Establishment anger toward Cruz a badge of honor in campaign

Wall Street Journal:

Sen. Ted Cruz is getting rock-star treatment at his 2016 presidential-campaign events. In Iowa, the state he has visited more than any other, a recent poll found more Republicans viewed him favorably than any other GOP candidate.

Among his fellow senators, by contrast, he is one of the most disliked men in Washington. He has been called “wacko bird,” “jackass” and “false prophet.” And that came from Republicans.

The gap between his reputation in Washington and his reception among primary voters isn’t a paradox. It is central to his campaign strategy.

With the GOP electorate riddled with disdain for the political establishment, Mr. Cruz relishes his reputation as the bad boy of the Senate, where he has dragged his party into a government-shuttering budget fight and defied party leaders ever since arriving on Capitol Hill in 2013.

“When we launched our campaign, the New York Times promptly opined, ‘Cruz cannot win because the Washington elites despise him,’ ” he said in a video ad created by a super PAC supporting him. “I kinda thought that was the whole point of the campaign.”
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The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that 82% of people who identify themselves as “very conservative” view him positively. Among swing voters, only 26% had positive feelings about him.
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There is a reason that Ted Cruz is more popular than the establishment that has nothing to do with what they think his motives are.   Voters are really angry that these people said one thing when running for office and decided that what they really want to do is fund the Obama agenda they were sent there to stop.  The problem with the establishment in Washington is they have a low regard for the voters and anyone who supports them.