During the 6th GOP primary debate, Texas senator Ted Cruz doubled-down on his claim that Donald Trump’s, “New York values” make him a poor conservative candidate within the current GOP landscape. He’s right, and New Yorkers should hold his claims as an accolade.

Ted Cruz obviously knows that if he wins the nomination, he has no chance of turning New York from blue to red. Thus, he figures insulting New York City would be mostly risk free as, New Yorkers aren’t voting for him anyway, and many primary voters in the middle and southern regions of the country seem to view New York as a hedonistic den of sin, filled with self-centered, psuedo-intellectual liberals. For Cruz, an anti-Manhattan stance could serve as a rallying cry to the flyovers. He’s essentially saying, “I’m one of you, I’m just like y’all. But this guy (points to Trump) the one with the hair, he’s one of them big city types. You know the kind, the ones who have brunch at abortion clinics after getting gay-married by their transgender, atheist friend.”

Cruz is attempting at paint Trump as a typical disconnected New Yorker – someone who wouldn’t know Iowa from Idaho. Here’s the whole exchange via CBS News:

Sidebar: Trump’s defense was -perhaps- a bit heavy-handed, invoking 9/11 and whatnot, but it was also an obvious and intelligent defense. Cruz was attempting to play to the political division of state lines, he was gleefully treading water in the “us vs. them” pond. But by Trump reminding everyone of a time in which the US came together and rallied around New York, he deftly parried the blow, and existed -if only for a moment- as one of the more compassionate men on the stage. Cruz, being the master-debater that is he, should’ve seen this defense coming a mile away and never ventured into New York’s waters.

There are 8.4 million people living in New York City, and it’s one of the most diverse stretches of land on the planet. But, as a collective, Cruz’s assertions are not incorrect. New York City residents are mostly liberal -especially from a social standpoint- and we live faster than most -it not all- of the rest of the country. For the most part we are pro-choice and pro gay and transgender rights. We are accepting of all races, colors, ethnicities, shapes and sizes. Ted Cruz is right about “New York values” and everything that he purports as a negative about New York is precicely what makes this city pulse with such an inimitable energy.

New York is a den of sin; it’s a den of beautiful, swirling, vibrant sin, filled with liberals, conservatives, pseudo-intellectuals, real intellectuals, gays, lesbians, transgender men and women, yuppies, hippies, hipsters, hip hip heads, bibliophiles, Francophiles, audiophiles, pretentious foodies, un-pretentious foodies, vegetarians, vegans, raw vegans, jerky-enthusiasts, comedians, feminists, furries, performance artists, punks, poets, playmates, porn directors, wanderers, Wall Streeters, writers, musicians, masochists, pacifists, acupuncturists, analysts, astrophysicists, ventriloquists and last, but certainly not least, mimes.

Ted Cruz shouldn’t like New York. The tea party, neoconservative movement does not jive well with the general happenings inside the Big Apple. But all of the reasons why Cruz doesn’t like New York, are the very same reasons why I -and most New Yorkers- love it.

So, Mr.Cruz, we take your derision as a compliment.

by Jesse Mechanic

Jesse Mechanic is the Editor-in-chief of The Overgrown.

@jmechanic