Last week, Ted Cruz begged forgiveness from Tucker Carlson after accurately calling those who stormed the Capitol building “domestic terrorists.” His phrasing was “sloppy” and “dumb,” the senator told the Fox News host, and what he meant to say that he was referring to “the limited number of people who engaged in violent attacks against police officers.” No one, not even Carlson, was buying it. It was classic wormy Ted and there were plenty of jokes on Twitter, but Cruz’s former-speechwriter wasn’t laughing.
“By now, you’ve heard about the clip of Ted Cruz groveling for Tucker Carlson’s approval on Fox News. Every last member of the punditocracy has taken a turn dunking on the Texas senator whom everyone loves to hate. Hope they enjoyed it,” Amanda Carpenter, who previously worked as Cruz’s senior communications advisor and speechwriter, wrote for The Bulwark. “Because once you really understand what Cruz is apologizing for, it’s not all that funny.” Carpenter said that the worst part of the interview wasn’t Cruz cowering before Carlson; it was the senator’s “radicalization.”
So while I understand the urge to dunk on Cruz, what happened on Carlson’s show is more than just an example of Cruz’s weaselly pleading being worthy of a laugh. It’s ultimately not funny at all.
Cruz once strove to convey that he cared about justice and truth. He used to believe that violence was violence, and that the rule of law (and the rules of language) should be equally applied.
Carpenter continued, “That’s no longer the case. What he did on Jan. 6th himself last year and what he said on Carlson’s show last week goes far beyond pandering. Cruz’s humiliation is hardly the point. His radicalization is far more frightening.”
She has a point… but it’s still pretty funny.
If it looks like a coward, walks like a coward, and lies like a coward, it’s probably @TedCruz. pic.twitter.com/cquYosdTjq
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) January 7, 2022
(Via The Bulwark)