Cruz Control: Senator Makes National Headlines For Biden Joke While Visitng Michigan

Sen. Ted Cruz takes his oath of office from Vice President Joe Biden in January 2013 (Photo by Yahoo News)

 By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

 

Ted Cruz had said the joke again and again. But just like when one is driving and goes into "Cruz Control," sometimes you get complacent, sometimes you get sloppy and bad things happen. 

 

That is what happened to his campaign last night when Senator Ted Cruz made national headlines while in Michigan after an ill-timed joke at the Livingston GOP Lincoln Day Dinner. 

 

Cruz targeted Vice President Joe Biden in a bit he has told dozens of times, but this night happened to be just two days before the funeral for the Vice President's son. A simple stump speech change would have fixed this unneeded distraction for Cruz, whose Michigan campaign is very impressive so far.
 

Cruz handled the situation well. He realized he had made a mistake and immediately apologized. The dinner was viewed as a huge success, with over 600 attendees. Those who were there say Cruz received many standing ovations, and tons of interruptions during his speech for applause.

 

Chad Livengood broke the story via Twitter. Livengood writes: 

 

"GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz apologized Wednesday night for telling a joke at a Livingston County Republican dinner about Joe Biden less than a week after the vice president lost his eldest son to brain cancer.
"Vice President Joe Biden," the Texas senator said to faint laughter among 650 Republicans packed in a Howell banquet hall Wednesday. "You know the nice thing? You don't need a punch line."
"I promise you it works," Cruz added. "The next party you're at, just walk up to someone and say, 'Vice President Joe Biden' and just close your mouth. They will crack up laughing."

The presidential candidate's comments immediately set off a social media firestorm on Twitter. Cruz issued an apology less than an hour after his keynote speech ended.

"It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of grief, and I sincerely apologize," Cruz said in a statement. "The loss of his son is heartbreaking and tragic, and our prayers are very much with the Vice President and his family."

>>>Here are some of the headlines:

Ted Cruz apologizes for Joe Biden joke

CNN - ‎5 hours ago‎

Biden's son, Beau, passed away from brain cancer on Saturday. RELATED: Ted Cruz 'imagines' 2016 presidency in Liberty speech · Cruz took to Facebook and Twitter to issue an apology. "It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of ...

GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz apologizes after Joe Biden joke in Michigan ...

MLive.com - ‎5 hours ago‎

HOWELL, MI - Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz offered sympathies to the Biden family on Wednesday after making a joke at the vice president's expense during a Michigan speech. Beau Biden, who was 46, died Saturday after a long battle with ...

Ted Cruz apologizes for Biden joke after death of vice president's son

MSNBC - ‎6 hours ago‎

Texas Republican senator and 2016 presidential candidate Ted Cruz apologized on Wednesday for making a joke about Joe Biden less than a week after the death of the vice president's son. Cruz was reportedly speaking at a GOP event in Howell, Michigan.

GOP candidate Ted Cruz apologizes for Biden remark

CBS News - ‎6 hours ago‎

A contrite Ted Cruz apologized after a joke he made at Vice President Joe Biden's expense at a gathering in Howell, Michigan Wednesday evening. He had talked about Biden at a dinner for the Livingston County Republicans.

Ted Cruz Mocks Joe Biden The Day Before He's Burying His Son

ThinkProgress - ‎7 hours ago‎

Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden will bury his son, Beau, who died after a battle with brain cancer. That didn't stop Senator Ted Cruz, who is running for president, from using Biden as a punch line for a bad joke on Wednesday night. Cruz was speaking to a ...

Ted Cruz Jokes About Joe Biden, As Biden Grieves For His Son

Huffington Post - ‎6 hours ago‎

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) made a crass and poorly timed joke about Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday, days after Biden's son Beau died from brain cancer. According to Detroit News reporter Chad Livengood, Cruz was speaking at a meeting of the ...

Ted Cruz Apologizes for Joe Biden Joke After Son's Death

ABC News - ‎6 hours ago‎

Ted Cruz has apologized after making a joke about Vice President Joe Biden while he is mourning his son. "Joe Biden," Cruz reportedly said to some laughter while speaking at an event in Michigan. "You know the nice thing? You don't need a punchline.".

Ted Cruz mocks Joe Biden, then apologizes

Politico - ‎5 hours ago‎

Sen. Ted Cruz rapidly apologized Wednesday after making a joke at the expense of Vice President Joe Biden, whose son died during the weekend. Cruz, speaking in Michigan, trotted out an old line of his: “Joe Biden … You know what the nice thing is?

Here's the Joe Biden Joke That Now Has Ted Cruz Apologizing

TheBlaze.com - ‎6 hours ago‎

Senator Ted Cruz issued an apology just hours after cracking a joke about Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday, saying it was a “mistake” to mock the vice president “during his time of grief.” Credit: AFP/Getty Images. Biden lost his son, Beau, to brain ...

Ted Cruz apologizes for publicly mocking Vice President Biden days after death ...

New York Daily News - ‎4 hours ago‎

Too soon, Ted. GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz made an ill-timed, ill-received joke about grieving Vice President Biden Wednesday night — just days after Biden's son, Beau, died of brain cancer. Less than an hour after bombing with his Biden barb, ...

Cruz makes Joe Biden joke, apologizes

Washington Post (blog) - ‎6 hours ago‎

[Read: Beau Biden, vice president's son, dies at 46 of brain cancer]. Cruz put out a statement Sunday morning offering his condolences. "Heidi and I were saddened by the news of the loss of Beau, a dedicated husband and father, and a man that so many ...

Ted Cruz Lambasted On Social Media After Tasteless Biden Joke Days After VP ...

CBS Local - ‎6 hours ago‎

HOWELL, Michigan (CBS DETROIT) – Republican Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz made a stop in Howell, Michigan on Wednesday and may wish he had just eaten dinner and left town. Apparently, Cruz landed a tasteless blow against Joe Biden, just days ...

Cruz apologizes for joke about Biden 'during his time of grief'

The Hill (blog) - ‎6 hours ago‎

Cruz took to Facebook to apologize shortly after the speech, writing, “It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of grief, and I sincerely apologize. The loss of his son is heartbreaking and tragic, and our prayers are very much with the ...

Cruz apologizes for Biden joke at Livingston Co. dinner

The Detroit News - ‎5 hours ago‎

Howell — GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz apologized Wednesday night for telling a joke at a Livingston County Republican dinner about Joe Biden less than a week after the vice president lost his eldest son to brain cancer. "Vice President Joe Biden," ...

Ted Cruz told a joke about Joe Biden at the worst possible time

Business Insider - ‎5 hours ago‎

Ted Cruz attends a rare Sunday session to debate Patriot Act in Washington. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz apologized on Wednesday for making a joke about Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, whose son died on ...

Ted Cruz: Sorry For Joe Biden Joke

Daily Beast - ‎4 hours ago‎

GOP presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz apologized on Wednesday for cracking a joke about Joe Biden less than a week after the death of the vice president's son. "It was a mistake to use an old joke about Joe Biden during his time of grief, and I sincerely ...

Ted Cruz Makes Bad Joke About Joe Biden Days Before Son's Burial, And ...

International Business Times - ‎4 hours ago‎

Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz made a joke at the expense of vice president Joe Biden on Wednesday night during a dinner hosted by a group of Republicans in Michigan. Cruz was quickly reprimanded for the timing of his ...

Cruz Repeats Biden Joke at GOP Event, Apologizes for Poor Timing

Mediaite - ‎6 hours ago‎

Like most politicians, Ted Cruz is fond of repeating good jokes and one-liners. On the campaign trail he's made a few recurring cracks about Vice President Joe Biden that he repeated at a GOP event tonight: ...

Ted Cruz apologizes after cracking joke about Joe Biden - AOL.com

AOL News - ‎4 hours ago‎

Presidential candidate and Sen. Ted Cruz has apologized late Wednesday after making making fun of Vice President Joe Biden's at an event in Michigan. The joke quickly caught fire on twitter after Chad Livengood, a reporter for The Detroit News, tweeted ...

Ted Cruz apologizes for telling Joe Biden joke

The News Journal - ‎3 hours ago‎

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a GOP presidential candidate, quickly apologized Wednesday night after cracking a joke he's used before about Vice President Joe Biden, whose son Beau died on Saturday. Speaking in Howell, Michigan, Cruz mentioned Biden's name ...

Sen. Ted Cruz apologizes for ill-timed joke about VP Joe Biden

WDIV Detroit - ‎4 hours ago‎

Republican presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz apologized for an ill-timed joke about Vice President Joe Biden Wednesday night. While speaking at a GOP dinner in Brighton, Cruz poked fun at Biden, mentioning his name before saying, "You know the ...

Days after death of VP's son, Cruz makes Biden joke, quickly apologizes

Dallas Morning News (blog) - ‎6 hours ago‎

WASHINGTON–Sen. Ted Cruz picked a bad time to make fun of Vice President Joe Biden and apologized almost immediately afterward. Speaking at a county Republican Party dinner in Howell, Mich., Cruz made a joke at Biden's expense the night before ... 

 

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com 

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Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson