Move over, Lord Voldemort. Ted Cruz has taken your place as the man so evil he must not be named . . .
Today's Morning Joe featured a strange trope in which Cruz was being unmistakably referred to by various members of the panel, but, at least in the first hour, never mentioned by name. Instead, Joe Scarborough, Mike Barnicle and Willie Geist variously alluded to Cruz as "one Republican senator specifically" or as one of "a couple of Republican senators" or "certain members of the Senate." Why the aversion to calling Ted Cruz by name? Were the Morning Joers trying to deprive Cruz of publicity? View the video after the jump.
If Cruz is Voldemort, does that make Barack Obama Harry Potter? We'll reserve that metaphysical question for another day. In the meantime, watch the video and reflect on Morning Joe's strange reluctance to call a sitting United States senator by name.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: The Republicans, but not the entire party. A couple of Republicans in the Senate, that made this their calling card, and then some House members who are following a couple of Republicans in the Senate. History's going to be pretty clear that they did more to hurt their party than anybody in a long tiem. I can't think of a parallel. I really can't think of a parallel.
MIKE BARNICLE: I don't think there is a parallel, when you have a couple of Republican senators, one Republican senator specifically, basically acting as Speaker of the House, controlling a small caucus of Republicans in the House that disrupt the function of government.
. . .
SCARBOROUGH: This is a Republican crisis right now. And the Republican party is desperate to get out of the crisis of their own making, of a couple of members in the Senate and some members in the House.
. . .
WILLIE GEIST: Republicans now have walked into a blind alley led by certain members of the Senate, and they don't know where to go next.
