That's one of the things that finally turned me off about Ted. If you simply listen to him, you can come away thinking he's the most consistent conservative since Ronaldus Magnus.
But....
Every time he gets an opportunity to put his backbone where his mouth is, he chokes. He doesn't seem to have learned as a kid, that sounding cool, doesn't make one cool. You have to actually be the real deal to earn the rep, and everyone around you knows it. Talk is cheap, and posers soon get outed for what they really are.
Sadly, I've seen all that with Ted and more. It's very disappointing, because I really thought he'd be the real deal. He isn't.
Well said.