Colbert Mocks Cruz’s Attempt To Channel Reagan With Scorpion Ad (VIDEO)

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

On “The Late Show” Wednesday night, host Stephen Colbert mocked the Republican presidential candidates’ attempts to “get their Ronnie on” as the second debate took place at President Ronald Reagan’s presidential library.

Colbert narrowed in on a new ad that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) aired during the CNN debate and on Fox News afterward. The ad uses a scorpion to represent the threat of terrorism in the Middle East, noting that some “refuse to even speak its name” — a reference to Cruz’s criticism that Obama is hesitant to use the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism.”

As Colbert and the New York Times noted, Cruz’s ad is modeled after Reagan’s famous ad that used a grizzly bear to depict the threat from the Soviet Union. Colbert said that the bear ad is the “gold standard” for Republicans.

“And in terms of ripping it off, Ted Cruz just stole one from The Gipper,” Colbert said.

Colbert then proceeded to mock Cruz’s attempt to copy Reagan.

“What does the scorpion represent? Is it terrorism? Iran? Mexicans? Scorpions? A bear in a scorpion costume? What?” Colbert asked. “And for that matter, the ad criticized some people because they refuse to say its name, but Ted Cruz doesn’t say his name in the ad. Wait, doesn’t say his name — is it Voldemort?”

The comedian then played his own version of the ad about spiders laying eggs in people’s ears.

Watch the clip below via “The Late Show.”

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: