This is below the belt even for Ted Cruz. Clearly, Cruz has looked at the recent polls, all of which have O’Rourke either in a dead heat or trailing by a few points. And definitely, Cruz can’t stand it that his opponent is being compared to Bobby Kennedy.
A few weeks ago O’Rourke gave his views on NFL players kneeling in protest of police brutality, which he called “a very American thing to do.” His remarks were eloquent and the video went viral. Here’s an excerpt:
“Rosa Parks getting from the back of the bus to to the front of the bus. Peaceful, nonviolent protests, including taking a knee at a football game to point out that Black men, unarmed; Black teenagers, unarmed; and Black children, unarmed, are being killed at a frightening level right now, including by members of law enforcement, without accountability and without justice. And this problem—as grave as it is—is not gonna fix itself, and they’re frustrated, frankly, with people like me and those in positions of public trust and power who have been unable to resolve this or bring justice for what has been done and to stop it from continuing to happen in this country. And so nonviolently, peacefully, while the eyes of this country are watching these games, they take a knee to bring our attention and our focus to this problem and ensure that we fix it. That is why they’re doing it, and I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights anytime, anywhere, anyplace.”
Take a minute to watch a Political Leader with conviction and integrity address a divisive issue. A rare example of persuasion in this era of incitement. Texas can do a lot better than the conniving and opportunistic Ted Cruz. Anybody else see a little bit of RFK in Beto? https://t.co/pJlk7svM6k
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) August 22, 2018
Cruz clearly couldn’t handle it, and he had nothing to say that could possibly match it. He’s not even articulate much less eloquent. So he did what he knows how, like any cornered rat, he got ugly.
The Cruz ad opens cold, with the voice of a man off camera. His words appear on screen:
“I guess the reason I ask this question is, as a voter I don’t know how I would feel to have my own elected representative being open to kneeling on the Senate floor or encouraging and supporting acts that desecrate our American flag.”
The video cuts to a photo of the congressman, with these words on screen: “Beto O’Rourke was asked his views on burning or desecrating the American flag. This was his answer.”
Next comes footage of O’Rourke saying, “I think that there is something inherently American about that. And so I – I — I’m grateful there are people willing to do that.”
The video is short and embedded on Facebook. Dallas News has the video and a complete transcript of O’Rourkes remarks at this link. See for yourself how shamelessly Cruz has twisted O’Rourke’s remarks. Cruz is scared.
