Ted Cruz has already lost. Sure, his supporters still admire his rigid beliefs and fiery passion so much so they symbolize his campaign as a “Cruz Missile.” But I think his campaign is better described as stuck in “Cruz Control.”
Not long ago, he was flourishing. In the three months leading up to the Iowa Caucus, Cruz saw his national support for the GOP nomination soar from 7 percent to 20 percent, according to the RealClearPolitics poll averages.
This dramatic rise, coupled with his surprising win in Iowa, could have solidified his stance as the main rival to frontrunner Donald Trump.
Instead, Cruz’s image faltered. News quickly emerged that members of his campaign sent messages to Iowans alleging Ben Carson was suspending his candidacy moments before the Caucus. The Cruz camp urged Carson supporters to switch their votes. Carson, as we know, stayed in the race, leaving us with a salvo of headlines that painted Cruz in a very negative light.
Last week, Cruz’s image collapsed further. His campaign released a clearly doctored photograph that showed his opponent Marco Rubio shaking hands with President Obama as they supposedly agreed on a secretive trade deal.
Cruz’s downward spiral accelerated when his then-director of communications circulated a video with fake subtitles that attempted to depict Rubio insulting the Bible.
America is much better served by legitimate debates than by lies and personal attacks. I’m appalled by the Cruz camp’s willingness to resort to an unprincipled win-at-any-cost strategy.
Cruz’s rivals reacted to these stories with similar exasperation. In a tweet, Trump blasted Cruz for sinking to “dirty tricks,” and an official memo from the Rubio camp spoke out against Cruz’s “campaign of lies, falsehoods, and underhanded tactics.”
Trump and Rubio are right. The blame for the corrupt culture in the Cruz campaign ultimately falls to one man: the candidate himself.
A man who won’t lead an honest campaign can’t be trusted to run an honest government. Although Cruz did eventually dismiss his embattled communications director, this came too late to salvage his reputation.
After news of the Iowa scandal broke, Cruz’s national support in the polls flattened. His supporters may rationalize the deceitful tactics, but the other 80 percent of Republican voters haven’t been so forgiving.
Americans will never connect with Cruz’s message of resisting the “Washington cartel” when they see him as just another do-anything-to-get-ahead politician.
As a result, Cruz’s campaign efforts are now futile.
Dishonesty should carry a heavy cost. That’s why I’m encouraged to see most Republicans didn’t turn a blind eye to the Cruz campaign’s actions.
What remains to be seen is how long Cruz drags this out. For the good of everyone, I hope he humbly admits his mistakes and steps aside sooner rather than later.
mitcchri@indiana.edu
@AtlasMitchell
