Over the course of just two days, the Washington Post pounded its readers with 12 “birther” stories aimed at Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Headlines included, “Can Ted Cruz Run for President?”, “Canadian Born Ted Cruz Releases Birth Certificate Amid Queries if He’s Eligible for Presidential Run,” “Ted Cruz: I am Not a Canadian,” and “No, Ted Cruz ‘Birthers’ are Not the Same as Obama Birthers”:
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Though there is no legal question as to Cruz’s eligibility to run for president (Cruz was born an American citizen), the Post has spent the last 48 hours bedeviling the Hispanic senator with articles obviously meant to put him on defense and plant a seed of doubt in voters’ minds.
The timing of the Post’s assault is also curious. By accident or design, it dovetails perfectly with a widely criticized Daily Beast hit-piece on Cruz that also focuses on and questions Cruz’s past and background.
Since being elected to the United States Senate in 2012, Cruz has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of President Obama and his signature healthcare plan, ObamaCare. The Washington Post has endorsed Obama for president, and frequently used its news and editorial pages to defend ObamaCare.
In the past, the Post has also launched crusades to destroy the careers of many Republicans, including US Senate candidate George Allen, presidential candidate Mitt Romney, presidential candidate Rick Perry, and current gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli — among others. The Post’s modus operandi is similar to what Cruz is currently facing: The Post floods the zone with stories critical of the Republican in an effort to undermine his candidacy through character assassination.
During the 2012 presidential campaign, the Post’s attacks on Mitt Romney frequently followed the lead of whatever attack the Obama campaign was pushing at the time.
Hat tip: John Ekdahl Jr.
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