What's the Matter with Ted Cruz? K L AVA N O N T H E C U LT U R E

K L AVA N O N T H E C U LT U R E

 What's the Matter with Ted Cruz?

Am I missing something about Ted Cruz? The Texas senator seems to me to be the one true conservative left in the presidential race, and the most true conservative who was ever in it. Graduated cum laude from Princeton, magna cum laude from Harvard. "O垴 the charts brilliant," said his liberal professor Alan Dershowitz. The 囈rst Hispanic solicitor general of Texas. Authored more than 80 Supreme Court briefs and made more than 40 oral SCOTUS arguments.

Won important victories on gun rights, the Pledge of Allegiance, the right to display the Ten Commandments. Sponsored close to a hundred bills during his time in the Senate. I mean, all right, the guy is no oil painting and even I, who love the Lord heart, soul and strength, wish he would cool the public piety a little.

But really, points o垴 for style and all that, but on substance, is there anything not to like about the guy? I've listened to all the attacks on Cruz and they worry me. But whenever I do objective, honest research, it seems like there's nothing there.

They say he has no friends in the Senate. Well, guess what? He wasn't elected to have friends. He was elected by people who were sick of the Senate and he was loyal to those people instead of to the collegial cowardice that has brought the Republican Party to the brink of well deserved extinction.

They say he engineered a "disastrous" government shutdown in 2013 in a useless attempt to stop funding for Obamacare. But in the midterm election that followed hard on that "disaster," Republicans won an historic victory — very possibly because voters were encouraged by the sight of a Republican with a full set of testicles instead of an entire roomful passing one among them like the Grey Sisters with their eye.

All this stu䐀ᬂ about poor little Ben Carson in Iowa — nonsense. An honest mistake at best; hardball politics at worst. And now they're claiming Cruz slept around.

Sounds like total garbage to me, and if it's not, shame on him, but with a 䄀줁eld that includes Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, if we vote on the basis of sexual probity, we'll wind up with Bernie Sanders in the White House! So really, am I missing something? I want to know. Because I keep hearing people linking Cruz's name with Trump's — who is a reptile. I expect this sort of nonsense from leftists and other sneering blithermeisters like Bill Maher and David Brooks. I expect it from Trump himself with his casual bullying references to "Lyin' Ted."

But what about Ross Douthat, the only columnist at the New York Times worthy of respect? He recently wrote this piece called "Who Is Ted Cruz?" It begins with a big windup:

On the surface, Cruz is a straightforward ࠜgure: The ideological zealot, the politician-as-activist, the unbending embodiment of True Conservatism. He’s the scourge of Obamacare, the bane of the G.O.P. establishment, the evangelical moralist with a ࠜat-tax plan and a Reagan quote for every occasion. If Trump has dynamited Republican orthodoxy and tapped out nasty tweets from the rubble, Cruz has kept pace by promising to rebuild that same orthodoxy stronger than before.

That sounds like the start of a real revelatory expose, like he's truly going to take the man apart. But go on, hit the link and read it. The rest is all insult and sour opinion. I respect Douthat, I do, but there's nothing substantial there. So... what am I missing? Believe me, I see the electoral diࠜculties. I don't know if Cruz can win against the Democrat.

But in an election season of one surprise after another, with more surprises surely waiting just oࠜstage, is there anyone who would dare to say he can't win, that it isn't possible? If Trump ࠜnally makes his supporters sick of themselves? If Hillary gets nailed by the FBI? If Cruz learns to sell his message with a touch of warmth and keeps his Jesus in his pocket more? Maybe that's too many miracles to ask, but I'll say this. I think if it should shake out like that, if Cruz, by some God-directed turn of events, should win the nomination and then the general — I don't think he would make a good president. I think he would make a great president.

For more of my commentary, listen to my podcast Monday through Thursday. https://pjmedia.com/andrewklavan/2016/03/30/whats-the-matter-withted-cruz/

Texan Asks "Vote For Cruz"

Melissa Clouthier

February 26 at 9:32am · 

My dear Texas friends, I do not get political often on my personal page, because what's the point? We all have an opinion and it's difficult to get someone to change their minds, but today, I'd like to talk about the Texas primary and how to vote.

First, I would be happy with Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz as president. I like both men. They're both principled and have good, fresh ideas. Neither is perfect, but this we are not entering a convent, we're entering politics.

Second, I view Donald Trump as a threat the way I viewed Barack Obama as a threat--narcissists who care more about self than country, unpredictable, nasty, vicious, small men who will divide rather than unite, who will break down rather than build.

To that end, in every primary state this Tuesday, I'm looking at who is the closest to beating Donald Trump. That is the person who should be voted for in the primary.

In Texas, that man is Ted Cruz. I know Ted personally and have for years. He is a good man. Decent. Kind. You would like him. A lot. I trust him to be a man of his word and to do his best for our country. He loves America. He loves the institutions that made America great.

PLEASE VOTE FOR HIM. DONALD TRUMP MUST BE DEPRIVED OF THESE DELEGATES.

In every other state, look at the polls. Who is closest to beating Donald? Is it Cruz? Vote for Cruz. Is it Rubio? Vote for Rubio.

Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio will sort out the delegates for the good of the country. Ultimately, they are not that far apart, and together they will do what is best for America.

But Donald Trump must be stopped. He must not be allowed to win more delegates because everyone is divided between two great choices -- Cruz and Rubio.

And they ARE great choices. Lost in the sea of this election is how great the Republican field is and has been. We have had lots of accomplished people.

Meanwhile, the Democrats have a crook and a socialist. Do you think the media doesn't know this? Why do they love focusing on Trump? Because the Democrats are HORRIBLE. There is no champion there.

So Trump is the Democrat in Republican clothing and they can get a ratings boost and be satisfied to push the attention away from them.

On Tuesday, so much is at stake. Please VOTE Ted Cruz.

Thank you.