It does feel awkward… but I think most of this is because we so rarely hear it.
When the hardest thing the candidate has said publicly against Cruz is “true to form” (in response to Rafael not being able to say a nice thing about his opponent without a negative) or referring to Rafael as “The Junior Senator” (which he is) you’re simply not going to get anything like this wonderful ad.
I understand that many on the left there is an abhorrence towards any violence, even when defending a family member’s pride… I do know some Republicans that will not vote for Cruz because of this issue. They won’t vote for Beto either… but I’m hoping that they’ll vote for Dikeman (Lib)
In my lifetime, Texas was solidly Democratic. Of course, these were mostly Dixiecrats, who began to be peeled off with Nixon’s southern strategy and with Johnson sealing the deal by signing the Civil Rights Act.
Of course conservatives would argue that Jesus was just giving charitably from his own family’s store of wealth and services, and from those who donate freely, which is fine. But Democrats want to forcibly take these same things from others.
On the other hand, Jesus indicated folks should render unto Caesar. Other disciples were even more explicit about paying taxes.
Edit to clarify here: While I’m articulating a position in the first paragraph I’ve heard from right wing sources before, I’m not trying to endorsing it. The second paragraph is intended to undercut the position in the first, using the same religious authority nominally revered by many conservatives.
Err… No. I don’t see how I was communicating that. But sorry if I wasn’t clear:
My reading of Matthew 22:15-22 is that religious authorities tried to trap Jesus in a dilemma regarding religious duty vs. duty imposed by the occupying government. His answer would either label him an apostate or enemy of Rome.
In one sense I suspect Jesus is cleverly sidestepping their trap by alluding to a legalistic religious principal they’d be aware of: In keeping good ritual practice, you could not pay at the temple using Roman coins (hence money changers).
But I also think he is indicating that there is a duty to cooperate in some aspects of one’s life with non-religious authorities. This is, after all, the guy who hung out with tax collectors (at the time, I’m given to understand, viewed as traitors to their people). And, if my memory serves, there are later apostles who spell out this message more clearly as well.
You’d think more hay could be made about him being a carpetbagger from Canuckistan.
@Rachel_Hall: Take a look at Michigan’s ballot proposal 2, which is coming up for a vote in November. Since the Republicans in Lansing won’t respond to their constituents on this issue (because they’ll lose their stranglehold on the state), we’re going over their heads.
So, at what point is taking wealth from those who make up 1% of the population, but own 90% of the wealth a bad thing? Especially when they basically stole it, from rigging the economy, pilfering the Public Trust, banks too big to fail, offshore tax shelters, money laundering, complicity with foreign nations, ie RUSSIA… the list goes on and on. Fuck that. Eat the fucking rich.
Well, it could be a matter of financial reporting. If the ad explicitly distances itself from Beto, then Beto doesn’t have to count it as a contribution, and no one gets in trouble for exceeding political contribution limits. Beto is free to spend actual contributions on promoting himself and letting someone else bash Cruz. The ad was simply produced by an independent PAC, exercising its 1st amendment rights to publicly call Ted Cruz a jerk. All of which I support, because Ted Cruz is a giant jerk. The other hand, of course, is that there is a lot more money on the dark side, and they routinely use this campaign finance hack to flood media with attack ads to bully less affluent candidates.
Still, I hope this ad catches the attention of ‘true Texans’, because holy shit, how can they keep sending Ted Cruz to DC?
Still is, I promise.
Just have to dig around a bit to find us.
Saw someone wearing a t-shirt at the Kyle HEB (grocery store) last month: “Humans Against Ted Cruz” and when I stopped to talk with her, she said people were quietly giving her the thumbs-up, or whispering “hell yeah” and stuff while she was pushing her shopping cart through the store. Kyle is a town outside of Austin, and I have to say I thought there were hardly any ant-Cruz people in Kyle. I thanked the woman for her courage of conviction.
My neighbor up the hill wore her “Keep the Immigrants, Deport the Republicans” t-shirt yesterday. We do not live in Austin proper, where it is largely safe to do so. Wow her!
I miss Ann Richards. And Molly Ivins. And Bill Hicks, dangit. He’d have a field day now.
The Repubs gerrymandered the shit out of us, and it’s been a nightmare getting traction/returning to sanity/getting representational government/.
