I think you nailed Cruz's problem right here. At issue is the word "Conservative" has a bad perception in the minds of many thanks to the damage the GOPE has done to it.
Joe six-pack sitting at home hears how bad Conservatives are on the boob-tube (TV) and then hears Ted Cruz calling himself a Consistent Conservative and BLAMMO! Instant turn-off.
Joe six-pack may be pissed off at what's going on in the country and may actually agree with Ted Cruz, but he's heard that word "Conservative" which is getting trashed about on the idiot box (TV) so he wants no part of actually listening to what Ted Cruz has to say.
This is yet another example of why I say: when the revolution in this country finally starts, the lying, liberal lamestream media must be the FIRST casualty, so that the truth of the cause of the revolution actually gets told.
First the media. Then the politicians. Then the judiciary. Start over with a clean slate. Good luck America!
Maybe, but I think the only place where we can mostly agree on what 'conservative' means involves domestic policy. When we get into immigration, international trade and foreign policy, the policy questions just can't be answered with what is or is not conservative.
If we look at what Republicans who call themselves conservative have done over the years, then conservative means full globalist: open borders and any trade agreement that's proposed, and an interventionist foreign policy, and believing we can convert the Muslims to Jeffersonian democrats who respect individual rights.