The more Ted Cruz rises in the polls, the more attention is being paid to his overall electability as a man who looks, as one fellow Princeton classmate described him[3], “about as telegenic as an undertaker.”
The answer to why so many people instinctively dislike the Texas Republican is one that intrigued Richard E. Cytowic, a professor of neurology at George Washington University. Writing in Psychology Today [4], Cytowic noted that Cruz’s “atypical expressions” left him “uneasy,” and that he was not alone among people who have watched Cruz up close and from afar.
“Note how many colleagues and former associates ‘loathe’ him. A Bush alumnus told the New York Times’ Frank Bruni, ‘Why do people take such an instant dislike to Ted Cruz? It just saves time.’ Former Senate Majority leader [5]Bob Dole says, ‘Nobody likes him,’ while Rep. Peter King sees ‘malice.’” Cytowic wrote. “According to The Washington Post, screenwriter Craig Mazin, Cruz’s former Princeton roommate, has called him a ‘huge asshole,’ and ‘creepy.’ He’s Tweeted, ‘Getting emails blaming me for not smothering Ted Cruz in his sleep [6] in 1988.’ The distaste for Cruz even extends beyond the US: Germans say Backpfeifengesicht,