The “Ted Cruz is smart” trap: Why this garbage is false — and dangerous

[DonViejo]

The Texas senator convinces all of his enemies to praise his intellect. Here's why they're wrong -- and should stop

NATHAN ROBINSON

Even Ted Cruz’s critics seem to concur on one point: whatever else you might say about him, the man is very smart. Mother Jones magazine has called him the “thinking man’s tea partier.” Josh Marshall, in a mostly withering assessment, made the same obligatory concession to his being an “incredibly bright guy.” Jeffrey Toobin’s recent, ostensibly critical New Yorker profile of Cruz is full of quotes about his being “the smartest guy in the room,” his “sophisticated” constitutional views, and the “extraordinary” erudition of his senior thesis.

Cruz likely finds all of this very pleasing indeed. In his interview with Toobin, Cruz quotes Sun Tzu, saying that “every battle is won before it’s fought. It’s won by choosing the terrain on which it will be fought.” In getting those who despise him to genuflect to his intelligence, Ted Cruz has already won one battle. Jeffrey Toobin may lace his piece with dismissive sneers, yet somehow he still contributes to the ever-growing heap of liberal respect for Cruz’s mental acuity.

But there’s no reason to keep this up. For one thing, it doesn’t seem especially true. It can’t really be that we think Cruz has a sophisticated mind, given that the only thoughts he produces are angry pants-on-fire platitudinous drivel. Even those who lavish praise on his oratory seem to agree that his heat-to-light ratio nears the infinite, and that “thoughtfulness” and Ted Cruz cannot exist in the same room. His only memorable quotes appear to be cheap jokes, and the most notable speech of his entire career is not his own, but Dr. Seuss’. Nobody who has witnessed a few minutes of Cruz’s piece of senatorial performance art would have thought to label him a thinker, were it not for the preexisting consensus that he is one.

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http://www.salon.com/2014/07/28/the_ted_cruz_is_smart_trap_why_this_garbage_is_false_and_dangerous/

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Either smart or lucky.

He's been one or the other enough to find a niche that makes him lots of money. He doesn't have to actually believe the drivel he spews in order to con idiots into giving him money and power, just know that it plays well with the brain dead base.

[C_U_L8R]

2. Duplicitous, yes

But not very intelligent.
I wouldn't think Cruz is going very far - but then again, the country elected Dubya.

[truebluegreen]

6. Or, you know, not.

The Supremes selected Dimson, not the voters. Probably not even the second time around.

[Cosmocat]

14. There you go

Everyone used to rave how smart karl rove was.

It wasn't intelligence, it was his willingness to do things that were unethical/illegal that most would not dare to do in politics to that point in time.

BIG advantage in a setting where there are grey areas that most won't wander into for those willing to live on the other side of them.

[Blue Owl]

3. A squeamish pointdexter, at best

[iandhr]

4. He is a stupid smart person

[BrotherIvan]

5. Paul Ryan

How many times did we have to be told what a genius he was? That all evaporated after the debate.

[TwilightGardener]

7. Being hyper-verbal (like Gingrich) gives him the veneer of smarts.

He doesn't actually have to produce anything good, or say anything important. And he hasn't. I stopped reading Digby's blog because she was so convinced of his brilliance--it made me doubt HER smarts.

[Indydem]

8. Look, the guy is a dbag, but....

Princeton and Harvard aren't handing out degrees magna cum laude for the shits of it.

He may be the biggest dbag in the universe, but if you underestimate his intelligence you run the risk of walking into his trap.

[catbyte]

12. Yeah, well, W graduated from Yale, so an Ivy League degree doesn't necessarily

equal extraordinary intellect. Canadian Cruz isn't stupid, but neither is he an intellectual.

[Rozlee]

9. Many people don't achieve success and attain power because they're smart.

The do it because they have connections. Witness Dubya. If his last name had been anything but Bush, he'd have been washing windows--badly. But, Cruz was brilliant in his studies and received high grades and honors in graduate school. But, like Dubya, I really think he's incurious and doesn't have much in the way of critical thinking skills and definitely doesn't have the trait of empathy. So many conservatives in high power strike me as having anti-social personality disorder, if they aren't downright sociopaths.

[samsingh]

10. agreed - i don't think he is smart

in addition to be an absolute lying po crap, he is not intelligent in his conclusions.

[lancer78]

11. I really started to doubt his intelligence

when he stated A&E was violating Phil Robertson's right to free speech.

[Blue Idaho]

13. Smart? No. Sociopath? Yes.

Thanks to the hard work of daddy Rafael - son Ted is a manipulative little bastard lacking empathy and compassion. It's all over that smug and superior face of his.

[dawg]

15. When Sam finally tried the Green Eggs and Ham, he loved it.

That says all you need to know about the intelligence of Ted Cruz.

[Kablooie]

17. Just like Obamacare. They hated it until they tried it.

Marky Mapo learned that long ago.

m.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

16. They do the same thing with regard to Paul Ryan. I've noticed a pattern...

...and double standard.

Republicans are smart and pragmatic.

Democrats are sanctimonious, professorial and elitist.

[imgbitepolitic]

18. And?

Lots of crazy people are smart. Most psychopaths are very smart. A respected Brain scientist was arrested because he pointed an AR-15 at some woman at the airport. Just because you are smart does not mean you can not also be bat shiiit crazy.