When his detractors talk about Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the one word that seems to come up more than any other is “McCarthyism.” The point, of course, is to draw parallels between Cruz’s worst habits and those of former Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-Wis.), who led ruthless and baseless witch hunts against his perceived rivals — while mastering the art of guilt by association — before being censured by the Senate in 1954, in an effort led by McCarthy’s own Republicans colleagues. Though Cruz is nowhere near McCarthy’s level — give the Texan time, he only joined the Senate last month — the accusations are not without merit. We saw repeated examples of this during Cruz’s campaign against Chuck Hagel’s Defense Secretary nomination, which led Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) to recently note, “It was really reminiscent of a different time and place, when you said, ‘I have here in my pocket a speech you made on such and such a date,’ and, of course, nothing was in the pocket. It was reminiscent of some bad times.”
Georges Santayana once said wrote those who don’t know history are condemned to repeat it. It would appear that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is the latest proof of that theorem.
I don’t know what it is about the Texas Congressional delegation; perhaps it’s the water…or maybe they’re just infected with The Crazy, but stupid seems to be a recurring theme. That may seem harsh, and perhaps it is, but it’s also not inaccurate. The dumbest member of the House of Representatives is east Texas’ own Louis Gohmert. If you look up and down the roster of Republican members of Congress who call Texas and home, stupid and/or bats—t crazy seems to be a recurring theme.
And then there’s Cruz, who in less than two months in the Senate has alienated virtually everyone on Capitol Hill- Democrat AND Republican. What else could one expect from a man who seriously believes the UN wants to ban golf course? Now Cruz is staking his claim as the Second Coming of Joseph McCarthy…and he’s doing so by attacking Secretary of Defense nominee and former Senator Chuck Hagel a la McCarthy, a veteran of the Vietnam War. He may as well just go whole hog:
“I’m not accusing Sen. Hagel of buggering goats in his spare time, but I have no proof that he doesn’t….”
He accuses Hagel of receiving unreported funds from foreign enemies of the United States, despite having absolutely no evidence to back up his thinly veiled character assassination.
How sad, tired, and sick is Cruz’ act? in 2010, he claimed, again without a shred of evidence to support his accusation, that there are fewer Republicans on the Harvard Law School faculty than avowed Communists>
Cruz greeted the [2010] audience jovially, but soon launched an impassioned attack on President Obama, whom he described as “the most radical” President “ever to occupy the Oval Office.” (I was covering the conference and kept the notes.)
He then went on to assert that Obama, who attended Harvard Law School four years ahead of him, “would have made a perfect president of Harvard Law School.” The reason, said Cruz, was that, “There were fewer declared Republicans in the faculty when we were there than Communists! There was one Republican. But there were twelve who would say they were Marxists who believed in the Communists overthrowing the United States government.”
A spokesman for Harvard Law School said charitably that he was “puzzled” by Cruz’ unsubstantiated accusation. Clearly, Cruz views McCarthy as a model to be emulated. I wonder if he remembers how McCarthy’s career collapsed around him?
It seems evident that Cruz views Washington politics as a zero-sum game, where the ends justifies the means and the politics of personal destruction are a legitimate tool if it achieves the desired end. That he’s accomplishing nothing of value seems lost on him.
As odious and objectionable as Ted Cruz is, he’s just being himself. The people of Texas are the ones to blame for foisting him on the Senate; they’re the ones who voted him into office.
At long last, Sen. Cruz, have you no sense of decency?
