Ted Cruz’s “New York Values” quip may have been ill-advised politically (we’ll see), but what New Yorkers generally and Trump supporters specifically need to understand is that Cruz was referring to a Meet the Press interview in which Donald Trump referenced how living in New York helped frame his (then) very liberal “values.”  

In interviewing Donald Trump, the late Tim Russert prodded him on his views on gay marriage, gays serving in the military, and abortion/partial-birth abortion.  Donald Trump espoused his views on gays serving in the military and referenced how “living in New York, Manhattan all my life” framed his views and that his views would be “a little bit different” if he “lived in Iowa.”

Russert: Partial-birth abortion. The eliminating of birth in the third trimester. Would President Trump ban partial-birth abortion?

Trump: Look, I’m very pro-choice. I hate the concept of abortion. I hate it. I hate everything that it stands for. I cringe when I hear people debating the subject. Still, I just believe in choice. It may be a little bit of a New York background, ’cause there’s a different attitude in different parts of the country.

Russert: Would you ban abortion?

Trump: No.

Russert: Would you ban partial-birth abortion?

Trump: No. I am pro-choice in every respect, as far as it goes.

There is a bible passage – Matthew 7:15-20 – that states that one is known by his fruits.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

There are no doubt “good trees” in New York, which are producing “good fruit,” but on the whole, politically, New York is a cesspool (see: de Blasio, Cuomo).

New York conservatives (and moderates) should be pissed, but not at Ted Cruz.  They should be mad at themselves, that they’ve allowed their state (as we in California) to advance much of what is wrong in America: nannyism, cronyism, division, Marxism.  

Donald Trump is a product of New York (according to Donald Trump).  You/we may like the brashness of his tone, but what we should be determining is the (true) convictions of his heart.  He was a hardcore liberal in 1999, and up until very recently.  He now “claims” to be conservative.

Donald Trump referenced New York “values” in helping to form his personal views back in 1999.  What tree is he picking from today?

Sheep or wolf?  I’ll leave that for you to decide.