My suspicion is that he was grandstanding both sides of the issue...so he could have it both ways depending on how the wind blew. This isn’t the only time I’ve noticed this. If it weren’t for the publicity one might give him credit for kindness to those less fortunate,
I could be wrong but he keeps coming up with weird excused for why “he was for it before he was against it”.
Probably the power bug got hold of him and he’s lost his cool over his need to advance himself. It does seem that his inclinitations are conservative but he’s gone off the reversation a couple of times - to me suggesting he can be bought.
If your rule is that ambitious, publicity-seeking politicians can likely be bought, then you have no basis for distinguishing among politicians. They are all ambitious, more so at higher levels, and they all seek publicity. Neither are in themselves bad qualities in someone running for elected office in a democratic system. Of course we sometimes see in them extremes of insincerity here, and you and I might honestly see Cruz or any other politician differently in that sense.
Your prior argument was that Cruz’s position on illegal immigration was not credible because he had given toys to children and a bill he wrote did not pass. Do you wish to maintain that position?