US Senator and presidential candidate Ted Cruz is gaining support from erstwhile conservatives worried about his "numbers" problem. What? Polling suggests that Cruz is a favorite with the base, but everyone else hates him.
Really?
How many wonks were jumping in their seats when they learned that a Republican won the Governor's seat in Maryland? How about the near miss in Virginia, where former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie nearly unseated Mark Warner? His polls were dead wrong in Virginia.
So, what is all this nonsense about "unelectable" Cruz?
Polling has become a volatile art at best, as prospective voters get more information faster about their preferred candidates. The new threat of terrorism in our midst has forced Americans to reconsider their priorities, too. Cruz has developed a sounder, stronger ground game. He has not alienated Trump or Walker supporters, but rather continued his steady attacks against President Obama as well as the Republican phalanx of the Washington cartel, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Ken Cuccinelli, the former Virginia Attorney General, has endorsed Cruz:
"While many Presidential candidates are trying to make the case that they won’t be captured by Washington, only Senator Ted Cruz has the consistent track record to prove it. Does that make him appear to not get along with the Washington leadership? Yes. Does the leadership dislike him? Yes. In the mainstream media, this conflict is portrayed as a bad thing. I think it’s a good thing."
In response to the likely rebuttals Cuccinelli writes: "Lots of people talk about fighting Washington, Senator Cruz has done it."
It's about "track record", not "recorded track”. Cruz stood up to Big Government boondoggles, called out leadership on the floor of the US Senate and the House as well as the President. Independents dissatisfied with both parties share Cuccinelli and Cruz's exasperation.
Kurt Schlichter wrote for Townhall.com:
"I like Ted Cruz – I gave him money and after the debate attended a small fundraiser for him at a private home in my town. He’s the closest thing to the guy I’d be supporting if I had picked someone yet."
Bam! I could not agree more. Cruz hosted a successful fundraiser in Manhattan Beach, CA. The Cruz Campaign's California Chairman, Ron Nehring, informed the Sacramento Bee that Cruz is taking California seriously. With a splintered set of delegates out for the winning, Cruz is banking on strong support in key Congressional districts as well as the entire state for a higher count, and the win in June, 2016.
"He started out his campaign off-putting to normal people (as lawyers usually are) and has worked hard to be more of a calm, pleasant, and funny family man than the monstrous caricature the media has tried to sketch," Schlichter added.
Michael Ramirez warned me about this. The Mainstream Media would go to great lengths to paint Cruz as an out-of-touch extremist. Fortunately, the Republican Party has Donald Trump sucking up all the hate.
"But he’s got a ways to go," write Schlichter. "Did you know he went to Harvard Law? Well, like any other Harvard Law grad, if you listen to him for 30 seconds, you will."
Yes, I know Ted Cruz went to Harvard. The illiberal influence of higher ed did not have a negative influence on him. It probably enhanced his conservatism and his consistency to principles. While attending UC Irvine, I came out of college more conservative because I actually read the books and the arguments from my left-wing professors, and noticed how nothing they suggested ever added up.
Then Schlichter identifies his strengths as a liability:
"Cruz is brilliant, and the problem is that he talks at people like he’s a brilliant guy. Not “with.” “At.”"
Cruz never talks down to people. His brilliance makes me feel smart. That's a good thing! I want someone who fights, and I want someone who will interrupt others who are lying through their teeth, thank you very much!
The Manhattan Beach, CA conservative also claims that Cruz is a Rand Paul isolationist. Answer: "The day you join ISIS, you have signed your death warrant". Cruz's answer, not mine.
Further criticisms suggest that Cruz has painted himself as so conservative, that he could never win the general election, because he could never win over independents and Democrats.
Yahoo's Andrew Romano suggests that Democratic operatives' wishing for a Clinton v. Cruz battle royale will be dumb-founded then disappointed:
"To be sure, Cruz is still a long way from winning the Republican nomination. He’s never run a competitive general-election race. . .
"Yet to assume that Cruz has already boxed himself in — that he is not cunning enough to pivot to general-election mode — is to ignore his entire history as a debater, lawyer, and senator and to gravely underestimate a strategic thinker who, as I demonstrated in a recent profile, is easily the most calculating figure in contemporary American politics."
He knows how to frame arguments. He has refuted the bluster of brash nominees. He can balance a phrase yet stay true to principle. Abraham Lincoln engaged in smooth debates during his bid for the US Senate in 1858, his election win in 1860, and then finally his measures to end slavery toward the end of his first term in office.
Lincoln was a statesman, but he understood the rhetorical necessities of an effective politician. Cruz comprehends and enacts these necessary principles, too.
Romano depicts this crucial, tactical certainty about Cruz:
"Yet like any effective lawyer or politician, Cruz has no problem shifting his emphasis when necessary."
Emphasis has led more people to emphasize him not only as a serious contender, but a likely nominee for the Republican Party.
How about with Hispanics? Cruz earned 40% of the Hispanic vote in Texas in 2012, a higher turnout year. IJReview believes that a respectable message focusing on jobs and education will resonate and reward Cruz with a higher turnout in 2016, too.
The more people learn about Cruz for themselves instead of from the Mainstream Media, more will likely choose Cruz, too.
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