It was a rough night for Senator Ted Cruz yesterday, at least on the surface. He took the stage to deliver a speech at a conference sponsored by a group called, "Defense of Christians."
Sounds like his sort of crowd doesn't it? Hey, you look at the name of the outfit and it is easy to conjure up images of jowly white guys in pastel colored suits and their thick legged women, slathered with make up while reeking of hair spray and Estee Lauder perfume.
Actually it wasn't the case. Defense of Christians is an Arab-American organization concerned about the persecution of Christians in places like Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Who can blame them? With 30,000 or so armed zombies running amok in the region cutting the heads off of everybody who doesn't believe in Islam just like them, concern is probably too mild a word.
According to reports, Cruz first began making people shift uneasily in their seats when he claimed, the governments of Syria and Iran, plus Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic State are all basically the same when it comes to Christians and the United States. Unfortunately for the senator, a lot of Christians in the mid east depend on the Syrian government, Hezbollah, and Hamas to keep the Islamic State werewolves at bay. Up for conjecture, given his rhetoric, is whether Cruz is a dolt who actually believes what he said and thought he was preaching to the choir, or was being a right wing provocateur looking to elicit an angry response from those sitting in attendance.
Whatever the case, when he began to speak of Israel in glowing terms things really started to roll down hill. The heckling began after he told the audience, "Christians have no greater ally than Israel." A couple of people told him to talk about Christians, not Israel.Taken aback--because let's face it, Teddy Cruz isn't used to someone disagreeing with him when he delivers a sermon--the senator began to lecture the crowd.
The Washington Post reported he told the gathering, "Those who hate Israel hate America and those who hate Jews hate Christians." He went on to say, "I'm saddened to see some here, not everyone, but some are consumed with hate. If you will not stand with Israel and Jews, then I will not stand with you." At that point Ted Cruz left the stage and the building.
Congressman Charlie Dent, R-PA was seated in the front row of the audience, primarily because his district has a large population of Christian Syrians and Lebanese. Afterward he had this to say, "I support Israel, but what Senator Cruz did was outrageous and incendiary. He showed a true lack of sensitivity for the people he was speaking to, especially the religious leaders who were there. It was a political speech, inappropriate and overall an uncomfortable moment."
After the debacle, Cruz's communications director issued a statement saying the senator would have never shown up if he had been told not to discuss his support of Israel, or if he'd known his pro Israeli stance would have been taken "that way."
So has the Tedster already fired some incompetent staffer who failed to warn him about the nature of the audience, or is he simply a complete idiot?
Well, Ted Cruz is many things, but stupid isn't one of them. A couple of right wing blogs, "The American Conservative" and "The Federalist" condemned him in no uncertain terms, but there is also speculation from some, Dent among them, that the wily little Canadian knew exactly what he was doing. According to the congressman, Cruz, "...seemed to be speaking for another audience."
Now we're to the nut of it. Dent hinted, Cruz was playing to his tea party base, attempting to fire up their support by subjecting himself to the crass rudeness of a bunch of Arabs--people who aren't to be trusted, no matter what their religion. Yes, a little dose of xenophobia goes a long way with that crowd, just take a look at what they think about immigration reform.
It is a viable theory, but besides votes, which Cruz thinks he has bushels of, elections are won with money--lots and lots of money. Knowing news travels fast and everything shows up somewhere on a video Senator Cruz may have had a smaller audience in mind. His name is Sheldon Adelson.
Our man Shelly has boat loads of cash and is willing to hand over so much of it to preferred candidates, potential republican presidents of these United States kow tow to him as if he is a Ming Dynasty Emperor. He is also Jewish and a major supporter of Israel. He and he alone puts Cruz's, "If you will not stand with Israel and Jews then I will not stand with you," line into crystal clear perspective.
It is easy to hear him on the phone saying, Yes, Mr. Adelson, I stood up to those Jew hating Sons of Bitches and if I'm elected president I'll run every one of those rat bastards out of the country. And by the way could you send my campaign, oh, $300 million?
Usually politicians are petty criminals, utterly incapable of any thing more devious than taking a crude bribe, or throwing a brick through some jewelry store window in order to grab a Rolex. In the end even Dick Nixon was a brute stupid felon who employed nothing more than a gang of cheap and incompetent B and E thugs.
Ted Cruz is a different breed of cat. He is smart, ruthless, amoral, capable of the most absurd lies which he will repeat incessantly in the face of irrefutable evidence and he's driven by an ego that is dangerously out of control.
He is just the vile Professor Moriarty type who would think a terrible stunt like this would work to his advantage and then have the gall go through with it.
Nixon, Ford, Reagan, then both Bush the elder and younger were foul people who were easily despised. Raphael Edward Cruz is beyond that. He is someone who should be feared.
He is that rare and dangerous beast, like Herr Hitler--eloquent, capable of speaking for hours with passion, and his oratory preys on the fears of a shrinking majority who believe the nation is slipping out of their control.
Hopefully we won't succumb to him like the Germans did to the unlamented Adolf, because we understand we aren't one race, or religion, but many and the many give the country strength, rather than undermine it.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, it is after five pm and at a certain bar around here there is such a thing known as a Hamm's and rye which is priced at four dollars. I suggest you join me there. Trust me when it comes to these decisions.
9-12-14
No comments:
Post a Comment