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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTed Cruz’s Biggest Liability Is Probably His Constant Lying
Ted Cruzs Biggest Liability Is Probably His Constant Lying
George Zornick on March 23, 2015 - 11:37 AM ET
Politicians lie. Its almost non-controversial; elected officials are advocates who want to show themselves and their causes in the best possible light. Nobody tells the whole truth.
Senator Ted Cruz wants you to think he is different: the video he released Monday morning ahead of his presidential campaign announcement was titled Time for truth. Those were also the first words he spoke at Liberty University after making his official announcement.
If Cruz is different, however, its because of how boldly he claims things that arent even remotely true. His vacations from reality take on a gleeful exuberance, like a college freshman on his first trip to Daytona.
Cruz told a CPAC crowd, for example, that Democrats issued an ominous threat to the Catholic Church: Change your religious beliefs or we'll use our power in the federal government to shut down your charities and your hospitals. Politifact naturally deemed this both incorrect and ridiculous.
A quick survey of some other Cruz gems:
Cruz described a strong bipartisan majority in the House that voted to repeal Obamacare. Two Democrats joined the Republicans.
He bluntly claimed that the jurisdictions with the strictest gun control laws, almost without exception have the highest crime rates and the highest murder rates. This is not true.
In recent weeks, Cruz has been using some variation of this line: There are 110,000 agents at the IRS. We need to put a padlock on that building and take every one of those 110,000 agents and put them on our southern border. The IRS doesnt have 110,000 employees, let alone agents. (There are 14,000).
This may read as an oppo-dump of misstatements from a guy whos now running for president. But anyone who has followed Cruzs career knows its the tip of the iceberghe frequently just seems to be free-associating conservative grievances with facts pulled from nowhere.
more...
http://www.thenation.com/blog/202313/ted-cruzs-trouble-truth-his-biggest-liability?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow#
FSogol
(45,567 posts)tridim
(45,358 posts)I guess because he lies so often and with such ease?
babylonsister
(171,104 posts)Hubert Flottz
(37,726 posts)LMAO!
Enrique
(27,461 posts)??
tridim
(45,358 posts)I think it speaks more about the intelligence of people who tend to be charmed by liars.
Like the guy who swears he got a great deal on his used car because the salesperson said it was a great car.
Enrique
(27,461 posts)he's a liar, with terrible views, and a very unpleasant personality imho. But he's not dumb. Again, by saying he's not dumb I'm not endorsing him in any way. He's a very bad smart man.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)one calculated many years in advance to grab the Republican nomination.
And in this quest for the nomination, he was willing to throw everyone and everything under the bus. His own party, its elected officials, everyone and everything.
He is loyal to nothing and no one including his own personality and beliefs. His only goal is the power of the Presidency.
Hekate
(90,927 posts)...except those who are fooled into thinking sociopathic liars can't be intelligent.
I just hope to gods his overweening arrogance brings him down hard.
Ted Cruz's former law professor at Harvard had interesting words for the Texas Senator on CNN's Piers Morgan Live Tuesday.
After calling his former student "among the brightest" he's every had, Dershowitz said, "I think you can make a very strong argument that what Ted Cruz is doing is deeply unconstitutional."
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/10/15/dershowitz-very-strong-argument-what-ted-cruz-doing-deeply-unconstitu#sthash.wKHjNc8z.dpuf
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)These days, though, the quality of political fabrications is deplorable.
ND-Dem
(4,571 posts)graduated from Princeton & Harvard law with honors, held a succession of high-powered jobs, and that dershowitz claimed he was one of the smartest fellows he'd known; + cruz's wife was goldman sachs and had democratic connections.
so the folks who thought cruz was dumb should probably think again.
not quite the same thing as me thinking personally that cruz is "brilliant". all I know is the facts I've read, which don't lead me to think he's stupid.
and being a liar doesn't mean one is stupid by a long shot. it often means one is smart. it also often means one is corrupt, at least by normal moral standards.
the post in question:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6406916
catbyte
(34,502 posts)Bagger politicians blather bullshit lies all the time, and their minions eat it up with a spoon. It's pathetic and scary at the same time. I don't trust the M$M to call Cruz out on any of his lies.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)cyberswede
(26,117 posts)http://www.politicususa.com/2014/12/28/chuck-todd-defends-challenging-republican-lies-meet-press.html
catbyte
(34,502 posts)It's incestuous and so very wrong.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)SamKnause
(13,112 posts)for him do not care about his lies.
I am sure they are well aware of his numerous lies.
The religious fanatics and anti tax fanatics want a religious fanatic and anti tax fanatic as president.
They do not care if he lies his way into the White House.
Fanatics vote with their guts, emotions, and beliefs, not their brains.
Hopefully they are the minority rendering him unelectable.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)Hasn't been since Nixon, whom Harry Truman once famously described as follows:
Richard Nixon is a no good, lying bastard. He can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time, and if he ever caught himself telling the truth, he'd lie just to keep his hand in.
― Harry S. Truman
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)all he had to do was give his "Checkers" speech and all was forgiven for the next 20 years or so.
ND-Dem
(4,571 posts)Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)to explain why they're "not a crook"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkers_speech
ND-Dem
(4,571 posts)it worked.
After his successful 1950 Senate campaign, Nixon's backers continued to raise money to finance his political activities. These contributions went to reimburse him for travel costs, postage for political mailings which he did not have franked, and similar expenses. Such a fund was not illegal at the time, but as Nixon had made a point of attacking government corruption, it exposed him to charges he might be giving special favors to the contributors.
Nixon then called for Stevenson to give a full accounting of his own fund, and a full list of the donors. He also called for Senator Sparkman, who, as Nixon repeated, had put his wife on the payroll, to state fully any outside income he might have had.
"Because, folks, remember, a man that's to be President of the United States, a man that's to be Vice President of the United States must have the confidence of all the people. And that's why I'm doing what I'm doing, and that's why I suggest that Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Sparkman since they are under attack should do what I am doing."[47]
As the senator made this point, Eisenhower, sitting in the Cleveland office, slammed his pencil down, realizing that he would not be allowed to be the only major party candidate whose finances would evade scrutiny. Eisenhower had benefited from a favorable Act of Congress allowing the income from his bestselling memoirs to be considered capital gains.[54]
Nixon warned that other smears would be made against him, and many of the same commentators who were attacking him now had also attacked him for his role in the Alger Hiss case, for which he made no apologies....With less than three minutes left in the allotted time, Nixon finally addressed the question: Would he stay or would he go? He indicated that he did not think he should go. "Let me say this: I don't believe that I ought to quit because I'm not a quitter. And, incidentally, Pat's not a quitter. After all, her name was Patricia Ryan and she was born on St. Patrick's Day, and you know the Irish never quit....[47]
I am submitting to the Republican National Committee tonight through this television broadcast the decision which it is theirs to make. Let them decide whether my position on the ticket will help or hurt. And I am going to ask you to help them decide. Wire and write the Republican National Committee whether you think I should stay on or whether I should get off. And whatever their decision is, I will abide by it.
But just let me say this last word. Regardless of what happens I'm going to continue this fight. I'm going to campaign up and down America until we drive the crooks and the Communists and those that defend them out of Washington."[47]
Advancing towards the camera, the candidate completed the speech by praising Eisenhower, "He's a great man. And a vote for Eisenhower is a vote for what's good for America."
The speech was very successful. Eisenhower didn't want him but was forced to take him because of the public response.
Nixon was a great politician. People forget that because things ended badly for him, but he was very good at what he did.
Long Drive
(105 posts)Nixon was a great politician? Really?
ND-Dem
(4,571 posts)comebacks after he'd been counted out.
he had very good political instincts, as in the case under discussion. and anyone who'd actually looked into it would have to agree. the checkers speech was a comeback, not a failure.
btw, you're pretty 'hilarious' yourself.
The Wizard
(12,552 posts)When told Obama removed the word gullible from the dictionary with an executive order they just said it was proof that he was a communist fascist dictator who ruled with a weak iron fist.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)Cha
(297,886 posts)Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)Hell even Truman knew that!!
What more do you want than that?
KentuckyWoman
(6,697 posts)Lying liar big deal. His supporters aren't in touch with reality anyway.
world wide wally
(21,758 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,757 posts)The Repub base has devolved to where they might as well be living in the pages of 1984. The only thing that matters, the only "truth" is the last thing he said.
We are at war with East Asia, we have always been at war with East Asia.
Granted, this might make a dent in the independents who have not yet decided, but they are still in somnabulist mode.
Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)" Those Liberal Bastards "
Orsino
(37,428 posts)His lies are highly prized by the ruling class and by the rubes.
When they bought him, they bought well.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)You know those 10 Commendments Ted believes as so holy that they should be the cornerstone of the US Constititution. I can't imagine Teddy boy disobeying that good old #9 EVERY.
I know it's somewhere around Exodus 20:16
Oh that's right
THOU SHALL NOT LIE!!!!!
Seriously these people call themselves 'Christians' and they are nothing but FUCKING HYPOCRITIES
Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)in fact it seemed like the bigger the lie the more his base defended him.