One of the stranger criticisms I’ve heard about Ted Cruz — whom I am supporting for the GOP nomination — is that his Senate colleagues do not like him and none has endorsed him. In truth, a number of senators have said complimentary things about him, and many understandably hesitate to endorse anyone in intramural primary battles. But that aside, Cruz ran on a program of restoring our constitutional equilibrium, which means transferring power out of Washington and back to the states and the people. Why anyone would think the insulated Beltway ruling class, which very much likes being the ruling class, would look kindly on this is baffling to me. I get that many who are fond of a number of Washington Republicans (as am I), or who think Washington can fix Washington if the right people are in charge (count me skeptical), find Ted’s manner grating. I am grateful for what he does. I don’t understand how anyone ever expects Washington to be stripped down to size unless some actual stripping happens.
In any event, my friend Chip Roy, who is now the first assistant attorney general for the state of Texas, served for a couple of years as Senator Cruz’s chief of staff. At The Resurgent, he has co-authored a column with former Cruz legislative director Brooke Bacak called “Why We Believe in Ted Cruz. We Were There.” They begin this way:
We’ve been asked by many friends to share insight into Ted Cruz, based on the two years we spent working for him in the U.S. Senate. It is clear from these conversations that while few doubt the sincerity of his conservative political convictions, many are struggling to make sense of the way he has been characterized by the media and a few of his Republican colleagues as “dishonest,” or “unlikable.” Many of you are trying to understand who this man is and how can you like him or trust him enough to support him for President of the United States.
The truth is — you are right to question. This is the political choice of our lifetimes — and we all feel how critical this choice of president will be for the future of America. From concerns about national security to economic growth, from healthcare costs to education opportunity, from mounting debt to a broken immigration system, from religious liberty to questions of life and marriage — all with the 9th Supreme Court seat sitting empty . . . we feel a sense of duty to get this choice right and at this particular moment. We know we owe that to our children. So how can we hand the reins to that so-called “jerk,” Ted Cruz?
Well, we happen to know him quite well. And we know that the vast majority of these characterizations are completely false; that Senator Cruz is an honest and decent man; that the negative portrayals of him are purposeful and a direct consequence of his willingness to fight for the American people against the massive power of the ruling class that our founding fathers predicted would occur; and that it would be an incredible disservice for you not to take a serious look at him as the only nominee who will lead this country away from its current path and toward the American promise of freedom, security and prosperity our children deserve.
Roy and Bacak then proceed to explain why they believe this. It is worth reading.