Cruz blasts media after cartoon takes aim at his children

[alp227]

Source: Reuters

Republican Ted Cruz on Wednesday blasted the media and called for the children of presidential candidates to remain off-limits in campaign coverage after an editorial cartoon depicted his daughters as an organ grinder's monkeys.

The cartoonist, Pulitzer Prize winner Ann Telnaes, said Cruz had used the girls in a campaign ad video so she was justified in putting them in her cartoon, which was on the Washington Post's website on Tuesday before editors removed it.

The Texas senator, who has been rising in polls ahead of the November 2016 election, said at a campaign event in Oklahoma that he expected to be attacked but not his daughters.

"If folks want to attack me, knock yourself out," he said. "... I signed up for that, that's fine. But my girls didn't sign up for that.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-cruz-idUSKBN0U61EU20151223

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[Tab]

1. I have to agree with him

Lots of candidates show their children, but that doesn't make this sort of toon acceptable.

[question everything]

24. Yes, but his kids were wondering what happened to the emails

and about a private server.

He used his kids to attack other Hillary, Obama and others.

[hibbing]

2. Stupid cartoon

I don't find the cartoon particularly enlightening, funny or frankly good in any respect.

Peace

[rladdi]

3. If Ted Cruz is so outraged, why is he using that political ad to raise millions just before the

holidays. I don't believe he is outraged, it is his chance to get a few more bucks. But then he runs an ad like that against Clinton.

[Mr.Bill]

4. Yeah, remember when Ted Cruz was outraged

about stories on the internet that Obama's daughter was drinking at a frat house? (she wasn't)

I don't remember that.

[atreides1]

5. He's right

His girls didn't sign up, he did it for them!

In this case I have to agree with the cartoonist, Cruz opened the door by using his daughters in his snarky campaign video!

As for the rules about not "attacking" the kids, well the Republicans sure forgot that rule when it came to Chelsea Clinton!!!

He doesn't want his daughters to be in it, then leave them at home and don't involve them in his campaign!!!

[adigal]

22. Yup. Limbaugh had a "joke" calling Chelsea Clinton, aged 12, the White House "dog."

That's ok though, right???

She sure has grown up to be a beautiful young woman.

[Igel]

37. Was it?

The answer is simple, and doesn't really depend on whose daughter it is.

It's okay, and you have to say that what Limbaugh did was perfectly fine; or it's not okay, and you have to say that what the caricaturist did with Cruz' kid wasn't.

What's in between is either a doltish kind of tu quoque ("You did it, so it's okay for me to do it&quot or just hypocrisy ("it's never okay when you do it, but it's always okay if I do it&quot .

So is it a principled stance, or a fallacy best disposed of by the time we're 8 or 9 years old, or that ever-endearing faux-principled stance known as hypocrisy?

Or perhaps we can carve out a whole hierarchy of ever finer-grained principles. "It's okay if the kid speaks on air, but not okay if she doesn't. Or it's okay if she speaks on air and says something cute, but not something political. It's okay if she actually was filmed specifically for the political ad, but not if it's from some other appearance." Etc., etc., etc. With, of course, the appropriate people deciding the universal morality of what's okay for all and what's not okay for all.

[chelsea0011]

36. Yes...I personally don't like using children in cartoons but

you are right. He opened the door by having them actively participating in an ad. And a very political ad at that. His kids probably didn't even understand the hidden meaning in the message. He is wrong to even think this warrants outrage.

[Andy823]

6. I agree

Keep the children out of it.

[skepticscott]

7. I disagree in principle with the notion

that a candidate's family should be off-limits in a campaign. The first time that Cruz trots his wife and kids out on a stage at a rally to send the implicit message "See, I'm a great husband and father, therefore I'll make a great president", he's made them, and his family life, relevant and legitimate issues for discussion.

That being said, in this particular case, I have to agree that the cartoon is not making any meaningful or legitimate point about his candidacy.

[GeorgeGist]

16. As Carlin would say ....

they all trot them out to prove that their dicks work.

[Arkansas Granny]

8. I don't blame him for being upset. It's one thing for the candidate to include his/her family

in campaign ads, but quite another for someone else to use them in attack ads.

[marble falls]

9. The image is disturbing. So is Sen Cruz for exploiting his children. There ought to be a law.

[okasha]

10. The cartoon is tasteless and disgusting.

Attacks on candodates' children are out of bounds.

[PeteSelman]

11. Maybe that stupid asshole shouldn't have trotted the kids out as props.

In that ridiculous, idiotic video he made them perform in.

Fuck him.

[JI7]

15. that's no excuse to attack the kids who are young

[PeteSelman]

30. The kids weren't attacked. He was.

And rightly so.

He's a piece of trash.

[Igel]

38. So when Obama shows up with his kids in tow

at events, we can soundly and righteously laugh at them being displayed as an organ-grinder's monkeys?

Because, after all, they're not the ones being attacked.

Really? We want to go there?

[PeteSelman]

42. If he has them making idiotic political statements, yes.

Cruz didn't merely have the kids in the commercial, he had them fucking saying stupid political shit, they were involved, they were part of the politics because he was using them like an organ grinder.

It's not the same thing at all and you know it.

[murielm99]

12. I agree with him.

Leave the kids alone. That is low.

[totodeinhere]

13. Depicting his children as monkeys is a bit over the top IMO.

And what is really upsetting is the fact that Cruz can now use this to claim victim hood and detract from the real issues where he is wrong about virtually everything.

[JI7]

14. young kids should be of limits. this is just disgusting

[DebbieCDC]

17. He used his kids in the ad

He put them out there as fair game knowing full well what the consequences could/would be. Now he wants to whine about it AND use it as a money-raising gimmick.

[jmowreader]

18. "Do you know there's a White House dog?"

In principle I agree that candidates' children should be left out of campaign attacks...but I can't help noticing the GOP attacks Democrats' kids with extreme gusto. They've gone after the Obama kids. They went after Chelsea Clinton, and they ripped poor Amy Carter so badly she's kept herself completely out of the public eye.

BTW can ANYONE tell me the attraction of Ann Telnaes' cartoons? She's not funny and her artistic style is as bad as Glenn McCoy's.

[Eatacig]

19. Rush Limpbaugh

Why does right wing radio get a pass? Rush calls the Obama girls filthy names
every day. Ted Cruise accepts his support. Why the double standard? Could it
be because they are not little white girls?

[liberaltrucker]

20. Raphael is a slimy piece of shit.....BUT

Kids are ALWAYS off limits.

[oberliner]

21. The cartoon did not insult the kids

If the cartoon had mocked something about their appearance or behavior then that would be over the line.

The cartoon insulted Cruz for using the kids as props.

[Blue_In_AK]

23. I'm most certainly not a fan of Ted Cruz,

but minor kids should be off limits.

[briv1016]

25. We have to be better then them.

The families and kids should be off limits. (Besides, both Cruz and Trump are wet dreams for the dems. Hold all attacks until they are the nominees.)

[underthematrix]

26. Welcome to President Obama's world for the past

seven years.

[narnian60]

27. Exactly!

Good one.

[BlueStater]

28. The cartoon might be tasteless but so is the shithead's ad.

He used his children as political props to attack Obama and Hillary. Fuck his whiny, self-righteous ass.

[underthematrix]

29. And there it is

[RussBLib]

31. exactly

If Cruz had not used his kids as props in his campaign ad, the cartoonist would not have drawn that comic showing his kids.

Pretty simple.

So I guess it's ok for Cruz to use his kids as props, but not ok to call him on it.

[Paladin]

35. +1000. And then he promptly used the cartoon for fund-raising.

Cruz is a real piece of filth.

[Midnight Writer]

32. OK, trusTED CRUZ is now on record supporting "political correctness"!

"Political Correctness" (known as PC in conservative circles) has for some reason become a major issue in this campaign.

Cruz, who sees no problem with Trump's insult comic routine, for example, calling a woman a "fat ass bitch", now draws the line when his family is the target. Good for him.

Now he should be challenged in every interview why he is OK with Trump's routines, insulting women, minorities and handicapped, but finds this cartoon over the line.

[McCamy Taylor]

34. Don't go into politics unless you have a thick skin. Recall what they did to Chelsea.

[libdem4life]

39. Yes, and she is white. Rush Bimbo sucked big time. But that is truly what each

potential candidate has to weigh...it's not just him/her. It's the entire family and often the extended family. I believe that is the reason we don't have quality candidates so much any more. Also, they have to be good at begging for money, leave their job, etc.

[MosheFeingold]

40. Just imagine if this had been done with Obama's daughters

It's not a good idea to give the Repugs a legitimate talking point, especially one that play directly into their theme of corporate media misbehavior.

Stupid.

Just play things straight. You give into their crap (e.g., attacking Trump for talking like the putz that he is), you play into the meme that the media is unfair to Repugs.

This is especially a bad idea with Cruz. Cruz is a true-believer wingnut. He really believes the crap he says (in contrast to Rubio, Trump, Huckabee, etc). And he's a fricking brilliant guy. Off the charts smart. I've seen him argue before the USSC, and I can say there is no one better on his feet.

Do not let this guy get traction with stupid moves like this.

He is, by far, the most dangerous candidate to the Progressive movement that I've seen in my 60+ years in politics.

[Sunlei]

41. How come Cruz only has 2 kids? Mr. 'no birth control' should have about 12 kids by now.

Must be afraid of his wife. He's a scary, powerful dangerous man, be horrible to be on Cruzes bad side. He will ruin that cartoonist.

Him in power? well over half of Americans will suffer with his 'policies'. I think Trump carries water for Cruz, because if he didn't- Cruz would ruin Trump too.