First, a flashback to November 2012 and the National Republican Senatorial Committee's
announcement of its new leadership team, including a political newcomer they clearly thought would be a valuable political ally:
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen.-elect Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) will serve as vice chairmen of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2014 cycle, GOP aides confirmed to The Fix. [...] Cruz, meanwhile, gives the committee a well-regarded Hispanic and tea party-friendly vice chairman who could help it deal with contentious primaries during the 2014 cycle. The party has nominated several weaker conservative candidates in recent years who went on to defeat.
Republicans were thrilled that they got Ted Cruz, because they figured his star power would be the key to saving Republican incumbents from from primary challenges from the right. Problem solved!
Except now Ted's running for president:
Friday night in New Hampshire, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz made clear that he has no plans to endorse his Lone Star State colleague John Cornyn for re-election in 2014.
“I think it is likely that I am going to stay out of incumbent primaries across the country, either supporting incumbents or opposing incumbents,” Cruz said.
If the NRSC existed for just one reason, that one reason is to protect Republican incumbents in the Senate. And here you've got the NRSC's vice chairman pointedly saying that he won't endorse any of those incumbents, because he doesn't want to tarnish his 2016 street cred with the base. That's pretty awesome—and counts for another reason why
I love Ted Cruz.