That is true of New Yorkers in general. Nobody cares what other people do to themselves as long as it doesn’t directly harm them. The population is so massive, diverse, and full of subcultures that sharing a set of social values is virtually impossible.

If Cruz really is using “New York Values” as a dog whistle, it is this “live and let live” attitude he is signaling. It’s not Jews or gays or blacks or trannies or privileged Park Slope apologists. It’s all of them. Worse, it’s the fact that not judging these people and their ideas and practices is a New York value. Nobody has much time to worry about social values when they are figuring out what they are going to do when the L train service to Brooklyn gets shut down for three years.

Cruz lost the battle over New York values in last week’s debate, but don’t expect him to lose the war. For the first time, an attack has broken through and rattled Trump. The king of the Twitter insult looks like he can’t take what he dishes out, which most certainly is not a New York value.

It’s a hard position for Trump, who must either defend his hedonistic hometown to a nation of GOP voters who like to visit but also have disdain for New York, or throw it under the bus. Trump cannot effectively distance himself from New York City. After all, his name is emblazoned on half its skyscrapers. Citing the heroism displayed on 9/11 will only work for so long. Eventually, he must defend or reject the culture and politics of New York.