The only reason that GOP leadership supposedly supports Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is because they suspect he will lose big to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and they want to use his defeat to discourage additional Tea Party Republicans from breaking ranks, talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said Monday.
The entire point of backing Cruz over billionaire businessman Donald Trump, Limbaugh added, is that Republican leaders want to regain control over their party.
“The bosses’ of the GOP do indeed, if they had a preference, there’s no doubt in my mind it would be Cruz,” he said. “[Overall], the G.O.P.E. – GOP Establishment – would rather … Ted Cruz be the nominee and lose the race for the White House. They figure that there’s only one Donald Trump. There’s not going be another guy like Trump coming along, but there’s all kinds of potential Ted Cruzes in the Tea Party, and they don’t want guys like Ted Cruz coming back.”
“They just don’t. So the best thing they can do, their long-term plan in GOP Establishment — their dream now — would be for Cruz to get the nomination and then get shellacked in a landslide,” he added.
“It’s not a theory. I’m not guessing. This is … If the establishment could write the script here, Cruz would be the nominee. They want it demonstrated,” he said.
“Since they think they’re going lose it to Hillary either way, folks. You’ve got to understand that: They think they’re going to lose either way; therefore, the way they’re thinking is it’s better to lose with Cruz, because that would say forever, ‘No conservative should ever get the nomination and lose in a landslide.’ They’ll be done with it. ‘And take the social issues with you, by the way,’ they’ll say,” he added.
