Cruz Nuz

[Roger Bissell]

1 hour ago, Roger Bissell said:

Supporters of Drumpf are "The Trumpenproletariat."

Apparently the term originated with Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online and author of Liberal Fascism. This is my source:

http://thefederalist.com/2015/09/08/donald-trump-and-the-war-on-the-brains-of-the-right/ 

REB

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

2 hours ago, Roger Bissell said:

 

3 hours ago, PDS said:

is there a purpose to calling Cruz "Raphael"?

Mockery, I think.

Roger,

I can't tell from the banter if you realize that Ted Cruz's real name is Rafael Edward Cruz.

I think you do. And even if you do, it's a hell of a thing to think people calling you by your real name is mockery.

Not good for a politician. Talk about an existential crises and credibility gap...

   

Michael

[Peter]

Raphie. Is his name Spanish for Ralph? Or maybe Raffie.  That's my worst nickname for Ted. My Dad was Harley Vernon and always went by Vernon.  My brother went his whole life not like Harley, so he called himself Robert and then later in life he changed it to Bob. He was always Robert to me. Did Ted have any brothers or sisters? I may look later.

I always liked Peter though most people called me Pete. Or in the 1st and second grades I was called a name from a cartoon character on Californian Bread Trucks. They called me Peter Wheat. I always liked that.  

sincerely, Peter Wheat  

[PDS]

1 hour ago, Brant Gaede said:

Tedious is the best word here IMHO, not tendentious. In fact, Trump seems to be the tendentious one, not tedious (except to Robert?)

This almost makes me kinda sorta almost like Cruz. 

The Trump supporter in the video, however, makes me want to run into traffic and just get it over with...

[Roger Bissell]

1 hour ago, PDS said:

2 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

Tedious is the best word here IMHO, not tendentious. In fact, Trump seems to be the tendentious one, not tedious (except to Robert?)

This almost makes me kinda sorta almost like Cruz. 

The Trump supporter in the video, however, makes me want to run into traffic and just get it over with...

 

Sounds like someone's got tendentionitis. 

REB

[william.scherk]

A candidate on the hustings, roused by vocal partisans who favour another, goes mano a mano with some lovely and/or magnificent producers  of the previously silenced anti-elite majority feeling-your-hate/hurt class ... I imagined that later, the hate-detecting magnificats go pick up trash and get all ultra=rational on dirt, crap, lies, sandwich wrappers and other schmutz. They sure are nice, clean, poised and thoughtful, at least for zombies.  

Ted, sadly, thought he could talk to the zombies the way you'd talk to Fred Munster or the way Michael talks to Robert  --  but without the respect due any eight-foot-tall passionate person.  

It was almost as if Ted Raphael "My dad helped kill JFK and I fucked my way through DC, plus I go by my middle name" got the old script, the stilted one from nine months ago, and still thought it would work on today's Fred.  

1 hour ago, PDS said:

[...] almost makes me kinda sorta almost like Cruz. 

It is surely 'one of those moments' ... but Cruz pulls one too many potted hashtag phrases from his stump bag for me. A gruesome moment in retail politicking. 

What else could he have done to get you safely past that almost precipice, David? On the whole this set-piece just made me want to hurl.

 

[PDS]

2 minutes ago, william.scherk said:

A candidate on the hustings, roused by vocal partisans who favour another, goes mano a mano with some lovely and/or magnificent producers  of the previously silenced anti-elite majority feeling-your-hate/hurt class ... I imagined that later, the hate-detecting magnificats go pick up trash and get all ultra=rational on dirt, crap, lies, sandwich wrappers and other schmutz. They sure are nice, clean, poised and thoughtful, at least for zombies.  

Ted, sadly, thought he could talk to the zombies the way you'd talk to Fred Munster --  but without the respect that any eight-foot-tall passionate person usually inspires.  

It was almost as if Ted Raphael "My dad helped kill JFK and I fucked my way through DC, plus I go by my middle name" got the old script, the stilted one from nine months ago, and still thought it would work on today's Fred.  

It is surely 'one of those moments' ... but Cruz pulls one too many potted hashtag phrases from his stump bag for me. A gruesome moment in retail politicking. Look at the hoopla machine.

What else could he have done to get you safely past that almost precipice, David? On the whole this set-piece just made me want to hurl.

 

You pretty much said it, WSS:.  3 or 4 fewer politician cliches and Crappola set-pieces and I might have like the entire episode.  

[Roger Bissell]

1 hour ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

I can't tell from the banter if you realize that Ted Cruz's real name is Rafael Edward Cruz.

I think you do. And even if you do, it's a hell of a thing to think people calling you by your real name is mockery.

Not good for a politician. Talk about an existential crises and credibility gap...

 

Several years ago, there were two groups deliberately calling our current Thug-in-Chief by his full "real" name: Barack HUSSEIN Obama. (Actually, his full real name is Barack Hussein Obama Jr., contrary to those who think someone else, like Frank Davis, is his real father.)

One group was people trying to frighten people away from voting for or supporting him, because of the Muslim middle name. Rather feeble as a tactic for trying to keep him out of the White House.

The other group was people teaching little schoolchildren to chant his full name for a video prepared for showing on the internet and television, in order to rub it in to the first group that Obama was President whether they liked it or not. Very irritating and a disgraceful way to treat innocent, ignorant children, but whatever...

I do think that there might be some of the latter sort of thing, if Cruz is elected President. It would truly be karma, appropriately returned to the folks who are now calling him Rafael. However, since I strongly doubt Cruz will be elected, I also don't expect that I will get a chance to test this theory. 

I also think it's more than slightly disingenuous to assert that calling Ted Cruz by his "real" name is not mockery - or maybe something even more loathsome and pathetic. More specifically, an attempt to smear him by associating him with the inflammatory and/or wacky statements of his father whose name is, not coincidentally, Rafael.

REB 

[Selene]

19 hours ago, Robert Campbell said:

Adam,

......

How about you?  Your rhetoric about Cruz routinely has a nastier tone, even, than Michael's.  You seem to regard him with utter loathing.

Do you think Ted Cruz should be run out of political office?  If he has anything at all going for him, what is it?

Another way to put it: If you had to choose between a US Senate with Mitch McConnell and without Ted Cruz, or with Ted Cruz and without Mitch McConnell, which would you prefer?

Robert

Robert:

In response to your first statement concerning my "utter loathing" is not accurate.  I have a satirical and competitive rhetoric in political arguments.

Since Iowa, my respect for Ted has eroded.  I did not, nor do I now, agree with his despicable campaign tactics and believe me, I do not mind hardball politics.

However, the utter stupidity of the "Voter Violation" mailing, using the Federal mail, is close to criminal.  Moreover, it makes you look foolish because you were dumb enough to have your name on the piece.

It has become clearer to me that he is not the right man at this point to be President.  If he is nominated, I will work to elect him.

The Senate would be better with Cruz and without McConnell.

A...

[Selene]

5 hours ago, PDS said:

...

Something of a side note/side question:  is there a purpose to calling Cruz "Raphael"?

...

PDS:

I have been a Cruz supporter since when he ran for the Senate in the Tea Party surge.

His sharp argumentation style was very attractive to me on the narrow Constitutional issues.  Additionally, I am a Mark Levin fanatic. 

However, his performance as a Presidential contender has failed to impress me.  Still support the guy as a Senator and will support his re-election. 

Unfortunately, as my personal attorney explained, and I know from mediation, dealing with a new client is like peeling an onion.

Getting down to the core that is the essence of the individual.  As I peeled Ted Cruz as a Presidential contender, I did not like what I found.

As to the Raphael matter, William had posted a link to a nice campaign website and I was stunned to see that his actual name as it appears on the ballot is Raphael.

That set off a lot of alarms to me and it is a purely personal pique when folks "hide" their ethnicity, or, I would like to understand why he does it.

A...

[william.scherk]

Data curated by InsideGov

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

1 hour ago, Roger Bissell said:

... an attempt to smear him by associating him with the inflammatory and/or wacky statements of his father whose name is, not coincidentally, Rafael.

Roger,

I agree with this point except the part that associating Ted with his father's statements is a smear. It is not a smear, not after I've seen those constant sessions of laying on of hands, declaring him the anointed one of God and so on. Ted was there soaking it up every time. I don't think he was being cynical or hypocritical, either. He believes this stuff.

Ted Cruz is his father's son--for good, for bad and for ugly. I think it is disingenuous to imagine Ted has not been going all his life to the sermons his father gave and saying, "Amen." (Obama in Reverend "God damn America" Jeremiah Wright's church anyone?)

I do see the subconscious resonance you mention, though. Calling Ted "Rafael" does throw a subconscious spotlight on his fundamentalist Christian side because his father's name is so well known.

In fact, I like that observation... That was good... Including the part I didn't quote...

Next thing we know, you will dive into covert hypnosis (conversational hypnosis, NLP, whatever you want to call it so long as it is a school based on Milton Erickson--who Nathaniel Branden liked, by the way).

What's worse, if you study it, I think you will be good at it. You seem like a natural.

 

Michael

[Roger Bissell]

2 hours ago, Selene said:

As to the Raphael RAFAEL matter, William had posted a link to a nice campaign website and I was stunned to see that his actual name as it appears on the ballot is Raphael RAFAEL.

That set off a lot of alarms to me and it is a purely personal pique when folks "hide" their ethnicity, or, I would like to understand why he does it.

 

Publicly referring to himself as Ted CRUZ is "hiding his ethnicity"? Really? CRUZ - Helllllooooooo? CRUZ - get it yet????

Maybe Ted is just a NICKNAME???? BASED ON HIS MIDDLE NAME????

Edward Kennedy - Ted/Teddy Kennedy - nickname. Got it yet????

The California governor just before Reagan - and father of the current governor, Jerry Brown aka Governor Moonbeam - was named Edmund Gerald Brown Sr., but he went by neither Edmund or Ed, nor by Gerald or Jerry, but by Pat. WTF?????? Well, it was a nickname based on his Patrick Henry-like oratory when selling Liberty Bonds as a child, and would end his sales pitch with "Give me liberty, or give me death." Were either Pat or Jerry Brown "hiding" anything? No, and neither is Ted Cruz.

My dad's name was Eldon Keith Bissell, and all his life he went by Keith. Was *he* hiding anything? No, and neither is Ted Cruz.

CRUZ - Hellllooooooo? CRUZ - testing, one, two, three. Get it YET????

Ted=Edward=Ted=Edward=Ted=Edward - get it YET????

<sigh> We are doomed.

REB

[Selene]

Roger, it seems to be upsetting you...

Would you prefer that I stop calling him by his given name?

A...

[Robert Campbell]

3 hours ago, Selene said:

As to the Raphael matter, William had posted a link to a nice campaign website and I was stunned to see that his actual name as it appears on the ballot is Raphael.

That set off a lot of alarms to me and it is a purely personal pique when folks "hide" their ethnicity, or, I would like to understand why he does it.

Adam,

Thank you for your frank answer.

But where you got the notion that spelling his first name "Raphael" instead of "Rafael" is hiding his ethnicity, I haven't a clue.

His last name is Cruz.  Not Cross, not Croix, not Kreuz, not Croce.

And he doesn't exactly go around pretending not to be of Cuban descent.

I figured your constant repetition of "Rafael" was intended to tie Ted to his father, so as to brand him as a dangerous religious fanatic.

Robert

PS. If you're so concerned about candidates hiding their ethnicity, why haven't you taken points away from Donald Trump for not restoring the ancestral surname?

[Backlighting]

Beck is too far gone.

http://www.wnd.com/2016/05/glenn-beck-fast-1-day-for-god-to-help-u-s/

[Brant Gaede]

5 minutes ago, Backlighting said:

Beck is too far gone.

http://www.wnd.com/2016/05/glenn-beck-fast-1-day-for-god-to-help-u-s/

That's what is going on in Venezuela.

--Brant

pray to God--for anything and everything for they got nothing

[Selene]

4 minutes ago, Robert Campbell said:

Adam,

Thank you for your frank answer.

But where you got the notion that spelling his first name "Raphael" instead of "Rafael" is hiding his ethnicity, I haven't a clue.

His last name is Cruz.  Not Cross, not Croix, not Kreuz, not Croce.

And he doesn't exactly go around pretending not to be of Cuban descent.

I figured your constant repetition of "Rafael" was intended to tie Ted to his father, so as to brand him as a dangerous religious fanatic.

Robert

PS. If you're so concerned about candidates hiding their ethnicity, why haven't you taken points away from Donald Trump for not restoring the ancestral surname?

Apparently, since both you and Roger are so upset, perhaps you missed the humor in the subtle reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael.

Also, the fact that he makes a big deal out of his ethnicity, why would you change your name for politics?

It is a good decision that you both made not to engage in politics because you seem to be so sensitive that it would be risky for your mental health.

A...

[KorbenDallas]

15 minutes ago, Selene said:

the subtle reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael

haha!  I've been wondering if there was a TMNT reference in there 

 

[KorbenDallas]

6 hours ago, william.scherk said:

It is surely 'one of those moments' ... but Cruz pulls one too many potted hashtag phrases from his stump bag for me. A gruesome moment in retail politicking. 

What else could he have done to get you safely past that almost precipice, David? On the whole this set-piece just made me want to hurl.

 

WSS,

I didn't like it for either of them.  I kind of wish this moment never happened.

 

[Brant Gaede]

I think I'm getting a handle on Trump: that old novel, Gone with the Wind. Trump came with the wind and we are gone with it.

--Brant

are we going?

[PDS]

10 hours ago, KorbenDallas said:

WSS,

I didn't like it for either of them.  I kind of wish this moment never happened.

 

Agreed. 

The Trump supporter's willingness to rotely mouth the various insults Trump has thrown out there ought give everybody the shivers. 

Cruz's "stump speech" instinct in responding to the insults is almost as jarring. 

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

17 hours ago, william.scherk said:

On the whole this set-piece just made me want to hurl.

 

I'm not sad or disgusted with this exchange.

It shows very clearly what I have been saying for some time--Trump supporters are no longer listening to gotcha arguments that fly in the face of their common sense. It doesn't matter what the gotcha person says, they are not listening anymore.

This is not a debate with them, it's a rejection.

Besides, what on earth was Cruz thinking by stopping his motorcade to walk into this? (Affecting a Trump tone): I mean, how dumb is he?

 

Here is another take on what happened. The Morning Joe people can't stop laughing. (btw - The exchange is abbreviated and the sound during it is a lot better than the longer video above.)

That thing about Cruz's Shakespearian pauses undoing him is a hoot. 

.@tedcruz crosses the street to confront @realDonaldTrump backers on the sidewalk https://t.co/G0alC50KAr

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) May 3, 2016

A couple of priceless moments:

CRUZ: America is a better country... (Shakespearian pause)

TRUMP SUPPORTER: Without you.

. . .

CRUZ: And an question that everyone here should ask... (Shakespearian pause)

TRUMP SUPPORTER: Are you Canadian?

 

Sorry for you guys who are sad, but this is some seriously funny stuff.

 

Michael

[william.scherk]

18 hours ago, Why I Use A Pseudonym said:

Roger, it seems to be upsetting you...

On 5/1/2016 at 5:55 AM, Kimberly Ricci of Uproxx.com said:

Heidi Cruz Finally Sheds Light On Theories That Ted Is The Zodiac Killer

Any spouse of a presidential candidate knows they’re in for a wild ride. In this spirit, Heidi Cruz puts up with a lot while her husband, Ted, makes a bid for the Republican nomination. Donald Drumpf has shown her no mercy, and Heidi weathered a tabloid-mistress scandal before coming to terms with her husband’s frightening soup obsession. She’s a trooper and knows these rumors and embarrassing stories are simply part of the game. But now Heidi faces a tough question.

By now, most internet browsers have seen the meme about Ted being the Zodiac Killer, which has brought much joy to spectators. For sure, Ted could only accomplish this dual identity if he was a time traveler because Zodiac began his tour of terror years before Ted was born in 1970. Yet the rumors persist, and Saturday evening’s White House Correspondents Dinner saw Larry Wilmore do plenty of roasting. He targeted Don Lemon, and Wilmore addressed Ted’s legendary status:

“There is a joke going around the internet that Ted Cruz is actually the Zodiac Killer … recently, Ted Cruz got a string of wins and endorsements, then everybody remembered who Ted Cruz is, the Zodiac Killer.”

So, the joke officially became mainstream, and a brave Yahoo News reporter confronted Heidi at an eatery in Carmel, California. Here’s what Heidi had to say about the meme: [...]

Edited May 3, 2016 by william.scherk
Deleted now boring video https://youtu.be/v75wCTMZoSY

[Peter]

I think any candidate expects they can get change someone’s mind if it is a chance, one – on - one encounter. Ted was expecting civility. Who isn‘t thrilled by meeting “a celebrity?” Not that guy. I wonder if that group of Trump supporters had been chanting or reinforcing each other’s views by their proximity to other Trumpsters? Is it possible a security person or even a Secret Service Agent had been there checking out the pro Trump supporters and that clued them into the possibility Cruz might stop and chat? In that sense it could have been “arranged.’ Badly. It turned out to be a vote losing idea. I think Cruz was close to taking serious offense. That guy was fanatical, and full of talking points and slogans.  

The bad lip sync video got old fast. When his kids were in it, it was cringe worthy.

Peter