Taking Ted Cruz SeriouslyWhat does 'vote your conscience' mean for conservatives? http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/taking-ted-cruz-seriously/Laura Ingraham
07 Sep 2016
At this year’s GOP convention, Ted Cruz famously urged the delegates — and all Republicans: “If you love our country, and love our children as much as you do, stand, and speak, and vote your conscience. Vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom, and to be faithful to the constitution.” Many observers saw this statement as an implied attack on Donald Trump, and Cruz was booed vigorously as a result. But let’s take Sen. Cruz seriously. In the 2016 election, what should a conservative do who loves his or her children and his or her country? What does your conscience suggest?
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OK, how should a disappointed conservative choose between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump? The best approach would be to draw upon the concept of prudence. In other words, make a careful assessment of life under a Clinton presidency, and life under a Trump presidency. Let's assume that the worst of what you believe about Trump is correct. Let's ignore the fact that he repeatedly argues for lower taxes, that he has identified conservatives whom he would put on the Supreme Court, that he picked a conservative running mate, and all of the other things he has said and done indicating a preference for conservative policies. Even assuming for the sake of argument that none of those promises are valid, and that Trump would devote his entire presidency to advancing harmful policies, what would happen? In the first place, he would face unrelenting scrutiny from a press corps that hates him. Any scandal involving his administration would receive vast publicity. Any mistakes would be magnified by a hostile media. Any illegality — or alleged illegality — would be met with calls for impeachment.
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Unfortunately, those factors will not limit Hillary Clinton. She has the Democratic Party in her pocket — her only serious primary opponent was Bernie Sanders, who is not a Democrat. Most of the members of the mainstream press are simply her puppets, and would do whatever was necessary to avoid putting her re-election at risk. Similarly, once Hillary Clinton has five liberals on the Supreme Court — and she will have five liberals on the Supreme Court — she can interpret any statute or re-write any regulation as she sees fit, and there's nothing anyone could do about it. What if Hillary Clinton uses the IRS to go after her political enemies? The press would cover it up, and the courts would do nothing to stop her. What if she uses the FBI to spy on people she doesn't like? The press would cover it up, and the courts would do nothing to stop her.
That’s the world you will wake up to on Nov. 9 … a world where your constitutional rights, your state and local governments, and your country’s military would all be in the hands of a single angry liberal.
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In short, when you apply the Cruz test to this election, it is clear that conservatives of good conscience can and should support Donald Trump. Indeed, failure to do so will put our entire political system — with all of the civil liberties we hold dear — at risk. I urge those conservatives who are concerned about Trump to think very, very carefully about this election, and work with the rest of us to defeat Hillary Clinton.
