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[–] 136 points 1 year ago (16 children)

Some social media users have noted the irony in Cruz’s gaffe, as the politician voted against an amendment that would have forced the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.

Not a gaffe.

Shame on the independent, why are they running damage control for this bozo?

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  • [–] 49 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    as the politician voted against an amendment that would have forced the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.

    When I see someone voting AGAINST releasing the Epstein files, I can only make the assumption that they are in it.

    Seeing that we are talking about an already horrible person, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Cruz is trying to cover his ass.

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  • [–] 31 points 1 year ago

    When I see someone voting AGAINST releasing the Epstein files, I can only make the assumption that they are in it.

    Cruz's career was largely post-Epstein. But a bunch of his allies and big-ticket donors have straight lines to the Birthday Book and the Flight Logs. He's got a vested interest in protecting them.

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  • [+] 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Johnson cut it short

    In the Senate?

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  • [+] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)
  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

    In the House, the Speaker normally controls the agenda, and nothing can be schedules without their approval. However, there is a process where if a member gathers the signatures of a majority of Members on an issue, the Speaker is forced to put it on the agenda.

    Their petition to release the Epstein files currently has 217 out of the 218 signatures necessary, it has every sitting Democrat on board, and enough Republicans to bring it to the threshold. But there was a vacant seat, which a Democrat won recently. That Democrat is on the record as wanting to sign the petition.

    Normally, these special election winners are sworn in right away, but Speaker Johnson adjourned the House before she could be sworn in. Adjourning the House looked particularly bad, because it all but guaranteed a shutdown.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    Adjourning the House looked particularly bad, because it all but guaranteed a shutdown.

    I don't think they're concerned about that. They rely on the fact that most voters won't know this and the Republicans can just run around saying "the Democrats forced us to shut down!" even though the Republicans were the ones who did it early and stopped any chance of continued negotiations.

    Republicans revel in the lack of nuanced discussion. :(

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    The gaff being saying it out loud in front of cameras…

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    Yeah, I don't think people know what gaffe means. He can say something he believes and not mean to. That's still a gaffe

    Edit: another valid definition was pointed out elsewhere. Guess it can or can't be based on which you pick

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  • [+] 2 points 1 year ago* (2 children)
  • [–] 26 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    Has he said it was a gaffe?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (3 children)

    a remark or action that is a social mistake and not considered polite

    Isn't this pretty precise, according to Cambridge dictionary? It's outside my active vocabulary so what the hell do I know

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  • [–] 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I think their point is, did he correct himself later on to indicate that he misspoke?

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    It was a social mistake, not nessicarily a mistake of speech or intent.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    Exactly this. If you try ticking a grizzly bear it's a mistake even if it is intentional.

    But again, I'm not a native speaker so I'm not saying this is the correct interpretation of the word, but that's the impression I get from the dictionary.

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    [–] [S] 73 points 1 year ago (1 child)
  • [–] 41 points 1 year ago (3 children)
  • [+] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)
  • Ted gets one honest statement per fiscal year (shutdown or not) and this is what he burns it on.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago
    [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Very soon a portion of the country will be perfectly ok with openly defending pedophiles.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago

    Hey hey hey, that's not what he meant to say. What he meant to say was "Stop attacking my mega-donors."

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago

    Fairly sure he was just saying the quiet part out loud again.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    Rafael has honestly done more damage since he stopped being the zodiac killer than he ever did as the zodiac killer.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago

    How was this a "gaffe"? He clearly meant it, although the context is a bit more nuanced than just, "Ted Cruz loves pedophiles". He's obviously trying to downplay their importance in the current political conversation, in an effort to get people to stop caring about Donald Trump's Epstein connections.

    This wasn't a slip of the tongue. It's just an objectively bad take, and people should roast the shit out of him for it.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Why are people assuming it was a gaffe?

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Death to pedophiles and at this point the monsters that help protect them.

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