When Ted Cruz took the stage in Cleveland and urged Republicans to vote their conscience it was thought by many to be a risky move that potentially damaged Cruz because in the era of Trump “voting your conscience” means rejecting the Cheeto Jesus. (The fact that pro-Trump delegates booed that suggestion shows the previously unplumbed depths of ethical and moral corruption that exists in the GOP.)

As it turns out, having faced Trump in the primary, Ted Cruz was making a sure bet because he knew and understood Trump much better than Trump’s supporters. He knows that Trump is a poseur who gives “shallow” a bad name and that, inevitably, he’d throw his supporters under the bus. Last evening on Sean Hannity’s infomercial, Donald Trump embraced the Gang of 8 comprehensive immigration reform plan. This, as Leon points out, should not have surprised anyone who had paid attention to Trump. By the way, Ann Coulter’s twitter feed is filled with a pain and bitterness that makes a refreshing drink when served with a dash of salt.

Well, if it's "hard," then nevermind. Trump: "… to take a person who's been here for 15 or 20 years ….It's a very, very hard thing."

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) August 25, 2016

It's not "amnesty." It's "comprehensive immigration reform"!!!! Trump: "they have to pay taxes, there's no amnesty."

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) August 25, 2016

Trump: "they have to pay taxes, there's no amnesty" [Pro Tip: "Back taxes" means we pay illegals $30k apiece in EITC.}

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) August 25, 2016

Only part he left out was the "hoops" they'll have to jump through! Trump:"No citizenship. Let me go a step further—they'll pay back-taxes"

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) August 25, 2016

Now, former Ted Cruz staffers are taking a victory lap.

“Everything Trump promises comes with an expiration date,” said Cruz’s former Senate communications director, Amanda Carpenter. “We knew it during the primary, and now it is apparent he has duped his most loyal supporters on the issue they care about most, immigration. Don’t say we didn’t warn them.”
…
“It vindicates the speech, it vindicates what Ted Cruz warned would happen during the course of the campaign,” said Chris Wilson, the director of research, analytics and digital strategy on Cruz’s campaign and a top Cruz adviser who has always argued that the RNC speech would be remembered favorably. He went on to add, “I do think, yes, the immigration point is another data point that he was right, it’s another data point that leads people to understand Ted Cruz knew what he was talking about, he was making the right decision.”

Despite the mewling of the Branch Trumpidians and the values-free GOP apparatchiks who are supporting Trump because of the paycheck, the only danger Ted Cruz ever faced from his gambit depended upon two things, a) Trump had to stay true to the core sales pitch that won him the nomination, and b) Trump either had to win, and thereby color opposition to Trump as a fringe movement, or he had to lose by razor margin and create his own Dolchstoß, that is, a “stab in the back” myth that could hold Cruz and other #NeverTrump folks responsible for his loss. Now Trump has defenestrated his alt-right and xenophobic supporters and polling shows he’s on glide path to make Reagan-Mondale look like a nail-biter.

The sweet thing is that often you have to wait for years in order to be vindicated. Ted Cruz only had to wait a month.