I think that Cruz has the potential to be a lot more popular than people think. As Reagan was the man for his time, Cruz is the man for his.
Carter was bad, really bad, but most people then believed (many still do) that he was an honest player who loved the country and tried to do what he thought was right. Reagan’s message - a combination of sunny optimism, home-folks sincerity, and conservative peace through strength - was just the tonic the nation needed to pull it out of the slump.
The situation we face today is far more perilous and the remedies are going to be a lot more painful. They require a implacable willingness to do the right thing. Cleaning up after Obama is going to require meatball surgery. I think that deep down inside, even the Democrats understand that. Certainly the Democrat working men and women do, regardless what the elite in academia and media say.
How all this will play out, I have no idea, but if there is one thing I am utterly convinced of, it’s if the e-GOP manages to foist another of their choice on the nomination, they’re doomed. Romney, Christie, Jeb, McCain? Forget it. Every one of them would lose, and lose badly.
Carter may be honest about what he believes but much of what he believes is wrong.