If you're Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), you know that you have some real problems. Donald Trump has enlightened the electorate of your birthplace/citizenship issues and some rather delicate entanglements with his 2012 campaign and his wife's former employer, Goldman Sachs. But you are the self-assured son of a proselytizing preacher who is very skilled at deflecting and distracting those who dare to bring up such matters, while allocating blame exclusively on liberal politics and media.
On Media Buzz, with Howie Kurtz, Cruz referenced St. Ronnie almost immediately and boasted that he relies on informing the electorate directly, without a liberal, Democratic filter.
CRUZ: That's why we're building and running a grassroots campaign to go around the media gatekeepers.
Cruz quickly dismissed any controversy with his loans for the 2012 campaign, the New York Times unfairly nitpicking that he failed to disclose these loans on two separate forms. He calls the story a total nothing-burger.
As far as the New York values controversy, Cruz is eager to rehash the political opinions expressed by Donald Trump in the 1990's where he was pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, in other words, pro-New York values. Kurtz explains that efforts to expose Trump's more liberal views from two decades ago haven't seemed to hurt Trump's ratings one iota.
The 'birther' issue has been resolved, as far as Cruz is concerned, and he has weathered the storm. His real beef is with the mainstream media which he claims is comprised almost exclusively of "partisan liberal Democrats." But Ted knows how to circumvent the MSM and appeal to his voters. He's found a way to mirror Ronald Reagan and appeal directly to his ultra right-wing, Evangelical base: through alternate channels like talk radio, social media and The Drudge Report.
HOWARD KURTZ: When you bash the media, and you have been treated unfairly at times portrayed as somebody who scares little children, but isn't that in your interest to do that? Your base loves that. They don't like the mainstream media.
TED CRUZ: There is a reason they don’t like the mainstream media because they are partisan liberal democrats.
KURTZ: Every single journalist?
CRUZ: Almost without exception.
KURTZ: Almost without exception?
CRUZ: Almost without exception they have a partisan agenda. And we understand - let's take a substantive issue: police officers. If you have one police officer somewhere who does something he shouldn't have, the press will breathlessly report on this terrible, horrible police officer and all the democratic politicians will jump in and demonize and vilify the cops.
Let me ask you something? How come the press doesn’t tell stories of heroism?
The great news is we don't live anymore in a world of three networks that have a stranglehold on information. We have got the internet. We have got the Drudge Report. We have got talk radio. We have got social media. We've got the ability to go directly around, and directly to the people.
The question that I'd like to know the answer to, does Ted Cruz think that Fox 'News' is comprised of partisan, liberal Democrats? That takes a serious mental contortionist to conclude that about Fox 'News.'
