As we all know, the darling of the GOP Ted Cruz is purported to announce his serious intention of running for presidency tomorrow. Cruz could easily be considered the most ludicrous member of Congress. When he opens his mouth, he never fails to entertain us and give us plenty of material to keep us busy for ages.
The fact checking site, Politifact, had this in mind when they compiled numerous statements made by Cruz and then fact checked them. What they found was what we’ve all been trying to tell America. He’s a big fat phony liar. Only one statement was true. That’s out of 44 statements.
Here are 10 of those false statements. Included is the ONE truthful statement Politifact could actually confirm.
1. Democrats told the Catholic Church “Change your religious beliefs or we’ll use our power in the federal government to shut down your charities and your hospitals.”
Politifact Ruling: Pants on Fire!
“We found no sign of such a statement — or anything close.”
2. Chuck Hagel’s nomination as defense secretary “…has been publicly celebrated by the Iranian government.”
Politifact Ruling: Pants on Fire!
A spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry did say they hoped this meant Washington become “respectful of the rights of nations” and that it would cause the hatred for US policies to possibly decrease.
However, experts do agree that:
“…the response fell short of a governmental celebration… Our sense is there has been no Hagel party in Iran, leaving this claim worse than incorrect. It’s ridiculous. Pants on Fire!”
3. Obama “is a president who began his presidency going on a worldwide apology tour.”
Politifact Ruling: Pants on Fire!
According to Politifact,
“Obama’s speeches contained criticisms of past U.S. actions, but not one full-throated apology.”
4. In the 2012 elections, the “American people overwhelmingly said we don’t want Obamacare… And we don’t want amnesty.”
Politifact Ruling: False.
An exit poll showed that 49 percent of people felt the federal health care law went too far. However, a collective total of 46 percent said the law “was about right” or that it “did not go far enough.”
According to Politifact,
“This question had a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, meaning that, due to imperfect sampling techniques, there actually may have been slightly more Americans who think the law is “about right” or “did not go far enough… Either way, Cruz is wrong to say that the ‘American people overwhelmingly’ opposed Obamacare on Election Day.”
Another question asked: “Should most illegal immigrants working in the United States be. …” The two options offered were “Offered a chance to apply for legal status” and “…deported to the country they came from.” “The poll found that 57 percent chose “Offered a chance to apply for legal status” and 39 percent chose “deported to the country they came from.” Error of margin does not come into play here.
Politifact:
“What this means is that voters in Election 2014 didn’t reject “amnesty.” If you take the term to mean what Repubilcans say it means — a path to legal status — then voters actually supported that option by an 18-point margin.”
5. No surgeon general because “President Obama, instead of nominating a health professional, he nominated someone who is an anti-gun activist.”
Politifact’s Ruling: False.
Dr. Vivek Murthy is, indeed, a healthcare professional. See the “Dr.” in front of his name? Some of his credentials include receiving his doctor of medicine from Yale, practicing and teaching at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, contributions to vaccine development and cancer research, and more.
What Republicans hold against Dr. Murthy is the fact he heads Doctors for America which does consider gun violence to be a health issue and push gun control. However, Dr. Murphy has even said he would not use his role as a means to “bully pulpit for gun control.”
Although Cruz recognized Dr. Murthy as a medical doctor, Politifact’s found the statement to be false with this reasoning:
“Still, we continued to believe that Cruz was inaccurate to minimize Murthy’s substantial record as a medical professional — in ways unrelated to gun policy — and caricature him as primarily an advocate. Our rating remains the same.”
6. Isis is “right now crucifying Christians in Iraq, literally nailing Christians to trees.”
Politifact Ruling: False.
Politifact attempted to contact Cruz’s staff to ask how he knew of such information but received no reply. They also found no confirming news stories in the media.
Also, Politifact did acknowledge that ISIS “strung up bodies” that had already been executed on “cross-like posts.” However, they found no other evidence.
“We did not confirm ISIS crucifixions of Christians in Iraq nor did Cruz give factual backup.”
7. Obama is “…the first president we’ve ever had who thinks he can choose which laws to enforce and which laws to ignore.”
Politifact Ruling: False.
After extensive research, Politifact found that several presidents had acted “in ways that ignored specific laws or constitutional protections.” This INCLUDES Conservative Jebus, George W.
“Presidents have done so frequently, and historians expect that they will continue to do so.”
8. “Virtually every person across this country has seen premiums going up and up and up” due to Obamacare.
Politifact Ruling: False.
Robert Laszewski, a health insurance consultant among other things:
“In the large employer market where most under-65 folks are, the Obamacare increase is a very few percentage points, like 2 points.”
Gail Wilensky, head of Medicare and Medicaid under George W.:
“Some portion – albeit probably a very small portion – of all premiums probably have gone up as a result of these requirements.”
Politifact:
“The people first in line to see the law’s effects are in the individual market. There, it is true that young adults, along with some older adults, are vulnerable to hefty premiums hikes, but as painful as that might be, their numbers hardly amount to “virtually every person.”
“Cruz is using inflated rhetoric.”
9. “A strong bipartisan majority” in the House of Representatives “voted to defund Obamacare.”
Politifact Ruling: False.
Here is a case on which you have to decide what the definition of “strong bipartisan majority” is. With a vote of 230-189, only two Democrats out of the 190 who voted sided with the Republicans.
Donald Wolfensberger, directer of the Congress Project and former Republican staff director of the House Rules Committee:
“Two Democrats, like two swallows, do not a bipartisan summer make… It’s more like a false spring. Beauty and political truth are in the eye of the beholder. We all tend to see what we want to see.”
10. “Here, we have Thanksgiving, we have Christmas, we have the 4th of July. Every year in Iran, they celebrate Death to America day.”
Politifact Ruling: Mostly False.
On November 4., there are annual demonstrations honoring the 1979 embassy takeover. However, it is definitely not a national holiday, and it’s not called Death to America Day.
Gary Sick, scholar at Columbia University’s Middle East Institute, on the slogan “Death to America”:
“I am sure that it would be heard at the Nov. 4 demonstrations, but I am unaware that it is the formal name of the day or event. This slogan is shouted every Friday at the weekly prayer services held across Iran.”
There is perhaps a grain of truth to his statement; however, no businesses close, schools do not close, and November 4 is not recognized by the government as an official holiday.
Politifact:
“…date doesn’t appear to be akin to the special American days Cruz singled out. In fact, it’s not a holiday on the calendar at all nor is it formally designated Death to America Day.”
So, what was Cruz’s ONE truthful statement?
“We have a federal government that thinks they have the authority to regulate our toilet seats.”
Politifact states:
“…under current interpretations of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause and 14th Amendment, there’s power to federally regulate toilet seats.”
Toilets. The one thing he got right was TOILETS. I guess a piece of crap would know the best wouldn’t they?
The federal government requires sanitary toilets with attached toilet seats and hinged lids with a toilet paper holder and adequate amount of toilet paper. Public restrooms are required to have at least one “accessible” toilet for those with disabilities. It is also required by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration that construction sites with 20 employees or more provide “1 toilet seat and 1 urinal per 40 workers.”
Cruz thinks the government is overreaching with these requirements. I, however, am grateful for those regulations. Thank you federal government. Keep doing what your doing.
However, at one point toilet seat shape was regulated by the federal government which does seem to be an overreach. However, it is no longer regulated by the federally.
Politifact:
“… Cruz is firmly right that the courts, Congress, and executive agencies claim federal power to regulate them. His toilet trivia is True.”
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