Ted Cruz Has An Opinion On Apple CEO’s Coming Out

United States Senator for the state of Texas Ted Cruz speaks Thursday Oct. 23, 2014 during a fund raiser for the Texas Victory 2014 to benefit cantatas from the Republican Party of Texas at the Wagner Noel Performing... United States Senator for the state of Texas Ted Cruz speaks Thursday Oct. 23, 2014 during a fund raiser for the Texas Victory 2014 to benefit cantatas from the Republican Party of Texas at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center in Midland. (AP Photo/The Odessa American, Courtney Sacco) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) may not be the first person most people would go to for reaction to the news that Apple’s CEO just publicly came out as gay.

But on Thursday, CNBC asked the Texas Republican to weigh in on Tim Cook’s announcement. And Cruz’s answer showed just how tough it can be for a social conservative and potential 2016 contender to navigate the wave of marriage equality breaking across the country.

“Those are his personal choices, I’ll tell you I love my iPhone,” Cruz said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” as quoted by The Hill.

“Listen, Tim Cook makes his personal decisions, and that is his life. My focus is on the constitutional question of who has the authority to make decisions,” Cruz added.

Cruz has called the Supreme Court’s recent refusal to review same-sex marriage cases “judicial activism at its worst” and vowed to introduce a constitutional amendment to ban the federal government and the courts from overturning state marriage laws.

CNBC’s Rebecca Quick pressed Cruz to explain that position.

“You yourself have talked about introducing anti-gay marriage legislation, trying to protect the rights of the states,” she said. “But at the same time, you’ve also said that what the Supreme Court did by not ruling on the states who have allowed gay marriage, that that was tragic and indefensible?”

“You’re exactly right,” Cruz responded. “Look, I believe in the Constitution. I think we need to follow the Constitution. What the Supreme Court did, effectively striking down the laws of 30 states, was wrong and it was judicial activism.”

“But if a state chooses to allow people of the same sex to marry, shouldn’t they be allowed to do that?” Quick asked.

“Yes. No, no, I agree,” Cruz said. “Perhaps you are not understanding my position. Marriage is a question for the states … the issue is, constitutionally, should the federal government or federal courts impose their policy views in the place of the policy views of citizens of states.”

Watch below via CNBC:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. For a so-called “Constitutionalist,” he sure is a dumbfuck when it comes to the constitution.

  2. It’s always surprising to me that these turds can’t articulate their way out of a paper bag. All he had to do is point out that the decision he wants the SCOTUS to make is that it is the states’ voters’ right to oppress unpopular minorities, I mean ban gay marriage, and boom…he’d have reconciled the two seemingly contradictory positions.

  3. Cruz=Low thug. End of discussion. Unless we want to include the word “weasel”.

  4. Being gay is as much a personal decision as being left handed or having blue eyes. You’re born with it asshole.

  5. So he respects Tim Cook’s right to make choices in his own personal life, but wishes that states could be left alone to deny him those rights. It’s okay though, he “loves” his Iphone.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

117 more replies

Participants

Avatar for doremus_jessup Avatar for lestatdelc Avatar for slbinva Avatar for sabatia Avatar for richardinjax Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for matthew1961 Avatar for Mitch Avatar for chammy Avatar for thx1138 Avatar for bradbennett Avatar for Elfranko Avatar for sniffit Avatar for chuck_voellinger Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for suicide_arsonist Avatar for c6Logic Avatar for dnl Avatar for darrtown Avatar for benthere Avatar for tstreet Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for sbgunelson Avatar for antisachetdethe

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