Cruz didn’t just suddenly develop his media strategy when he decided to run for president. When he sat down for an interview on Seth Myers’s late-night talk show this past March, he previewed how he would go about casually engaging hostile media without losing his cool. It was clear then that he is a principled debate tactician who has a cutting sense of humor. When Myers challenged Cruz on climate-change hysterics, Cruz effortlessly rattled off satellite data that show no warming over the course of the past 17 years. Myers joked that he trusts computers more than satellites, saying, “I have DirectTV and I’d rather watch on my computer than satellite.” Cruz riposted, “Cable shows that it’s not warming either.”

Cruz has a way of relaxing his media opponents to the point where they feel free to attack him personally; then he simply stands back as his supporters see who his opponents have revealed themselves to be. This only enhances Cruz’s reputation among his fans as the second coming of the great communicator and a cultural faith healer on the right. For those who are tired of Trump’s indiscriminate antics in the primaries, Cruz’s style offers a refreshing alternative, and it could carry him all the way to the nomination…

What Ted Cruz has figured out is that the way to counter these assaults is not to yell at the critics the way your grandfather or Bernie Sanders might yell at the TV. Nor are juvenile tantrums à la Donald Trump the best bet. Instead, adopt the demeanor of a happy warrior. And as of right now, Cruz has accomplished this more than anyone else in the race.