When it comes to piling up endorsements from radical Christians and other ultra-conservative religious types, Sen. Ted Cruz has had a pretty impressive week.

Sure, he missed Jerry Falwell, Jr.… but let’s take a moment to consider the shining stars he did pick up.

First, there’s Mike Bickle:

“Our nation is in a great crisis in this hour,” Bickle said. “We need a president who will first be faithful to honor God’s Word. We need a president who will work to defend religious liberty, uphold our Constitution, keep our country safe and our economy sound, and speak truth to the nation. We have been praying for righteous leaders, and Ted Cruz is such a leader. I am enthusiastically endorsing Ted Cruz.”

Bickle is the founder of the International House of Prayer of Kansas City, and if his endorsement didn’t leave you questioning his judgment, consider that he’s prone to things like implying that Jews more or less brought the Holocaust upon themselves by not believing in his particular religious tradition:

The Lord says, “I’m going to give all 20 million of them the chance to respond to the fishermen. And I give them grace.” And he says, “And if they don’t respond to grace, I’m going to raise up the hunters.” And the most famous hunter in recent history is a man named Adolf Hitler.

Right Wing Watch has a collection of some of Bickle’s other noteworthy moments, like when he discusses how same-sex marriage portends end times. Oh, and how Oprah is a forerunner of the anti-Christ and the “Harlot movement”.

It’s true you can’t help who endorses you, obviously. But if crazy bothers you, you can always distance yourself from it. As RWW notes, “back in 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain was forced to reject the endorsement of John Hagee” after similar comments about the Holocaust surfaced. If McCain — the man who inflicted Sarah Palin on our nation — could figure that out, anyone can, right?

Cruz seems to have missed the memo. On the contrary, his announcement of the endorsement praises the work of Bickle’s organization, and expresses Cruz’s gratitude:

“Through prayer, the Lord has changed my life and altered my family’s story,” said Cruz. “I am grateful for Mike’s dedication to call a generation of young people to prayer and spiritual commitment. Heidi and I are grateful to have his prayers and support. With the support of Mike and many other people of faith, we will fight the good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith.”

But Bickle isn’t the only endorsement from the fringe right. Cruz also picked up endorsements from right-wing luminaries like Dana Loesch and Rick Perry. That’s all in addition to the beyond-the-grave-pseudo-endorsement he received from Thomas Jefferson, kindly shared with us by psychic-in-training and faux-historian David Barton (the man who, Hemant notes, is best known for lying about Jefferson).

Aside from his imaginings about Jefferson, though, Barton’s enthusiasm was shared in a more material fashion last Saturday by none other than Glenn Beck. In a video showing Barton praying for Beck before his endorsement speech, the two discussed how Cruz’s run for president is “it”:

This is the moment that we prayed for, you know? We prayed — we prayed for this… And he [Cruz] really is the guy. He really is the guy.

It’s not like Cruz’s list of endorsements, including those he proudly trumpets, didn’t already include some scary characters (it certainly did), nor is it a surprise that Cruz attracts and appreciates these kinds of endorsements. But, hey, if nothing else, it offers chilling insight into Glenn Beck’s prayers. Because, after all, if Ted Cruz is the answer, what must the request have been?

(Image via Andrew Cline / Shutterstock.com)



