the ONLY people who like Cruz (or don't hate him) are the core core base who spend their days sucking up drudge and am radio, and I don't see him having any intention of making his way to the middle in the general.

Trump can probably bring in some other people, including those disgruntled apolitical "fuck all this pc bullshit" types. And really he's gone so far off the rails that he just has to scale it back a little and sound halfway compassionate

Cruz is too pure and uncut to do that because he believes in everything he says. Cruz is the actual Bizarro Bernie.