I’m a Cruz guy, though Trump is my #2 choice.
Most of my extended family are over the moon for Trump, and when I suggest Cruz (though he is growing on them) until now I would just get a blank stare.
I believe this is for two reasons. One, until Trump came on the scene the media did a good job of freezing him out. Most people didn’t know he existed, the media essentially wouldn’t give him the time of day. What attention he did get was to be attacked by other Repubs.
Trump came on the scene and was able to shout and be heard over the press noise machine. Though he did “suck all the air out of the room” to an extent, he also actually helped Cruz in a way. The media could ignore Cruz, they can’t ignore Trump. Trump has, in a way, helped to clear a path for Cruz though obviously they are rivals.
Another issue is this: people don’t trust politicians. Trump doesn’t talk like a politician, whereas (to the ears of my extended family) Cruz does. Keep in mind that most people don’t follow politics that closely to know what battles Cruz has fought, or what Trump’s positions were a year ago. Trump is a plain spoken guy saying what people think. Cruz holds many of the same positions, and is a constitutionalist to boot, but doesn’t have the same persona.
For me, its very important that Cruz is a constitutionalist. For my extended family, its important that Trump will secure the border, and won’t back down from a fight. Cruz doesn’t either, but I don’t think they see that. They don’t trust any politician to do what he says he’ll do. I don’t entirely trust Trump, because he is in the end a pragmatist and a deal-maker on everything except the border; he is my #2 pick, though, because the border is that important.
I was very happy when Cruz and Trump were de facto allies. I’m sorry to see the truce end, though I suppose it had to end sometime.
You may see it differently, but this is more or less how I see it.
You are very warm, but you’re not assigning enough blame/responsitiliby to Cruz.
It DOES have to do with “insider” status, even if Cruz was an “outside insider.” (He was relegated to the cloakroom I joke, but he’s still in the club). It has to do with not achieving anything in the Senate. It wasn’t that he wasn’t successful-—we all knew the numbers. But he didn’t even convince a good number of conservatives, like Sessions, Paul, Ernst, Johanns to go along with him, only Lee. So while to supporters he looks like, I don’t know, Joan of Arc fighting alone, or that scene of Davey Crockett swinging his club in the Disney movies, I think ordinary conservative voters picked up that he just didn’t get ANY support. Well, part of being a leader is you have to lead, but someone has to follow. If no one follows, you’re not a leader.
I think further that where Trump brings a business ethic—i.e., succeed or don’t. You don’t get credit for trying-—Cruz is still of the “I introduced a bill” mentality where he wants credit for trying. It’s not enough anymore. It may be VERY unfair, but the fact is, he’s being lumped in with ALL the GOP in DC as “going through the motions” of opposing Obama. Again, mabye unfair, but I do think that’s the perception.
Cruz also has the puritan problem. When you run as a “pure” candidate, ANY dirt will do terrible damage. Trump never pretended to be pure. Cruz has to run from the G-S loan, but Trump basks in his wealth and jokes that he gave $$ to all the candidates. He’s proud of his wealth.
In fact, I don’t even think the Canadian thing really had that much to do with anything. But I think it’s a mistake to pin all of Cruz’s problems on Trump “sucking the air out.”
I do want to commend you, though, on considering this. Most of the Cruzers don’t want to even examine the question of why he isn’t connecting with conservatives.
Pushing TAP and not taking seriously concerns that he is not a "natural born citizen" don't fit with that narrative. Add in his support to increase H1B visas five-fold, and there does seem to be a globalist edge to his Constitutional priorities.