Day Three Of The Republican Convention Got A Little Wild

I have never been in a convention hall at one of these events before tonight. I understand, though, that I just witnessed something special. Cruz basically gave a giant middle finger to Trump as the major networks came on the air for convention coverage.

Well, earlier I mentioned Rubio’s unhelpful tendency to take half-measures. Cruz has a sort of variation on that problem, which is to play it too cute by half. Having a pregnant pause at a couple of moments where he could have endorsed Trump was a pretty risky strategy if Cruz wanted to keep the crowd on his side. It had the effect of emphasizing the non-endorsement. Better to plow through, deliver a good speech, and let people pick up on the text or subtext after the fact. Several of the previous speakers have barely mentioned Trump, without drawing so much attention it. A remarkable moment in convention history.