The New York Times on Monday welcomed Ted Cruz to the 2016 presidential race by highlighting accusations that the Texas Republican is a "demagogue" and a "political flamethrower." In a piece by Nick Corasaniti and Patrick Healy, the two writers declared, "He sometimes deploys the soaring diction of a preacher while staking out uncompromising and rigid conservative positions, often playing the role of political flamethrower."
Corasaniti and Healy chided, "Mr. Cruz’s tenure in Washington has been marked by accusations of demagogy." Of the conservative's declaration for President, the Times journalists dismissed, "He spoke directly to conservatives, with no real broad appeal to the more moderate wing of his party."
They did offer an even-handed equivocation that Cruz "is seen by Republicans and Democrats as a divisive figure in Washington, but as a truth-telling hero to many conservatives and evangelical Americans."
The Corasaniti/Healy didn't appear in Tuesday's print Times. Instead, another story, this one by Ashley Parker and Maggie Haberman, did. In an article headlined, "Ted Cruz, an Ambitious Conservative With Sharp Elbows," the two writers highlighted the senator's lack of legislative success:
In fact, Mr. Cruz has not been much of a law maker: He sponsored or co-sponsored 112 pieces of legislation, only one of which became law. Rather, he has made his mark trying to undo or gut administration policies with which he disagrees.
The networks on Tuesday hit Cruz as a "no-compromise" "hardliner."
