This is playing out totally as I predicted. When I read a Teh Fear of Cruz diary here, I point out the GOP establishment/smart money do not want him as their nominee. And I point out the smart money is backing Rubio. Yesterday’s Wall St. Journal editorial provides the proof.
The Journal has become increasingly critical of the Texas senator, and for very good reasons. It represents the establishment, and its editorial page studiously defends deregulation, supply side economics and interventionism, all of which are essential to mainstream Republicanism – they’ve never been particularly concerned with the culture wars.
Like the pro-business Republicans who read their Op-Eds, however, the WSJ editorial board knows the GOP can’t win a general election with Cruz at the top of the ticket. According to the latest polls, both Clinton and Sanders would easily defeat Cruz in a general election, and the gap is likely to widen as independents and moderates pay closer attention to Cruz’s shenanigans.
Republican insiders also know Cruz is a huckster. His brinksmanship in the Senate tells you everything you need to know about his seriousness as a legislator. Cruz is a creation of the conservative media-industrial complex, and as popular as he may be inside that bubble, he’s positively toxic outside of it.
Cruz’s recent take on the WSJ on Morning Joe:
“For the next three months, the Journal should change their header to the ‘Marco Rubio for President Newspaper,’ because their attacks — and it’s going to keep coming because Marco fights for the principles they care about,” Cruz said. “There is no one, no conservatives in America who think The Wall Street Journal is the voice of conservatism.”
Huh? Perhaps Cruz could have been a bit more clear: The WSJ is certainly not the voice of cultural conservatism, because gay marriage rights, women’s rights, the “war on Christianity” have nothing to do with maintaining the wealth and dominance of the One Percent.
The WSJ certainly is the voice for conservative economic policy and supportive foreign policy.
It’s going to be interesting to see the battle develop between Cruz, the WSJ, and the rest of the GOP establishment, particularly if he wins the Iowa caucus— which he appears to be on track to do.