"We can't deny that we're in challenging times right now. This is a difficult time for Muslim-Americans." Barack Obama, White House Reception, July 21, 2016, Eid al-Fitr, Muslim Celebration Marking the End of Ramadan
July 20, 2016
By: Linda Case Gibbons
Nobody likes a sore loser, especially when the guy was someone no one liked to begin with.
Like Ted Cruz.
This week, Cruz tried to make a comeback, at the Republican National Convention, the day after Donald Trump locked up the GOP nomination.
It wasn't clear what Cruz was thinking, but whatever it was, it didn't work out for the poor guy.
He held a press conference, just like he was still campaigning, and in the middle of his speech, The Donald's jet flew over behind Cruz' rally and stole the show.
He addressed the Convention, and during the boos that followed, The Donald appeared and stole his thunder.
Cruz didn't endorse Trump. In fact he changed his speech from the one submitted before the convention, and added the phrase, "Vote your conscience," in a race where there only two people.
It was easy to catch his drift, and his message sure wasn't "Vote for Trump."
Even the Texas delegates didn't give him a pass. At a breakfast meeting the next day, they asked him some tough questions, such as "Why didn't you honor the pledge you made to support the Republican candidate?"
Lyin' Ted couldn't catch a break.
He didn't understand it was over. That it was too late. He didn't know why the voters had chosen someone whom he thought was less worthy. But he did get attention. The media was happy to accommodate.
In fact the whole convention coverage had a bittersweet tone to it, courtesy of the leftist media, and with Cruz seeking revenge for his wife and dad, and then there was Melania.
The mainstream media couldn't figure out what to do with a woman who wasn't Hillary.
They didn't know where to start when faced with a warm, beautiful woman, who was articulate in five languages, who ran her own business, who didn't campaign full-time because she chose to stay behind and take care of her son. But they weren't stumped for long.
They dug and dug and finally came up with plagiarism! And from Michelle Obama, no less.
Now I don't know about you, but if I was plagiarsing a speech, and I was a First Lady in Waiting, I would steal from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, not Michelle Obama. I've read Michelle's Princeton senior thesis!
But gracious to a fault, the Trump team acknowledged the unfortunate similarity and offered an apology, adding that Mrs. Trump's high regard for the First Lady was part of the mistake, as she had tried to include thoughts from Michelle Obama's speech that had inspired her.
It could have been a chance for unity. It could have been brushed off jokingly, as Obama did when he lifted passages from Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick in 2007. That time around, he laughed and dismissed rival Hillary Clinton's plagiarism charge as "absurd and desperate."
But the media and the left wouldn't let it go. And with Hillary set to take the stage in Philly at the Democratic Convention next week, why would they?
Melania hit a home run with the people, so why would the media let a well-received lady like Melania Trump off the hook?
They wouldn't.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, POTUS wasn't letting any grass grow under his feet.
He claimed he didn't watch the Republican Convention coverage. He claimed he didn't listen to Trump's acceptance speech, but that's what he always says when he wants to be dismissive and cool.
No, he was plenty busy, hosting a bash at the White House for 100 Muslim-Americans, to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. And the gods were with him. The holiday fell right on the night of Trump's acceptance speech.
So while Donald Trump was telling his audience, "I am your voice," and speaking about the sad state our country has fallen into since the advent of Obama, President Obama filled the evening with praise for Islam, praise for Muslim artists, lawyers, and you name it, and sympathy for the Muslims living in this country today.
Our president's quite a guy.
That's probably why the latest CNN poll showed a 57 percent "very positive" reaction to Trump's speech; why 73 percent said the policies in the speech would move the country "in the right direction;" and why 56 percent said they were "more likely to vote for Trump."
Naturally CNN hosts were quick to explain that the poll was only made up of "Convention Watchers," and meant nothing.
Of course they did.
Hold the line, America.