The Challenge Facing Ted Cruz

When U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) became the first to announce his candidacy in the 2016 presidential race,  it brought additional scrutiny. For instance, the press picked up that Cruz is signing up for Obamacare.  It’s pretty obvious that they don’t understand that it’s his desire that Senators live under the laws that they pass. So, he’s being a role model, in a way.  It’s really not a contradiction to do that, on one hand, and on the other hand, want to repeal the law.

While things like that will crop up, that isn’t the primary challenge that he will face.

Charles Krauthammer on Fox News yesterday said this:

His appeal is that, ‘I’m a Constitutional conservative, I’m the guy with the liquid tongue, I can make the case,’ and he does.

His real problem I think is this: Senators are going to have a hard time. First-term senators — we already tried a first term senator. And that’s why when Scott Walker says ‘a proven track record,’ what Walker has… he doesn’t have the fluency on issues that a Cruz does, he’s made a lot of stumbles thus far.

But Cruz talks about, ‘You have to walk the walk, rather than just talk the talk,’ you have to done something. But that’s not his record in the Senate, you know, he’s a good rhetorician.

Whether you think Krauthammer was being fair or not is beside the point.  The fact is that it is a question of Cruz’s resume, and any voter seriously vetting candidates need to consider a candidate’s resume.  He is a first-term Senator. That’s a fact.  We are suffering the consequences of a first-term senator becoming President; that’s a fact, as well. Now I believe that a Cruz presidency would look radically different than Obama’s, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to be in the Oval Office.

That’s the case Cruz is going to have to make, first to Republicans, and then to the American people, should he win the nomination.

As with any candidate, we have to get beyond talking points and look at his record and his plan, should he win the White House.  It’s simply part of the vetting process.

Is this candidate ready to govern? It is a legitimate question and one Cruz (and every candidate) will have to answer.