Long answer? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Short answer? Hell no.
Rafael is better at making enemies for life than he is at hiding his Nixonian proclivities.
To my knowledge Cruz has not indicated he has any intention of conducting himself any differently so I don’t know why anyone would think he would.
Cruz is one of the smartest people in the Senate chamber. It’s naive to think that the way he has conducted himself to this point was anything other than calculated.
“hopefully he’ll plow into Senate work and help us get some things done around here”
Like another vote against Obamacare?
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said that he didn’t think Cruz is returning to the Senate with any greater influence, but he did hope Cruz learned a thing or two out on the campaign trail that may inspire him to conduct himself in a more productive manner on Capitol Hill.
This Texas sized asshole? inspire him to conduct himself in a more productive manner on Capitol Hill. ?Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
All Republicans in the Senate were hoping that Ted Cruz was elected president or died trying… preferably the latter.
“The process did elevate Ted”
ElevaTED?
Cruz couldn’t make nice if someone held a gun to his head.
He’s a smarmy, hateful, condescending, pompous, sanctimonious, self-aggrandizing, mendacious, annoying, and dishonest right-wing asshole.
But enough about his best qualities.
He will, upon returning to the Senate, be as likable as ever.
No. He’ll tell everyone that he’ll definitely get it next time, so they’d better all start kissing his ass now.
maybe carly’s people skills rubbed off on him?
Or another vote on defunding Planned Parenthood.
In which case he’s not all that smart - unless you think his “plan”, as executed by “one of the smartest people in the Senate chamber” was to NOT get elected President.
Geez, I thought you liked him so much to list all his best qualities. 
Meri,
Does this critique apply to everyone whose plan to be POTUS fell short or just those you don’t like?
I believe Bernie Sanders to be very bright as well, but it could not be more clear to me that spending the better part of 35 years demanding to be called a “socialist” is exactly the opposite of an effective plan to be elected President. And my assumption has now been proven correct.
I expected the shortest fucking article in TPM’s history.
Lauren paid by the word? (I keed.)
But you repeat yourself.
Have you noticed every story about Sanders describing how he’s one of the smartest people in [fill in group here]?
Did you see them about Carson? Christie? Webb?
All failures, difference being they aren’t continually being described as a genius based on…well, shit, he must be a genius. After all, people keep calling him one! Why are people calling him one? Well, certainly it’s because he’s a genius! How do we know he’s a genius? Because people keep calling him one!
And YOU are the one who said " It’s naive to think that the way he has conducted himself to this point was anything other than calculated."
So, what was the calculation? To not get elected? He’s such a genius that clearly all of this is part of the master plan. It has to be. Because he’s a genius, right? And how do you know he’s a genius?
Won’t Cruz be up for re-election to Senate in 2020? If so, won’t he have to choose whether to run for Senate or President? Can’t he easily lose both?
Let me be blunt here: FUCK NO!
He burned all those bridges a long, long time ago and his “colleagues” in the Senate will line up to slip a knife into his guts while smiling in his face.