Ted Cruz knows exactly what he's doing
Running for president of the Land of Make Believe.
Hey, did you hear the one about the disappearing Nigerian email scammers? Theyve become a lot less active lately because theyve all been hired to run the Obamacare website. Thats Sen. Ted Cruz, folks, on his Reactionary Real America Victory Tour Monday night, and hell be here all week, maybe all decade. Tip your waiter!
Declaring that our first black presidents signature policy achievement is being run by Nigerian email scammers is GOP dog-whistle politics at its finest. Of course, Cruz wasnt just going for cheap laughs at the expense of the Affordable Care Act. He knows its a short hop from Nigeria to Kenya for his Obama-hating Houston audience. Polls show up to two-thirds of self-described Republicans still harbor doubts that the president was born here, and even mainstream GOP leaders indulge rather than dispel those doubts. Cruz enjoys them. (Remember, his father told an audience that only political correctness keeps Republicans from telling Americans that Obama is Muslim.)
So, a reference to Africans? Check. A stereotype about people who either work for or use government services, like scammer? A reference to email thats a stand-in for something about the Internet these people probably dont understand anyway? Check. It took Newt Gingrich several tries to communicate to his audience that Obama suffers from a Kenyan anti-colonial mind-set and is the food stamp president. Cruz did it with one dumb joke.
The Texas demagogue also knew Obama supporters would likely see through his joke to its slick birtherism and borderline racism and he didnt care. In fact, thats part of the fun.
http://www.salon.com/2013/10/22/ted_cruz_knows_exactly_what_he%e2%80%99s_doing/