I wouldn't put Cruz in the same league as Taft/Goldwater/Gore/Dole etc because all those people were popular within the Senate, and considered relative titans in their party. Most of the GOP in Washington hates Cruz, because Cruz uses his Senate Seat as a stick to bash the national GOP. He did it against Dewhurst in 2012 and then closed down the government with Obamacare.
I think the campaign exposed that Cruz really is an unlikable Jerk. The whole thing with his children not wanting to kiss him, the bacon on the gun, trying to push Huckabee off stage with Kim Davis, lying about Ben Carson, 'vote your conscience' and then endorsing Trump.
Generally politicians who are ideological like Cruz need to be extremely likable. Reagan and Obama are the most obvious (but there's a host of lesser pols like Edwards/Rubio who use their backstory to justify more 'radical' policies). Cruz is the fatal combination of a social Conservative, a Tea-Bagger and a spineless, sleaze.
I think the 2016 campaign exposed this; but their traits that always existed.
The irony is that whilst he ran an awful Campaign, it's going to perfectly possible for Marco Rubio to run for President in 2024, and win. Even though Ted's 2016 campaign was great, he's still a sh**t product to sell
Nixon won a landslide in 1972 despite not being 'likable', and he won the nomination again after losing a presidential election the first time around.
As Cath says, my point was about being unlikable, and ridiculously ideological. Ofc once you're President you can get away with being less likeable, as you've got the power of the Office, achievements to point to etc.
If Nixon had the views of say Jesse Helms, and ran in 1968, I don't think he would have got the nomination.
I don't see how. Prior to New Hampshire in 2016, how many here would have said that Cruz would have won Wisconsin, and been a contender all the way until then?
For a while I had Cruz as the likely nominee. He was the only evangelical who was going to make it out of Iowa in any shape, and had a serious ground game in the South which would have allowed him to continue. The GOP primary in 2016 would have been very interesting if Trump hadn't came along and scrambled the system.
