Ted Cruz: Democrats To Repeal First Amendment
Read Time:2 Minute, 44 Second
Ted Cruz is in the top ten when it comes to crazy Republican politicians, and its a rare day when he doesn’t make some bizarre claim that is not supported by the facts. His latest nonsense: Democrats plan on repealing free speech.
The First Amendment has been a veritable bulwark in protecting unpopular speech in the United States for more than 200 years. It didn’t matter whether that speech involved flag burning, the KKK, or unpopular political speech, the amendment’s clear and concise statement that “Congress shall make no law…” has been an exceptionally American statement of principle.
From Raw Story:
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) drew audible gasps Thursday when he told gathering of Christian conservatives that Democrats intended to amend the Constitution to limit free speech.
“When you think it can’t get any worse, it does,” Cruz warned at the Watchmen on the Wall gathering of pastors sponsored by the Family Research Council.
“This year, I’m sorry to tell you, the United States Senate is going to be voting on a constitutional amendment to repeal the First Amendment,” Cruz said, to the audible shock of the crowd.
The Tea Party-backed senator said Senate Democrats intend to vote this year on Senate Joint Resolution 19, which would effectively undo the unpopular U.S. Supreme Court decisions on campaign financing in the Citizens United and McCutcheon cases.
“I am telling you, I am not making this up,” Cruz said. “Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has announced the Senate Democrats are scheduling a vote on a constitutional amendment to give Congress the authority to regulate political speech, because elected officials have decided they don’t like it when the citizenry has the temerity to criticize what they’ve done.”
“They don’t like it when pastors in their community stand up and speak the truth,” he added.
The proposal stands virtually no chance of gaining the required two-thirds House and Senate majorities needed for approval, and is essentially an election-years stunt intended to highlight that Republicans favor unfettered funding.
“I’ll note this amendment, which has 41 Democratic senators as co-sponsors – 41 Democrats have signed on to repealing the First Amendment,” Cruz said, as an audience member loudly protests. “It explicitly says nothing in this new amendment shall abridge the freedom of the press.”
“So the New York Times is protected, but it doesn’t say the same thing about the freedom of speech,” Cruz said. “It doesn’t say the same thing about religious liberty, what is says it that politicians in Washington have unlimited constitutional authority to muzzle each and every one of you if you’re saying things the government finds inconvenient.”
Cruz had not been scheduled to appear at the conference, but he showed up to introduce his father, Rafael Cruz, an ordained minister who spoke at the conference.
The amendment proposed by Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) would allow the federal government and states to once again regulate the raising and spending of money in elections, as they did before theCitizens United decision.
Watch this video report posted online by CNS News:
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
During a Watchman at the Wall conference. Dafuq, who does he think he is a Game of Thrones character or what? all about the money and making people askeered so they will turn out in November. Grifters gotta grift.
Jess I’m beginning to think this guy is genuinely fucked up. Completely. Know what I’m sayin’?
Him, Goehmert and Steve King, the latter yammering on about how Schumer and he should duel but not like Burr and the other dude. Schumer said yeah ok then and now King goes silent.
The Republican party is truly a ship of fools.
As usual the pack of idiots that he panders to grab the catch phrases and never check his facts. This is the pattern of the right wing zealots and their followers.
Well, as usual, Ted Cruz is flat out wrong. No one is attempting to limit free speech, is it like him. And furthermore, no one is trying to limit his allowance to be whatever kind of Christian he wants to be! It’s more that jewelers and Muslims that have to worry about that, but not because of any new amendment! The amendment that the Democrats are trying to pass is more related to whether “money” and “acceptance of monetary donations” is speech! Ted Cruz can be as big an idiot as he wants. The only reason for an attempt to amend the Constitution is that the Supreme Court has decided that donations equal speech, and spending equals speech. Despite the fact that the Republicans complained forever about an “active” Supreme Court, they don’t seem to mind when the actions favor their desires! Here’s a related article:
http://www.theunion.com/opinion/11514560-113/amendment-reid-constitution-democratic
No one expects any proposed amendment to actually pass! And yet I still say that some amending is necessary to make it clear that the American people do not think that money is speech! Nonactive Supreme Court indeed…
James you are so right man! The religious are the greatest offenders.
How ironic that a right-wing crazy when speaking to a religious reich group would try to champion free speech. Free speech on one of the things both groups must suppress and have always done so.
Free speech, facts, and rational reasoning are always fatal to both groups.