Sen. Ted Cruz Admits He Loves His Kids Unconditionally; NYT Freaks Out

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Breaking News: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) loves his children. Rumor has it that Cruz also has some deep feelings of love and affection for his wife Heidi as well.

In fact, Cruz’s statement at a fundraiser earlier this week that he loved his daughters unconditionally was so incredibly shocking that was deemed newsworthy by the New York Times. The fact that statement was made at a fundraiser hosted by two gay men…well, Breitbart News is not privy to the details of the Times‘ benefits package for its reporters, but let’s just hope that the health insurance plan includes counseling services to help them get over the shock of finding out that a socially conservative Republican is capable of cordial discourse with people who disagree with him on an issue.

The Times’ article — breathlessly headlined, “Ted Cruz Is Guest of Two Gay Businessmen” — is less than 800 words long and mentions the words “gay” or “same-sex” (as in same-sex marriage) 20 times, plus once in the title, for an average of less than every 40 words. Just in case, you know, you forgot at some point while you were reading that Ted Cruz was hanging out with gay people.

The article begins by reminding readers that Cruz “has positioned himself as a strong opponent of same-sex marriage,” but then accuses him of having “struck quite a different tone” at the aforementioned fundraiser:

During the gathering, according to two people present, Mr. Cruz said he would not love his daughters any differently if one of them was gay. He did not mention his opposition to same-sex marriage, saying only that marriage is an issue that should be left to the states.

Despite acknowledging that “[t]he evening focused primarily on foreign policy, including a discussion of gay rights in Israel versus the rest of the Middle East, and opposition to President Obama,” the Times attempts to create a controversy by saying that Cruz “did not mention” his opposition to gay marriage, a position which is well known, and about which the Times itself reminds the reader several dozen times in one article. The chances that the well-educated business executives at the fundraiser were ignorant of Cruz’s position on the issue of gay marriage are somewhere between pigs flying and a snowball in Hades.

Cruz fired back at the Times, in a statement from his campaign. “It speaks volumes that the New York Times considers it newsworthy that a Republican who believes marriage is between a man and a woman would meet with people who hold a different view,” said Cruz.

He also noted that while the purpose of Monday’s event was to discuss “national security, foreign policy, and America’s commitment to standing with Israel,” when he was asked about gay marriage, he “stated directly and unambiguously what everyone in the room already knew, that I oppose gay marriage and I support traditional marriage.”

One person asked a follow up question, continued Cruz, about how he and his wife would react if one of their daughters — who are currently 4 and 7 years old — were gay. Cruz’s answer: “We would love her with all our hearts. We love our daughters unconditionally.”

The real issue, Cruz pointed out, is that his actions did not match the hateful stereotype that liberals have of socially conservative Republicans:

A conservative Republican who is willing to meet with individuals who do not agree on marriage and who loves his daughters unconditionally may not reflect the caricature of conservatives promoted by the left, but it’s hardly newsworthy.

So there you have it, folks. Any time a Republican presidential candidate interacts with anyone who’s gay, it will apparently be newsworthy. Look at the endless parade of silly headlines after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said that he would attend a hypothetical “gay wedding of a close friend.”

Will Hillary Clinton and whichever Democrats throw their hats in the presidential ring after her be asked if they will love their children if they are gay or if they have an abortion? You don’t need a Magic 8-Ball to tell you the answer: Don’t count on it.

Statement from Sen. Cruz:

It speaks volumes that the New York Times considers it newsworthy that a Republican who believes marriage is between a man and a woman would meet with people who hold a different view. The purpose of the meeting and the primary topics of conversation were national security, foreign policy, and America’s commitment to standing with Israel. On the subject of marriage, when asked, I stated directly and unambiguously what everyone in the room already knew, that I oppose gay marriage and I support traditional marriage.

One person further asked how Heidi and I would react if we found out one of our (4 and 7-year-old) daughters were gay. My reply: “We would love her with all our hearts. We love our daughters unconditionally.”

A conservative Republican who is willing to meet with individuals who do not agree on marriage and who loves his daughters unconditionally may not reflect the caricature of conservatives promoted by the left, but it’s hardly newsworthy.

I know it’s been a long time since we’ve seen it, but this is what it means to truly be a “big tent Republican” instead of a panderer. I’m happy to go anywhere to anyone to champion conservative values. We’re not always going to agree on everything, and I’m not going to change my fundamental values. But at the same time, I’m hoping to offer enough bold leadership on a broad slate of issues that many voters will decide we agree on far more than we disagree.

Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter @rumpfshaker.

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