When you build a political party where the theme is “every man for himself!” it’s probably not surprising that anything that looks like (shiver) cooperation is immediately suspect. Even so, you might expect the Axis of Mediocity to last longer than this.
The temporary alliance between Senator Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, formed to deny Donald J. Trump the Republican presidential nomination, was already fraying almost to the point of irrelevance on Monday, only hours after it was announced to great fanfare.
Scant moments after Molotov-Ribbentrop Kasich and Cruz announced their pact on Monday (yes, I Godwin’d), Kasich was already giving it the old college no try.
Voters in Indiana, Mr. Kasich said, “ought to vote for me,” even if he would not be campaigning publicly there. He added, “I don’t see this as any big deal.”
All right, Kasich isn’t going to campaign in Indiana, but if they just can’t resist his magnetic charisma, then how can he say no? The Kruzich Alliance had only to make it 48 hours to reach the Tuesday evening primaries. How did that go?
Even in Indiana, emerging as the most important state, the Cruz-Kasich pact appeared something less than decisive. While Mr. Kasich’s campaign canceled his public appearances in the state, the governor was still slated to visit Indianapolis on Tuesday for a fund-raising event at the Columbia Club. And he still had meetings scheduled with a series of Indiana Republicans, including Gov. Mike Pence, according to a leading Republican in the state.
So maybe he will be in Indiana, but not campaigning. Just meeting with important people, collecting cash, making connections. Not campaigning.
Meanwhile, at the Cruz Nest …
Mr. Cruz’s campaign privately advised supporters on Sunday not to endorse tactical voting, whereby his supporters might switch their allegiance to Mr. Kasich in states where the Ohio governor is running stronger against Mr. Trump. “We never tell voters who to vote for,” read the suggested Cruz talking point.
Kasich will be in Indiana, not campaigning with the governor, and won’t tell people to vote for Cruz. Cruz will not advise voters to vote for Kasich.
Good alliance. No, the greatest alliance.