Don't Let the GOP fool you, Cruz is Trump Lite.

Ted Cruz

I'm a beer drinker.   I prefer the darker, stronger beers like Ambers, IPAs and Bochs but I often have to go with the "lite" versions because as much as I like the stronger stuff, they have too many calories and carbs and I know they are more detrimental to my long term health.  Not that Michelob Ultra is the cornerstone of a healthy diet, but it's better than the alternatives that I prefer.   Such is the state of the current Republican Party establishment in the race for their party's nomination.   They seem to now be finally accepting the fact that the voters in their primaries prefer the stronger stuff (Trump), but it seems that they are now trying to push the lite version (Cruz).  But I would give Americans the same warning my doctor gives me with beer, the lite version may not be as bad as the real thing, but beer still isn't good for you.

Ted Cruz is the most despised politician in Washington by other politicians, that's a universally accepted fact.   But drip by drip, you see and hear rumblings of politicians that have publicly spoken of their disdain for Cruz endorsing him for the Republican nomination.  Even Lindsey Graham, who said publicly that choosing between Cruz and Trump was like choosing between "being shot or being poisoned", has evidently chosen the poison, endorsing Cruz.   The fear of the GOP establishment of the Trump phenomenon can be felt from coast to coast, and evidently they have now decided that Trump would be such a disaster that Cruz is an acceptable alternative.   But here's the rub.   If you look closely at their stated stance on public policy and issues (to the extent there is any stated policy by Trump, he's very thin in that department), Cruz and Trump are basically identical.   Choosing Cruz over Trump is like drinking lite beer and still getting all the calories and carbs.  

Let's look at some of the hot topics during the election.  Abortion?  Neither believe in a woman's right to choose.  Affirmative Action?  Both against.  Same Sex Marriage?  Both against.  EPA regulations too restrictive?  Both agree.  Gun control?  Both against.  Obamacare?  Both against.  Government stimulus for economy?  Both against.  Privatize Social Security?  Both agree.  Expand the Military?  Both agree.  So what's the difference?  The difference is although Cruz professes to be the one politician in Washington that refuses to play the game, the GOP establishment evidently has decided that he is more willing to play the game than Trump.   It truly appears to be the case of the lesser of two evils.

Donald Trump

It will be interesting to see what happens, because as much as the GOP establishment is trying to get their voters off of the real thing (Trump) and switch to the lite version (Cruz), the voters seem to realize that they get the exact same thing from both, so they for now are sticking with the real thing.  Although Trump may not get the required 1237 delegates needed to win the nomination before the GOP convention, he almost surely will enter that convention with more delegates than anybody else.   Will the GOP establishment snatch the voter's choice from them and try to stick them with substitute?  Only time will tell.