Ted Cruz can’t win, even when he thinks he’s winning. He’s self-owning again after acting like a literature smarty pants on Twitter, and now, his replies are paying the price. This, of course, is only adding to the record week that Cruz is having, given that Republican lawmakers read mean tweets about him on the Senate floor, and Chris Cuomo came for him over breast milk. What a wild 2021 this is turning out to be for the not-Zodiac Killer after beefing with Seth Rogen and Cary Elwes and losing both fights.
Back on the subject of literary madness, Cruz decided to point out to NBC News Chief Washington Correspondent Andrea Mitchell that she erroneously attributed the Shakespeare’s “sound and fury” quote (while discussing Cruz bashing the impeachment hearings) to William Faulkner, who titled a novel after The Bard’s quote.
.@SenTedCruz says #ImpeachmentTrial is like Shakespeare full of sound and fury signifying nothing. No, that’s Faulkner
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) February 10, 2021
Sure, Mitchell did get the quote wrong, but Ted’s pointing out of the error was (keeping with his usual style) fairly obnoxious. “Methinks she doth protest too much,” Cruz tapped. “One would think NBC would know the Bard. Andrea, take a look at Macbeth act 5, scene 5.”
Methinks she doth protest too much.
One would think NBC would know the Bard. Andrea, take a look at Macbeth act 5, scene 5:
“[Life] struts & frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound & fury,
Signifying nothing.”— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 11, 2021
Mitchell owned up to the error with a genuine apology.
I clearly studied too much American literature and not enough Macbeth. My apologies to Sen. Cruz.
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) February 11, 2021
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Well, people decided to take this opportunity to bag on Cruz, who is unrepentant for all of his own errors, so the floodgates opened with Shakespeare quotes like “a most contagious treason come to light.” Lots of general eye-rolling happened, too.
hey ted, this one’s for you https://t.co/V1FmXT2Ln8
— Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) February 11, 2021
Shakespeare had a phrase for Ted Cruz, too. pic.twitter.com/xIfDBJEHPS
— steve morris (@mgr4463) February 11, 2021
“Another day, another long stare into the abyss created by the rot in the soul of every congressional republican” —William Shakespeare
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) February 11, 2021
“Frailty, thy name is Ted Cruz!” – #Macbeth One of the most accurate and verified lines by #Shakespeare
— SC
(@thatdudesid) February 11, 2021
Cruz quoting Shakespeare is like Rubio quoting the Bible. You just know they don’t actually believe it but it scores points with their base.
The Bard had a perfect quote for that situation as well… pic.twitter.com/o8YR2rVKxP
— William Damon (@WilliamDamon) February 11, 2021
“Out damned spot.”
Shakespeare pic.twitter.com/4SL0PJo44c— Hugh G Merriman MD (@merriman_md) February 11, 2021
“Ted Cruz is a dick.” – also Shakespeare
— Brother Pietro (@brpietrowood) February 11, 2021
Me waiting for Ted Cruz’s forthcoming lit criticism on what I can only imagine will explicate Shakespeare’s use of irony & foil characters to explore the dichotomy of fate & free will in MacBeth or some such: pic.twitter.com/36wBeJuWkw
— Ed Doerr (@EdDoerrWrites) February 11, 2021
This one might be the funniest non-quote in history: “I wanna have a beer and quote Shakespeare with Ted Cruz.”
“I wanna have a beer and quote Shakespeare with Ted Cruz.” – No one in Texas
— Zeke Gonzalez (@zekegonzalez22) February 11, 2021