Why Ted Cruz finally found a scandal he couldn’t shake off

| 6:00 pm EST February 20, 2021
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Why is this Ted Cruz scandal resonating, when his past scandals haven’t? After all, this is the same guy who shut down the government for nonsensical reasons a few years ago, tells lies at every turn, and incited a deadly insurrection just last month. So why is a Cancun trip what’s finally pushed his career to the brink?

Voters in the middle and nonpartisan people do not care when we point out that Republicans are fascist, corrupt, liars, or authoritarians. But they do care when a Republican does something idiotic, inept, or embarrassing – particularly when it’s a scandal that’s straightforward, simple, and resonates beyond partisan politics.

Winning an election usually requires winning over the people in the middle to your side. To do that, you have to focus on the stuff they care about, not just on the stuff you think they should care about. It’s about winning an election, not winning an argument. In that regard, Ted Cruz just gift wrapped this for us to use against him.