My esteemed senator, Ted “Mouth of the South” Cruz (R-TX), in his first two months as a freshman senator, is really embarrassing the heck out of us Texans on a roll.

From The New York Times:

Besides suggesting that Mr. Hagel [President Obama’s choice for Secretary of Defense] might have received compensation from foreign enemies, he has tangled with the mayor of Chicago, challenged the Senate’s third-ranking Democrat on national television, voted against virtually everything before him — including the confirmation of John Kerry as secretary of state — and raised the hackles of colleagues from both parties.

His shocking insinuations about Hagel spurred Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), without naming names, to compare him to former Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI), who claimed to have a list of Communists who had infiltrated the U.S. State Department.

Well, many people, including high-ranking Republican party leaders, were irritated by Cruz’s antics, but now, we have evidence that dude is seriously off his rocker, and is more deserving of that McCarthy label than we and Senator Boxer realized.

Two and a half years ago, Cruz gave a speech at a Fourth of July rally luncheon in Austin, Texas. The luncheon was at a “Defending the American Dream” conference, sponsored by none other than Americans for Prosperity, which is funded by the Koch brothers.





Cruz first began to talk about President Obama, calling him “the most radical President ever to occupy the Oval Office.” His Obama discussion evolved into Cruz’s opinion that the president “would have made a perfect president of Harvard Law School.” And why was does he think that? Well, because… (Source)

“There were fewer declared Republicans in the faculty when we were there than Communists! There was one Republican. But there were twelve who would say they were Marxists who believed in the Communists overthrowing the United States government.” (Source)

This revelation surprised and confused Harvard staff. Robb London, a spokesman for the school, said:

“We are puzzled by the Senator’s assertions, as we are unaware of any basis for them.” He continued, “We applaud the fact that he has pursued public service, as so many of our graduates have done. We are also proud of our longstanding tradition of freedom of speech and the robust range of views and debates on our campus.” (Source)

Ha.

Harvard Law School Professor Charles Fried, a Republican who served as Ronald Reagan’s Solicitor General from 1985 to 1989, was one of Cruz’s instructors. He politely suggested that Mr. Cruz has had a facts mix-up.

“I can right offhand count four “out” Republicans (including myself) and I don’t know how many closeted Republicans when Ted, who was my student and the editor on the Harvard Law Review who helped me with my Supreme Court foreword, was a student here.” (Source)

The professor noted that under the Smith Act, it is a crime to conspire to overthrow the U.S. government.

“I have not taken a poll, but I would be surprised if there were any members of the faculty who ‘believed in the Communists overthrowing the U.S. government.” He added “There were a certain number (twelve seems to me too high) who were quite radical, but I doubt if any had allegiance or sympathy with anything called ‘the Communists,’ who at that time (unlike the thirties and forties) were in quite bad odor among radical intellectuals.” (Source)

Fried did acknowledge that the radicals were “a pain in the neck,” but that Cruz’s statements calling them Communists “misunderstands what they were about.”

Embarrassed and disappointed, Fried said that Senator Cruz’s eagerness to put such a harsh label on Harvard faculty “lacks nuance.” He remembered Cruz as “very bright, very hard-working and very conservative in a well-mannered, agreeable way,” and that “This surprises me. It suggests he’s changed.” (Source)

Well, fine and good, I guess. Professor Fried can reminisce about a sane Ted Cruz. His Texas constituents of which I am one, are stuck with this clown. The next election can NOT come soon enough. Although I do have to say that many of my fellow Texans are probably rooting for him for being “the one who stirred things up.” We seriously don’t need to send any more Republican men out of our state. They, almost without fail, make us all look stupid.

See the Young Turks video commentary about Senator Cruz’s insanity.

I am an unapologetic member of the Christian Left, and have spent a lot of time working with “the least of these” and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. I’m passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics I discuss, subscribe to my public updates on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or connect with me via LinkedIn. I also have a grossly neglected blog. Find me somewhere and let’s discuss stuff.