March 23^rd

Ted Cruz has announced his candidacy for President. He did that today from a stage at Liberty University; this is the school founded and previously administered by the fundamentalist minister Jerry Falwell. Now his son, Jerry Falwell Jr. is continuing in his father’s tradition. The Reverend Falwell Jr. fervently believes that the earth is less than 10 thousand years old and that dinosaurs and humans occupied the earth at the same time. While evolution is taught there so is creationism which is pushed as the superior choice.

Senator Cruz was at least assured of an audience; all Liberty University students were required to attend the speech announcing his candidacy. The requirement to attend was not seen by all students as a requirement to support Cruz; some students showed up in crimson t-shirts with their choice, Rand Paul, emblazoned on the front and these sat well within camera range. (I know of one college requiring attendance at convocations which found students unfurling newspapers just as the speaker began holding forth. Students can be difficult to push around!) The Senator at one point asked that all members of his audience use their cell phones to send their email addresses to his campaign headquarters; this would make it easier for them to receive invitations to contribute to his campaign.

The students were particularly enthusiastic when he claimed that when elected he would immediately repeal “Obama Care.” I doubt that any of these undergraduates knew that repealing this legislation would immediately remove them from their parent’s health insurance. Adolescents are quite susceptible to most forms of demagoguery and while Cruz’s high-pitched voice is not well suited to that task, otherwise he has all the rhetorical skills of Huey Long, even if they have totally different messages.

There is little doubt that if the “Old Confederacy” still existed, Cruz would have a splendid chance at the nomination for its presidency and he would probably win it. Unfortunately for Cruz the majority of Americans, even the majority of Republicans, are not much impressed by his efforts. A poll today shows Cruz’ candidacy with just three percent of the Republican vote tied there with Huckabee against Jeb Bush’s 13 percent. In fact no poll by anyone shows Cruz anywhere but in the very low single digits.

I’m sure the Democrats would love to see the Tea Party Kid surge forward and get the nomination. That is unlikely to happen but we can all hope for the best in this best of all possible worlds.