If you listen to Fox News, Donald Trump won the “New York Values” debate with Ted Cruz.  A lot of the media personalities are from New York and they were offended by Ted Cruz.  They are self-righteously screaming about how unfair this is to their wonderful city.  They all thought Donald Trump handled this brilliantly.  They are right; if you live in New York.  But although New York considers itself to be the center of the universe, the rest of us are less convinced.  This may be a classic example of “what price victory.” 

A lot of us love New York and we really appreciate the NYPD and the NYFD.  New York is a fun place to visit but that does not mean we want arrogant New Yorkers looking down their noses at us telling us how to live.  We are tired of people saying I’m from New York and you’re not so let me explain how things work.  We are tired of the New York Times publishing BS and pretending it ranks right alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  And no we don’t think that any sporting team from New York is destined to beat a team from some “little town” place like Kansas City.  When is the last time a New York sports team won a national championship?  Come on, admit it.  There are few things more enjoyable than watching the Yankees self-destruct.  You’re not alone.  Remember the musical comedy “Damn Yankees?” 

I understood exactly what Cruz meant by New York Values.  So will a lot of people in places like Peoria.  Donald Trump is soaring in the polls because people believe he stands up for them.  We long for a leader that is capable of standing up and fighting for us.  Ted Cruz went toe to toe with Donald Trump and he more than held his own.  But he did more than that.  From this point forward Donald Trump will be defined by New York Values.  That will play very well in New York.  How will it play in Iowa?

TDM