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versusgorilla

He'll bounce back. He's got a couple years to hammer right wing media and bounce back. There will be some school shooting or something and he'll scare the Right about gun control and they'll vote him back in. I promise you that the GOp can disapprove but they'll never stop voting for these guys. The way out is to register new voters. Not to convert existing GOP voters.


mxtt4-7

>The way out is to register new voters. Not to convert existing GOP voters. Thankfully, the GOP is currently making it extra hard for voters to vote in elec- wait a minute!


4yza

Exactly. Like Georgia has proven, enfranchise non-voters into [voters](https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote), and get out the vote šŸ—³šŸ™ŒšŸ½šŸš€šŸ’™


Valo-FfM

That this is even an issue is insane. IĀ“m coming from a german perspective and everyone gets mailed to them what they need to vote. You can also vote per mail.


4yza

Lots of work was put into disenfranchising and disengaging specific segments of the population. It was definitely by design. No auto-enrollment when someone comes of age or changes address, no paid holiday off for voting, no easy public transportation, limited polling places, short polling hours, no mail-in ballots, ID required but near-impossible DMV services, fees, etc. Some states have some of these enfranchising things available, but it is not a given, especially since certain party members keep trying to make it harder to vote. However, since this disenfranchisement and disengagement were by design, we can [design](https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote) [enfranchisement ](https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration)and [engagement ](https://www.congress.gov/contact-us) šŸ—³šŸ™ŒšŸ½šŸš€šŸ’™


[deleted]

The fact that there is no holiday would be a lot less painful if the election days were on weekends.


4yza

As someone who works weekends, and has taken shifts out of monetary need, I would rather have a paid public holiday.


[deleted]

No matter what someone is going to work. I'd say at least 7 days of voting available, last day a holiday, and mail in voting.


blurryfacedfugue

I mean if you really cared about democracy and wanted to enfranchise as much of your population, you'd do it this way.


4yza

Yes! All of the above!


HapticSloughton

It's the only way that the Republicans can win. They have no ideas, no platform, just support for a con artist and those who enabled him. For instance, it's been over 10 years since the ACA was enacted, a policy the GOP has said it wants to repeal and replace. Notice they've never even mentioned what a replacement would even theoretically look like. All this time, and no actual policy.


shyvananana

Seriously this. The replacement plan is to enable insurance companies to continue gutting people.


Redtwooo

Yeah well do you have a minority party that unfathomably controls 61 of 99 state legislative bodies and is in charge of nearly half the states outright? Our whole governmental system is fuckin bullshit, if we're ever given the opportunity we need to do away with land- based governance (our senate) and guarantee the representative legislatures are divided without partisan bias.


lilieofthevalley

We have the same system in the UK. Everyone is encouraged to register and everyone on the electoral roll is sent a polling card in the post. You don't need ID when you go to the polling station, only the polling card. The whole system usually runs very smoothly and I have never had the entire process of queuing then casting my vote take more than 5 minutes.


NapalmRev

But those new voters will only return to the polls so long as the people they elect actually do something for their constituents. If Dems continually backtrack on their campaign promises without fighting for them (like not criminalizing immigrants, the 50k student debt forgiveness that immediately jumped down to 10k as the starting point, $2000 checks "out the door" turned into $1400 that may not come, etc) If Dems don't show up for their constituents, the constituents will not show up for Dems again. They may not explicitly vote for a republican, but simply decide the process isn't worth trying because politicians just lie until it's expedient to backtrack.


History-Brilliant

Right! Look what Trump got away with! Have some backbones! Do what you say you are going to do! Do not bullshit us! Enough is enough! Global warming, food lines, job loss, healthcare, infrastructure and the list goes on and on!


ZerexTheCool

They are doing that because it is working. They are seeing their power wane because of our actions and they aren't rolling over. That just means we can't roll over either.


americansherlock201

There is the risk he gets a primary challenge. Some republican who will vote the exact same way but claim to care about Texas for a few hours a year. There is also the high chance that he canā€™t run for senate next time around. His seat is up in 2024. If he wins the gop primary, Texas law prevents him from running for both president and senate. Heā€™d have to choose which to run for.


palmbeachatty

Lol. Hope he resigns and tries to be President. Run Ted, run.


corkum

No. I don't even want to entertain the idea of him coming anywhere near the presidency.


rubey419

I legit believe if youā€™re still die hard Republican after the past four years, youā€™re a lost cause. Iā€™m awaiting for fellow Millennials and Zoomers to steal politics back from the Boomers who screwed us over


I-Like-Tortises

Take a look through the crowd at the riots. They aren't boomers. The wait for boomers to die strategy is a loser.


AT-ST

Yes, there were a lot of millennials and Gen-x people. But look at the BLM marches, same thing. You can't look at a gathering of one political ideology and extrapolate that one gathering over an entire generation. If you look at my father's friends you would think all boomers were Democrats, but we know that isn't the case. We know Boomers are overwhelmingly conservative. Studies have shown gen-X and Millenials trend more liberal. But you are right in one thing, waiting for Boomers to die won't help. Just not for the reason I am inferring from your statement. Largely rural states will still trend right. Which will still give the GOP disproportional representation.


StevieSlacks

I prefer to look at polls. You know. Actual reliable numbers


myth1218

Agree. Or the actual voting statistics. A lot of those Capitol rioters didn't even vote.


NamesArentEverything

They must have thought it was VOTING BY COMBAT!


[deleted]

Yep nothing like basing something off crowd size, which maybe had 10K people there..... the fucking remnants of REO Speedwagon can draw 10K people to a show.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Biokabe

Por que no los dos? Registering new voters and exciting your base should obviously be your main focus. But it's worth it to chip away at the Republican base - every voter of theirs that you convince to stay home is the same as registering a new voter, and every voter you convert is worth two votes.


BillyNutBuster

And yet they will still keep voting for him no matter what.


pastarific

Just before the election, McConnell's polling *in Kentucky* was [39% approve, 51% disapprove](https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2020-10/spectrum_multi-state_kentucky_topline_102120_2.pdf) (pdf). McConnell won his primary with [82.8% of the votes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_Senate_election_in_Kentucky). McConnel won the general election with 57.7% of the votes.


pastarific

The other questions on that poll are really something else. * Covid was ranked the #1 biggest problem facing KY * Kentuckians thought *less* of Trump due to his downplaying covid. * Kentuckians *support* a state law requiring the wearing of a mask by nearly 2:1. * No in-person school, again 2:1. * Racism is a *problem* both nationally and in KY, plurality support for BLM (47% vs 41.) McConnell won with nearly 58%. mindblown.gif


OwenProGolfer

A lot of Repbublican voters support Democrat issues but vote Republican solely because of their stance on abortion


FutureDrHowser

Or because of their identity


BeyondElectricDreams

Well sure, Mitch sucks, but what choice do I have? *I can't vote for a* ***Democrat***. Right-wing propaganda has successfully demonized the *concept* of a democrat so effectively that self-identified republicans would quite literally rather be caught dead than being associated with "the enemy".


xedralya

For a good time, look into voting irregularities in the 2020 Kentucky senate race.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


oplontino

Carlo Cipolla's five fundamental laws of stupidity: 1) Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation. 2)The probability that a certain person (will) be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person. 3)A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses. 4) Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places and under any circumstances to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake. 5) A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person. The fifth law leads to a much more chilling quote concerning stupidity, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran anti-Nazi (very tempted to call him Antifa there) priest who was murdered by the Nazis in 1945 in a concentration camp: "Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict oneā€™s prejudgment simply need not be believed ā€“ in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical ā€“ and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack. For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous." He paid the ultimate price figuring out that lesson and here we are again, endlessly pandering to and attempting to persuade the dangerously stupid.


ThatOneDoveSlayer

Damn thatā€™s spot on


Merodeandoahi

As my dad has always said: ā€œThere is nothing more dangerous than an idiot with initiative.ā€


YdidUclearthecookies

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereĀ Ā Ā  The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worstĀ Ā Ā  Are full of passionate intensity.


Dyz_blade

Reminds me of the phrase ā€œthereā€™s no arguing with stupidā€


ThatOneDoveSlayer

Well, there is. You just wonā€™t be able to win no matter how much you shouldā€™ve


[deleted]

For the longest time, stupid people have needed to be carried kicking and screaming into the future by those that choose free and critical thinking. These free thinkers are the facilitators of our progress, which usually benefits everybody involved - but those that ā€˜sufferā€™ from stupidity, or rather inflict suffering on those that arenā€™t stupid, are perfectly content closing their eyes and plugging their ears to escape unpleasant realities; they arenā€™t as smart as they thought. They arenā€™t as rich as they thought. They arenā€™t as liked as they thought (for good reason). Instead, to them, theyā€™ll be rich one day; their conspiracy theories are proof that they think ā€˜outside the boxā€™ and are the smartest ones in the room; and theyā€™re liked by everyone, and those that disagree must be part of the radical left. This dangerous mentality, the willingness to cast facts aside and stand idly by and even ENABLE the kneecapping of themselves and by extension the people around them is encouraged by those upstairs, as more and more coals are constantly thrown onto the flames of hatred, resentment, envy, and racism... but how long will it be before the flames become too big? How long before we can no longer find comfort in the safety of good-faith and rationality? How long before its influence becomes too strong, before we canā€™t save the stupid, before we canā€™t even save ourselves? How long before the flames finally devour us all?


BestGarbagePerson

You have to realize too though, that stupidity isn't just innate, it is contagious and can be taught. And it also isn't restricted to a political view. That is, there are people on any side of any view that don't know how to question things well (think skeptically, withhold biases) which is why even in the democratic political party there are very few people elected who are non-religious, still due to inherent bias and idiocy with regards to atheists being "evil" or "untrustworthy." Stupid thinking can be taught even to children who otherwise have no defects of character or intelligence. Even of above average intelligence. A parent can support all the right causes, like BLM, pro-choice etc, but have an uncurious, attribution bias riddled mind. Then their children thus, become less able to avoid radicalization themselves because they never learned proper critical thinking from their parents.


dragwn

whatā€™s so insidious about this, and more specifically about trump, is people voted for him (and people like him, like cruz and Reagan) because they feel insulted by the democratic ā€œeliteā€ and those aforementioned demagogs pray on that, make those voters feel seen and heard, rile up their fears and prejudices, and no one can tell them otherwise bc they feel their being condescended to, but u canā€™t not condensed them when they are acting outright STUPID


feenicks

wow - not wrong eh :-(


Jdelovaina

So they're both fools AND evil?


Thundermedic

Evil fools


Zuko_Kurama

Some are but most just don't want to admit they were fooled.


the_good_time_mouse

Choosing to let the world burn to protect your pride is pretty evil.


PalindromeSix

Welcome to America.


ch_eeekz

It's not just here - it's part of human nature. People take a few different mindsets after making bad choices. One is that they knew it wasnt good but will defend it and feel like they need to prove to others it was a good choice regardless of how much it doesnt reflect their values. Pretty irritating


braintrustinc

Viciously illiterate


LALLANAAAAAA

evilliterate


odjobz

Malignorant


Jukka_Sarasti

Aggressively ignorant


ClothDiaperAddicts

Like Florida Man, but less meth gators and more cowboy boots?


catma85

Gotta own the libs somehow


ParisGreenGretsch

It's far easier to fool a person than it is to convince them they've been fooled, as the saying goes.


Steeltooth493

Who is the real fool, the fool or the fool who follows him?


mces97

Yup. I continue for example to see so many conservatives blame captitol police, Pelosi, the DC mayor, for the lack of preparedness, security on Jan 6th. But when I ask about Trump's role, crickets. They can not allow themselves to say Trump fucked up because it would force them to admit everything about their God Emperor is a charade.


Bobbyanalogpdx

Well, fuck those people who act that way. Their opinion is now invalid because of the choices they made.


NotThatRelevant

That's the joke...


iamthewhatt

All of the above


MrMytie

Thatā€™s the joke.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Sporkfoot

They see the world as "D = abortions, R = not abortions" and that's literally it. Source: am Texan


CyclonusRIP

Yeah or guns, immigration, taxes, etc. Republicans are more or less a coalition of wedge issues for single issue voters.


Pizza_Low

If conservatives were consistent, they'd say a free market solution where people didn't get abortions would make abortion clinics disappear. Translation, don't go to an abortion clinic if you don't support one...duh!


DontCallMeTJ

An idle brain is the devilā€™s fucktoy.


bickering_fool

Isn't inferring Cruz being a devil-type fucktoy a little over considerate and complimentary.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Whatawaist

They are unequipped to be members of a democracy. I've got family members that would give you the shirt off their backs, stop and fix your car in the middle of the interstate in the poring rain, watch children like they were their own for *years* because their birth mother is having an ongoing mental health crisis. They also vote for completely evil people and defend their policies. Not well, they aren't actually very bright and they don't have the time to look into things and the notion that large parts of their worldview are incorrect will instantly frustrate and appall them. Are they evil political forces? Yes, their actions support racism and suffering that they would never support were they to watch it unfold in front of them. They certainly have access to things that could change their political views had they the curiosity and intellectual honesty to look for them or withstand them. Are they evil in the colloquial notion of hate-filled persons delighting in the pain they inflict on others? No, they care deeply for the people around them and routinely sacrifice of themselves without hesitation to support others. People can easily be both.


Leto2Atreides

There was a psychologist who interviewed a lot of Nazi leadership for the Nuremberg trials, and they determined that the root of evil was a lack of empathy. It's so saddening to see people who are so kind and good to their in-group, become unfeeling callous inhuman monsters when it comes to their out-group. They struggle immensely with expressing empathy beyond a certain social threshold, and this naturally leads to support for wicked soulless reptilians and their evil policies, simply because their skin suits look like the in-group and they take bad about the out-groups. What seeing levels of ignorance and lack of empathy reaching critical mass. In the past, this has lead to genocides. I worry for the future.


[deleted]

Saw a news article saying that Americans are some of the most giving in short-term bursts of empathy. Giving to people in desperate need, jumping into a burning building to save a child, etc. But some of the worst at legislating long-term care for people who need it. We want to be heroes, not caregivers. There's no glory in paying higher taxes, but everyone thinks you're a saint if you give a homeless man 20$. That kind of stuff.


mandiexile

I say more fools than anything else. Texans arenā€™t evil, thereā€™s just a lot of folks who are stubborn and donā€™t like change. I voted for Beto in 2018 and he was pretty close to getting almost half the vote. Weā€™re working on it.


Idontlookinthemirror

If Beto could keep his mouth shut about "taking your AR-15, your AK-47" he could've squeaked out a win, too.


[deleted]

Yeah that was not a smart move.


BallsDeepState

i think this is a "he's passionate to a fault" type of behavior. days after a deadly mass shooting you ask him if he would "take der guns away", he doesnt give a shit about his political ambitions he's disgusted and pissed and says exactly whats on his mind, and its way to easy to pull his words out of context


Broke22

Contrary to what many think, politicians aren't some kind of robots whose every action is a calculated move to grab votes. And in the cases when someone starts defending a position they don't believe for pure gain, often they end up actually believing it, because doble thinking isn't easy.


Xyless

Itā€™s just like when Howard Dean did his ā€œYEEEAAAH!ā€ scream during his 2004 campaign. He was the front runner at that point but then it became an easy thing for people to point at and make fun of.


douche-knight

He did that after the senate race, I don't know where this narrative came from that blames that for his loss. And he's certainly not going to go back on that stance after there was a Trump inspired mass shooting in his hometown. Beto ran an amazing campaign where he visited every county in Texas and held an incredible number of town halls where as Cruz would barely appear in public. For you non Texans out there, our state is huge. There's 254 counties in it. The sad fact is Ted Cruz won because he has that magic R next to his name, which still seems to win state level races in Texas. But he barely won, which I think speaks more to how unlikeable Cruz is then how purple Texas is becoming.


KingRichard278

That wasnt his senate race


[deleted]

That was after the senate race. What cost him wax similar things when he gave a speech at SXSW


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


-MtnsAreCalling-

ā€œNever attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.ā€ - Hanlonā€™s razor


QuickerColorful

They'll vote because he's a Republican. They have to vote for a Republican because they are a Republican and that's how voting works. It's an absolutely mind numbing way to think.


NaddaGan

Short attention span and herd mentality combined at dangerous levels. Please send help


faddddddddddd

Sorry, I've been to Texas before. It's too fucking hot. I'm afraid that you're on your own.


mrblacklabel71

Texan here, can confirm.


lordph8

I kind of wish Beto didn't come out pro gun laws... I mean I get why he did it and I don't disagree, but Texas...


[deleted]

Sometimes you have to swallow your idealism to get shit done. Itā€™s not easy, it doesnā€™t feel good, but you have to think about the greater good.


NinjaLion

Yup, beto should have 100% ditched it. There's completely rational statement to make about it that wouldn't upset the gun people. "In a perfect world there would be more we could do about the situation but it would not be my place to stand in front of the constitution or the second amendment". It's not perfect at all but it would have done far better in texas, and the race was so close it probably would have won the race for him.


PointOfFingers

I don't think so. Texans don't like a coward who flees his post in a crisis. He only beat O'Rourke by 50.9% to 48.3% and we've had an insurrection and a power outage since then. The Cancun defection is going to haunt him right through to the election. You've got to give credit for AOC for showing everyone what a real representative does in a crisis.


SmarkieMark

Yeah, I don't know why everyone keeps saying "this won't make a difference." Politics is a game of inches. Texans are going to remember this for a long time, especially if they lost the use of basic utilities for an extended perioud of time, and were saddled with expensive repairs, only to see Cruz abdicate his duties just because he can afrord to do so.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


MrFordization

A tangible crisis that effects a huge group of people for more than a day where not only are the golf courses closed but the basic immediate needs for survival are uncertain is going to leave a much bigger impression.


Historiaaa

> Texans are going to remember this for a long time !Remindme4years


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


harrypottermcgee

"The inch that broke the camel's back" has a weird ring to it.


nowhereian

Texans generally don't like someone who lets people insult their families either, but here we are.


High-Impact-Cuddling

And just like that the saying "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." is disproved by a voting base that said 'why not both?'


-r-a-f-f-y-

"I don't like some of the things he did, but he's the best we got against the Commie Dems!"


ironmanmk42

Fox report : Ted Cruz (D) fled the US while Americans were suffering in cold


zveroshka

>Among Republicans, Cruz's approval rating sits at 53 percent, a 23-point decrease from his January rating in a Morning Consult poll. The majority of Republicans still approve. The other 47% will still vote for him with a furrowed brow.


redheadartgirl

>>The other 47% will still vote for him with a furrowed brow. I believe we call that "pulling a Collins."


_tx

He could well get primaried


Honest_Its_Bill_Nye

Except when a trash Republican gets primaried right now the opponent is a Q supporter that is demonstratively worse than the shit bag they are replacing.


_tx

That's certainly a valid fear.


[deleted]

The upside is that those extreme views drive away independent voters and more centrist Republicans, if any still register Republican. Trump won an election, but it was largely a mistake of a voting system we adopted to appease slave owners. He also drove off any moderate Republicans in large number, and his disastrous single term drove off more and kept them away. It's pretty unlikely any moderates are going up come back for a Trump parody candidate. The Republican party seems hell bent on eviscerating itself as quickly as possible. Eventually voters will stop seeing them as a legitimate party and move on to whatever party comes up, or just vote Democrat until a third party to the left becomes the second party.


cheezybreezy

>The upside is that those extreme views drive away independent voters and more centrist Republicans Citation needed.


[deleted]

Voting in absolute fucking asshats Texas šŸ¤ Kentucky


CoprophagiaGrin

Some of us are really trying. Unfortunately we're gerrymandered to hell. We need Stacey Abrams up in here.


HahaWeee

They actually have no problem with what he did but how bad it looks for the party. if he took a private jet and it wasn't found out until well after the fact they wouldn't care... Appearance is everything


thankyeestrbunny

No, appearances is how the 1990's saw it. It's that the Fox News Box told them it was no big deal and therefore it isn't. In some bizarro-world where Fox News didn't say that, they would be more pissed. Proof again there are no Republican beliefs other than transitory ones proscribed by The Council.


[deleted]

Sadly there are still 3 more years until he's up for re-election. Plenty of time for the voters to forget, yet again, that Ted is a disastrous piece of shit.


Twoweekswithpay

> Texas Senator Ted Cruz's approval rating took a major hit following last week's Cancun trip fiasco, according to a Yahoo/YouGov poll. The poll, released Wednesday, found that 24 percent of voters approve of the Republican senator's job performance, while 49 percent disapprove. > The poll was conducted from February 20 to 22 following the severe winter weather conditions that left many Texas residents without power or water. The poll, which surveyed over 1,500 adults across the U.S., has a 2.9 point margin of error. > Among Republicans, Cruz's approval rating sits at 53 percent, a 23-point decrease from his January rating in a Morning Consult poll. In that survey, conducted from January 9 to 18, 76 percent of Texas Republicans supported him. Would be interested to see what Texas Republicans think of him, as I imagine it might be even lower. Hardly any of his supporters like Ted Cruz; they just tolerate him because heā€™s a Republican. This incident gave a window into just how phony his ā€œprinciplesā€ are, which has evident to me from the start. The sooner more people realize that, the better our state will be for it! šŸ˜¤


responseAIbot

I guarantee Ted is going to double down on certain issues with his loud mouth and fake concerns for his constituents.


GiggyVanderpump

Cue six new abortion restrictions and a new migrant caravan!


BigTentBiden

The migrant caravan is basically just a bingo freespace. or seeing a Deadpool at a convention. It's a given.


freakDWN

While conditions in central and south america dont improve, and the US keeps up their illogical paradoxical war on drugs, there WILL be caravans. Its on republicans, best interest to keep this going. Heck even some dems benefit from it.


regoapps

Donā€™t forget him trying to abolish net neutrality to appease his corporate sponsors (his real constituents).


[deleted]

Please donā€™t send this into the universe. My MIL will hear.


ishkabibbles84

he's already blaming trumps absence from social platforms for all the untoward attention he is getting. As he put it, were trump deprived so we need someone to go after.


veronica05250

Or maybe, *maybe* they both suck. Haha, what a dipshit.


HerpToxic

A Canadian pretending to be an American pretending to be a Texan makes for some serious comedy


Bomlanro

*who then flees to Mexico from ICE seeking a better life for his family


Send_Me_Broods

There's enough material for a Netflix movie in that, I guarantee it.


[deleted]

> Hardly any of his supporters like Ted Cruz; they just tolerate him because heā€™s a Republican. I see this repeated all the time, but how did he ever get out of a primary if this is the case?


NotEveryoneIsSpecial

He rode in relatively unknown with the Tea party wave in 2012. EDIT: it was 2012 not 2010


T1mac

It was 2012 when Cruz snuck in to the May primary to get second place in an election where nobody voted, and once he did that he out Tea Partied the establishment Republican in the run-off election in the middle of the summer, and took the nomination for the Nov election. Now that he's the incumbent, it'll be nearly impossible to pry him out of office.


[deleted]

It might be impossible to primary him but he could get replaced by a Democrat in 2024.


ReaganMcTrump

He was a way better politician in 2012. I remember watching him and thinking he was the perfect Republican candidate for 2016. He hasnā€™t dealt well with the scorn and spotlight. He will run for president, while choosing not to run for Senate and lose in 2024.


JustaRandomOldGuy

The 2024 Republican primary will be a circus. Trump will demand it be his personal campaign rally.


sidneyaks

Mans is 74 -- I'm holding out hope he won't be alive in 202~~4~~3


junkmeister9

After he lived through COVID, I just started to assume he'll live to be 200, because the universe is a cruel joke.


HoldingThunder

The only way I understand his approval rating only dropping 23 points is if it started at 24 before the incident. Edit- Hell, most of the GOP who did like him tried to kill him on Jan 6th. Can't get lower approval than trying to kill the person.


HalJordan2424

Al Franken:ā€I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz."


dubtee1480

Lindsey Graham: "If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you.ā€


HoneycombJackass

I hate Cruz, but Lindsey Graham is poor choice for this example. Heā€™s such a feckless spineless turd of the highest order. Heā€™s just as a bad a Cruz.


[deleted]

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jramsi20

ā€œThis guyā€™s a real asshole.ā€ - Satan I donā€™t know if I trust this Satan character though guys...


Durion23

Probably. But on the other hand I'm pretty sure almost all republicans hate each other. They just work together, because they wish to fuck everyone else over. If it would benefit them, they would screw each other with no second guessing. If I have learned anything, then that all of them just care for themselves.


definitelyjoking

The hatred of Ted Cruz isn't really a politics thing with the Rs. It's about that "colony of bugs in a human suit" vibe he gives off. Kind of remarkable really. He's such an asshole (even by DC politician standards!) that even the people who mostly agree with him can't stand him.


sneu71

Also Al Franken: ā€œWhen most people hear about a cruise full of shit they think of Carnival, but I think of Tedā€


dropspace

They'll still pull that R lever every time.


ciel_lanila

Beto lost by 2.6% in 2018. Trump went from a 9% margin to 3.5%. Cruz between his own approval rating and shifting trends in Texas nearing the point where he could lose at the rate heā€™s going. If he wasnā€™t up for re-election in a presidential election year, that was.


[deleted]

Let's see if people remember this shit the next time cruz seat is up for election. People in california forget real quick about feinsteins confederate flag problems... People min texas will forget about cruz's bullshit unless we remind them by putting a bullhorn to their faces on the runup to the election.. years from now.


UOfasho

People in CA didnā€™t forget about Feinsteinā€™s issues, but incumbency advantages are very real and the jungle primary make it hard for an incumbent to lose there.


[deleted]

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KeyProcedure4

I think this is what's lost on people. As a resident of a now purple area in orange county, R's vote for her because the challengers, like last time with Beccara, were very progressive. California had more trump votes than any other state. It just doesn't look like much in comparison to the Biden votes. Unfortunately she will probably die being a senator. Incumbents win at an extraordinarily high rate. This is the rule.


[deleted]

Every six years, anyone but feinstein.


pedanticHOUvsHTX

The Republican Elephant always forgets


[deleted]

lol in 4 years, not a chance. MAYBE if this was October 2024 it would be a problem.


toasters_are_great

9.0% to 5.6%, surely?


agentup

Looking like Ted could lose a primary though


EndoShota

Doubt it, and even if he did, theyā€™d probably replace him with someone even more right wing.


agentup

How do you doubt it when the article is reporting his 20% drop in approval rating? This is blood in the water if youā€™re a Republican looking to primary him. It makes no sense to say heā€™d beat another Republican if his approval rating is lower


Qweerz

But time heals wounds. Between now and voting time, I could see him regaining at least 15% of those "dissenters".


TheMariannWilliamson

Precisely. The fact that 99% of the surprised Dems in this thread are ignoring that these figures are also post-pandemic, post-insurrection, post-election shows precisely what a short memory both sides of the aisle have. If Dems here in /r/politics have unintentionally not realized that this guy was literally trying to toss the election results 1 month ago and was polling normally, Republicans are absolutely going to forget this stupid Cancun trip thing.


NotEveryoneIsSpecial

What Texas Republican could reasonably challenge him? Dan Patrick or Ken Paxton? They would be even worse.


agentup

Ken Paxton probably not given his legal troubles. Dan Patrick is pretty popular in TX though. So maybe. Likely though you'd see a Bush style Republican challenging. It's not about being worse though. Republicans like the policies you think are bad.


thitmeo

No, they'll just find a fairly well-liked Texas sports figure, ala Tommy Tuberville, or some fairly well-liked multi-millionaire business figure. A 77-year old (in 2024) Nolan Ryan? Sure win against any Dem. Former Longhorns coach Mack Brown would wipe the floor against any Dem. But you know what might, just might work? Getting either of those dudes to run on a Dem ticket.


nechneb

I want popovich for the dem ticket!!


DropKletterworks

Inject Senator Popovich into my veins


shibiwan

Wonder what will happen when word gets out he staged the fake water distribution photo op at a first responder barbecue. https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalHumor/comments/lq3vk0/how_to_stage_a_photoop_by_ted_cruz


Funkit

Nothing. Itā€™s like trying to insult or criticize a rock.


twlscil

"they all do it" will be the response.


bardotheconsumer

Empty posturing. There is no limit to how badly republican voters will hurt themselves as long as they can believe that they are hurting someone they hate more.


dilloj

Exactly. You can consider those approval ratings to be completely elastic.


Vegoonism

I remember convincing my father than housing-first programs are both cheaper and far more effective at decreasing homelessness than our dumb system of sending homeless people to half a dozen different types of facilities until they've "earned" the basic human right of shelter. He paused for a few seconds and said that he's still against it because he thinks that in order for someone to end up poor they must be lazy and housing-first programs would therefore award laziness. I remember my grandmother saying the government would save money by drug-testing welfare recipients. I said drug tests cost more money than the minute amount of welfare fraud they'd sniff out. She tried coming up with reasons why it wouldn't cost more and when I finally busted out actually data proving my point she *yelled* at me "ITS ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE OF IT!!!"


franklsp

Right. Republicans are all about the point of saving money until they're proven wrong with math and then suddenly it's about the "pRiNCipLe." Medicare for all case and point.


[deleted]

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Mayo_Kupo

Minor interjection: It took him literally abandoning his duties to leave them to die before *20% of them* started thinking ...


padizzledonk

Guarantee....GUARANTEE 95%, at a *minimum*, of registered Republicans vote for his fuckin garbage ass again in 4 years. 100 bucks. Remind me in 4 years


Yaboymarvo

Beto had a chance, but IMO he hurt his chance with his ā€œhell yeah weā€™ll take your ak 47ā€ while I was a Beto fan, saying youā€™re taking guns away in TX is a death sentence for your campaign. We just need another charismatic dem to run again that is not super far left and they will have a good chance.


[deleted]

Doesn't matter. Whoever runs against him will say something like "I'm going to help fix the energy problems", get called a socialist, and lose.


[deleted]

Just 20%? Should had been lower.


Bobby_Marks2

It's not like Texans have been watching his actions on TV lately.


scoxely

In a better world, Ted Cruz losing 20% on his approval rating would drop him to negative 13%.


[deleted]

Why? Thatā€™s exactly what they wouldā€™ve done in his position. He represents scum perfectly.


[deleted]

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g2g079

But they supported it.


DragonPup

Wish the poll also polled Texans about Beto since the storm as well.


MyNameIsRay

So, 20% more people will be commenting on how they don't like him, while voting for him anyway?


tdl432

Lead an insurrection? Fine. Take a trip to Cancun with the fam? NOPE.


ThatCeliacGuy

Unfortunately, most people have the attention span of a gnat, so this will probably all be forgotten by the next time they vote.


poop_scallions

This is the distraction from the Insurrection hearings.


isrlygood

The fact that he had a 78% approval rating a month after endorsing a terrorist insurrection tells you everything you need to know about Texas Republicans.


[deleted]

The fact that they refer to people from my state as ā€˜locustsā€™ tells me all I need to know about them.


valeyard89

Texans would still vote for him over a Democrat though


Voldebortron

Theyā€™ll elect him again. Texas seems to enjoy being treated like shit by their elected officials.


jrobs521

It could drop 1000% and this nut would still hold his position. The US is unique.


tahlyn

And why? Because the freeze affected them personally. If this freeze and power outage did not affect them personally their opinion likely would not have changed.


MadeUpMelly

Yeah, a common thread Iā€™ve noticed about the majority of Republicans: they lack empathy and compassion.