Katie Couric conducted a condescending interview on Yahoo with Ted Cruz, asking the Republican if he has "any empathy" for immigrants as he opposes Barack Obama. The presidential candidate also zinged the liberal journalist, reminding her that it was Hillary Clinton who first started the birther campaign.
After insisting to Cruz, "you've worked to block every legislative action to allow undocumented immigrants to remain legally," Couric lectured, "So, given the fact that your father immigrated here from Cuba, do you have any empathy for people who come here looking for a better way of life?"
Other questions included a baffled Couric wondering, "... Do you think it's possible to be too conservative, Senator Cruz, to be elected President?"
Regarding the so-called birther issue, Cruz reminded Couric who was really responsible for starting the false rumors about Obama:
KATIE COURIC: You were born in Canada. Do you think that's going to be an issue for voters, because when we did solicit questions on Twitter, many people pointed that out. I know your mother is a U.S. citizen, was a U.S. citizen when you were born, but people seem to have a problem with that.
TED CRUZ: Well, you know, it's interesting. The whole birther campaign was started by Hillary Clinton in 2008 against Barack Obama and I recognize that there are folks online that like to push that issue. I'll tell you as a legal matter, the law is quite clear, that a child of a citizen born abroad, is a citizen by birth, is a natural-born citizen. My mother was born in Wilmington, Delaware. I was born in Canada, in Calgary, because my parents were working in the oil and gas industry. And under federal law, the child of a U.S. citizen – if you or I traveled abroad and we have a child abroad, that child is a citizen by birth.
(See Breitbart and Politico for more on Clinton's role in the birther issue.)
Couric offered a long lecture on global warming, challenging the Senator about the Pope:
COURIC: Climate change, I know that you've said the climate might be changing, but there's no convincing evidence changes are man made. But multiple studies, as you know, Senator, and peer reviewed scientific journals show that at least 97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities. Now, the Pope in his first major encyclical wrote, "Humanity is called for the need of changes of lifestyle, production and consumption in order to combat this warming, or at lease the human causes which produce or aggravate it." So, do all those scientists and the Pope have it wrong in your view?
In May, another Republican candidate, Carly Fiorina, nailed Couric on her double standards.
A partial transcript is below:
Yahoo!
6/29/15KATIE COURIC: You were born in Canada. Do you think that's going to be an issue for voters, because when we did solicit questions on Twitter, many people pointed that out. I know your mother is a U.S. citizen, was a U.S. citizen when you were born, but people seem to have a problem with that.
TED CRUZ: Well, you know, it's interesting. The whole birther campaign was started by Hillary Clinton in 2008 against Barack Obama and I recognize that there are folks online that like to push that issue. I'll tell you as a legal matter, the law is quite clear, that a child of a citizen born abroad, is a citizen by birth, is a natural-born citizen. My mother was born in Wilmington, Delaware. I was born in Canada, in Calgary, because my parents were working in the oil and gas industry. And under federal law, the child of a U.S. citizen – if you or I traveled abroad and we have a child abroad, that child is a citizen by birth.
...
COURIC: So, you're saying you basically don't think it's an issue at all?
...
COURIC: Speaking of Barry Goldwater [Cruz had just mentioned him], do you think it's possible to be too conservative, Senator Cruz, to be elected President?
...
COURIC: Climate change, I know that you've said the climate might be changing, but there's no convincing evidence changes are man made. But multiple studies, as you know, Senator, and peer reviewed scientific journals show that at least 97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities. Now, the Pope in his first major encyclical wrote, "Humanity is called for the need of changes of lifestyle, production and consumption in order to combat this warming, or at lease the human causes which produce or aggravate it." So, do all those scientists and the Pope have it wrong in your view?...
COURIC: Well, let's talk immigration, because I'm very curious about your views on that. I know you staunchly oppose President Obama's executive actions on immigration. You've worked to block every legislative action to allow undocumented immigrants to remain legally in this country. So, given the fact that your father immigrated here from Cuba, do you have any empathy for people who come here looking for a better way of life and is there a way to have some kind of comprehensive immigration reform and what would you do with the 11 million people who are in this country illegally?
