CLEVELAND – Republicans were on their feet in Cleveland Quicken Loan Convention Hall when Indiana Governor Mike Pence accepted the RNC's nomination for vice-president Wednesday night, when another of the Trump Family – Eric Trump – told America why his father would be an excellent president, and when Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio both endorsed their former primary opponent.
But the most controversial speech of the night was in prime time, when U.S. Senator Ted Cruz congratulated Donald Trump as the RNC's nominee, but refrained from endorsing his former opponent.
Dubbed "Lyin' Ted" by Trump during the GOP primaries, Trump also mocked Cruz's wife as unstable, suggested Cruz's father was affiliated with Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and promoted outlandish tabloid stories that Cruz had been a sleazy philanderer.
Still, the New York delegation began calling for Cruz to "Endorse Trump!" as Cruz continued his speech with no endorsement.
In the end, Cruz said, "We deserve those who stand for principle, who unite us all behind shared values, who cast aside anger for love. That is the standard we should expect from everybody. And to those listening, please don't stay home in November … If you love our country, and if you love your children as much as I know you do, stand and speak and vote your conscience – vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution."
The crowd did not applause, they booed the senator as he left the stage. Reports are that Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli ushered Heidi Trump from the floor as delegates began shouting at her, and after the speech, GOP billionaire donor Sheldon Adelson blocked Cruz from a reception in his suite. Reports have also been confirmed that a Texas delegate had to be physically restrained from attacking Cruz.
Folks on both sides of the Cruz-Trump feud defend their positions, saying Cruz is breaking his word that he and all primary candidates gave to support the eventual contest winner.
Others say Trump is not a true conservative, he cannot be trusted to pick Supreme Court nominees that will uphold the Constitution.
The GOP Family feud that had appeared time to time in the convention's first two days and was visible with former GOP nominee John Kasich's refusal to appear at the convention held in his home state boiled to the top Wednesday night.
Is this evidence of an outright family war, or will this go away as the focus zooms in on the Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton?
What do you think? Did Ted Cruz do the right thing to withhold his endorsement of Donald Trump?
