If the Republican establishment has any hope of denying front-runner Donald Trump the presidential nomination it has no choice but to go "all-in" for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, conservative talk radio host
Rush Limbaugh said on his show Thursday.
Cruz is no more to the establishment's liking than is Trump, Limbaugh says, but Cruz is their chance of defeating Trump, whom the establishment appears to be working hard to defeat. One week ago, 2012 nominee Mitt Romney made a speech imploring Republicans to vote against the billionaire businessman.
But Cruz must win the nomination in the primary process and not in a contested convention, Limbaugh said.
"He's got to go to Cleveland with 1,237, and I think they think they can do it," he said. "I think they think there's a pathway there. But it involves [Ohio Gov. John] Kasich and [Florida Sen. Marco] Rubio getting out now, and somehow the establishment unifying behind Cruz, happily, cheerfully, with no animosity, no disappointment. I mean, they've gotta be all-in that Cruz is the guy."
For that to happen, Cruz might need to mend some fences. He once called his own Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a liar on the Senate floor.
"Would that mean that Cruz has to, I don't know, apologize to members of the establishment that he has attacked, like McConnell?" Limbaugh asked. "Well, I don't know."
Limbaugh said another theory is Kasich staying in through Tuesday and capturing his own home state of Ohio where he has as slight lead over Trump in some polls. That would deny Trump those delegates.
But he said any scenario that involves the establishment getting full bore behind Cruz should be eyed with suspicion.
"How serious is it? How deep is it?" he said. "Everybody's under the impression the Republicans want to win the White House. Remember, there are elected Republicans telling Bret Baier they will vote for Hillary over Trump –d and some of them, no doubt, ditto instead of Ted Cruz, who is just as reprehensible to 'em for different reasons."
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