thanks for this insightful piece. Yeah, I don’t agree with about anything Ted Cruz says. He’s bombastic, frightening, and sometimes seems more interested in picking a fight than stating a well formulated policy. (Again, as you’re piece would be quick to note, this is my opinion, and I imagine there are some who would disagree with what I’ve just said…that’s sort of the point.) But you’re piece points out something even more profound than the need that you (and your pop) fill by reminding us that we’re supposed to be thoughtful and curious about those who come to lead. To me, the whole uproar speaks to a growing movement where ideological guilt by association has become a kind of blood sport. We could wander around social commentaries and implicate things like “facebook likes” or “google groups” but in the end what I think we’ve lost is fundamental to a working government and certainly to basic civility. We’ve lost the capacity and tolerance to explore and to artfully, and without personal malice, disagree. Or at least we’ve lost that skill in public venues. That’s what bothers me most about today’s quick judgments and rampant assumptions.