by Rod D. Martin
January 15, 2016
Did anyone notice that Ted Cruz rose to his current lofty height by showing that the Washington Establishment loaths him, whereby he (and Donald Trump) have shunted aside Jeb Bush and an entire generation of established Republican “statesmen”?
Guess what: getting the New York Establishment to go nuts on him too — at a moment when his chief remaining obstacles are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (maybe) — is pretty brilliant.
First of all, let’s just be clear: Ted Cruz had an incredible night. His opening was the strongest of any I’ve ever seen in a Presidential debate. He didn’t let up. Donald Trump and Marco Rubio — in that order — had great nights too. But Cruz didn’t just “look presidential”: he looked like he was the President, again and again and again.
It was that strong. Frank Luntz’s focus group agrees, 26-0.
So what is all this foolishness about #NewYorkValues? In short, it’s a big mistake for the mainstream media and the Republican Establishment, in a year when the field is dominated by outsiders and the voters hate the media and the Establishment…which is every much as centered in New York as in Washington, D.C.
But you don’t have to know that to understand why #NewYorkValues will help every Republican candidate (except Donald Trump). Just watch this, from 1993:
#NewYorkValues may mean the 9/11 first responders to Megyn Kelly. To virtually the entire rest of America, it means something more like this:
Or maybe these:
No one has to make these, er, points in Iowa, South Carolina or the SEC primary states. No one. Ever.
What’s stupid, of course, is that the entire Establishment just made what for Cruz was an offhand comment into a viral meme. That cannot possibly end well for them. Oh, it’s all fine for Fox (based in New York) to show patriotic pics from 9/11. But that obviously isn’t where this ends. Take for instance this:
Thank you, Daily News. Point made. Indelibly.
#NewYorkValues haven’t been the rest of America’s values for a very long time, and the only people who don’t know that are the folks who regularly ride first class on the Acela. And New York proves it in a tangible way at every opportunity. Do the words Chuckie Schumer mean anything to you? Michael Bloomberg? How about Rudy “taxpayer-funded abortion is a Constitutional right” Giuliani? Anthony Weiner? The Clintons? Paul Singer? Elliot Spitzer (“Client 9”)? The mafia? West Side Story? Will and Grace? Sex and the City?
Yeah, those are values that really resonate with Iowa farmers and South Carolina church ladies.
If Donald Trump has proven anything, it’s that Ted Cruz’s only option now is to double down. This fake scandal, this faux outrage (entirely from people who would never in a billion years vote for Cruz OR Trump) is not something he’d have sought: I’m quite certain he did not imagine he would be facing this particular kerfuffle on a debate stage, and indeed, it was the one moment in the entire night when he did not seem perfectly poised. But now it’s out there.
He has to make it a theme.
#NewYorkValues hurts precisely one person over the next three months: Donald Trump. After that, assuming Trump isn’t the nominee, it hurts precisely one other person (if she’s still around): Hillary Clinton. And as the New York media beats this drum, daily demonstrating the definition of “butt hurt,” they will produce an uncontrollable avalanche of memes demonstrating #NewYorkValues that sums up the race for the vast majority of America, and particularly those parts which Ted Cruz, or virtually every Republican candidate has to win.
Too divisive you say? When the Bushes start apologizing for “Taxachusetts” and “the Left Coast,”or New Yorkers start apologizing for “flyover country,” we’ll talk.
Rod D. Martin is a technology entrepreneur, venture capitalist, hedge fund manager, author and conservative activist from Destin, Florida.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.