Washington Post: Ted Cruz uses his kids as political props

Washington Post ^ | December 22, 2015 | Ann Telnaes

[Isara]

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. 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.

Ann Telnaes is an....

[cripplecreek]

If you want smart kids, read to them when they’re little.

[ConservingFreedom]

"Editor’s note from Fred Hiatt: 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."

[CPT Clay]

Fair game?

[Duchess47]

That is sooo cool.

[entropy12]

It was meant to be sarcasm. I thought it was so obvious I did not need the /S tag.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

Won t that be refreshing. I m looking forward to it.

[Starstruck]

It was meant to be sarcasm. I thought it was so obvious I did not need the /S tag.

Sorry. I was taking so much fire last night that I shot the wrong guy.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Please MK, it’s Christmas. I don’t want her to eat excrement, I just want to be a fly on the wall at her Judgement Day : )