He has a likeability problem which is DOA in the general. We can howl about how its not fair, but the great unwashed not plugged into politics does go on affect, appearance, tonality as well as what the content of what you say. Cruz parrots all the right lines but he comes of as well....a lawyer and ideologue.
Likeability carried Reagan over the top. The man had charisma. I was a terrible liberal teen during his first administration and even I admitted at the time that he was a likeable man.
I will vote for Cruz if given the opportunity. But I can’t deny that charisma makes a difference in electability, especially with the razor thin margins we often see.
No, Lincoln and Washington would not win squat today. Theirs was an era of newsprint and untelevised debates. It’s a different world, now.
I don’t think you have to be pretty. But I do think you have to project a certain charm or likeability, ideally.
I find him likeable but not on a Reagan scale. Reagan was one in a milion.