One week after Ted Cruz suspended his presidential campaign, the fallout continues. These consequences aren’t limited to purely political moves, for some musical “tributes” continue to send Cruz packing. We’ll soon see what presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump can bring to a general election, and whether he takes his duties seriously or continues to perform a stand-up comedy act with dashes of bravado. Behind the semi-closed doors of the Cruz camp, they’re finishing a chapter in the Texas senator’s career. As of Tuesday morning, Cruz began his long ride back to Washington, D.C., where perhaps he’ll put on a filibuster show for old time’s sake.
Ted, along with Heidi, still took the time for one final conference call with their National Prayer Team. They’re not saying farewell, just goodbye for now, so we’ll probably see another Cruz candidacy in the future. That’s something to look forward to, right? And Heidi has provided a lasting memory besides the one where she got elbowed in the face during Cruz’s concession speech. This time, the flub is on her. Heidi invoked the fight against slavery as a comparison to what she and Ted have endured with this campaign. Thanks to a stream of tweets from the Texas Tribune‘s Patrick Svitek, Heidi’s words arrive with full context, which doesn’t soften the analogy:
“I don’t want you tell feel like any of this was in vain. I believe in the power of prayer. This doesn’t always happen on the timing of man, and God does not work in four-year segments. So we love you. It has changed our lives to know you and to call you our friends. And hang in there. Be full of faith and so full of joy that this team was chosen to fight a long battle. Thank that slavery — it took 25 years to defeat slavery. That is a lot longer than four years. We are full of energy … We’re going to keep moving forward.”
Granted, being married to Ted (and his quest for power) cannot be easy, but hyperbole doesn’t bode well here. Beyond the obvious point — nothing is like slavery except slavery itself — Heidi appears to believe that the fight against slavery didn’t begin until around 1840. She brushes beyond that hurdle with a promise to her fellow conference callers that she and Ted are still working five hours per day since dropping out. Their crew will also meet on a weekly basis to plan another national race. For now, Ted must return to the Senate to complete “his enormous agenda.” It’s safe to assume that he intends on making the next President’s job as difficult as possible.