Brian4Liberty

The Establishment Compromise: Cruz/Ryan 2016
By Brian F. Liberty - March 23, 2016

(RPF) - This is a prediction, but the writing is on the wall for all to see. The establishment has gone all in on defeating Donald Trump, and that means putting their weight behind Ted Cruz. The endorsements are coming fast and furious. Jeb Bush and Lindsey Graham have buried the hatchet along with their pride and have backed Cruz. Endorsements are likely to come any day now from Marco Rubio and Scott Walker.

Carly Fiorina was the first in line to join the Cruz campaign and apply for the Vice President slot. While Fiorina looks good on paper to vie as the first woman elected as VP, and to lead an attack on Hillary Clinton, that logic failed badly during her run for Senate in California against Barbara Boxer. She also painted herself as an anti-establishment candidate this campaign season, which may not be exactly true, but it may disqualify her as the establishment favored partner for Ted Cruz.

So who would the GOP establishment want as their compromise candidate for Vice President? No need to look further than the person that Cruz previously partnered with on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Paul Ryan. This would come as a surprise to no one. Paul Ryan is the golden boy of the GOP establishment. His reputation has been carefully crafted to be perceived as both an establishment protege and team player, as well as a fiscal conservative. Being the reluctant Speaker of the House will not hurt his chances.

Many less informed voters even mistake Paul Ryan for Rand Paul. No reason to correct that misconception if it helps maintain the mystique that Ryan is a maverick conservative that appeals to young voters. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear Grandma saying to her grandchildren "that Paul fellow that you really like is going to be Vice President".

John Boehner has already publicly endorsed Paul Ryan, and there can be little doubt that Mitt Romney, who has worked furiously to deny Donald Trump the nomination, would love to insert his previous running mate back into the mix. The “Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan” super-PAC is already in place to ensure that money will be available to wet the appropriate beaks when the time comes. And the neoconservative faction, exemplified by Bill Kristol, have long had Paul Ryan up their sleeves, always waiting for the opportunity to play that card again. There is little doubt that we would immediately see a grinning Kristol on CNN and ABC, singing the praises of Paul Ryan, and the value of his national campaign experience. It might even be enough to prevent Kristol from campaigning for Hillary Clinton.

It remains to be seen if the establishment will be able to drive the GOP into a brokered convention, but it is a certainty that if it does happen, the backroom discussions will include Paul Ryan's name, and likely the proposal of a Cruz/Ryan ticket.

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