'Ted Cruz for President' a eulogy

Ted Cruz is ‘dad humor’ in a raunchy stand-up comedy age, vegetables instead of ice cream, homework instead of recess. The easy thing to say would be “Well this just wasn’t Ted’s year, maybe next time!” The country may never again resemble the ‘shining city upon the hill’ Reagan believed it to be. Conservatism isn’t dead just outnumbered. ‘Ted Cruz for President’ felt like a last gasp at salvaging first principles for a nation that didn’t ask for it. He was the wrong man for the time, but the right man to carry the flag.  

He suspended his campaign after getting buried in Indiana by the vulgarian from New York. He was a man out of his time as he struggled to connect with a Republican party increasingly comfortable with loose philosophical ideals. Ted was traditional in his approach to politics; he attended Harvard and Princeton, worked as a Solicitor General in Texas and won election to the Senate. He had a brilliant intellect for legal matters and a scholarly approach to Constitutional history and legacy.

His command of the issues was impressive and he never ran from an argument no matter how ignorant or shrill the opponent. He was decent and respectful of protesters at his rally when he didn’t need to be. I watched him let Code Pink radicals infiltrate his stump speech and scream nonsense about the war in Iraq, which hasn’t been a ‘hot’ topic in years. He tolerated them, took their arguments and crushed them with logic and facts.

Ted was born to debate.

He built up a base of support from his Senate seat by staging dramatic events that gathered the attention of the nation. He was a showman by nature and understood the importance of proving his commitment to conservative values. The filibuster he gave in 2013 to the Senate brought attention to a budget stuffed like a turkey with funding for Obamacare. It wasn’t technically a filibuster but the marathon 20 hour ‘talk-a-thon’ grabbed the attention of Americans fed up with the hated subsidy.

 Ted was born to talk.  

He was evangelical to his core, his dad a Baptist minister. Christianity reinforced the conservatism of Mr. Cruz, the two principles being inseparable to how he ran his campaign, his family and his office. He spoke passionately of faith and family values which made him a relic to much of the country, like a fur trader on a New York subway. His speeches (especially in Iowa) calling Christians to "Awaken the Body of Christ..." seemed kooky to those un-familiar with evangelical language.

Ted was born to preach.  

Large numbers of voters distrusted him. His slick demeanor and demonstrative speaking style reminded many of a televangelist in the Southern Baptist tradition. He worked hard to round off the jagged edges of his personality by appearing with his wife and kids whenever possible. After the loss on Tuesday, Indiana went for Trump; it became obvious to the Cruz camp that it wasn’t their year.

Morality and past success aren’t selling anymore as Cruz discovered, Romney found out last year. Responsibility and command of issues has never been ‘cool’ but usually carried the day. Americans could be counted on to vote for the right guy eventually, not this cycle however. Senator Cruz will carry the flag for conservatism and America’s role in the world from Washington in other ways than the oval office. He is too intelligent and ambitious to move home and start a law practice.

Ted was born to lead.