I will stand up for Cruz on this one.
Point 1. Trump said in March that he would not uphold the pledge to back the nominee because he had been treated unfairly. Cruz and Kasich were also alluding to not sticking with it. Who was whiny and afraid of being a sore loser then?
Point 2. I seem to remember Cruz only voting for TPA after McConnell screwed everything up and it was apparent it would not be stopped. That or it was the vote that included the Export/Import bank and McConnell lied about letting it expire.
Point 3. Everyone knew Cruz wasn't going to endorse. Trump and all his surrogates knew 3 days in advance. Isn't it plausible that all the press lead up and all the pressure was put on purposely to humiliate Cruz? Do you think it was coincidence that Trump walked in and interrupted the last part of the speech, right when everyone figured out there would be no endorsement? Trump is playing to the mob on a lot of this, and I don't think some are seeing through the bs. Cruz knew he would be berated, and he stuck by his principles instead of bowing to the party. Family before party. I don't have a problem with that. He will still be fighting the establishment and Democrats in the Senate, and still be trying to turn the Republican party more conservative.
Point 4. I wouldn't have had much of a problem with Cruz endorsing Trump, or not endorsing him, but articulating their similarities or differences and explaining why would have been a better approach. It's obvious to anyone with ears that Cruz would never vote for Hillary, or any other liberal. He just doesn't want to endorse someone who has called him a liar for months, insulted his wife, and started a lie that his dad conspired with Oswald. BS tactics to take focus off of issues with no supporting evidence for the lies.
Point 5. Is it that big of a deal that Cruz didn't endorse Trump? They have some big differences. If the media had not played the question all day prior, would anyone care? I will vote for Trump, but that doesn't mean I would endorse or support his campaign. Should I leave the party? Does that mean I am in the same boat as McCain, Romney or Bush? Many Trump supporters claimed to be never Cruz, now they are pissed that some may be never Trump, or that some may vote Trump, but not jump on his bandwagon and wave the company flag. Why won't Trump apologize for spreading lies, why won't he reach out to other conservatives who don't like the fact that he is buddied up with a ton of old establishment Republicans. Why doesn't he do something to unite the party? Leads me to point 6.
Point 6. Trump is not as much an outsider as he wants us all to believe. His campaign manager worked for Ford against Reagan. He has old Dole staffers in his campaign. Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee act like his biggest fans. Come on, these people are not conservatives. Just because he claims to be an outsider, and Bush and McCain and Romney aren't around doesn't mean he isn't tied to the establishment. And he is going to need the conservative base behind him this fall, but instead of trying to reassure the millions who voted for Cruz, or Walker, he ridicules the other candidates because they lost. I hope he wins, and I will vote for him, but he is not doing his part to unite the party behind him.
I ask you, would you endorse your biggest rival after months of being called a liar, family being insulted? Those used to be attacks worthy of a real fight, and unthinkable unless you wanted one. Now it's just politics? Some of us want better.