“We come out of here and declare Kasich-Cruz is a ticket or we watch the gears grind down for six, seven ballots and hell breaks loose outside and eventually they ask Mitt or Paul Ryan and I don’t even know if they take it by then. Trump’s 700 are never going for you or me and my guys aren’t going for you and your guys aren’t going for me. That’s just the way it is. That’s the reality. That’s what governors deal with, facts as they are, not as they’d like them to be.”

“John, wait a minute…”

“Ted, just hear me out, okay. Two minutes. That’s all.”

“Look at the polls. I kill Hillary. You and I win 40 states, maybe more. Even if you pull this out after this fiasco you’ll lose 40. Simple facts. Your team knows the numbers better than any of our groups. They know and I know you have a Hail Mary play but that’s it. Versus a near sure thing as my number 2.”

And here’s the deal. I will make it clear, tonight, that you are an eight-year VP and the party is going to nominate you in 2024. Of course that isn’t a legal deal but we write it the right way and everyone will be nodding and agreeing. You have eight years in the vice presidency to travel the world and learn everything you need to know to pick up after I come back here for Buckeyes football and to see my girls get married and have my grandchildren. You’re 53 and you are president for eight years. That’s 16 years of history, Ted, not six months. Sixteen years. It was Nixon’s choice and he jumped at it, made use of every minute. He wasn’t Ike’s equal and you won’t be mine, but you’ll be a key player and you will be the nominee in 2024 with a chance of winning, not a certain loser in two days or four months.”