Cruz rips 'right-wing socialism,' says GOP shouldn't be 'giving

The most telling part of Ted Cruz’s warning about “right-wing socialism” is that he felt the need to define himself as a populist first. He knows the brand is already tainted. When a senator known for government shutdowns has to explain that he’s one of the good populists, it means the word has officially become a liability on the Right.

Cruz is right to pull the fire alarm, but he’s a little late in the kitchen. The problem isn’t that Republicans want to help the working class. It’s that a growing number of them think the answer is to write bigger checks and let DC pick the winners. The $500 child credit proposal is just the latest example. Handing out monthly checks to raise the birth rate doesn’t strengthen families; it just outsources the job of raising them to the IRS.

The debate is really about whether we trust Washington or the family budget. Cruz’s point is that if Republicans start bidding against Democrats on welfare, we will never outbid them. We don’t have their base of billionaires funding the promises. We win by talking about work, not by offering a warm check from a cold bureaucracy.

The base isn’t asking for a corporate bailout or a new entitlement. They are asking for a country where a paycheck actually buys something. That means tariffs that protect our industry and borders that protect our sovereignty. If we want to stop "right-wing socialism," we should start by dropping the right-wing subsidy plans. If Cruz’s colleagues actually listened, they would realize the path to victory isn't about the size of the handout, but the strength of the homeland.