News To Us: Rafael Cruz's Speech Crazy Even For Cruz

8 Comments

by: Colorado Pols

Politico's James Hohmann follows up our report yesterday on a speech given to Adams County Republicans last Friday evening by Rafael Cruz, father of U.S. Senate freshman and "Tea Party" darling Ted Cruz:

ColoradoPols.com, a liberal blog, posted a two-minute audio clip forwarded by a source in the room and then agreed to share a longer excerpt with POLITICO Monday night.

Cruz received loud cheers as he talked about his son’s 21-hour speech…

Sent the quotes, a Cruz spokeswoman stressed that this was “Mr. Cruz’s speech” and that “Senator Cruz has been in D.C. fully focused on the effort to defund Obamacare.”

The elder Cruz, 74, has stepped up his profile in recent months as his son’s star has risen and 2016 chatter increased. He and the freshman both spoke in Iowa this August at a Family Leader event. He accompanied the Heritage Foundation’s Jim DeMint for part of a nine-city summer tour focused on defunding the Affordable Health Care Act. He’s won praise from tea party groups and talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh.

He leans heavily on his Cuban heritage, even comparing Obama to Fidel Castro.

“I believe the most ominous words I’ve ever heard from Barack Hussein Obama was two years in a row at the State of the Union address when he said, ‘If Congress does not act, I will act unilaterally,’” said Cruz. “[It’s] no different than that bearded friend, or dictator, that I left back in Cuba.” [Pols emphasis]

Tom Kludt at Talking Points Memo recaps from our original audio:

A Cuban immigrant and a pastor, Cruz claimed that Obama has pledged to "side with the Muslims" if "the winds shift," prompting a reaction from an audience member.

"He is Muslim," shouted a woman.

"[Sen. John] McCain couldn't say that because it wasn't politically correct," Cruz responed. "It is time we stop being politically correct!"

He also said that the Affordable Care Act denies and rations coverage for elderly patients while claiming that the law includes "suicide counseling."

We don't mind saying we were at first a little surprised at the national attention that Rafael Cruz's speech in Adams County is now getting. Apparently these remarks are a bit more ~~crazy~~ strident than generally attributed to a man we've read might run for high office himself in some kind of father/son Paul family type of arrangement. It's possible, in fact likely, that he didn't know he was being recorded. But to be honest, as shocking as these remarks may be on a national stage, Obama a Muslim, Obama like Casto, Obamacare mandating "suicide counseling"–this really is par for the course rhetoric-wise at the county level of the Republican Party in Colorado.

This is when it occurred to us that our local crazies have maybe inured us, by which we mean all of us, to the kind of raging lunacy displayed by Rafael Cruz last Friday in Thornton. And folks, what if that is the real problem?

8 thoughts on “News To Us: Rafael Cruz’s Speech Crazy Even For Cruz”

bullshit! says:

October 1, 2013 at 12:29 pm

This is when it occurred to us that our local crazies have maybe inured us, by which we mean all of us, to the kind of raging lunacy displayed by Rafael Cruz last Friday in Thornton. And folks, what if that is the real problem?

This touches on an important question, and I confess don't know the answer. I do think this could explain the local media's indifference to the local crazies, in which case it's very good that you got this audio to Politico. Maybe it takes an outside example to expose the problem…

Log in to Reply
Moderatus says:

October 1, 2013 at 1:12 pm

…Holds no elective office. Why is this news?

Log in to Reply
1. BlueCat says:
  
  October 1, 2013 at 1:26 pm
  
  Back in 2008 everything the pastor at Obama's church was not only news, every conservative pol in the country was demanding that Obama denounce everything he said. In fact, for years the right was on a roll demanding every Dem pol denounce every over the top thing anyone perceived to be a lefty, no matter how far removed from the government or the party, said about anything. And this guy wasn't just spouting off at a private fund raiser or at his church. He was addressing the Adams County Republicans, an official party organization. I don't think you're really puzzled by this at all, Modster. Just doing the standard evasive tactics.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Moderatus says:
    
    October 1, 2013 at 3:02 pm
    
    No, I'm simply pointing out that Rafael Cruz doesn't hold office. If Ted Cruz had said these things, that would be one thing. But I think every family has somebody who lets their mouth get out in front of their good sense. At the most that's all this is. Most of what Cruz said is opinion he is entitled to.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. Davie says:
      
      October 1, 2013 at 10:03 pm
      
      Yes, and Raphael Cruz must have been a completely absent father, since he obviously had absolutely no influence on his son's beliefs as he was growing up, or certainly none today, right?
      
      Riiiiiigggghhhhhtttttt!
      
      Log in to Reply
    2. Duke Cox says:
      
      October 1, 2013 at 11:46 pm
      
      most of your shit is weak, Moderatus…but that's pathetic.
      
      Log in to Reply
    3. BlueCat says:
      
      October 2, 2013 at 10:06 am
      
      So why was it OK to demand Obama renounce comments made by perceived lefties who were neither related to him, office holders, nor party or campaign operatives? Why was it OK to demand such renunciations routinely from all Dems every time anyone the right decided to label as a Dem ally said something offensive? You still haven't addressed that, Modster. So here are some questions I have little hope of your answering:
      
      Are you here and now willing to say that all those GOP demands for denunciation were unfair?
      
      Why is it inappropriate to publish comments made in public at an official party event by an invited speaker?
      
      Are you going to seriously try to tell me that you would be jumping to the defense of Dems if, say, the Arapahoe County Dems invited Ward Churchill to speak at a party event and wildly cheered his reiteration of comments calling the victims of 9/11 little Nazis.
      
      Do you expect me to believe you would be saying that, since Ward doesn't hold office, never mind and would you be criticizing a rightie blog for for calling attention to that?
      
      Never mind. I think I already know the answers to all those questions
      
      Log in to Reply
notaskinnycook says:

October 1, 2013 at 2:37 pm

So, as my late grandmother would have said about Ted Cruz 's craziness, "He come by it honest, he got it from his daddy."

Log in to Reply