Here’s What People Have To Say About Rafael ‘Ted’ Cruz Mocking His Opponent For Using A Nickname
Senator Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz, R-Texas, seems to be taking tips from the President of the United States. In a new campaign ad, Cruz, who is seeking re-election to the Senate, took a jab against his opponent Democrat candidate Robert “Beto” O’Rourke. Cruz’ Senate campaign released a radio ad jingle referencing how O’Rourke goes by Beto and not his given name, Robert.
Here’s the song released by Cruz’s re-election campaign.
The lyrics include: “You gotta be tough as Texas / And honest about your plans/ If you’re gonna run in Texas / You can’t be a liberal man / I remember reading stories / Liberal Robert wanted to fit in / So he changed his name to Beto / And hid it with a grin.”
The song implies that O’Rourke is pandering to Latinos and Democrats by going as Beto.
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The name Beto would have you believe that perhaps it’s a nickname for Ernesto, but O’Rourke, who is not Latino, decided to go by Beto because he didn’t want to be confused with his father who bears the same name. According to Rolling Stone, O’Rourke has been going by Beto since he was a young boy.
People on social media are criticizing Cruz for calling out O’Rourke particularly because he also changed his name from Raphael to Ted.
Sen. Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (@tedcruz ) criticized his 2018 opponent, Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) for changing his name to appeal to more liberals. Here's a photo of Beto as a child, wearing a shirt with "Beto" on it.
I bet young Ted Cruz didn't have a shirt with "Ted" on it! pic.twitter.com/bDnuZgdWRX— Ed Krassenstein ? (@EdKrassen) March 8, 2018
Cruz’s middle name is Edward, which is why he goes by Ted rather than Rafael, his father’s name.
Ted Cruz mocking Beto O’Rourke for a name change?
Ted: Born "Rafael." He calls himself something more Anglo.
Beto: Born "Robert Francis." He calls himself something more Latino.Ted mocking Beto for not being Texan enough?
Ted: Born in a foreign country.
Beto: Born in Texas. pic.twitter.com/DDyfINYeqV— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) March 7, 2018
Cruz was named after his father, Rafael Bienvenido Cruz, who is a Cuban-American preacher, Rolling Stone reports.
In a response to his ad poking fun at O’Rourke, CNN asked Cruz about his own name. He said CNN: “You’re absolutely right. My name is Rafael Edward Cruz,” Cruz said. “I am the son of my father Rafael Cruz, an immigrant from Cuba who came to Texas with nothing.”
Cruz said the ad was supposed to be funny.
Chris Cuomo asks Sen. Ted Cruz why he’s criticizing his Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke for going by the childhood nickname ‘Beto’ when Cruz’s real name is actually Rafael: “You’re absolutely right. My name is Rafael Edward Cruz.” https://t.co/tkyhJy6DXk pic.twitter.com/l90lFsvNjf
— CNN (@CNN) March 7, 2018
“In terms of the jingle, some of it is just having a sense of humor,” Cruz said on CNN. “We had some fun with it.”
Beto responded to the song and threw Ted the best subtle shade ever.
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O’Rourke said on CNN: “I just don’t think that’s what folks in Texas want us to focus on.” He added: “We can get into name-calling and talk about why the other person is such an awful guy, or we can focus on the big things we want to do for the future of our country, for the generations that will succeed us,” he said. “We can focus on the small, mean, petty stuff, or we can be big, bold, courageous, and confident.”
READ: Ted Cruz’s Father Emotionally Broke Down What Immigration Really Looks Like
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