Presidential Aspirations Intact, Cruz Struts in Iowa
Cruz also cautioned Republicans against listening to the media and strategists who want candidates to differ as little as possible from their opponents. The idea that candidates should run to the right in a primary and to the left in the general election is “poppycock,” he said.
Cruz argued that the failed effort to defund Obamacare through the government shutdown and debt-ceiling standoff was victorious. Among his signs of success were a skit on “Saturday Night Live” and Jon Stewart’s skewering of Obamacare. While Cruz has a point that dissatisfaction with the health care law is seeping into popular culture, I’d argue that’s because of the website problems and not because of GOP opposition.
The Texas senator is a crowd-pleaser, engaging and often humorous. He’s popular with a segment of the GOP. Republicans may indeed find common ground when focusing on economic growth and civil liberties. But Cruz himself has yet to demonstrate that he’s the type of leader who can unify Republicans, let alone the country.
More: Obradovich: Ted Cruz a Party Unifier? That’s a Stretch