Sean Hannity to Ted Cruz: "You gotta stop!"

By Michael Gaynor

Will Cruz's strategy of suggesting that Hannity is a "hard-core Trump supporter" who was "distract[ing] from the real issues," boomerang?

Perhaps Donald Trump's tremendous New York Republican presidential primary victory was not the best thing that happened to him on April 19.

That day Ted Cruz was interviewed on radio by Sean Hannity and Hannity shocked the world by erupting at Cruz for ducking Hannity's straightforward question about Cruz's strategic use of the Republican delegate system and implying that Hannity is a "hard-core Trump supporter."

Hannity was asking, not attacking, and asking about something that Cruz did not want to discuss.

Hannity even acknowledged that what Cruz has been doing is well within party rules as he asked Cruz to explain what he's been doing to win delegates.

Hannity to Cruz: "So you're in a process of talking to delegates, and it seems to be very extensive. Could you explain to people what's going on?"

Cruz replied: "Sean, with all respect, that's not what people care about. People are concerned about bringing jobs back to America."

That was a BIG MISTAKE by Cruz, because Hannity wanted an answer!

Hannity neither erupted nor dropped the question.

Instead Hannity politely explained that many of his listeners had asked him about Cruz's delegate strategy.

Cruz responded: "Sean, the only people asking this question are the hard-core Donald Trump supporter."

THEN Hannity erupted.

(Hannity is NOT a "hard-core Donald Trump supporter" and understandably resented Cruz trying to brand his as one in a futile attempt to avoid answering Hannity's question.

Hannity: "You gotta stop! Every time I have you on the air, and I ask a legitimate question, you try to throw this in my face."

Hannity continued: "I'm getting sick of it. I've had you on more than any other candidate on radio and TV. So if I ask you, Senator, a legitimate question to explain to the audience, why don't you just answer it?"

Realizing that he had made a big mistake, Cruz finally answered:

The gist of his answer was that "there is a second component beyond the elections, which is the individual delegates are elected by the people," "Donald Trump's campaign does not know how to organize on the grass roots," so Cruz wins delegates "over and over and over again" and "the Donald Trump campaign does not seem capable of running a lemonade stand" and seems like "a Kim Kardashian reality show."

Hannity did not try to rebut any part of Cruz's diatribe. Instead he followed up with a reasonable question: "What if the delegate selection doesn't represent the will of the people in that particular district or area?"

Cruz dodged the question and attacked Trump.

"The Trump campaign wants to distract from the real issues," Cruz said.

That attack was not aimed at Hannity and Hannity is not a Trump spokesperson, so Hannity did not respond to it.

Nevertheless, it is fair to ask this: Will Cruz's strategy of suggesting that Hannity is a "hard-core Trump supporter" who was "distract[ing] from the real issues," boomerang?

It should, and all Hannity needs to do is examine the presidential eligibility of the three remaining Republican presidential hopefuls, which is something he should have done already.

The first "real issue" every presidential aspirant needs to address is whether he or she is eligible to be President.

There's no question that Trump and John Kasich are eligible, but that's not so with Cruz.

Hannity's favorite lawyers are Mark Levin, his fellow radio star whom he calls "the Great One," and David Limbaugh, Hannity's personal attorney, They are ardent Cruz supporters, so perhaps Hannity hasn't realized that the challenges to Cruz's eligibility are not baseless, as Cruz insists.

Will Hannity have Cruz on one of his shows again to discuss his presidential eligibility problem with him?

Or will Hannity interview legal experts to discuss the issue?

Even the New Jersey hearing officer who thinks Cruz is both a natural born Canadian and a natural born United States citizen acknowledges that "there can be no certainty as to what the founders meant by 'natural born citizen'" and "the arguments against finding a child born outside the United States to a non-diplomat or non-military citizen of the United States are not facetious and the issue can never be entirely free of doubt, at least barring a definitive ruling of the United States Supreme Court."

Hannity's listeners need to know about Cruz's eligibility problem at least as much as his delegate strategy.

© Michael Gaynor