This wasn’t the first time liberal media members likened Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) to Joe McCarthy or called him a demagogue.
But it didn't seem appropriate for PBS’s Inside Washington to end its program Friday on such a defamatory and arguably false note regarding a sitting senator (video follows with transcript and commentary):
COLBY KING, WASHINGTON POST: We’ve seen this story before, and it didn’t start in the ’60s. There was a guy named Joe McCarthy who even railed on against his own administration, the Eisenhower administration. And he had a narrow base of support, but it was loyal there. And he went after an issue, and he was a demagogue. And this guy [Cruz] is a demagogue, too but, he’s winning – as Mark has said - because the base that he’s got will keep him going and they’ll put money behind him.
EVAN THOMAS, POLITICO: He’s a lot smarter than McCarthy. In that way he can be more dangerous.
KING: Well, I don’t know if he’s smarter.
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: You guys get the last word. Thanks. We’ll see you next week.
Nice way to end a political talk show: besmirching a sitting senator.
As this word “demagogue” gets thrown at conservatives on a seemingly regular basis, I thought we should define it and analyze whether that’s what Cruz is.
Google defines demagogue as "a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument."
Does that describe Cruz? Is he appealing to people's prejudices?
He stands for a balanced budget and opposes ObamaCare.
A Fox News poll in March found a staggering 85 percent of people think the federal government should be required to balance its budget.
As for ObamaCare, Gallup reported just last week that 50 percent of the nation want the law repealed or scaled back.
As such, Cruz's two primary political positions are shared by the majority of Americans. Exactly how is expressing views shared by the majority demagoguery?
As for not having a "rational argument," anyone who watched all or part of Cruz's recent 21-hour "filibuster" saw extremely reasoned points being made in a calm, civil manner.
So rational were his arguments that conservative author Ann Coulter told NewsBusters recently that she learned more in those 21 hours than in three years of law school.
One therefore must conclude that to liberal media members, anyone saying something they don't agree with is a demagogue.
That's a pretty low bar, dontcha think?
