Ted Cruz gets a lot of criticism (somewhat deservedly) that he doesn’t “connect” with people. That’s a little fair on the campaign trail. Cruz does tend to hit the stump speech a little more than he should. But regular LwC viewers of course know Cruz can be a little bit more relaxed on occasion (see Watch Ted Cruz’s Hysterical Conversation with ‘Donald Trump’ and Ted Cruz’s Daughters Take Over CNN Interview. Too Much Cute to Handle!), but of course perception is reality and so on.
But when Cruz is “on” he’s dead on. Take this recent example, where a troll decided to present The Communist Manifesto for Ted Cruz to sign. Even the most passionate anti-Cruz people are admitteding is pretty funny…
A young man asked @SenTedCruz to sign a copy of the Communist Manifesto as a joke. Here's what Cruz wrote. pic.twitter.com/8VW5H2XHOb
— Ben Gittleson (@bgittleson) April 28, 2016
What started as a prank with a young man asking Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz to sign his “economic textbook” ended with a serious lesson from the Texas senator, once he realized it was the Communist Manifesto the prankster was holding.
“You know what, I’ll sign it,” Cruz told the young man, who said the candidate has a “good sense of humor.”
Inside the front cover, Cruz wrote, “Millions have suffered because of this.”
After the 30-second exchange, reporters shared the moment on Twitter, and Cruz’s inscription is going viral.
Even liberals have to admit the man’s got jokes…
Still not a Cruz fan, but this is pretty good. Trolled the troll. https://t.co/c8VGo5lV1w
— Tom Ziegmann (@tziegmann) April 28, 2016
Okay, full disclosure? I like Ted Cruz. Like, a lot. Do I wish he could loosen up a little? Yes, but only because we live in the digital age of television, where appearances and style trump substance. That’s an accidental pun, but accurate none the less. I could write an entire book about how personality over competence vexes me. But that’s the reality we’re living in. Yeah, Cruz often comes across as stiff while he’s on the campaign, or giving a canned speech. In the senate destroying a liberal, though? Different story.
In this instance, Cruz was totally aware of what was going on. It’s possible other candidates, of either party, of this election or of elections past, would’ve just signed whatever was put in front of them. That’s not a criticism, either. These guys are busy, they meet a lot of people, they sign a lot of things. But Cruz took this opportunity to give a lesson. Subtly but accurately. Bashing communism.
It’s a brief little moment into the Ted Cruz we like. The one who will destroy a liberal idea with calmness and rationality. No stump speech needed.
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