WALT ZLOTOW, http://heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com/
It's
possible the DuPage County GOP could have picked a worse political
leader to keynote last Friday's Lincoln Day Dinner, but I doubt it. The
honoree they picked, Sen. Ted
Cruz (Rep. TX), not only looks a tad like 1950's champion demagogue,
Sen. Joe McCarthy (Rep. WI), He demagogues like him, too. Cruz, who
attended Harvard Law from 1992 to 1995, once told a Texas Fourth of July
political rally that there were more Commie professors at Harvard than
Republican professors. He then said his predecessor at Harvard Law,
Barack Obama, would have made a great Harvard Law School President,
since he's the most radical president in US history and making him right
at home amongst those "dirty dozen" who believed in Communist overthrow
of the US. That talk resonated with Texas Tea Party faithful
attending, and up in Demagogue Heaven, Tail Gunner Joe McCarthy was
smiling.
But Cruz doesn't limit his demagoguery to partisan political events. At the Chuck Hagel Defense Secretary hearings, Cruz implied that Hagel accepted speaking fees from the North Koreans. This brought an unprecedented rebuke from far right Republican colleague Lindsey Graham (Rep. SC) who called Cruz's crazy talk "out of bounds".
Cruz fairs no better when not channeling McCarthy. Threatening to filibuster all reasonable gun control measures in the wake of the Newtown massacre, Cruz called the families of the victims "political props" for the Obama administration simply because they petitioned Congress to enact sensible gun legislation.
Cruz voted against Hurricane Sandy relief for blue state victims in New York and New Jersey prompting conservative Republican colleague Representative Pete King to publicly state, "He went out of his way to attack New York on the bill. There were really phony charges made against Sandy aid, and if Ted Cruz had prevailed, my constituents would be homeless." Yet, when a fertilizer plant blew away most of West, TX, Cruz he had the gall to demand Uncle Sam devote "all available resources" to help his constituents.
On immigration relief Cruz is fighting to sink bipartisan immigration reform by demanding that a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants be "taken off the table".
Just this week, Cruz broke Senate protocol by publicly trashing Republican colleagues who privately told him in closed door meetings not to threaten filibustering all gun control legislation in advance. He called them "squishes" because, after privately criticizing him, they rolled over and voted for the filibuster as well.
What nonsense Cruz will offered the DuPage GOP faithful remains to be heard. Maybe he came up with a new "birther" slam at the President. Maybe he turned the spotlight on Illinois state representative Jeanne Ives (Rep. 42) to honor her demagogic comment that "Same sex marriages are completely disordered". "They're trying to redefine society." "They're trying to weasel their way into acceptability so that they can then start to push their agenda down into the schools, because this gives them some sort of legitimacy... And we can't allow that to happen." Maybe Cruz shared more of his private battles with Republican colleagues that are trying to tamp down his driving lust for power and self aggrandizement.
Is the DuPage GOP trying to insult the legacy of Honest Abe or are they simply tone deaf? If actor Daniel Day-Lewis donned his Oscar winning Lincoln garb and tried to gain entry this Friday, security would scrutinize his scruffy beard, non elite clothing, and obvious humanitarianism and tell him: "Get lost, pal, you're not one of us".
But Cruz doesn't limit his demagoguery to partisan political events. At the Chuck Hagel Defense Secretary hearings, Cruz implied that Hagel accepted speaking fees from the North Koreans. This brought an unprecedented rebuke from far right Republican colleague Lindsey Graham (Rep. SC) who called Cruz's crazy talk "out of bounds".
Cruz fairs no better when not channeling McCarthy. Threatening to filibuster all reasonable gun control measures in the wake of the Newtown massacre, Cruz called the families of the victims "political props" for the Obama administration simply because they petitioned Congress to enact sensible gun legislation.
Cruz voted against Hurricane Sandy relief for blue state victims in New York and New Jersey prompting conservative Republican colleague Representative Pete King to publicly state, "He went out of his way to attack New York on the bill. There were really phony charges made against Sandy aid, and if Ted Cruz had prevailed, my constituents would be homeless." Yet, when a fertilizer plant blew away most of West, TX, Cruz he had the gall to demand Uncle Sam devote "all available resources" to help his constituents.
On immigration relief Cruz is fighting to sink bipartisan immigration reform by demanding that a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants be "taken off the table".
Just this week, Cruz broke Senate protocol by publicly trashing Republican colleagues who privately told him in closed door meetings not to threaten filibustering all gun control legislation in advance. He called them "squishes" because, after privately criticizing him, they rolled over and voted for the filibuster as well.
What nonsense Cruz will offered the DuPage GOP faithful remains to be heard. Maybe he came up with a new "birther" slam at the President. Maybe he turned the spotlight on Illinois state representative Jeanne Ives (Rep. 42) to honor her demagogic comment that "Same sex marriages are completely disordered". "They're trying to redefine society." "They're trying to weasel their way into acceptability so that they can then start to push their agenda down into the schools, because this gives them some sort of legitimacy... And we can't allow that to happen." Maybe Cruz shared more of his private battles with Republican colleagues that are trying to tamp down his driving lust for power and self aggrandizement.
Is the DuPage GOP trying to insult the legacy of Honest Abe or are they simply tone deaf? If actor Daniel Day-Lewis donned his Oscar winning Lincoln garb and tried to gain entry this Friday, security would scrutinize his scruffy beard, non elite clothing, and obvious humanitarianism and tell him: "Get lost, pal, you're not one of us".
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