There has been a lot of talking around the Beltway in the last week. Republicans have been demanding negotiation from President Obama on the Affordable Care Act, crying wolf on the law’s constitutionality, and a slew of other rhetoric. But of all this GOP hyperbole, the flowery language of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been the worst.
Of course, how can one discuss Cruz’s over-the-top rhetoric without mentioning the 21-hour long, “faux-libuster” that he delivered to the Senate last week, a trainwreck that the Senate defeated anyway? During his speech, Cruz touched upon a myriad of silly and ridiculous subject matter. The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart made a complete mockery of Cruz’s failed speech.
Among many of Stewart’s targets was Cruz’s citation of an acceptance speech that Ashton Kutcher gave at the Teen Choice Awards in August. Cruz adapts the “I am your father” quote from the Empire Strikes Back, cites “wisdom” from Duck Dynasty, and heralds White Castle burgers. He discusses the WWE, as well. But some of his comments actually got him into a little bit of hot water.
While concluding his speech, he likened it to the Bataan Death March, the World War II tragedy where the Japanese military captured over 60,000 Filipino and American troops and made them walk 65 miles to a prison camp. The march killed over 10,000 men. Deeply offended by the misguided analogy, Filipino World War II veterans sent Cruz a letter wanting an apology.
“On behalf of our elderly Filipino American World War II veterans and members of our national advocacy organization, we demand your prompt apology and actions to remedy your ill-advised, and insulting televised statement last Wednesday,” said the veterans. “You compared yourself, senate colleagues and staff as ‘Bataan Death March’ survivors for having endured your 21-hour talk-athon.”
Shortly after, Cruz met with two surviving Filipino veterans involved in the Bataan Death March, representing the collective of Filipino vets, and apologized for his offensive remark.
Cruz’s most recent musing occurred yesterday when he said that the government shutdown might cause a terrorist attack on the country. He brought forth this “concern,” as one could supposedly call it, to the Senate Judiciary Committee. To the committee, Cruz said “If, God forbid, we see an attack on the United States because the intelligence community was not adequately funded, every member of the committee would be horrified.”
Cruz has no idea when to keep quiet. By continuing this path of empty, but inflated, rhetoric, he’s only making himself and the GOP look even worse than they already do. During his address to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Cruz further adds “I hope issues of partisan politics can be set aside and we can all come together.”
But, isn’t this brand of partisan politics what drove the Republicans into a tantrum that ultimately led to them shutting down the government in the first place?
Cruz is regarded as nothing but a joke, even among those in his party.
