it could be all three

There’s really no polite way to put this. Texas Senator Ted Cruz is either 1) totally lying, or 2) completely delusional, or 3) a fucking idiot.

Allow me to ‘splain. Back in 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In 5-4 decision, the court stated that corporations (and labor unions and other ‘associations’) have certain free speech rights. Since the court had ruled earlier that financial contributions to political candidates or parties are a form of speech, the ruling made it legal for corporations to spend as much as they want to convince people to vote for or against a candidate.

Totally lying, completely delusional, or just a fucking idiot?

Totally lying, completely delusional, or just a fucking idiot?

This is not a good thing. It is, in fact, a very bad thing. In response, Democrats in the Senate have proposed a Constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to regulate the raising and spending of money. Seems pretty reasonable. But then… Enter Ted Cruz.

“I grew up watching Saturday Night Live, I love Saturday Night Live. Saturday Night Live over the years, has had some of the most tremendous political satire. Who can forget in 2008, Saturday Night Live’s wickedly funny characterization of the Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin? It was wickedly funny and also [had] a profoundly powerful effect on people’s assessment of Gov. Palin, who’s a friend of mine. Congress would have the power to make it a criminal offense, Lorne Michaels could be put in jail under this amendment for making fun of any politician. That is extraordinary. It is breathtaking and it is dangerous.”

What’s extraordinary and breathtaking is Cruz actually said that. Out loud. He’s really and truly arguing that because NBC is a corporation, the proposed amendment would prohibit Saturday Night Live from engaging in political satire. And that, of course, is utter bullshit. (What kind of bullshit is it? Utter.)

Now. Back to the beginning. Ted Cruz is either lying, delusional, or a fucking idiot. If he actually knows the amendment doesn’t prohibit political satire, but he’s claiming it does anyway–he’s lying. On the other hand, if he truly believes the amendment would outlaw political satire on television, despite the reality of the amendment–he’s delusional. And on the third hand, if he simply doesn’t understand what the proposed amendment would do–he’s a fucking idiot.

It has to be one of those three, that’s all there is to it. It’s pretty simple. I’m just not sure which of those three applies. He might be lying. He might be delusional. Or he might be a fucking idiot. Or, of course, he might be a delusional fucking idiot who is lying.

It’s Ted Cruz. He’s a Republican from Texas. It’s possible he’s won the Trifecta.

8 thoughts on “it could be all three

  1. It is pretty stunning how this clownish Republican Party (with a LOT of collusion from Democrats) have made a mockery of our political system.

    Of course, he’s not as stupid as he allows himself to look. He, as does the rest of his political ilk, knows full well that there remains a huge clump of stupid in this country that seems to determine its course. And the lame-ass media allows this mockery to go unchallenged.


    • There’s a weird nexus, I think, from which a sort of ideological stupidity arises. For a lot of these folks it’s as if ideology filters out rational thought. So I think it’s possible for people like Cruz to simultaneously know that amendment (which failed, by the way, even though a majority of senators voted in favor of it) wouldn’t and couldn’t limit political satire on television while still believing that it could.

      So I guess I’m saying he’s ideologically delusional? I don’t know.


  2. First, I agree completely with both Greg and the prior commenter, Patrick.

    Moreover, SNL’s best days are well behind or in front of it. And in 2008, it may have been near its nadir, despite my unrequited love for Tina Fey. Nevertheless, Cruz wants us to believe that ms. Fey’s basic recitation of Palin’s remarks “[had] a profoundly powerful effect on people’s assessment of Gov. Palin.” Well, as far as I could tell, Palin’s actual remarks were actually funnier and more off-base than the SNL sketch. So, that’s clearly a lie.

    Cruz then claims that Palin is someone “who’s a friend of [his].” OK, so there’s your evidence for him being a total kook.

    And while I haven’t seen any other media on this, and probably won’t, I won’t be the least bit surprised if the so-called liberal media go on to repeat as fact that “Congress would have the power to make it a criminal offense, Lorne Michaels could be put in jail under this amendment for making fun of any politician.” So, keeping in mind that Cruz is actually serving in the Congress, and has had “success” at idiotic things like shutting down the government far beyond what power he SHOULD have, after jailing nobody in the banking sector or those who were supposed to be regulating them for the financial collapse of 2008, Congress is going to jail Lorne Michaels? Well, “[t]hat is extraordinary[; i]t is breathtaking and it is dangerous,” to have someone this fucking stupid in one of 100 seats in the Senate.

    So, having just returned from a trip to Texas, you have convinced me that Cruz is lying and delusional, and that the electorate of Texas (collectively, not individually) has acted unbelievably stupidly.


    • Hard to argue against that. What’s equally astonishing to me is that Cruz apparently believes he has a shot at the GOP presidential nomination. And even MORE astonishing is that he may be right.


  3. Well, being from Texas and possessing some knowledge of the Texas political structure, I have to say that although Cruz has had finer moments, since hitting the limelight he’s become a day late and a dollar short. The problem is that he, and those who follow him like the blind leading the blind, haven’t yet tripped onto this tiny facet of their lives.

    Ah, but such is Texas politics …


  4. This seems to be a common trait among Texas politicians. A few years ago, Rep. Ted Poe displayed a disturbingly dim understanding of our Constitutional government for an elected official by saying that regulatory agencies “decide” who to regulate (his word). And Rep. Randy Neugebauer publicly displayed ignorance over why National Park Service lands would be closed during last year’s government shutdown.

    It made me wonder, as you said, whether they were lying, delusional, or just idiots. They are, however, still in office.


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