During CNBC’s GOP debate, Ted Cruz not only demonstrated that he is the kind of problem solver the American people want, he also showed that he is the kind of leader the American people need.

In the aftermath of Cruz’s performance, the liberal media and establishment supporters on the right leapt in to spin mode. They’ve been trying to convince their audiences that the hardest-hitting response of Wednesday night was nothing more than a clever dodge to a tough question. But you can analyze Cruz’s sizzling answer and its positive effects all by yourself.

Cruz unveiled a dignified contempt for liberal propaganda and the absurd questioning that plagued the debate. Cruz’s verbal dexterity and unabashed brilliance also united his fellow Republicans on stage while demonstrating a solution for how to deal with stupid liberal ideas when pressured to compromise on principles -- you know, a perfect rebuttal to the silly assertion:

Congressional Republicans, Democrats and the White House are about to strike a compromise that would raise the debt limit, prevent a government shutdown, and calm financial markets of the fear that a Washington crisis is on the way. Does your opposition to it show you're not the kind of problem-solver that American voters want?

In one answer, Cruz simultaneously solved two problems. He spanked the degenerates in the liberal media while inspiring his fellow Republicans to rise to another level. All before our very eyes, each candidate -- except Jeb and Kasich -- rallied together. They quit taking crap from the obnoxious moderators.

Talk about problem solving. Talk about leadership. Talk about what American voters want.

Ted Cruz delivered all of that -- and more -- in roughly 60 seconds.

Later, after the moderators gathered their composure following the verbal beat down Cruz dished out, they offered the Texas senator the extra time he had requested from the get go. With an additional 30 seconds to finish his response, Cruz needed less than five to put in plain English that only a moron thinks that adding $80 billion in national debt is a solution to Washington’s immoral spending problem. Congressional Republicans, Democrats, and the White House have made the problem worse -- not solved it.

Cruz’s clear and concise response is not something liberals and establishment types have been able to process. Perhaps they were distracted by the Colorado brownies Cruz offered to buy moderator Carlos Quintanilla. On the other hand, maybe they’re actually a little buzzed because they’re still swearing that Ted Cruz dodged the question.

In their defense, Cruz did work fast with the time he had. He obviously knew from experience that he was not going to get much time to talk during the night. And he was right.

Cruz is always right.

In terms of speaking time, Cruz finished in the bottom four. Imagine how dominant he would have been if Jeb and Kasich would have just shut up and let Cruz provide them with the answers.

Then again, it does remain a mystery why Cruz didn’t explain that furloughing nonessential government employees with back pay is not a government shutdown.

It’s only a hunch, but perhaps Cruz felt like the moderators looked stupid enough already. Pointing out the obvious about the government never actually shutting down might have been more truth than liberals could handle. Still, I have to admit -- I was hoping Cruz would go for the jugular.

Alas, Cruz demonstrated some compassion by not rubbing the moderators’ noses in the nonsense of liberal vocabulary.

Unfortunately, it’s not just liberals who rushed in to minimize the success of Cruz’s deft counterattack. Even Bill O’Reilly, Brit Hume, and Bret Baier insinuated that Cruz was more talk than substance.

O’Reilly erroneously reported that Cruz dodged the question too, and Brit Hume tweeted that Cruz hasn’t won any of the fights he led -- a point Bret Baier brought up Thursday night with Cruz.

Granted, O’Reilly is just fond of moderates, but Hume apparently missed all of the debate, except for the end. Cruz won the fight he led Wednesday night with CNBC, and then Cruz politely paddled Bret Baier the following night on Fox News, as Cruz dismantled the gist of Baier’s version of Brit Hume’s tweet.

Baier stated, "You definitely have led fights against Obamacare, against immigration, against the EPA, but Obamacare is still around, immigration's still exactly the same."

Cruz helped Baier to remember who led the fight that defeated amnesty -- you know, the one that solved the problem for everyone who opposed Marco Rubio, John McCain, and the other members of the Gang of Eight (not to mention the Democratic Party) from ramming amnesty down our throats. Amazingly, Baier couldn’t bring himself to give Cruz credit for that win. Baier called it a “block.”

Of course, Cruz wasn’t finished. He reminded Baier that opportunistic gun grabbers tried to exploit the tragedy of Sandy Hook and introduced a “massive raft of gun control proposals.” With Cruz’s leadership, Second Amendment supporters chalked up another win by defeating all of the liberals’ anti-gun proposals.

Finally, Cruz also jogged Baier’s memory about that the Obama administration quickly canceling its flight ban to Israel after Cruz publicly asked if the ban was an economic boycott on Israel for defending itself against Hamas missile attacks. Yep, a third win in a fight Ted Cruz led.

Just face it. When the media and the establishment Republicans tell you that Cruz is not the kind of problem solver the American people want, you should intuitively know that the opposite is true.

What kind of American people solve problems? People like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, John McCain, and Mitch McConnell? This isn’t a trick question. The answer is obvious: Americans like Ted Cruz.