was then that I began to see him as what I think he actually is: a Trojan Stalking Horse for Hillary.
Which is probably the best case scenario, given that if he really wants to take the throne, our liberties are in more immediate danger than from Hillary.
