Bloomberg reporter Mark Halperin thought it necessary to verify Ted Cruz’s Cuban-ness in a recent interview with a line of questioning that included asking about Cruz’s favorite Cuban dishes and singers. You know, poignant questions that prove he is Cuban.
After the firestorm, Halperin publicly apologized for the interview via social media:
“In no way was I asking Senator Cruz to ‘prove’ he was an ‘authentic’ Latino. I apologize to those who were offended, and to Senator Cruz. I promise that I will work to make the tone and questions better next time,” said Halperin in a statement.
Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz is currently in a lawsuit against the Federal Elections Committee (FEC) because of $10,000. The senator from Texas is up against a long standing rule that politicians can only pay out $250,000 from election funds after an election for personal loans. Sen. Cruz loaned his campaign $260,000 and is willing to compare himself to Rosa Parks in an attempt to recoup the last $10,000.
Texas Senator Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz is fighting with the Federal Elections Committee over $10,000 he wants back from his campaign.
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The rule, which has been in affect since 2002, states clearly that no campaign can use campaign finances to repay more than $250,000 in personal loans. Sen. Cruz loaned his campaign $260,000 the day before the election in his race against Beto O’Rourke and now he wants the full amount back. However, because of the amount that he loaned the campaign and the FEC rule, he is out $10,000.
So, obviously, Cruz has suffered as great of injustice as Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks.
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As an elected official that has run multiple campaigns, Cruz should be aware of the rules related to campaign finances. It is a rule that has been on the books for over a decade. Regardless of that, it is a startling example of how far removed some politicians are to the true plights of people of color and minority communities.
Sen. Cruz comparing his inability to recoup an additional $10,00 from his campaign to the plight of Rosa Parks and the people fighting for civil rights is grotesque. The legal team representing Cruz in the lawsuit claim that by not allowing Cruz to break the rule while knowing the rule is akin to infringing on his First Amendment rights. Let’s be clear, it is not.
The comparison between Cruz and Parks is deplorable but people are no longer surprised at how low Cruz can go.
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Cruz is someone who has made a career out of shocking Americans with his words. However, this comment by his legal team over $10,000 he spent on a campaign is the lowest of the low. The Civil Rights movement is still trying to make strides to protect and preserve Black rights and lives. Trivializing the movement over a campaign finance dispute is unAmerican and demeaning to an entire population.
People are comparing Cruz’s ridiculous comment to the ridiculousness of tv show characters.
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Cruz’s legal team is fighting the FEC for the money after the FEC claimed that Cruz was indeed injured by Section 304. However, the injury sustained by the rule, the FEC argues, was “self-inflicted” since he made a loan higher than the allowed pay out the day before the election. Had Cruz loaned $250,000 to his campaign, he wouldn’t have to claim to be a civil rights martyr for campaign finance.
The shocking comparison comes at a time when Cruz has voiced anger at Trump’s detention centers being referred to as concentration camps.
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We can only hope that Cruz will realize the gross injustice in the words written by his legal team. An apology for the comparison would be the most respectable move in this series of events, however, it will likely never happen.
The country is divided; this notion is nothing new or surprising. With liberals and conservatives fighting over abortion rights, government corruption, immigration reform issues (to name a few), the county is in desperate need of some unity — and we’re definitely not getting it from Democrat or Republican lawmakers.
There is a slight shift happening, and we’re hoping it leads to big things.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ted Cruz are on the same page about a crucial governmental issue.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Cruz are both agreeing that former lawmakers should not be lobbying on behalf of corporation soon after leaving their office.
According to NPR, “at least 187 political appointees of the Trump administration previously worked as federal lobbyists…many of them were put into positions supervising the same industries for which they had once lobbied. Furthermore, “Senators who leave office cannot become lobbyists for two years, under a law that was adopted in 2007. In the House, representatives face a one-year cooling-off period.”
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Cruz would like to see that period extended.
The discourse between the two Latino lawmakers began — where else — on Twitter.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet was in response to a story that showed 2/3 of former members of Congress were now working as lobbyists and strategic consultants. This switch from public service to corporate handler can be seen as an ethics issue, which is why there are some current laws in place.
Sen. Cruz responded to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez saying that he was surprised to say that he agreed with a Democrat.
Sen. Cruz doubled down saying that he’s been fighting not only to restrict former lawmakers from becoming lobbyists but to also ban them for life. He also said that his fellow Republican colleagues would probably not support the idea that he would be working with a Democrat, especially one as outspoken as Rep. Ocasio-Cortez.
The two decided to work together on a bill to restrict former lawmakers from working as lobbyists and already have support from their respective parties.
According to NBC News, within hours two lawmakers agreed to work on the bill alongside the Latino lawmakers.
Talk about a miracle!
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