[TheRealThing]

In the beginning did you expect to see Trump being opposed by those who were anti-establishment? As different as you, Hoot, and I have been this election cycle, one thing the three of us having in common on a deep end - is that we all oppose the establishment and what they have done. We all agree that we have been represented by leaders who mostly have backed down or caved on several important issues.

At first I thought that as Trump moved along, even though he was running against some of the other guys I thought he would unite with Cruz, Rubio, Paul, and the ones that were fighting against the Jeb Bush's and Lindsey Graham's of the world. Instead, he has not just destroyed a relationship with the establishment, he has destroyed a relationship with many others. Had, say, Marco Rubio won, I think the election would have been intense but I don't think Cruz or Paul would have had much trouble rallying around him. I almost expected to see this kind of scenario with Bush or Graham not supporting the candidate if a non-establishment candidate won, and if this were just a few members of the establishment rebelling in fear of losing their power I would be understanding.

Trump, with the way he handled himself in the primary especially through his Twitter posts, put himself in a deep hole when it comes to his relationships with some of the others in the GOP. Trump has no one to blame but himself when it comes to how this party has become so divided.

The GOP has made some huge gains in recent years. Having 247 seats in the House, 54 seats in the Senate, 24 states under full GOP control in terms of the legislatures, this is the best position the party has been in at least during my lifetime. Given the way the scenario is looking right now, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Democrats get some huge gains coming up in part because of Donald Trump and in part because of some of the governors pussing on some key issues. I just can't see Cruz wanting to put his name in the VP slot because of the relationship between him and Trump and the potential failure of this presidency given that he has the shot of potentially winning the presidential primary in a future campaign.

Cruz has been offering his gifts and continued to take major stands in the Senate since the primaries ended, as has Rand Paul.

The GOP is in a very good position as compared to 2008. The same voting base which was responsible for the sweeping GOP victories since that time have now placed their fortunes with Donald Trump for this Presidential season. As of this moment, I do not accept the gloomy down ticket outlook for the GOP being put out there. It would seem to me that a patriot would be more interested with the immediate fortunes of his country, than his own political fortunes. If Cruz did join the ticket, I believe his motives would then be seen in that light and the people would not hold his commitment to serve his nation against him.