Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) sighed his way out of denouncing President Donald Trump’s recent bout of racist rhetoric aimed at “the squad,” telling PBS’ Margaret Hoover that he wishes “he would say things differently.”
“The President regularly says and tweets things I wish he didn’t say,” Cruz said. “Look, I wish he would say things differently. I don’t have the power to change that.”
“He is who he is,” he concluded. “He’s not going to change.”
When pushed on if Trump’s rhetoric would hurt his reelection chances, Cruz dodged the questions, attempting to pivot to foreign policy.
When asked if Trump’s racially-charged rhetoric may hurt his chances in 2020, Sen @tedcruz doesn’t directly answer: “I wish he would say things differently. I don’t have the power to change that.”
@MargaretHoover follows up: “I’m going to take it as yes.” #FiringLineShowPBS pic.twitter.com/WCEeNyr3sI— Firing Line with Margaret Hoover (@FiringLineShow) July 19, 2019
Here’s TPM’s rundown of Republican responses to Trump’s attack on the squad, particularly on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
An age-old myth says if enough senators wish for something at the same time it can come true!
But the truth of that is lost in the mists of time.
“I don’t have the power to change that.”
Weak, stupid and cowardly is no way to go through life, Ted. But the beard helps. He can stroke it thoughtfully as he contemplates how he has no power and was whip-spanked during the primaries by this global embarrassment.
He wants to return to the age of coded dog whistles rather than the blatant racist diatribes blurted out by Trump, which by the way, accurately reflect the belief system of Republicans.
Because I have been around Caribenos like Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Cubans (who have families with first cousins who include people with Cruz’s phenotype, Rubio’s, mine and lots of African Americans) it has always required me to do a five-second-shift when looking at Cruz and his particular brand of Evil.
Cruz, and people like him are white in Cuba…and, if they can swing it here are white as well. And then it is a hop-skip and a jump to full-own whiteness.
But when Andy Garcia did his Arturo Sandoval biographical film, all I heard and saw was this big deal about the African connection of rumba (and the supposed connection of Sandoval with Africa).
Cruz is too evil to do this, but he could have originally branded himself as a straight-up Latino Senator (probably from a Blue State). Especially since he looks less “white” than some of the boriciuas Trump was dumping on after the Hurricane which devastated Puerto Rico.
“Whiteness” is a state of mind, too.
Color me underwhelmed, Ted.