AMES, Iowa — Judging by the reasons he believes Iowa voters should support [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore], it’s not clear Glenn Beck knows very much about the man he endorsed.
Speaking to a packed audience while introducing the Texas senator Saturday afternoon, Beck gave two main reasons for why Iowa voters should caucus for Cruz on Monday.
The first seemed reasonable.
Cruz, Beck said, understands the U.S. Constitution in a way no one else in the race does. And because the Constitution is in his “DNA,” he instinctually would know how to respond to a crisis in a constitutional manner.
“There’s going to come a time where somebody walks into the president because something has just been attacked, our stock market has collapsed, whatever it might be,” Beck said.
“And somebody will walk in and say, ‘Mr. President, we need an answer now!’” he continued. “And we need somebody who has it in their DNA. Somebody who has it in their bones.”
While it’s not immediately clear what the Constitution has to say about how to destroy ISIS, you can understand Beck’s point. Cruz famously memorized the Constitution as a teenager and recited it in competitions around his home state of Texas. He clerked for a Supreme Court justice and later argued constitutional matters before the High Court as solicitor general of the Lone Star State. So it is fair to say Cruz is something of a constitutional expert. If Iowa voters are looking for someone who knows the Constitution intimately, then Ted Cruz is probably their best bet.
“Ted Cruz knows the Constitution,” Beck emphasized. “He was raised on the Constitution.”
Fair enough.
Beck’s second point was a bit more bizarre to tout as a reason to support Cruz. Beck began by noting he had just run into Hollywood actor Richard Dreyfus, who for some reason is traveling around Iowa with Republican pollster Frank Luntz, and explained how he had a great conversation with the liberal star about Dwight Eisenhower. Beck also mentioned that he rode an elevator this morning with a Jeb Bush supporter and how he had a uplifting conversation with him despite not being a huge fan of Bush.
Beck said that he is tired of all the political divisiveness and one of the reasons he is supporting Cruz is because America needs someone who can unite the country.
This, in short, may be the world’s worst reason to support Ted Cruz.
Cruz is many things, but one of them is not a uniter. It’s no secret Cruz is almost uniformly hated in Washington by his colleagues on the left as well the right. You can count the number of friends he has in the Senate on the fingers of one hand, even if that hand had most of its fingers cut off in a chainsaw accident.
To Cruz, this reputation is a badge of honor. It’s possible he will change his style if he is elected president, but the idea that Cruz will be a uniter in the Oval Office is not evident from his record.
Beck might want to update his pitch for Cruz — or, if he really prioritizes a candidate who can unite the country, reconsider his endorsement.