Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, holds up a copy of the Mueller report as he questions Attorney General William Barr during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 1, 2019, on the Mueller Report. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
As I wrote this morning, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took time out of holiday festivities on Thursday to provide some additional context for a provocative tweet sent out out by former NFL QB-turned-social justice warrior Colin Kaepernick.
To recap, Kaepernick quoted a portion of abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass’s July 5, 1852 speech about Independence Day. Just reading the singular quote alone, someone who hadn’t read the full speech or who otherwise didn’t understand Douglass’s legacy would get the impression that he didn’t like his country very much:
“What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? This Fourth of July is yours, not mine…There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.”
– Frederick Douglass pic.twitter.com/IWLujGCJHn— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) July 4, 2019
Sen. Cruz saw the Douglass quote and who posted it, and decided to add some much-needed context:
You quote a mighty and historic speech by the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass, but, without context, many modern readers will misunderstand. Two critical points: https://t.co/x4oLfa9DrH
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 5, 2019
After noting the quote Kaepernick used was taken out of context, Cruz spent one tweet providing some background on the speech and when it was given, and then sent several tweets quoting directly from the speech. He concluded by encouraging everyone to read the full speech in context.
Cruz providing additional information and direct quotes for Twitter users to digest when considering Douglass’s words did not sit well at all with New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay, who wrote a sneering note to the Senator in response:
Frederick Douglass is an American hero, and his name has no business in your mouth. https://t.co/Ghoqb75gJF
— Mara Gay (@MaraGay) July 5, 2019
Cruz fired back not long after, and I could swear I heard a “boom!” somewhere off in the distance:
Let’s see. You’re on the editorial board of the NYT. You respond to any view you don’t like, not with facts or reason, but w/ ad hominem attack. And you seem dismayed that I linked to Douglass’s entire speech, so readers can judge for themselves. You represent your employer well. https://t.co/c8168yiCgY
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 5, 2019
Why specifically did Gay take off after Cruz over his series of tweets? Not just because she’s a fan of Douglass’s, but also because she digs Kaepernick – which she made clear in this photo she tweeted out July 4th, about 20 minutes after Kaepernick’s post:
Happy birthday, America 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/U70fp6Z66h
— Mara Gay (@MaraGay) July 4, 2019
That explains quite a bit.
Update – 7:05 pm: Gay replied back to Cruz’s tweet. His quote RT response to it is below:
I truly hope that is a sentiment that can bring our entire Nation together. Happy Independence Day weekend to you as well, and God bless these United States of America. https://t.co/Ex2TOjC3Ba
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 5, 2019
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—Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–
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