A Bret Stephens Tantrum

The Bretster

Bret, who is usually on the View's short list of journalist faves, must have been up against a deadline when he decided to take on Ted Cruz today in his WSJ column. Or perhaps all that fresh air and sunlight at that writers festival out in Rancho Mirage over-loaded his senses as he gazed into those "cerulean skies and pink clouds". Quick, someone Fed Ex him a canister of 3rd Avenue air.

Clearly, Stephens was in a twist over Cruz's recent knock on Donald Trump's New York Values, which seemed more like a short-handed swipe against the Donald's conservative bona fides, than it did an indictment of the values of the people of New York. Having said that, we think it was a very bad idea for Ted to stick his proverbial finger in the proverbial eye of millions of voters who happen to live between the Hudson and the East Rivers. But let's get real. The people of New York have long been the targets of vitriol and disrespect, the go-to-target for comedians with limited imagination, and we think they actually take pride in these types of put-downs.  Last time we looked, extra thick skins were still de rigueur in Manhattan. Or as Frank sang, If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Bret, get over it.

As for Donald Trump, we think that for too long he has gotten away with magic wand solutions to large and complex issues. Build a big wall along the southern border, stop all immigration, send Carl Icahn over to negotiate a new settlement with Iran. It's probably about time that he should flesh out his big brassy ideas with some basic explanation of the underpinnings, not to mention refining just where his conservative principles lie. It would seem that there is more needed than shock statements.

Finally, we don't fully understand the brouhaha over the million dollar loan. It was made at a low interest rate?  There has certainly been a lot of that going around. The loan came from Goldman Sachs, where Cruz's wife works? Where else would she go for a loan? For crying out loud, they paid the money back. They did miss one of the reporting requirements, but if that is the extent of corruption in Ted's financial affairs, it's a pretty lame.

Ted Cruz is still one of the few candidates left who has a shot at the Republican nomination, especially among those in a conservative state of mind.  Perhaps he should Apologize to New Yorkers, but they would all immediately label that as wimp behavior.