Patterico's Pontifications

12/22/2015

Sen. Ted Cruz’s Little Girls, Ages 5 and 7, Considered “Fair Game” (Update Added)

Filed under: General — Dana @ 6:47 pm



[guest post by Dana]

Last week I posted the witty political ad released by the Cruz campaign in which the senator’s wife and charming daughters were featured:

Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, Ann Telnaes of the Washington Post, decided that because she believed the little girls were “political props” in the ad, that made them “fair game”. As such, the Washington Post posted a denigrating GIF by Telnaes that depicted the Cruz girls as monkeys on leashes:

Untitled-1

The Washington Post pulled the GIF earlier this evening. Without offering an apology to the Cruz family, editor Fred Hiatt instead offered the following weak tea:

It’s generally been the policy of our editorial section to leave children out of it. I failed to look at this cartoon before it was published. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree.

Telnaes defended her denigration of Cruz’s daughters:

“There is an unspoken rule in editorial cartooning that a politician’s children are off-limits. People don’t get to choose their family members so obviously it’s unfair to ridicule kids for their parent’s behavior while in office or on the campaign trail- besides, they’re children,” Telnaes wrote Tuesday. “There are plenty of adults in the political world who act childish, so there is no need for an editorial cartoonist to target actual children.”

“I’ve kept to that rule, except when the children are adults themselves or choose to indulge in grown-up activities (as the Bush twins did during the George W Bush presidency).

“But when a politician uses his children as political props, as Ted Cruz recently did in his Christmas parody video in which his eldest daughter read (with her father’s dramatic flourish) a passage of an edited Christmas classic, then I figure they are fair game,” she concluded.

Again, Cruz’s daughters are 5 and 7 years old.

Cruz classily responded to Telnaes on twitter:

The Washington Examiner reminded readers:

In 2014, an obscure GOP Hill staffer was forced to resign from her job after a Facebook post criticizing President Obama’s daughters, Sasha and Malia, went viral on social media.

In a now-deleted post published on Thanksgiving Day, Elizabeth Lauten wrote in reference to the annual White House turkey pardon, “Dear Sasha and Malia, I get you’re both in those awful teen years, but you’re a part of the First Family, try showing a little class. … Act like being in the White House matters to you. Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar. And certainly don’t make faces during televised public events.”

Imagine if Sasha and Malia had been depicted as animals…

–Dana

UPDATE: Telnaes has now scrubbed the cartoon from her Twitter feed. Also, this is not her first time targeting Cruz. Apparently, drawing racist cartoons is nothing new for her:

74 Responses to “Sen. Ted Cruz’s Little Girls, Ages 5 and 7, Considered “Fair Game” (Update Added)”

  1. Ann Telnaus would carpet bomb Raqqa and kill thousands of children.

    nk (dbc370)

  2. Nasty witch she is.

    nk (dbc370)

  3. Rodney King’s Spirit,

    And what do you think the odds of a denigrating cartoon about the Obama girls getting published in the WaPo would have been???

    Dana (86e864)

  4. In 2014, an obscure GOP Hill staffer was forced to resign from her job

    One reason why I give “Chump” more slack than you do, Patterico, is because he’s one of the few, if only, non-liberals (ie, one of the few squishes) out there who, if in a position similar to that of Lauten, won’t be quite as willing to meekly look up, look down, look all away around at the angst and protests (and pro-PC-censorship) emanating from liberals like Telnaes (were she dealing with a case of the proverbial shoe on the other foot), to then apologize and prostrate himself/herself before the public, to perhaps even dutifully play the sacrificial lamb by resigning from a job, but will instead tell the priests of the religion of holy leftism to go and screw themselves.

    Mark (f713e4)

  5. The problem i have with it is making the kids as monkeys. She could have gotten the exact same point across by drawing them as humans. Using monkeys was an editorial decision by her that was made to provoke.

    seeRpea (1ff382)

  6. I say let WAPO and everyone else make as much fun of Cruz’ children as they want.

    If there are not enough people reasonable enough to see it for what it is then we are already gone.

    MD in Philly (not in Philly) (deca84)

  7. i hope is good christmas

    i like my favorite parts so far is when

    um

    not the starwars parts

    um

    not the part where people send me presents to where i’m opposed to be home to sign for them

    um

    not the part with the dreary stupid damp raindrops

    but i had a good sammich today at toni is called the croque monsieur is just ham and cheese and bechamel

    i split it with a friend cause of it’s kinda rich but so good

    so we split a roast beef one too

    sandwiches yes yes yes

    i tried to do the red cup season shopping after work for lil nephew guy who somehow got to be like 15 years somehow

    FAIL

    i tried quite a few stores but he’s not really easy he just wants monies for to spend on his gf

    we’ll be out and about and maybe i can hook him up with something

    personally i like it when the families of politicians get attacked

    let’s dial it up

    happyfeet (831175)

  8. May the left vilify Cruz as much as they want,
    And establishment repubs as well
    And may he appeal to all of those who have had enough,
    Even NYC gays who are not ruled by “their” agenda.

    When you hear the sound of the trumpet, run to the battle, for your wives and your children, and gather there to fight.
    (Or something like that.)

    MD in Philly (not in Philly) (deca84)

  9. bloomingdales is all about this brand called smeg

    you probably already know about this but not me cause of nobody tells me anything

    they’re italian – mostly for people with more money than sense but i thought the lil electric kettle was really fun looking

    happyfeet (831175)

  10. How about
    “Really, you can’t do any better than make fun of my kids?
    What a bunch of losers.”

    MD in Philly (not in Philly) (deca84)

  11. I think that the WaPo attacking his daughters reveals their partisanship as well as which candidate they fear. That the cartoon was pulled only adds to their shame. No matter what, it looks bad. No one likes seeing children dragged through the mud. (Well, except for those Dems who felt Trig Palin was fair game. But those kind are in a class all their own.)

    Dana (86e864)

  12. The witch is Swedish brand Euro-trash and way left, anti-American and anti-Israel, in all her doodles. Supposedly, she is syndicated and not a staffer at Wapo. Which means someone at Wapo bought her cartoon (and then decided to publish it); conscious decisions before the after the fact crocodile tears of the editor.

    nk (dbc370)

  13. Which makes the Wapo completely complicit in the attack, nk.

    And I don’t think the editor cried one tear about, crocodile or otherwise. I think he probably resented pulling it but thought it was a great cartoon and perfectly justified. The only reason he likely pulled it was a fear of losing readers. Too bad for him those necessary numbers needed need to include Republicans, too.

    Dana (86e864)

  14. They pulled the “cartoon”. Apparently, sometimes lefties DO embarrass easy.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  15. Eventually, violence is going to be the only response these people understand. They don’t print Muhammed cartoons for reasons we understand very well.

    Mike K (90dfdc)

  16. now it’s “the attack”

    lol

    failmericans bless your effing hearts

    happyfeet (831175)

  17. So are children on the list of things that make you cringe, hf, or is it only Cruz’s children?

    DRJ (15874d)

  18. whaaaa????? i didn’t make a list of things what make me cringe but if i did #1 would be anything what said “non-gmo”

    i love children so much you have no idea

    but politicians should also love their childrens, and not whore them out for an snl commercial

    happyfeet (831175)

  19. my comment is awaiting moderations

    meanwhile here’s my favorite red cup season singings

    happyfeet (831175)

  20. The origin of “crocodile tears” is that the eyes of crocodiles water and they appear to be crying as they are eating.

    nk (dbc370)

  21. chills

    happyfeet (831175)

  22. harvardtrash ted and his trophy ho heidi wanna pimp out their daughters and further blur the line between politician and celebrity

    he’s a sleazy dude and she’s, well, bless her heart

    belieber me now or belieber me later

    happyfeet (831175)

  23. Stupid kids should have know better than to pick a Kim Davis supporting lifeydoodle for their daddy.

    nk (dbc370)

  24. *known*

    nk (dbc370)

  25. You were raised by wolves weren’t you?

    narciso (732bc0)

  26. well no but Ted should’ve had better sense really

    this idea that politician families are off limits is wholly ahistorical quite apart from being silly on its face

    happyfeet (831175)

  27. no, lutherans

    happyfeet (831175)

  28. daddy why did you prop me out when i wasn’t old enough to make an informed choice about whether that was something i wanted to do?

    cause of i wanted to be president princess

    oh. ok I get it now.

    happyfeet (831175)

  29. No wolf cubs have feelings my mistake

    narciso (732bc0)

  30. All happy said is true except forgetting the part where Dems can exploit their children without recourse, but not so much for GOPers.

    By the way, did you know that Chelsea! is pregnant again just in time for the election? How will Grammy! juggle all those responsibilities? With style and grace! I’m sure.

    And, happy, I say this with all due respect because we’ve been through a lot and consistency is my motto: GTH.

    Ag80 (eb6ffa)

  31. How about a cartoon of RODHAM at a URINAL during the commercial break, during the LIBTARD DEBATE last Saturday???

    Nah, Ted Cruz’ little girls will do.

    Gus (7cc192)

  32. And when the American public rises up and attacks embassies and govt buildings because TED CRUZ beautiful CHILDREN, LITTLE CHILDREN were ATTACKED and DEPICTED as MUHAMMAD,errrrrrrrrr, excuse me I meant MONKEYS, Senator Cruz can say….”We had NOTHING to do with that CARTOON!!!””

    Gus (7cc192)

  33. I wonder what trump would say if they went after his kids?
    And I wonder how many kids bill fathered while not touching his wife?

    mg (31009b)

  34. With the subject children- Ryan should be sitting in the corner wearing a dunce hat, with a bar of soap in his mouth.
    What a juvenile delinquent.

    mg (31009b)

  35. MG. Ahhhm going to say this one tahm. I did knot have SEX SHOE ALL relations with…that woman…..Mizz Lewinsky, Mizz Flowers, Mizz Broderick, Mizz Jones etc etc etc etc.
    Rodham: It’s all a RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY to blame US for “me” getting shipcanned from the WATERGATE COMMITTEE, the ROSE LAW FIRM RECORDS, ARKANSAS WHITEWATER, the WHITE HOUSE TRAVEL OFFICE, Cork screwing into Kosovo, Being named for Sir Edmund Hillary, trying to sign up for the MARINE CORPS, AND….MY DEAR FRIEND CHRIS STEVENS.my dear GAY, AMBASSADOR friend being left to DIE, be dragged thru the streets and SODOMIZED. Not to mention, Smith, Woods and Doherty, being killed because I did not defend them….all because of a VIDEO that WE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH!!!!!!

    Gus (7cc192)

  36. Mg. I KNOW Paul Ryan. I’m disappointed in him, and I did not think he was suited to be SPEAKER.
    However. I guaraneffffffingteeee you, that Paul Ryan’s children are AWESOME, POLITE, INTELLIGENT, GOD FEARING and PATRIOTIC.

    Gus (7cc192)

  37. Gus, I think mg was referring to this:

    Ryan and his top aides “really gave away the store,” Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) declared Dec. 18

    Ryan has indeed risen beyond his level of competency. This seems to be a near universal problem with RINOs.

    BobStewartatHome (a52abe)

  38. Cruz’s video was a remarkable departure from the same-old same-old. I thought it was pretty amusing and it got the point across. But I can see that the scolds on the left may be tempted to turn this into an issue. All they have to do is abuse the girls for a week or two with any number of similar cartoons and then they can ask how Cruz could be so cruel as to expose his daughters to such abuse.

    It makes a weird sort of sense if you’re a progressive. And their base won’t suspect a thing.

    BobStewartatHome (a52abe)

  39. Yes and thank you, BobStewartatHome.

    mg (31009b)

  40. Maybe she should draw a cartoon of Mohammed as a monkey?

    cedarhill (79e147)

  41. Paging The Washington Post: You have some reporters rotting away in an Iranian prison. Ann Teinaes with her “rare” talents is the perfect cartoonist to depict their plight. However, your auspices have a priority list: Ted Cruz, his children, Mr. Trump, Conservatives in general…. perhaps your own languishing in Iran can move up the priority list?

    mike191 (4c004d)

  42. True, Bob,

    But as we know, the scolds on the left will make an issue out of anything,
    And if there is nothing to make an issue of
    They will make something up.

    MD in Philly (not in Philly) (deca84)

  43. I think Ms. Telnaes’s the most suitable outlet for Ms. Telnaes’s rare talent is Swedish Erotica, Mike191.

    nk (dbc370)

  44. Telnaes does not even know the difference between a Cuban and a Mexican. Typical Leftist scum.

    Rodney King's Spirit (2b29eb)

  45. #4, Dana, zero percent.

    Rodney King's Spirit (2b29eb)

  46. Mike K, U wrote …. Eventually, violence is going to be the only response these people understand. They don’t print Muhammed cartoons for reasons we understand very well.

    That is my point. It won’t improve until that happens.

    Morality, ethics, politeness, respect did not originate from people disposed to being kind. It arose out of necessity to control savages. It was either a) we kill each other over dumb things or b) we have some rules.

    The Left will never stop until …..

    Rodney King's Spirit (2b29eb)

  47. That Ted Cruz “Saturday Night Live” Iowa ad, actually, looked to me like it was parodying (and mocking) Ted Cruz. A person might do something like that to himself at a roast, or these stage shows reporters stage once a year around April Fools. I don’t see how that helps him. At least in helping him to be taken seriously.

    The cartoon may be more mocking the ad than the children themselves. It’s not a general comment on the children. It couldn’t have been intended that way, because nobody would find that palatable.

    Sammy Finkelman (67f658)

  48. #47 Sorry … The Left won’t stop because it has no rules it will live by. No God. No morality. No ethics. So it is all might makes right and that does not end for us until the bullets starts flying and some begrudging respect is given under the implicit guarantee of death if they don’t.

    Be much nicer if folks respected our traditional values and our Constitution but without that all we have to achieve balance is violence. Lord knows voting means nothing because whoever gets elected just does the bidding of the Left. Passing laws too — they read whatever they want into them no matter how insane. And even when there is no room for interpretation they simply ignore the Vote like gay marriage. It will only stop with violence. So FailAmerica is quite right sad to say (actually depressed to say)

    Rodney King's Spirit (2b29eb)

  49. Well we saw this with the huntress seven years ago, a totally blameless public citizen with a reform record, they sent straight pokachu with allegations of adultery, embezzlement, psychosis _thanks doctor evil) for speaking truth to power,
    About the potential administration, they treatened to bankrupt her through abuse of the ethics process, forcing her out of office. Held at has most of the particulars.

    narciso (732bc0)

  50. When she continued to do her duty, like pointing out death panels, all the press lied, and most of the figures she had supported didn’t stand by her. Of course I’ll skip macho grande, and who blame was put on for the angle loss, but then we go to the Tucson libel, and the stalker who wrote a map to her back steps, along with more defamation.

    It doesn’t what your cv is, of you are caucasian, African American west, Cain and now Carson or latino, your very existence is challenges if you point out the regime’s lies

    narciso (732bc0)

  51. Not only racial with the sombrero — but sexual too (tea bags implying …. tea baggers)

    jb (8a9f1d)

  52. And who can forget the kids yelling: “F… Y.. Donald Trump.”

    AZ Bob (34bb80)

  53. bloomingdales is all about this brand called smeg

    Seriously?! Did these people do no market research at all?! Bite the wax tadpole much? Chevy no va? Yes, I know that one’s a myth, but IBM really did have problems selling the RS-6000 in Australia until they renamed it RISC-6000. Who is buying products called “smeg”?!

    Milhouse (8489b1)

  54. The problem i have with it is making the kids as monkeys. She could have gotten the exact same point across by drawing them as humans.

    Well, no, the organ grinder image only works with monkeys. Because that is what organ grinders used to use. When exactly did they disappear, by the way? Certainly some time before I was born, but how long before then? Turn of the last century? WW1? WW2?

    Milhouse (8489b1)

  55. Pull the other one… https://t.co/tkkkego6I5

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  56. Not only racial with the sombrero — but sexual too (tea bags implying …. tea baggers)

    Um, no. The tea bags are a genuine symbol of the TEA Party movement, and it’s perfectly fair to use them in a caricature of a politician who represents that movement.

    Milhouse (8489b1)

  57. That’s not what they mean milhouse.

    narciso (da1268)

  58. And who can forget the kids yelling: “F… Y.. Donald Trump.”

    And notice how the big mouths in the MSM allowed that to go by without any angst or protest, similar to the way not a peep out of them regarding all the incidents of Islamofascists gunning for Christians/Americans/Western Worlders. But if Christians/Americans/Western Worlders boldly confront the dynamics of jihad-Sharia-ism, “oh, how dare you! That’s mean!” (eg, the specter of leftist Michael Moore — truly a two-faced fool — defending a religion that’s full of ultra-reactionary qualities—a recent photo of him holding a poster saying “we are all Muslim!”).

    That’s why if someone like Trump is just as big a mouthpiece as so many on the left (or squish-squish squishes) are, good for him.

    Mark (f713e4)

  59. That’s not what they mean milhouse.

    I pegged him awhile back as being full of squish-squish, left-leaning sentiments — although not totally sure until more recently — and so I kind of know what makes people like that tick.

    Mark (f713e4)

  60. That’s not what they mean milhouse.

    They did when the TEA Party movement used them. Nobody was thinking of the obscure sexual definition until the lefties brought it up to mock them.

    Milhouse (8489b1)

  61. I pegged him awhile back as being full of squish-squish, left-leaning sentiments

    Mark, you’re insane. It’s time for another dose of whatever you’ve been prescribed, and a lie down.

    Milhouse (8489b1)

  62. Milhouse, so you can honestly say you don’t have twinges of liberal biases circulating in that brain of yours? Oh, please.

    Mark (f713e4)

  63. Mark, your idiosyncratic definition of “left” is so off the wall that it’s impossible for you to use that word meaningfully in a conversation with any other human being. Nobody else ascribes the same meaning to it as you do.

    Milhouse (8489b1)

  64. There’s nothing at all to criticize Cruz about having his pretty young daughters along with his wife in a political ad to show he’s a happy man with a beautiful family. But, he shouldn’t have had the eldest daughter take a shot at Hillary. That was wrong, and it was a stupid thing to do.

    However, the WaPo’s cartoon was at least as bad and probably worse in the eyes of a great many mothers and fathers. Their initial excuse was pathetic.

    It’s a case of 2 wrongs, but the WaPo gets the dunce cap. Which of course is well earned and all to typical of one of the most despised so-called newspapers in the country.

    ropelight (cc7211)

  65. Nobody else ascribes the same meaning to it as you do.

    Milhouse, I’ve observed various posts of yours through the months and on enough occasions you’ve expressed sentiments that are anything but of the right. For example, while your characterization of the Tea Party and its name callers may be, in the strictest sense, technically correct, if your gut instincts were such that you sympathized with conservatism, instead of stretching the Tea-Party-vs-liberals scenario to give cover, in effect, to the left (Oh, those darned Tea Party-ers set themselves up for ridicule!!), you’d lean in the other direction and razz liberals for ascribing a sexual meaning (and a homosexual reference, at that) to “Tea Party.”

    Mark (74fce8)

  66. Mark vs. milhouse… teh Squishmeister vs. teh New Yawk Minuteman… pocket pool vs. teh Onanist

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  67. Liberals nod in agreement when Obama plays the victim and implies people only oppose him because he’s black (pretty sure it has more to do with the fact that Obama is a complete failure, as evidenced by Obamacare, the fallout of pulling out of Iraq, the stimulus, and every other policy he’s been behind). But liberals will not have a problem with that cartoon. Go figure. It’s too bad the only thing liberals can be consistent on is being depraved hypocrites.

    tops116 (d094f8)

  68. Liberals nod in agreement when Obama plays the victim and implies people only oppose him because he’s black (pretty sure it has more to do with the fact that Obama is a complete failure, as evidenced by Obamacare, the fallout of pulling out of Iraq, the stimulus, and every other policy he’s been behind).

    Good point. It wouldn’t matter if Cruz were black, though. He would still garner no sympathy because we know that in the grand scheme of politics, be it racial or identity, the letter after your name supersedes everything else. Nothing personal, Cruz…but too bad for you, “R”…

    Dana (86e864)

  69. I think it might be good for Trump to take the repub nomination and Cruz go independent, win, and be the center for a new party to coalesce around.

    Yes, I’m dreaming.

    MD in Philly (not in Philly at the moment) (deca84)

  70. You might be on to something there, MD. I see even Franklin Graham has had enough of the GOP. Continued funding of Planned Parenthood was the last straw.

    Dana (86e864)

  71. you know what else is fair game?

    all these tamales!

    happyfeet (831175)

  72. Well it would appear that nothing has changed at the Post even with Jeff Bezos owning the joint. Hmm, maybe it’s because he owns it that nothing has changed.

    scr_north (f3d5c6)

  73. an irony, bezos’s mother married a cuban when he was five, and he grew up in Miami,

    narciso (732bc0)


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