Ted Cruz Derails the Convention

As soon as it was clear beyond doubt that Senator Ted Cruz wasn't going to endorse Donald Trump in his speech at the Republican convention, it was also clear that Cruz's speech was the only one that was going to be discussed the next day. Mike Pence, the vice presidential nominee, gave a conservative speech that almost all Republicans could applaud. But nothing in it could compete for attention with the blow to party unity that Cruz -- and the delegates who booed him off stage -- delivered.

And that Trump and his allies compounded. Newt Gingrich, speaking after Cruz, was smart enough to know that it would be a mistake to rebuke him frontally. Instead, he tried to remold Cruz's non-endorsement into an endorsement. Cruz (who I should note is an old friend) had said that voters should pick the candidate they can trust to protect the Constitution. Gingrich said that in practice that should compel them to vote for Trump.