There was a scene in the Wayne’s World movie where they tried to use their joke of “homosezwhut” on Christopher Walken and he’s on to them disdains their joke.
They react with fear because their normal way of humiliating someone just isn’t going to work.
This is what you see from the left regarding Cruz.
I like his response when interviewers challenge him about being too conservative. He lists his positions on some of the key topics and then asks what of all that sounds so extreme.