Ted Cruz Explains the One Question the Media Uses to Try to ‘Trap’ Candidates

ijreview ^ | June 29, 2015 | MIKE MILLER

[SoConPubbie]

p>During a Fox News interview on Sunday, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz described a recent encounter with a local reporter in Texas who persisted in asking whether he had “an animosity toward gay Americans.”

“Media Buzz” host Howard Kurtz raised the subject:

KURTZ: “You had an exchange with a reporter in Beaumont, Texas, who asked you flat out [if] you have an animosity toward gay Americans. You pushed back on that pretty hard.”

CRUZ: “We were talking about bias in the media; it’s a good example. He asked me initially about gay marriage. I told him I don’t support gay marriage; under the Constitution, marriage is a question for the states.”

He said he moved on and was talking about the need to fight Islamic terrorism, when the reporter once again asked about his feelings toward gays.

Cruz explained to Kurtz why he refused to answer:

“There is a reason for answering as I did. Some people say, ‘why didn’t you just say no?’ – when the answer should be an obvious no.

The reason is, and you know this well, there’s a trap in politics. … I wasn’t going to give him that attack headline. That question was designed to get me to deny it, so then he could run the headline, ‘hahaha, he denies it.'”

Kurtz agreed, adding:

“That’s the headline: ‘Politician Denies Charge.’ Whether the charge is valid or not, kinda gets lost in the lede.”

“Gotcha politics” has been around as long as politics itself – employed by all sides. And it will undoubtedly be on full display throughout the 2016 campaign.

The question is, when reporters are preoccupied with gotcha questions and wedge issues – vs. the myriad of problems facing both the U.S. and the world today – are they doing a disservice to the candidates, let alone their viewers and/or readers?

[SoConPubbie]

"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton "We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792 "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams

[SoConPubbie]

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[wastoute]

Pressure must be brought to bear on the people who give these “journarilts” their paychecks.

[cripplecreek]

I think Ted Cruz is forcing other candidates to nut up a bit.

[Bullish]

The question is, when reporters are preoccupied with gotcha questions and wedge issues

When "reporters" care more about their own political agendas then they care about finding and reporting the truth then they should do the right thing and turn in their press credentials.

I know, fat chance.

[EvilCapitalist]

I can’t wait for the debates. Cruz is going to blow everyone else out of the water.

[PA Engineer]

The question is, when reporters are preoccupied with gotcha questions and wedge issues – vs. the myriad of problems facing both the U.S. and the world today – are they doing a disservice to the candidates, let alone their viewers and/or readers?

I have more sympathy for stink bugs than I do for the occupation media. No one will weep when they are gone.

[I want the USA back]

This kind of colonoscopy is reserved for Republicans and other normal people.

Interviews are traps, and I’m glad he refused to fall into in it.

[TBP]

What about the reporter’s animosity towards Americans?

[Sergio]

bkmk

[usa4usa]

“Gotcha questions” is like a sport for lame people (journalists especially).

But I’m not sure “Politician Denies Charge” is any worse of a headline than “Politician Refuses to Answer”.

[trebb]

And some of the "we have to destroy the real conservatives so we don't lose our reasons to whine" crowd claims his answers are cowardice/non-answers/non stances/complicity, etc.

Can't really debate/argue with them because, like most unarmed people, they resort to flinging feces and claim it is 5 star cuisine - wish they would try an actual taste test once in a while....

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

When "reporters" care more about their own political agendas then they care about finding and reporting the truth then they should do the right thing and turn in their press credentials.

The reality is that journalism is politics. The First Amendment does not require that journalists be, or even suggest that they are, objective. Our problem is not that we don’t have a free press - our problem is that we have a single free press - the Associated Press - and all the newspapers &c. mouth the same party line.  

People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. - Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations

. . . and the AP newswire is nothing other than a continuous virtual meeting of all major journalists.

[MaxMax]

What did you have in mind?