…Cruz’s sin wasn’t criticizing fellow Republicans. It was the fact that he was a conservative daring to criticize more moderate Republicans. …

I don’t necessarily always agree with Cruz. For instance, he said he would have voted against the “fiscal cliff” deal, though I thought it was the least bad option under the circumstances. But I do think it’s healthy to have Senators such as Cruz who are willing to buck the party.

During the Bush era, Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress yet spending soared. Because there weren’t enough conservatives in the House or Senate to stand up to the Bush administration and Congressional leadership, Republicans rammed through the Medicare prescription drug plan and No Child Left behind, among other big government abominations. If more Republicans had Ted Cruz’s attitude back then, taxpayers and local school districts could have been spared from these programs.