He’s more conservative than any GOP nominee ever, or recent Republican candidate, even farther to the right than Barry Goldwater and Michelle Bachmann, according to this ranking from pollster Nate Silver. (Click on image to enlarge.) And that, along with the fact even many of his own party’s leaders intensely dislike him, makes him unelectable. Thus, it’s emblematic that Cruz announced his candidacy to a captive audience of Liberty University students who were told they would be fined $10 if they didn’t attend his speech.