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.
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Hollywood actress Alyssa Milano has long been using her platform to creatively advocate for political change in America. In the past, she’s even called on women to partake in a sex strike in response to the onslaught of abortion ban bills that swept the nation. More recently, she’s taken to calling out the elected officials whose careers are most benefitted by the National Rifle Association (NRA). The Congressperson who received the highest donation from the NRA and other gun-rights organizations is none other than Texas Republican Ted Cruz.
The two have been spitting fire at each other via Twitter for the last few weeks. All of it culminated in an actual, real-live, live-streamed meeting between the two Tuesday morning. Why was it live-streamed? Because Milano wanted to make sure “the American people can hear your bullshit 1st hand.”
Alyssa Milano told Ted Cruz that part of the reason she wanted to meet was to make sure he was a human being. Literally.
Credit: @BIZPACReview / Twitter
“That is why this meeting was so important to me,” she told him during the live stream. “I wanted to look at you in the eye and know that you really are a human with a heartbeat.” Ted Cruz started the meeting by telling Milano that he was a fan of “Who’s the Boss?” and “Commando,” while Milano started by letting Cruz know his politics on gun control “has made you almost like this caricature of a villain.”
The two talked for more than an hour on gun control, with Milano beginning the conversation by imploring, “I’m asking you, begging you, to have the courage to lead.” In the room was also Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was murdered during the Parkland shooting.
Cruz didn’t make any revolutionary statements throughout the meeting, arguing that merely having a civil discussion is a triumph.
Credit: @SenTedCruz / Twitter
“This is a divided time. This is an angry time. … I think it is beneficial for is to have a human conversation,” Cruz said. “I also hope that just seeing people on different places on the spectrum, treating people with civility and humanity, that is contagious.” Instead of agreeing to introduce or urge the Senate to discuss new gun control laws, Cruz instead wanted to “focus on policies that would really stop these crimes.” Cruz claims to be leading the charge on preventing mass shootings in America by proposing harsher prosecutions of gun cases and making background checks more “accurate.”
Cruz and Milano agreed to meet last week, after tweeting jabs at each other over their stances on gun control.
Credit: @Alyssa_Milano / Twitter
We hear that a lot, right? The “God-given right” to own guns in America. Cruz decided to respond to Milano, tweeting, “it is of course not the right to a modern-day firearm that is God-given but rather the right to Life & the right to Liberty. Essential to that right is the right to DEFEND your life & your family.”
Cruz gave a lengthy (for Twitter) response to Milano:
Credit: @tedcruz / Twitter
He went on to say, “The right to self-defense is recognized repeatedly in the Bible, eg Exodus 22:2: ‘If a thief is caught breaking in at night & is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed.’ (Note, though, verse 3 says it IS murder if during daylight (ie, not self-defense). The Declaration of Independence acknowledges our rights thusly: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” And, for that reason, the Second Amendment provides “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, SHALL NOT be infringed.” It wasn’t to protect people’s ability to hunt, or to shoot target practice, but to defend their lives, their homes & their families. Stephen Willeford exercised that fundamental right when he risked his own life to stop the Sutherland Springs murderer, saving countless others as a result.”
Just like that, the meeting was born in resentment and frustration but seemed to end in civil resentment and frustration.
Credit: @Alyssa_Milano / Twitter
After the meeting, Milano tweeted, “He was gracious. I’m unsure if it changes anything. But appreciative for the opportunity to bridge the divide with civil, meaningful discussion.” Cruz described the meeting as “productive and respectful.” Basically, nothing noteworthy really happened except for that Alyssa Milano gave Ted Cruz a hug. What is noteworthy is that civil discourse cannot sway the NRA-lined pockets of Ted Cruz.
People are hyper-aware of the detention centers on the southern border and how the overcrowding and indefinite detentions are harming children. This awareness has touched all parts of American society and people. The frustration over the treatment of children on the southern border bubbled over this week when protesters confronted Texas Senator Ted Cruz as he waited for a flight at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was on the receiving end of angry protesters while waiting for a flight at LAX.
Credit: @naomimonster1 / Twitter
It isn’t immediately clear what started the confrontation, but it is clear that people were ready to tell the senator what they think of his job. Cruz was confronted while waiting for a flight and the protesters first shouted all of their various frustrations. Soon, all of the protesters were on the same page demanding that the U.S. government “free the children” while some people posed for selfies with the senator.
Cruz represents one of the states in the middle of the migrant crisis. Last month, the world learned about the atrocious and inhumane conditions in the detention facility in Clint, Texas.
People responded to the viral video with their own thoughts about the protesters shouting at Cruz.
Credit: @TerriSm52142746 / Twitter
Welcome to California, indeed. Californians have made their views known about the Trump administration and the migrant crisis at the border. California recently approved a bill that would extend healthcare to undocumented immigrants. One that Cruz at one point defended and promoted.
Others pointed out Cruz’s reaction to being shouted at by the protesters.
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While concerned Americans voiced their thoughts to Cruz, he found it amusing, according to some people watching the video. As people confronted the senator, some people can be seen taking up for him and even getting between him and the protesters. Some even took the opportunity to take selfies and photos with him.
It seems like a good opportunity for Cruz to see how other people feel about his politics when not surrounded by people who agree with him.
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There is a problem with echo chambers and bubbles when it comes to American politics right now. Facebook has been implicated in exacerbating the problem after Cambridge Analytica abused the system and tools to sway voters through misinformation. The Netflix documentary “Great Hack” implied that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg willfully ignored the dangers posed by the data-mining company.
There has been a growing sense of civil unrest and protests as some states try to silence dissenters.
Credit: @DebdLun / Twitter
According to the Washington Post, 17 states have introduced legislation attempting to make protesting a criminal activity by banning the use of masks during protests, seizing the property of people in protests that run violent, and, in some cases, indemnifying drivers who use their car to hit protesters blocking roads. Those states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
People are calling on Texas voters to vote Cruz out of office.
Credit: @patriciaself / Twitter
Ted Cruz barely won reelection in 2018 against Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke. The fact that a Republican almost lost their seat in the Senate to a Democrat in Texas sent shockwaves through the political world. O’Rourke is now running for the presidential nomination as part of the Democratic party.
Some Texans even showed their support of the protesters.
Credit: @DelfinaValdez8 / Twitter
According to the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, 47 percent of Texans approve and 39 percent of Texans disapprove of Cruz’s job in the U.S. Senate. When broken down by race, 55 percent of white voters approve of the Senators job while 45 percent of Black voters and 43 percent of Latino voters disapprove of Cruz’s job.
This isn’t the first time Cruz has been called out on his positions in public.
Credit: @CopeMay / Twitter
In September 2018, Cruz and his wife were out to eat at a restaurant in Washington and were confronted by protesters because of his support of Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing was a highly charged moment in U.S. politics as he was accused of raping a girl when he was a teenager.
Some people are waiting for history and karma to do their things.
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The saying goes that history is written by the winners. However, with a digital world in which misinformation and lies reign supreme, how will history be written? We have seen examples of history being manipulated from state to state to paint a political image rather than an accurate portrayal of the events. How will we guarantee that history is left nonpartisan and honest for generations to come?
Regardless, the Twitter thread is filled with people celebrating that use of #FreeTheChildren as a rallying cry.
— ???? Frank ???? Make Sense Not War ???? (@model_daughters) July 29, 2019
Free the children is something most Americans should be able to agree with. There is no reason why children should die of the flu while in U.S. immigration custody.
