Ted Cruz Grows Bigger Than Texas

Political Affiliation by County

By Douglas V. Gibbs

The United States is a center-right nation, and the silent majority of conservatives are disgusted with politics.  In fact, The Right is so disgusted with both political parties that in the last election they refused to vote by the millions.  They are tired of Republicans refusing to take the fight to the Democrats.  They are tired of their representatives setting their principles aside so that they may instead play the Washington game.  Party Politics has turned off America, and they have been searching for someone with enough guts to stand up to the Democrats, the leftist media, and the Republican Leadership.

Ted Cruz has emerged as that individual.

The media tells us that Ted Cruz, and his "theatrics" against the establishment, was a bad move to make.  He has lost popularity, they say, and has doomed the GOP in the election of 2014.  The conventional wisdom is that Senator Ted Cruz is an amateur, his "antics" worked against government functionality, his "rightwing" positions and tactics are damaging to the Republican Party, and all of the "grandstanding" he did was nothing more than tied into a motive to stump for a 2016 run for President of the United States.

That is the conventional wisdom, and usually I don't trust conventional wisdom.

Among conservatives, a segment of the Republican Party that the GOP requires the vote of in order to win elections, Ted Cruz is among the most popular politicians on Capitol Hill.  However, the Republican Party is losing members of its conservative base as more and more voters leave the Party of the Elephant for the ranks of the independents.

Conventional wisdom says that in order to win elections, candidates must move to the middle in the general election in order to attract the independent vote.  However, those that spew conventional wisdom have not been taking into account that the ranks of the corps of independents have been moving decidedly to the right.

The TEA Party, which we are told has lost its popularity and influence in the Republican Party, still receives 41% approval from Republican voters.  Nonetheless, the popularity of the TEA Party among the Republican party faithful has indeed dropped.  But is that because the TEA Party is losing in the popularity contest, or is it because TEA Party members are leaving the Elephant Brand for a designation of non-party affiliation because they are disgusted by the establishment's way of doing things?

Like the TEA Party, though Senator Ted Cruz has lost some popularity among Republicans, the group that really loves him are those that call themselves "conservatives" (and remember, conservative does not necessarily equal Republican).  Conventional wisdom wants you to believe that Americans are angry with Cruz, and that his popularity is tanking because polls taken in population centers where voters are hardly center-right say so, and because the media says so, and because the democrats say so, and because republicans that embrace the establishment say so.

So has Ted Cruz committed political suicide by angering the political machine in Washington that knows no line between the parties, and because he has drawn ridicule from a media that is decidedly liberal?  Or is he actually more popular than people think because the silent majority of conservatives, that are not necessarily Republicans, love him?

Going into his filibuster and fight to defund Obamacare, Cruz was viewed favorably by Republicans to the tune of 57%.  When he arrived at San Antonio on Saturday after his government shutdown showdown, he was greeted by an eight minute standing ovation.  And as Senator Ted Cruz's popularity rises among conservatives, among all voters as a whole, only 19% of voters trust the government to do the right thing.  Obama's approval has dropped.  Congress's approval has dropped.  The GOP's approval has dropped.  Ted Cruz has gained ground, and is more popular than the very popular Texas Governor, Rick Perry.

Go ahead and dispute my findings.  That is fine.  Regardless of whether you think Ted Cruz has gained popularity, or lost it, one thing is certain. . . everyone is talking about him.

Ted Cruz fires up audiences, refuses to compromise his principles, and refuses to be ruffled by the opposition.  He excites the base, and ticks off the party establishment.  He is willing to take the fight to the opposition, even when conventional wisdom says "don't."  He is working for the will of the people. . . a will that has been buried, and hidden by manipulated polls and an ever-vigilant liberal press.

Republicans don't necessarily see Ted Cruz in such a big manner.  They see him as divisive, as he bucks the party's strategies, and makes waves on issues the GOP wants to tread lightly upon.  The Republican party has pushed for the "wait until it's the right time" strategy, while Ted Cruz has a "hit them on the front line right now with all we've got" kind of mentality.  The "wait" and "be more inclusive" attitude has resulted in the Republicans losing the last two elections, even after polls have indicated the country has moved in a conservative direction (that's "conservative" direction, not "Republican direction").

While the political thinkers keep trying to convince America that what Ted Cruz did was a failure, and damaged the Republican Party's chances in 2014, the reality is his "spectacle" was victorious.  He has everyone talking, and he is bumping the GOP to the right as the establishment, though they won't admit it, recognize that their leftward lean may be losing them votes.

Ted Cruz has his flaws.  I am not celebrating all things Ted Cruz.  However, he is a breath of fresh air.  He is willing to oppose the Democrats, rather than try to find a way to "just get along."  Conservatives have nothing in common with the liberal left, so trying to compromise with them is a waste of time.  They don't need to be treading lightly when it comes to the leftists.  They need to be defeating them. . . and a full frontal assault like Ted Cruz launched can be an important part of the overall effort to get this nation turned around, and heading back towards the wisdom of the United States Constitution.

While the government shutdown, and the battle to defund Obamacare was going on, the liberal health care law was facing its own problems.  The establishment Republicans claim that Ted Cruz and the TEA Party antics caused a distraction, and the failure of Obamacare's opening volley went unnoticed.  But was Cruz and friends truly a distraction?  We never saw the GOP trying to point out the Obamacare failures, nor was the media going to allow such.  So how could Cruz be a distraction to what the Republicans weren't really going to do in the first place?

Besides, thanks to a few liberal hosts, and Jon Stewart, the failure of the launch of Obamacare was not completely unnoticed.

What Cruz did was not a waste of time, and it was not a dismal failure.  Everyone is talking about what he did, and the voters are paying more attention to the need for conservative leadership.  And, by attacking Obamacare as Cruz did, I think in reality it has created more attention, and more people "are" discovering what a failure the law is.  Thanks to Ted Cruz and the Tea Party Republicans, we are moving in the right direction.

Ted Cruz also showed us something else, which I think will get the conservative voters back to the voting booths they refused to visit in 2012: One person can make a difference.

People willing to fight the system, oppose the opposition, and stand out as Ted Cruz has, are usually destined to become leaders.  Perhaps not in 2016, but Cruz is on his way.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

More Conservative, Less Republican: A Political Paradox Considered - National Review Online

57% of Republicans View Ted Cruz Favorably - Rasmussen Reports

Ted Cruz: Leader of the Republican Party? - CBS News

Tea Party Republicans Love Love Love Ted Cruz - The Atlantic Wire

Ted Cruz gains popularity among conservatives, poll shows - NBC Latino

Ted Cruz has won a huge victory, in terms of increased thinkfluence - Prof. Jeff Jarvis

New Poll: Only 19% of Americans Trust Washington - NewsMax

Senator Cruz returns to Texas welcome after shutdown battle - Yahoo News Canada