Dylan Byers:
Sen. Ted Cruz has been speaking on the Senate floor for almost 19 hours, as of this post. The talk is not technically a filibuster — he can’t actually block the Senate from going about its business — but symbolically, it’s more or less the same thing. The point is to show one’s opposition to something through a demonstration of physical will.
Which is why you can forgive conservatives for being upset with the mainstream media’s coverage of the Cruz affair. When a Democrat like Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis filibusters against abortion restrictions, she is elevated to hero status, her tennis shoes become totems. When Cruz grandstands against Obamacare, he is a laughingstock in the eyes of many journalists on Twitter, an “embarrassment” in the eyes of The New York Times editorial board.
“Gee I wonder why NYT and WaPo and everyone else gave ecstatic coverage to Wendy Davis but not to Ted Cruz. I just can’t make sense of it!” John Podhoretz, the conservative columnist, tweeted on Wednesday morning.
Yes, the difference between filibustering and grandstanding plays a part. Equally important is the fact that Cruz’s theatrics are frustrating members of his own party. But, part of the disparity in coverage is due to the fact that the mainstream media, generally speaking, don’t admire Cruz the way they admired Davis — or rather, they admire him only insofar as he makes for tragicomic theater, whereas they admired her on the merits.
Cruz is portrayed in the media as “aimless and self-destructive” (NYT ed board), elitist (GQ) and likely guided more by presidential aspirations than principles (CNN). Josh Marshall, the editor and publisher of Talking Points Memo, had no qualms about coming right out and calling Cruz, his former Princeton colleague, an “arrogant jerk” — and worse.
These portrayals may be accurate or inaccuarate — Cruz certainly has an elitist strain and he certainly has political ambitions. But that’s not the point: The point is that the coverage of Cruz has been critical, and in some cases unforgiving, from the outset. At least initially, Davis wasn’t viewed through a critical lens at all. Her willingness to stand for 11 hours was evidence of the American dream in action. Period.
Abortion Barbie, who wants to kill babies.
Ted Cruz, who wants to stop Obamacare that pays for the killing of babies.
retire05
wow that’s a good line,
and all those critics are good news for TED CRUZ,
THEY ARE SO ENVIOUS THEY HAVE TO SPIT PUBLICLY,
GO TED CRUZ, MANY ARE BEHIND YOU, ALL ADMIRE YOUR GUTS TO FIGHT FOR AMERICAN AND EVEN THE ENVIOUS VERBALIZE IN THEIR CORRUPT TONGUES, HOW GOOD YOU ARE,
IT’S FUNNY BUT I expected TED CRUZ ANYTIME, to say,:
MY FELLOW AMERICANS, I COME TO YOU TODAY TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT……
IT WOULD HAVE BLEND IN SO WELL,
One major good thing that has happened from Ted Cruz’s talk is that the politicians phone lines had been so busy that it seems most of the politicians have left their phones off of the hook.
SMORGASBORD
IT SHOW HOW DISTRACTED THEIR MINDS ARE,
they are there to work for the PEOPLE,NOT ANYONE ELSE, and not OBAMA either,
who must also serve THE PEOPLE instead of his own interest to change AMERICA,
CURT
HI,
WE LOST THE RED LINE UNDER GRAMMATICAL ERRORS,
It was very helpful,
bye
@ilovebeeswarzone: #5
Today’s politicians work for the ones who donate the most to their campaign funds. They haven’t worked for the people for many years.
Smorgasbord
don’t put them all in the same crowd, those RAND PAUL, AND TED CRUZ AND MIKE LEE,
AND MARCO RUBIO, ARE SHAKING THEIR BUTS, AND THEY ARE GETTING IN LINE,
BYE