Testosterone Election

I had felt that Ted Cruz's use of the musclebound drawing on his official campaign website showed poor judgement.  I thought he was revealing unfiltered hubris in presenting such a caricature.   But the Fox News hosts have been fawning over Putin for six months now, and Putin just yesterday said nice things about Trump.

It made me remember that Putin's brand has included photos like these





So maybe I was wrong, in light of the Putin announcement at his press conference.   Maybe the image of Ted Cruz the handsome musclebound fighter is exactly what he wants out there, an image no more odd than the one of Putin on horseback.   I have come to think Ted Cruz was perfectly correct in presenting himself that way, showing a cartoon man who would crush Obama and would confidently take the fight to Putin in Syria, Crimea, Ukraine, or anywhere.   I have no idea if the Putin photographs are photoshopped, but what is certain is that Putin was happy to have the images out there.  

Are they silly?  OK, but they are also manly, and that is what counts.   Putin was happy to gush with testosterone, and maybe Ted should have been happy to as well.  Trump has his Trump Tower, after all.

Trump won't be showing photos of himself shirtless.   But he doesn't need to.  Putin threw the testosterone-peer award to Trump.   But Cruz wanted it, as these two images from his website indicate.   

Republican audiences want muscularity in trade and defense policy.   That's where the big applause lines are, in a firm voice saying, "I will never apologize for America, no matter what."  Or, "I will demand fair trade with China.  I will not tolerate America being treated like a patsy!"   Cruz wanted to be the exemplar of the firm jawed champion, Achilles armed to battle Hector, a worthy foe, two men ready to lead great nations.    Not a wimp like Obama.

Trump got there first, but Cruz won't take this sitting down.    Look at him.   Does he look like the sort of person who accepts getting beat?