Well that didn’t take long. After Cruz’s strong comments condemning Islamic terrorism Tuesday, the media seemed to be following the same teleprompter in making endless comparisons to Trump. ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! also jumped on the bandwagon with a parody ad, narrated by an eerily realistic Mitt Romney impersonator, who claimed Cruz was “almost exactly the same [as Trump] but without the steaks and vodka.”
Not to be outdone, The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake promoted the video in a blog Thursday, complete with sneering disdain for the GOP:
The Republican Party establishment is choosing a man it really dislikes and maybe even hates over a man it definitely hates and doesn't think can win. That's basically the calculus when it comes to folks like Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush endorsing Ted Cruz over Donald Trump.
He continued:
The below faux Romney ad from "Jimmy Kimmel Live" oversimplifies things a little bit, but it's a good example of how little daylight there is between Cruz and Trump on a lot of issues.
While ABC and The Washington Post can claim that there is no difference between Cruz and Trump, there is at least one huge difference: Trump’s liberal past. Both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have called out the media for ignoring this fact.
See the transcript from the March 23 Jimmy Kimmel Live! below:
JIMMY KIMMEL: The establishment seems to be doing all they can do behind the scenes to topple Donald Trump and in front of the scenes too, Mitt Romney in particular has his magic underwear in a bunch when it comes to Donald Trump. He’s asking voters to stop what he calls, “Trumpism” and support Ted Cruz. In fact, Mitt released this power ballad that really details the differences between Trump and Cruz in a really easy to follow way.
[video]
ROMNEY[actor]: I’m Mitt Romney. This primary, Republicans need to stand up to Trumpism by supporting Ted Cruz. The differences are clear.
ROMNEY: Donald Trump wants to build a wall and deport 11 million immigrants.
ROMNEY: So does Ted Cruz. [audience laughter]
ROMNEY: But Trump’s economic plan calls for a budget-busting multi-trillion dollar tax cut, with no way to pay for it.
ROMNEY: As does Ted Cruz’s. But the difference is this. Ted Cruz is a strong conservative, who, like Donald Trump, opposes gun control, abortion, Obamacare and regulation.
ROMNEY: But here’s the thing. Donald Trump is universally despised by his fellow Republicans in Congress.
ROMNEY: And, so is Ted Cruz. [laughter]
ROMNEY: But this, and this is key, Ted Cruz has called for carpet bombing terrorists until the sand glows in the dark. Whereas, Donald Trump doesn’t have any position on whether the sand should glow at the end.
ROMNEY: This election the choice is clear. Say no to Trump, and say yes to the guy who’s almost exactly the same, but without the steaks and vodka.
[Paid for Americans for Trump, but not that Trump.]
