Item 1: Former Congressman Will Hurd is running for President.
Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, announced Thursday he is running for president, becoming the first Texan with experience in elective office to enter the Republican primary.
Hurd, who represented Texas in Congress from 2015-21, begins his campaign as a major underdog. He is an unabashed moderate and a Donald Trump critic in a party where many remain loyal to the former president and frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Hurd revealed his decision in a Thursday morning interview on CBS and followed it up online with an announcement video that began with Hurd listing illegal immigration, inflation and other problems before addressing the current and former presidents.
“President [Joe] Biden can’t solve these problems — or won’t,” Hurd said. “And if we nominate a lawless, selfish, failed politician like Donald Trump — who lost the House, the Senate and the White House — we all know Joe Biden will win again.”
I have a better chance of being elected President than Will Hurd does. But I’m sure this will be helpful for his future book sales and speaking fees.
Item 2: Can Ted Cruz convince people that he’s an effective legislator and not just a ridiculous partisan hack?
Not Ted Cruz
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz often refers to himself as a happy warrior, and he has spent much of his time in the Senate fighting against bills backed by Democrats and Republicans alike.
But as the two-term senator gears up for a difficult reelection fight next year, he is working to buff up a less prominent side of his record: effective lawmaker.
The Texas Republican is touting past efforts to reach across the aisle to designate new federal highways, invest in space exploration and pass protections for women in military academies. And he is using his post as the top Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to make bipartisan pushes to mandate carmakers keep AM radio in the vehicles they sell and to require transparency in event ticket pricing.
It’s a new look for Cruz that comes as his highest-profile Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas, is already slamming him for spending more time podcasting and vying for airtime on Fox News than getting work done in the Senate.
“My role in the Senate has been, No. 1, standing up and leading the fight against bad ideas, against extreme policies hurting the people of Texas, and, No. 2, working to deliver meaningful victories that make a difference in the lives of Texans,” Cruz said in an interview with Hearst Newspapers.
Short answer: No.
Slightly longer answer: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA *gasp* *wheeze* *choke* HA HA HA HA HA *deep breath* *long exhale* No.
(Also, that thing about AM radio is totally about protecting wingnut talk radio hosts from extinction.)
This has been Obvious Reactions To Dumb Things. Thank you for your attendance.