Ted Cruz Really Doesn’t Realize How Hard He Owned His Own Party With This Simpsons Analogy

Ted Cruz has never made a secret of just how much he loves The Simpsons. (Remember when BuzzFeed got him to do a bunch of unimpressive impressions of the show’s characters?) The Texas senator serves as a perfect example of how it’s possible to love something without ever actually understanding it, especially if you are of Cruz’ level of mediocrity.

At this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, Ben Domenech of the rightwing site The Federalist interviewed Cruz and asked about the teaching moments provided by The Simpsons and the connections one can draw between the show and real-life politics. Specifically, he brought up the episode in which Homer buys a gun, and Lisa insists that the Second Amendment is a “remnant from Revolutionary days” that “has no meaning today.”

Cruz responded with the wild and misguided declaration that “I think the Democrats are the party of Lisa Simpson and the Republicans are, happily, the party of Homer and Bart and Maggie and Marge.”

Where to start with this inanity? Maybe with the fact that Maggie is a baby, so we probably shouldn’t claim to know her political leanings. Or with the fact that when in college, Marge participated in feminist bra-burning rallies, and later was a staunch supporter of presumed Democrat Mary Bailey.

Ted Cruz’s fundamental misunderstanding of this thing he purportedly loves almost makes me feel sorry for him. But then I remember that he’s Ted Cruz. On top of the blatant factual errors in his statement, he spectacularly misses the point of these characters, and beyond that, the entire point of the show. Namely, that yes, Homer is probably a Republican. He might have been grifted into voting for Trump. And in the eyes of the show itself, that’s not a point in his favor.

Lisa is frequently viewed by other characters (especially Homer) as a buzzkill, and yes, sometimes she is. But she’s also pretty much always right. And we, the audience, know that. While Homer is carefree and nearly always wrong, Lisa is his perfect foil. She’s the Penny and Brain to his Inspector Gadget. She does all of the emotional and intellectual work and gets none of the credit.

Yet this is the man Ted Cruz is proud to have represent his party’s base, specifically when it comes to guns:

And oh look, it’s the characters running that party.

But the biggest facepalm in this whole analogy is the fact that in the future, LISA BECOMES PRESIDENT.

Not only that, but President Lisa Simpson took office Donald Trump left the country with a major deficit.

The Simpsons predicted President Trump in 2000

Like Amy Poehler, Michael Schur, and the rest of the people behind Parks and Recreation telling the NRA to stop misusing their show’s content, or Dan Harmon telling all those misogynistic trolls that they fundamentally misunderstand Rick & Morty, it must sting to have the creator of your favorite show tell you how wrong you are.

Again, I might feel sorry for Cruz but, well, he’s Ted Cruz.

(image: Fox)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

Author

Close

Vivian Kane

Vivian Kane (she/her) is the Senior News Editor at The Mary Sue, where she's been writing about politics and entertainment (and all the ways in which the two overlap) since the dark days of late 2016. Born in San Francisco and radicalized in Los Angeles, she now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she gets to put her MFA to use covering the local theatre scene. She is the co-owner of The Pitch, Kansas City’s alt news and culture magazine, alongside her husband, Brock Wilbur, with whom she also shares many cats.

twitter