“Mr. Cruz blamed his defeat principally on the media, which “liked to paint me as some whacked-out theocrat”....”
And why do you suppose they did that Ted? Could it be because you deliberately made an issue of your supposed piety? Cruz is the pure cynical politician who is willing to change his colors to portray himself in whatever way he feels will best serve his ambition. He believes in nothing.
He tried the devout routine and found that it didn’t get him as far as he thought. Now he wants to distance himself from that. I envision Cruz totally reinventing himself over the next few years. He may believe it’s his path to future greatness, but in reality it will cause the few people who still take him seriously to abandon him. He will end up as a pathetic has-been.