Ted Cruz thinks you're stupid

Rightwing pundit Tucker Carlson recently made Ted Cruz look like a buffoon.

Cruz said during their interview in June, “I was taught from the Bible, those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed. And from my perspective, I want to be on the blessing side of things.”

Carlson looked puzzled. He asked the Republican senator what part of the Bible said this. Cruz didn’t know.

Carlson told Cruz he was citing Genesis, whether he realized it or not, but also wondered how the senator could believe such a thing but not even be able to pinpoint the scripture (Cruz, the Texan, was seemingly appealing to evangelical Christian Zionists whose dispensationalist theology, heavily concentrated in the Southeast United States, dictates that they must unequivocally support the state of Israel formed in 1948).

“So you’re quoting a Bible phrase, you don’t have context for it,” Carlson asked. “You don’t know where in the Bible it is, but that’s your theology? I’m confused. What does that even mean?”

Carlson pushed Cruz to define what he meant by “Israel.” Did he mean the state’s current borders? It’s current government? A “political entity?” It’s biblical meaning?

Cruz settled on the term “nation.”

Not letting up, Carlson asked, “Is the nation God is referring to in Genesis, is that the same as the country run by Benjamin Netanyahu right now?”

It was not a good look for Cruz, pitting “America First” MAGA populists that comprise much of Carlson’s audience against old guard Republicans who have long supported Benjamin Netanyahu’s government at any cost, and have relied heavily on American evangelical support as their base.

On Thursday, Cruz seemed to attempt to win back points against Carlson by sharing a video on X, showing Carlson and a number of his recent guests mentioning “Israel” a lot.

Cruz wrote, “Wow. Why does (Tucker Carlson) seem to care more about Israel than any other country on earth? Since our interview, he & his show have referenced Israel 14.82 times EVERY SINGLE DAY.”

The senator asked, “Is there something particular about Israel that he really, really dislikes?”

Let’s face it, he seems to be suggesting that Tucker might be antisemitic.

The day before Cruz’s tweet, GOP Senator Lindsey Graham told a Republican audience, seemingly appealing to evangelical Christians in his party’s base, “If America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us.”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Graham vowed.

What does this mean? Israel should be able to do whatever it wants, no matter what that might be, and on the U.S.’s dime? “Israel First?” In fact, Sen. Graham talks about Israel a lot. Does Cruz detect something sinister about his language? Of course not.

More importantly, given how deeply, financially, and morally the United States is involved in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza, shouldn’t American journalists be talking about the carnage and mentioning the parties involved, as Cruz has accused Carlson and his guests of doing in a supposedly terrible way?

Even more important, given the intimacy of the U.S.-Israeli relationship and the widespread death and starvation happening in Gaza, shouldn’t American reporters and opinion makers be challenging the governments of the United States and Israel? Asking as many questions as possible? Interviewing experts and giving some context to these life-and-death global events?

If you’re Ted Cruz, that answer appears to be “no.” He appears to believe that if you talk about Israel too much, it might mean you’re antisemitic.

It seems Cruz is relying on his followers being stupid.

The charge of “antisemitism” for merely questioning anything the government of Israel does is a tired neoconservative trope, deployed for years by bullies like talk show host Mark Levin to shut down criticism and keep the right in line. As MAGA “America First” populism now includes younger Southern evangelicals who are less dispensationalist when it comes to Israel in their theology, this trick just doesn’t resonate the way it used to.

But it's all Cruz seems to have. After his embarrassing drubbing by Carlson, it’s an attempt to save face — to whatever effect and to whomever on the right still believes this propaganda.

I suppose you can’t blame him for trying. In the meantime, Tucker Carlson’s interview with Ted Cruz has surged, and he is roasted all over again.