Is it right to change the name of the GOP to the SCP: The Stupid Crazy Party? In an interview with Time Magazine Ted Cruz says he doesn't think so:
I do think in the media there is a tendency to describe conservatives as one of two things: stupid or evil. And those are the two categories that every conservative gets put in by Democrats and the media. A conservative is either stupid — too dumb to know the right answer — and even worse, if they actually know the right answer, then they’re evil. They want people to suffer. I suppose I feel mildly complimented in that they have recently invented a third category, which is crazy. It’s the alternative to stupid or evil. And now crazy is the third one, because it seems inconceivable that there could be Americans who believe in free-market principles and believe in the Constitution and are working to defend them.
Let's break down Cruz's analysis adjective by adjective:
- stupid: conservatives are too dumb to know the right answer,
- evil: conservatives want people to suffer,
- crazy: it is crazy to defend free-market principles and the Constitution.
Is that what's going on? Let's fly a kite into the lightning and run the experiment on myself. Back to Ted, from the same interview in Time:
I think Barack Obama is an extraordinary politician. And I respect Barack Obama a great deal. I think he is committed to his principles, which is rare in politics. Now I also think, and please don’t leave this part out, that the principles he believes in are profoundly dangerous. I respect that he believes, I think genuinely, with all of his heart, that government control of economy and redistribution of wealth betters the world. I think moving in that direction has wreaked havoc to the American economy. The people who suffer in the Obama economy have been young people, African Americans, Hispanics, single moms.
My turn: Ted Cruz is stupid, crazy, and evil.
Stupid: Ted Cruz has a very high IQ. He may or may not believe his own bullshit, but who the fuck cares? "Stupid" is a perfectly good label when someone who should know better vomits out an extraordinary series of obvious falsehoods, stated and implied. The following is an non-exhaustive list:
- The economy has trended downward during Obama's presidency.
- There has been an increased redistribution of wealth downward under Obama.
- Obama believes in government control of the economy.
- Obama policies have harmed the groups that voted for him by large majorities.
Crazy: For the sake of argument, assume Ted Cruz wants the GOP to win elections. Only a crazy person thinks that you can get people to vote for you by saying that they are too stupid to know that Obama ruined their lives but they voted for him anyway.
Evil: Ted Cruz is lying about policy effects because he favors policies that he knows would hurt "young people, African Americans, Hispanics, single moms."
Conclusion: Ted, if the shoe fits, wear it!