Borne out of ignorance, Bruni’s assessment of Cruz assumes everybody outside the beltway and New York City thinks as he does. Yes, Cruz certainly doesn’t have a sizable fan base in Washington and the press enjoys any opportunity to express their disdain for the man.

But that’s not Texas, and in the Lone Star state, Ted Cruz has more fans aka voters, than O’Rourke. In the March primary, Cruz, running pretty much unopposed, had more votes than O’Rourke and the two other Democratic candidates, combined.

There are swathes of blue voting enclaves in the big city areas of San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas. That’s the margins. Around the rest of the state, it’s deep red, and that’s where O’Rourke will find he’s not welcome no matter how charming he is, once people learn that he…