Ted Cruz’s Senior Adviser Blames Obamacare for Ebola, Then Says It Was “Sarcasm”

The hoary old “sarcasm” excuse again
Wingnuts • Views: 26,005

Here’s today’s example of right wing humor, which doesn’t really resemble the thing most of us know as “humor.” After the news broke about Dr. Craig Spencer testing positive for Ebola in New York City last night, Ted Cruz’s senior adviser and deputy chief of staff Nick Muzin took to his Twitter account to blame Obamacare for the US Ebola cases. Because of course he did. Humor!

When people started reacting to this crazy comment, because let’s face it, it’s really pretty awful, Muzin quickly deleted his tweet. Then, a few minutes later, possibly after a conversation with his boss, he decided to haul out the favorite conservative excuse for saying horrible things without actually apologizing:

They never get tired of the hoary old “sarcasm” excuse.

(And to make this even more gross, Muzin is actually a doctor himself.)

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89 comments
1 wrenchwitch  Oct 24, 2014 10:45:03am

‘Did not translate well’

Google Translate’s derp-to-English is still in Beta.

2 Fourth Football of the Apocalypse  Oct 24, 2014 10:45:29am

Good Christian American Patriot Conservatives: so misunderstood, persecuted.

3 Charles Johnson  Oct 24, 2014 10:46:02am
4 Skip Intro  Oct 24, 2014 10:47:23am

“I’m sorry if you’re so thin skinned you were offended.”

5 Dave In Austin  Oct 24, 2014 10:48:39am

Went to do my Civic Duty in Austin over lunch. I was the only person voting. Kinda depressing considering the derpage running in this state. My vote went to all D’s and a few G’s if there were no other options.

6 Lidane  Oct 24, 2014 10:49:34am

Speaking of Ted, his father is bleating again:

7 Charles Johnson  Oct 24, 2014 10:51:02am
8 Fourth Football of the Apocalypse  Oct 24, 2014 10:51:57am

re:
#7

Journalism. You keep using that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means.

9 Kragar  Oct 24, 2014 10:52:51am

How the GOP develops a talking point

Step 1) Post something stupid

Step 2) Wait for a reaction

Step 3) Choose one of the following

3a) If post is met with ridicule or apprehension, claim it was satire and imply the reader just didn’t get it

3b) if post goes unchallenged, it become party gospel

10 Kragar  Oct 24, 2014 10:54:08am
11 Targetpractice  Oct 24, 2014 10:55:33am

re: #4 Skip Intro

“I’m sorry if you’re so thin skinned you were offended.”

“IT WAS SATIRE, YOU HUMORLESS LIBERALS!!!!”

12 Vogon Poetry  Oct 24, 2014 10:55:36am

re: #7 Charles Johnson

13 Vogon Poetry  Oct 24, 2014 10:57:17am
14 Charles Johnson  Oct 24, 2014 10:57:36am

“He has broke?”

The future Republican brain trust.

15 The War TARDIS  Oct 24, 2014 10:58:04am

re: #10 Kragar

I’m taking it, it’s mine now.

16 Fourth Football of the Apocalypse  Oct 24, 2014 10:59:52am

re:
#14

What stories has Chuck broke?

17 Hercules Grytpype-Thynneghazi  Oct 24, 2014 10:59:52am

That tweet would make sense as sarcasm only if it was intended to poke fun at anti-Obamacare arguments. Like those made by Ted Cruz himself. I don’t think I believe that was Muzin’s intent.

18 bill d  Oct 24, 2014 11:00:04am

The only chance a republican has of being in the White House is if they catch Ebola

19 De Kolta Chair  Oct 24, 2014 11:00:08am

President Cruz’s Secretary of Defense Nick Muzin will make Donald Rumsfeld sound rational in comparison.

20 Randall Gross  Oct 24, 2014 11:02:51am

More idiot tweets on Ebola & Obama:

msnbc.com

21 De Kolta Chair  Oct 24, 2014 11:03:32am

re: #6 Lidane

Speaking of Ted, his father is bleating again:

[Embedded content]

Old man Cruz is doing a great job of thwarting his son’s presidential ambitions. Long may he rant!

22 Kragar  Oct 24, 2014 11:04:44am

re: #15 The War TARDIS

I’m taking it, it’s mine now.

I made my own

24 Rightwingconspirator  Oct 24, 2014 11:05:14am

My office is full of Ebola panic. All for travel ban, don’t let any of the doctors come home etc. So I popped off and asked how many un vaccinated kids go to their kids schools, and should they then pull them out? That being a far higher risk after all…

I think I just got the office downdings of the week.

25 makeitstop  Oct 24, 2014 11:05:25am

re: #14 Charles Johnson

“He has broke?”

The future Republican brain trust.

The only thing that punk has succeeded in breaking is journalism itself.

26 bill d  Oct 24, 2014 11:05:35am
27 Vogon Poetry  Oct 24, 2014 11:05:43am

re: #16 The Fourth Football of the Apocalypse (Bulworth)

re:
#14

What stories has Chuck broke?

He’s broken them with hypocrisy, doxxing, and smears.

He hasn’t broken any stories with accurate original sources.

His “big” stories are the bogus and BS claims that Brown committed murder as a juvenile - that was made up and dependent upon bogus PD sources.

He’s claimed 20 people were infected with Ebola and were symptomatic. That too was bogus. He’s claimed that other instances of Ebola scares were actual confirmed cases; he was wrong on that too.

Yet he missed getting the scoop on yesterday’s confirmed Ebola case, but was rushing to dox the doctor anyways.

28 Fourth Football of the Apocalypse  Oct 24, 2014 11:05:56am

re:
#24

There goes your office karma…..

/

29 Rightwingconspirator  Oct 24, 2014 11:06:29am

re: #23 nines09

You should Page that. +1 any way.

30 Fourth Football of the Apocalypse  Oct 24, 2014 11:07:04am

re:
#27

That’s what I thought. But in RWNJ world all those false breaks = BROKE!!!!!!!1

31 Rightwingconspirator  Oct 24, 2014 11:07:29am

re: #28 The Fourth Football of the Apocalypse (Bulworth)

re:
#24

There goes your office karma…..

/

Yup, gonna kinda just lean on some busy work like it matters a while.

32 Lidane  Oct 24, 2014 11:07:34am

re: #18 bill d

33 Fourth Football of the Apocalypse  Oct 24, 2014 11:07:35am

I’ve BROKED all the journalism cases all over the country!!!!1

34 nines09  Oct 24, 2014 11:07:49am

re: #20 Randall Gross

More idiot tweets on Ebola & Obama:

msnbc.com

Right there is true leadership, deep thinking and patriotism. /

35 Feline Fearless Leader  Oct 24, 2014 11:08:27am

re: #24 Rightwingconspirator

My office is full of Ebola panic. All for travel ban, don’t let any of the doctors come home etc. So I popped off and asked how many un vaccinated kids go to their kids schools, and should they then pull them out? That being a far higher risk after all…

I think I just got the office downdings of the week.

Don’t upset the butler

36 nines09  Oct 24, 2014 11:10:09am

re: #29 Rightwingconspirator
Feeling under the weather. Too much work. Thanks!

37 Randall Gross  Oct 24, 2014 11:10:09am

Totally off topic, but I know Nikita & Marvel fans will want to see this

38 Vogon Poetry  Oct 24, 2014 11:10:24am

re: #24 Rightwingconspirator

Your coworkers are far more likely to come in contact with someone with:

measles
mumps
whooping cough
influenza
chicken pox
HPV
etc.

than Ebola. Those are all preventable with an easily obtained vaccine. Yet how many people will refuse them for themselves or their family over some long debunked claims? How many wont take the vaccine because they never get sick, ignoring that people can be carriers of the disease and not show symptoms (unlike Ebola - which is only dangerous when the person is symptomatic).

The other way to look at this is if this means that more facilities and public spaces clean surfaces more often and provide hand sanitizer, they’ll potentially slow the spread of those other diseases (including the common cold).

Ebola, though, is still an exceedingly rare disease and very hard to get - impossible unless you’re in direct contact with someone who had the active disease symptoms, and even then, it’s not a given - as many people, including Duncan’s relatives, didn’t get the disease).

39 Blind Frog Ebola White  Oct 24, 2014 11:16:53am

re: #23 nines09

Ebola Vaccine, Ready for Test, Sat on the Shelf

Yep. Somewhere between 2001 and about 2005, the American public, and hence the US Government went from “WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!” to “Anthrax? Isn’t that a heavy metal band?”

With that loss of interest came a drying up of funding for biodefense, and with it funding for Emerging Diseases. The government went through the motions for another year or so, but basically by 2005, nobody gave a shit about it anymore.

40 Timothy Watson  Oct 24, 2014 11:18:15am

re: #37 Randall Gross

Totally off topic, but I know Nikita & Marvel fans will want to see this

[Embedded content]

DC sees your Lyndsy Fonseca and raises you Morena Baccarin:
Morena Baccarin joins Gotham as Dr. Leslie Thompkins

41 Blind Frog Ebola White  Oct 24, 2014 11:22:49am

re: #40 Timothy Watson

DC sees your Lyndsy Fonseca and raises you Morena Baccarin:
Morena Baccarin joins Gotham as Dr. Leslie Thompkins

Thank FSM one doesn’t have to choose between watching Agents of Shield and Gotham. At the moment I’d go for AoS, but that’s only because Gotham is just getting started and I’m not invested in the characters.

42 bill d  Oct 24, 2014 11:24:20am

Another school shooting going on:

The right wing will let us know whether to be outraged or not once the shooter’s race and religion is verified.

43 Blind Frog Ebola White  Oct 24, 2014 11:25:49am

WRT the original topic of the thread, I buy the wingnut’s explanation, esp. since he deleted the original post.

One might, however, waggishly point out that we also never had a case of Ebola in the US before Ted Cruz was elected to the Senate….

44 Timothy Watson  Oct 24, 2014 11:25:55am

re: #41 Blind Frog Ebola White

Thank FSM one doesn’t have to choose between watching Agents of Shield and Gotham. At the moment I’d go for AoS, but that’s only because Gotham is just getting started and I’m not invested in the characters.

Yeah, Gotham is starting up pretty slow, but I stuck with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. through that awful first half of the first season, so I am hanging in with Gotham too.

In other news, however, I am getting pretty damn close to bailing on Homeland. Four episodes in and I still don’t give a crap about what’s going on.

45 William Barnett-Lewis  Oct 24, 2014 11:26:02am

re: #41 Blind Frog Ebola White

Thank FSM one doesn’t have to choose between watching Agents of Shield and Gotham. At the moment I’d go for AoS, but that’s only because Gotham is just getting started and I’m not invested in the characters.

Thank God I don’t have a TV so I don’t have to care about any of them… ;)

46 Vicious Piebola  Oct 24, 2014 11:26:08am

AND YET AGAIN

47 nines09  Oct 24, 2014 11:27:03am

re: #39 Blind Frog Ebola White

Yep. Somewhere between 2001 and about 2005, the American public, and hence the US Government went from “WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!” to “Anthrax? Isn’t that a heavy metal band?”

With that loss of interest came a drying up of funding for biodefense, and with it funding for Emerging Diseases. The government went through the motions for another year or so, but basically by 2005, nobody gave a shit about it anymore.

For the sake of a few cents were Empires lost or something like that. At some point Anthrax T shirt sales took a dump I think.

48 Targetpractice  Oct 24, 2014 11:27:31am

re: #46 Vicious Piebola

AND YET AGAIN

[Embedded content]

Blah blah good guy with gun blah blah gun free zone blah blah just give up on gun control.

49 Vicious Piebola  Oct 24, 2014 11:27:37am

ausador please take me off the mentions you are having with these gun fuckers. Kthxbai

50 Targetpractice  Oct 24, 2014 11:28:05am

re: #47 nines09

For the sake of a few cents were Empires lost or something like that. At some point Anthrax T shirt sales took a dump I think.

For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost.

51 Mentis Fugit  Oct 24, 2014 11:28:12am

Let’s all have a singalong to keep our spirits up.
Youtube Video

52 Vicious Piebola  Oct 24, 2014 11:28:44am

Fuck that, get Canada to send Kevin Vickers

53 Vogon Poetry  Oct 24, 2014 11:29:00am

re: #42 bill d

54 Blind Frog Ebola White  Oct 24, 2014 11:31:53am

re: #42 bill d

Another school shooting going on:

The right wing will let us know whether to be outraged or not once the shooter’s race and religion is verified.

Indeed. Apparently Obama didn’t say “Terror” soon enough about the Ottawa shooting, so the duck didn’t come down and give him $100 Right Wing is outraged.

55 Blind Frog Ebola White  Oct 24, 2014 11:32:33am

re: #50 Targetpractice

For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost.

Hey, if the nail was really needed, The Market would have provided it.
//

56 Mike Lamb  Oct 24, 2014 11:33:10am

re: #42 bill d

Another school shooting going on:

The right wing will let us know whether to be outraged or not once the shooter’s race and religion is verified.

Don’t forget that they’ll also tell us when to be outraged. We know immediately after the tragedy will be off limits. So will well after. And in the middle.

57 Fourth Football of the Apocalypse  Oct 24, 2014 11:33:17am

re:
#46

BREAKING: Possible active shooter incident at a school in Marysville, Wa., police tell
@ABC

just because thares someone shooting people up doesn’t make it a shooting incident!!!!!!!111

58 De Kolta Chair  Oct 24, 2014 11:34:08am

re: #53 Vogon Poetry

BREAKING: Police source says alleged Marysville-Pilchuck HS gunman dead from self-inflicted wound.

Or as the NRA, GOP and many in the press call it, closure.

59 Lidane  Oct 24, 2014 11:35:38am

re: #41 Blind Frog Ebola White

re: #44 Timothy Watson

The best part of Gotham is Penguin. I enjoy the show, but he really stands out. I love the way they’ve written the character. I swear DC is going to end up retconning the comics to match the look, mannerisms, and speech patterns of the actor.

And now that Agents of SHIELD have brought in Mockingbird, I’m hoping they bring in Jeremy Renner at some point this season. Mockingbird and Hawkeye have history in the comics.

60 leftynyc  Oct 24, 2014 11:41:09am

re: #24 Rightwingconspirator

My office is full of Ebola panic. All for travel ban, don’t let any of the doctors come home etc. So I popped off and asked how many un vaccinated kids go to their kids schools, and should they then pull them out? That being a far higher risk after all…

I think I just got the office downdings of the week.

Are you in NY? Because I can’t find anyone in a panic about it here in the city.

61 Kid A  Oct 24, 2014 11:41:24am

re: #42 bill d

Another school shooting going on:

The right wing will let us know whether to be outraged or not once the shooter’s race and religion is verified.

Dim Jim is hard at work researching his party affiliation AS WE SPEAK!

62 Blind Frog Ebola White  Oct 24, 2014 11:43:12am

re: #61 Kid A

Dim Jim is hard at work researching his party affiliation AS WE SPEAK!

What kind of countertops did he have?

63 Rightwingconspirator  Oct 24, 2014 11:43:42am

re: #60 leftynyc

Los Angeles, which just makes it sillier.

64 Blind Frog Ebola White  Oct 24, 2014 11:45:34am

re: #63 Rightwingconspirator

Los Angeles, which just makes it sillier.

We in the Bay Area have the World Series to think about, so we’re pretty nonchalant about Ebola.

65 Kragar  Oct 24, 2014 11:46:37am

re: #63 Rightwingconspirator

Los Angeles, which just makes it sillier.

Ask them the joke about the guy who was worried he might catch Ebola.

They probably won’t get it.

66 Vogon Poetry  Oct 24, 2014 11:47:49am

re: #60 leftynyc

The media outlets are hyping it. Most people I’ve seen are going about their business as usual. I’m sure a few people will be going off the rails about this being a sign of the End Times, but if it wasn’t Ebola, it’d be about something else.

67 sagehen  Oct 24, 2014 11:47:58am

re: #44 Timothy Watson

Yeah, Gotham is starting up pretty slow, but I stuck with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. through that awful first half of the first season, so I am hanging in with Gotham too.

In other news, however, I am getting pretty damn close to bailing on Homeland. Four episodes in and I still don’t give a crap about what’s going on.

I care enough about Homeland to be PISSED OFF that Carrie thinks sleeping with a teenager is her best play to recruit an asset. What the hell, Carrie? Are Saul and Quinn the only non-sexual relationships you’ve ever had at work? (I seem to recall she put the moves on Saul once, too…)

68 teleskiguy  Oct 24, 2014 11:48:51am

GoPro 1960s style!

69 Vicious Piebola  Oct 24, 2014 11:49:43am

re: #53 Vogon Poetry

BREAKING: Police source says alleged Marysville-Pilchuck HS gunman dead from self-inflicted wound.

So he was the bad guy AND the good guy with the gun?

70 Lidane  Oct 24, 2014 11:53:18am

Heh.

71 Vogon Poetry  Oct 24, 2014 11:54:39am

re: #69 Vicious Piebola

So he was the bad guy AND the good guy with the gun?

The gun became sentient and killed the gunman for us. /problem solved. /Tony Stark

I’ve cut the strings /Ultron

72 Timothy Watson  Oct 24, 2014 11:55:40am

re: #67 sagehen

I care enough about Homeland to be PISSED OFF that Carrie thinks sleeping with a teenager is her best play to recruit an asset. What the hell, Carrie? Are Saul and Quinn the only non-sexual relationships you’ve ever had at work? (I seem to recall she put the moves on Saul once, too…)

Yep, the first episode she tried to seduce Saul after he caught her illegal surveillance on Brody, he was royally pissed for like the next five episodes.

73 wrenchwitch  Oct 24, 2014 11:57:09am
74 Blind Frog Ebola White  Oct 24, 2014 11:57:47am

re: #68 teleskiguy

GoPro 1960s style!

[Embedded content]

Wow, and it doesn’t look incredibly heavy and awkward at all!
//

75 Lidane  Oct 24, 2014 11:58:37am

re: #71 Vogon Poetry

I’ve cut the strings /Ultron

76 RealityBasedEbola  Oct 24, 2014 12:02:28pm

re: #68 teleskiguy

GoPro 1960s style!

[Embedded content]

Yea, taking a corner at 100 mph won’t stress your neck Jackie, trust us, we’re engineers.

RBS

77 ObserverArt  Oct 24, 2014 12:03:05pm

re: #68 teleskiguy

GoPro 1960s style!

OnThisDay & Facts @NotableHistory

Formula One World Champion Jackie Stewart wearing an early helmet camera to capture on-board footage, 1966.

I wonder if that rig was used to shoot some of the shots for the John Frankenheimer movie “Grand Prix” that had Stewart and many of the drivers of that era in it. The big star was James Garner. The drivers drove the cars and were also in many of the scenes.

78 Bear  Oct 24, 2014 12:03:09pm

Again komonews.com

79 Timothy Watson  Oct 24, 2014 12:06:00pm

re: #67 sagehen

I care enough about Homeland to be PISSED OFF that Carrie thinks sleeping with a teenager is her best play to recruit an asset. What the hell, Carrie? Are Saul and Quinn the only non-sexual relationships you’ve ever had at work? (I seem to recall she put the moves on Saul once, too…)

I’m trying to figure out how Fara went from being a fiscal/accounting analyst to being a damn field agent in a year’s time.

80 leftynyc  Oct 24, 2014 12:08:08pm

re: #63 Rightwingconspirator

Los Angeles, which just makes it sillier.

Oh that really is bad. I’m very proud of my city right now - there is simply nothing resembling anything like panic here.

81 Blind Frog Ebola White  Oct 24, 2014 12:08:45pm

re: #80 leftynyc

Oh that really is bad. I’m very proud of my city right now - there is simply nothing resembling anything like panic here.

“I got yer Ebola Panic Right here!”

82 leftynyc  Oct 24, 2014 12:09:51pm

re: #66 Vogon Poetry

The media outlets are hyping it. Most people I’ve seen are going about their business as usual. I’m sure a few people will be going off the rails about this being a sign of the End Times, but if it wasn’t Ebola, it’d be about something else.

I think you’re in the downtown area, I’m in the midtown east area and I’ve seen nothing but normal. I was prepared for some kind of hysteria but got nuttin’.

83 Rightwingconspirator  Oct 24, 2014 12:11:40pm

America now looks a small bit smarter than it did…

TLC has officially canceled their ratings hit Here Comes Honey Boo Boo due to rumors that the family’s matriarch, June “Mama June” Summers, was dating a convicted child molester.

84 Lidane  Oct 24, 2014 12:12:40pm

re: #83 Rightwingconspirator

America now looks a small bit smarter than it did…

Now if we could just kill off all reality TV I’d be thrilled.

Give actual writers and storytellers some work, FFS.

85 De Kolta Chair  Oct 24, 2014 12:13:07pm

“Ebola Czar” Ron Klain is being criticized for knowing nothing about medicine and everything about the inner workings of Washington, DC. Since he won’t be personally performing medical examinations, and the fact that DC is a bureaucratic and political clusterfuck, I have no major problems with that.

86 sagehen  Oct 24, 2014 12:20:59pm

re: #79 Timothy Watson

I’m trying to figure out how Fara went from being a fiscal/accounting analyst to being a damn field agent in a year’s time.

Because what she did in Tehran last year, with her family… even though it took some convincing, she realized she actually kind of enjoyed it and derived satisfaction from the outcome. Since she already had the language skills and cultural background, tradecraft and fitness training was all that was needed to turn her into an excellent field operative.

87 sagehen  Oct 24, 2014 12:25:02pm

re: #84 Lidane

Now if we could just kill off all reality TV I’d be thrilled.

Give actual writers and storytellers some work, FFS.

Keep Project Runway. (not the spinoffs, those suck. But the original).

I don’t understand the appeal of cooking competitions. I can’t smell the food through my TV, I can’t taste it, how the hell am I supposed to decide if I agree with the judges?

88 ausador  Oct 24, 2014 12:27:14pm

re: #63 Rightwingconspirator

Los Angeles, which just makes it sillier.

Hah! Just wait until I publish my story of birds feasting on the corpses of illegal Mexican ISIS drug/Ebola couriers and how the bird poo falling into your pool is swarming with Ebola!

///

89 Saint Stephen  Oct 24, 2014 3:41:06pm

re: #9 Kragar

Kragar, you nailed it. This should be in a book “Republican Propaganda Techniques”


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