in a lot of ways, rafael ted cruz sr. and sr., they're both rafael cruz, represent where the republican party is stuck when it comes to their outreach to latinos in the sense there is a very, very right wing cadre, particularly in the cuban-american community in south florida, that are hardcore republicans. now, ironically, enough, i believe rafael ted cruz from the american point of view was on the wrong side of the fidel castro revolution and his son is canadi canadian. he's got an ironic pact to bear in trying to make his son the second coming of ronald reagan. he represents a strain of far right republicanism that's common in south florida. marco rubio edged out of that to become the tea party guy. there is that. that is where the core of republican latino support comes from. if you look at latinos overall, they're something like 65% democrat. if you look at the cuban-american population, particularly older, rafael ted cruz's generation, they're very much republicans. the problem for the republican party is that that

economy $24 billion, tea party senator rafael ted cruz heads to the all important presidential caucus to woo would be 2016 voters. cruz's victory lap has many wondering how did we get here. back in 2004 corporate lobbyist and former republican house majority leader dick armey found a right ring group called freedom works, they sought to replicate grassroots successes of groups like movon and bring as many right wing republicans to congress as possible. that same year oil billionaires kach found add similar group, americans for prosperity with the goal of rolling back regulations on things like energy companies as well as tax rates on the wealthiest americans while cutting benefits for the nation's poor. in november 2010, establishments astroturf investments had dividends. record spending, stoked fear of health care reform, to whip conservative voters into an anti-obama political frenzy, remember the death panels, republicans took control of the house of representatives. now nearly 10 years after this odyssey began and with the government shutdown tanking support for the tea party, the

ted cruz. political lives that is. rafaeld, cruz, wait, rafael, please i'm begging you call me ted, cruz, is now the most hated republican in america by republicans who can think. he is conservative republican thinker on laura ingraham's radio show talking about teddy c. >> how exactly was he going to achieve? >> they share ted cruz's canadian passion for repealing the affordable care act. but they believe ted cruz has hurt that cause. i argued it in '09 and '10. i argued it every week in my wright, on television and mccain and all the people who had disdain. all of us were in the trenches. cruz, and new on the scene and, the fight against obama care. he wasn't there in '09, '10. i've been calling this is cam -- kamikaze brigade. that's how the japanese approached world war ii. let's do pearl are bar and see what happens. didn't work out too well. you've got to have a strategy and there never was one. people are saying the republicans are in retreat. they're not in retreat. there never was a way to abolish obama care now. >>

what's most important about rafael cruz is he speaks directly in a way that resonates to the constituencies that tedruz wants to hear. rafael cruz has said these kinds of things in tea party groups here. i've heard him in iowa and elsewhere. and let me tell you, you go away and talk to some of these pastors, religious pastors and populist tea party folks on the right and they'll say what's to disagree with? >> this is exactly what boehner does in the house. it's exactly what all people in the right now do. they have this rightist, far right of right ka tillon out there, this auxiliary out there. they use to it get right, right, right. if they get into power that will be part of their coalition. they do it by saying i'm not that far right, but that guy's an ally. boehner says it. they won't disown the craziest of them because the craziest of them is their engine. >> yeah. it's the tiger they want to ride into power. it's the tiger that john boehner rode into power as speaker. it's the tiger i think ted cruz wants to ride into power at least in the -- >> those people clicking their heels for ted cruz

rafael cruz, the father of ted cruz. >> i mean, that's basically a right wing seal of approval from the head of the republican party, rush limbaugh. but it's not just rafael and ted cruz. all of the extremism has made its way to the halls of congress. because members openly make birther comments like this. watch this. >> i don't know whether barack obama was born in the united states or not. i don't know that. but i do know this. that in niz heart he's not american. he's just not an american. >> all ki tell you is that the general consensus is that he has produced a birth certificate. question is, is it legitimate? >> i mean, if someone asked for my birth certificate, i'd go and get it out and say here it is. >> so all of these outrageous statements, governor, by members of congress. i mean, again the extreme going mainstream in the republican party. >> sure. these aren't citizens who go to a rally and say something. these are elected officials who bear the republican party across their chest. it's alarming in one sense, but also heartening in another sense. because the more they ratche

[applause] ted cruz and i and a few others who have stood with us -- [applause] i see rafael cruz, ted'sather here with us. thank you for sending a great son to washington. ted cruz and i have been criticized for our actions in the attempt to defund obamacare. we make no apologies. we stand with the people. [applause] you are here today because you are thinking about it. my party is at its best when we are thinking about it. some people succumb to the notion that we cannot think the middle of the big battles on heated issues. i say this is what we should be doing. we should be doing it today and every day. when we stop and come back home to being the party of big ideas, good things happen. the bigger our ideas, the more we have succeeded. conservative's resolution. the 1994 contract with america. you might think of any of the above, they all show that it is the ideas and the principles, rather than the personalities that unify the republican party and propel it to electoral success and to governing success. lately, it seems we have not had enough of either. some say it is because we need

>> well, i think the problem with the figure of rafael cruz is not so much for ted cruz specificallyhim a hero, because it serves to underscore this perception that they're motivated primarily by personal antipathy to president obama and there is a fringe that believes in birtherism and conservative thinkers like ross have been saying they have to create distance from that fringe if they want to start talking to the middle of the electorate more. >> on the other hand, if you're a politician, you can say why are you attacking my poor aged father. i can see, you know, parents get a pass sometimes when it comes -- >> right, i think the issue for ted cruz is as you suggested at the beginning, that his dad has been part of his stump speech, part of his inspirational story and his dad is a public figure in his own right. he is a sought-after speaker on sort of tea party and a certain strain of evangelical christian speaking circuits. so it isn't as simple as saying well, it's just my dad, he said something i don't agree with it and so on. i think the issue for cruz going into 2016, where w

. >> before i ever met ted, i met rafael.n was like the dad we could trust him to be our senator. [ applause ] amen? >> not all of his colleagues see him as anointed. mike huckabee admits cruz probably did more harm than good for the republican party in his failed mission to defund the affordable care act. >> we gave the democrats one incredibly early christmas gift. i'm not going to fault tid. he believed what he was doing was going to be helpful. but in the end, are we any closer to defunding obama care or ridding ourselves of it than we were before? the answer's no. >> what does ted have to say to all of this? >> in every stage my prayers to god is that his will be done, and it will be. >> when you get a lot of people together in a megachurch, you can do some pretty incredible things with a mission. even if that mission is electing a man who will quote green eggs and ham on the senate floor attempting to defund something already made a law. my next guest may start a hole eye war on this one. >> thank you for having me. >>

and the very very ugly rafael cruz is the father ted tea party critic crusader ted cruz was already in for most were calling president obama muslim now it appears that he's a full on truth of the jones has released a video of the elder cruz was an evangelical pastor speaking at a tea party event last september during that video he urges his audience to send the president back to kenya to look. so low. we all. will be the same for a while oh gee how i like to sit in my car. i don't know what's worse than that. what's worse but ted cruz is dead actually things. that obama is from kenya where the people applaud him for saying so very. america is a mess and let's just face facts republicans are black in fact republican policies and actions have tarnished america so badly that the leader of the strongest country in the world is no longer the most powerful at least that's according to forbes as new list of the most powerful people in the world president obama has fallen to number two on their list all russian president vladimir putin has taken over the number one spot as for puts it putin ha

story came about because i spent a couple of days looking at videos of rafael cruz, who is the 74 or 5-year-old father of senator ted cruz. rafael cruz is an evangelical pastoring lives in texas, an immigrant from cuba, used to be a businessman before he turned toward preaching. i found a lot of excessive or extreme rhetoric in videos of him speaking at republican and tea party groups. people may say, wait a second, you can't blame the son for the rhetoric or sins of the father and that's usually the case, i wouldn't want to be held accountable for what my parents had to say but there's one big exception here. ted cruz uses his father extensively as a campaign surrogate. he campaigns with him during his campaign in 2012, his senate campaign in texas, he sent rafael cruz to republican groups, to tea party groups, to speak on his behalf. so it's like your campaign manager or running mate or somebody made these comments. so i found a lot of, you know, to me surprising in how extreme they were remarks that rafael cruz was making in which he says things leek, the united states is a christian nation, he doesn't even use t

rafael cruz. a blog found this, colorado pauls, it is called. this is tedarack obama wrote, if the winds shift, i will side with the muslims. >> he is muslim. >> mccain couldn't say that because it is not politically correct. it is time to stop being politically correct. >> if you speck me to defend that statement, i am not saying anything. >> i'm not saying defending the substance of the statement but more, this is not just one time he said something. it is multiple times. >> until i hear ted cruz make those comments, here's the thing. it is 2013. the election is three years away. if somebody goes into a voting booth and say i don't know where this cruz guy stands. but his father who is 74 years old who may or main be coherent at this point. >> this isn't about 2016. this is about some of the ugliness that tends to seep through our ugliness. and someone whose father has parented that. i love that he is saying it is too politically correct. it is fantasy on fan as they. that's what fuels politics. if that is not condemned no mat hear says it, then you are e

ted cruz is still standing, apparently unfazed. this week cruz channeling his inner joe mccarthy ratcheted up the rhetoric refusing to walk back his father rafael'sfidel castro. ted cruz's seasonably appropriate sieve zealot costume is not exactly frightening democrats who see cruz and his descendants as the enof the gop at least according to majority leader harry reid. >> if i didn't care so much for our country, i would hope he would get the republican party nomination. that would be the end of the republican party. >> indeed with his turn at the captain's wheel signs of a party decline are coming into view. according to latest nbc news "wall street journal" poll, the public's view of the republican party has reached another all-time low garnering just 2 % approval rating. at the same time "new york times" reporting that the democratic party is enjoying something of a boomlet in newly declared candidacies

ted cruz is still standing, apparently unfazed. this week cruz channeling his inner joe mccarthy ratcheted up the rhetoric refusing to walk back his father rafael's comparison of president obama to cuban dictator fidel castro. ted cruz's seasonably appropriate sieve zealot costume is not exactly frightening democrats who see cruz and his descendants as the enof the gop at least according to majority leader harry reid. >> if i didn't care so much for our country, i would hope he would get the republican party nomination. that would be the end of the republican party. >> indeed with his turn at the captain's wheel signs of a party decline are coming into view. according to latest nbc news "wall street journal" poll, the public's view of the republican party has reached another all-time low garnering just 2 % approval rating. at the same time "new york times" reporting that the democratic party is enjoying something of a boomlet in newly declared candidacies for congress in red states. almost all of the democratic candidates, the "times" reports, driven to run over disgust over cruz's shutdown strategy. if i ever see ted cruz all i'm going to say is

ted cruz uses his father extensively -- there is one big exception here -- ted cruz uses his father extensively. he sent rafaelz to republican groups, tea party groups to speak on his behalf. your tempe manager are running mate or somebody isbe's comments -- so it like your campaign manager or running mate or somebody made these comments. is remarks that rafael cruz making in which he says things like the u.s. is a christian nation, hate is not used judeo- christian -- he does not use judeo-christian nation. he said "president barack obama is destroying the concept of god." he says that voters should send obama back to kenya, so he sounds like a birther there. he is giving sermons in which he says women should not be the spiritual leaders of their homes and families. that is a job only for men. women only do it if the men do not do it. he is ardently against gay rights, but he calls gay rights a conspiracy to make the government your god. i don't quite follow the logic there, but that is what he said. he called the president repeatedly a marxist, he comparison to fidel castro. i showd a lot of this -- the vide

of the news some people think ted cruz is the leader of a cult like group and i'm not talking about the tea party last year in a church sermon in texas christmas father rafael cruz suggested that is tea party and son was among a select group of evangelical christians who are anointed as king to take control of our society among other things take a listen. refer to proverbs thirteen twenty two a little while ago we said this that the wealth of the wicked is stored for the righteous. i need east through all the keys i know you did to take the minion that transfer of wealth is going to occur and then things got even weirder joining me now to talk more about ted cruz's perceived higher calling is bruce williams. wilson co-founder of talk to action bruce welcome to the program. i tom thanks for having me on thanks for joining us tell us about rafael cruz is certainly. well this is the narrative that's being promoted. quite heavily in recent years it within the political it a sized religious right it's an expression it diminishes and which is basically the idea that. select believers and especially heterosexual christian men but monticello exclusively a second in

su padre rafael cruz, naciÓ en cuba y la pregunta es, ¿por quÉ el, el senador ted cruz no estÁ apoyandodades >>> como saben pienso que no es importante >>> mero pero no estÁn a favor >>> pa problera aprobar una ref migratoria hay una enorme cantidad de bit-partidista fuer de washington y nÚmero 1 necesitamos asegurar la frontera para resolver el problema de inmigraciÓn ilegal y nÚmero 2 tenemos que agilizar la inmigraciÓn ilegal >>> la pregunta senador es quÉ harÍa usted con los 11 millones de indocumentados que estÁn aqÍi en estados unidos >>> dÉjame terminar este punto jorge en el senado no hay un mayor defensor de la inmigraciÓn legal que yo (hablan en inglÉs) pero la realidad es que usted no le quiere dar un camino a la ciudadanÍa a estos indocumentado ¿por quÉ?? >>> quiero que se apruebe la reforma migratoria, yo intro pu varias enmiendas para oe resolv el problema, pero el presidente obama y los demÓcratas estÁn haciendo un juego polÍtico y sus intenciones no son que esta ley sea aprobada y luego hacer campaÑa polÍtico con ellos y un paso la ciudadanÍa para quienes llegaron aquÍ l

ted cruz. and now we see the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. mother jones has uncovered new video of the senator's father rafaelout for us. we need to send barack obama back to chicago. send him back to kenya. [ applause ] >> send him back to kenya? this wasn't a one-time joke. senator cruz's father has said similar things plenty of times. often at tea party events. >> when obama campaigned in 2008, it was very clear he was a socialist. one of the

and the very very ugly rafael cruz is the father of brother going to texas senator and head wacko bird ted cruz finds himself in hot water today after an audio clip surfaced of him implying that president obama is a muslim at a recent political dinner in colorado it was. the one of the moment in. your own with. margaret hoover. oh we don't want you to more right. feel cruise is right it is time to stop being politically correct and if we're going to stop being politically correct we should call people like him for what they are bigots sad thing is these sort of views are that uncommon on the far right of american politics and that is very very. citizens united the supreme court decision has fundamentally changed the american political landscape in two thousand and ten thanks to the infinite wisdom of the five right wing supreme court justices our democracy was changed forever with that citizens united decision we lost control of our government and our democracy we turned it over to millionaire moguls billionaire tycoons and giant transnational corporations or actually the court turned it o

rafael cruz. the preacher has been bearing false witness while trying to boost jr.'s political career. sr. called president obama and outright marxist, who seeks to destroy all concept of god? we now know where tedarted. >> we need to send barack obama back to chicago. i'd like to send him back to kenya. >> oops. senator ted cruz often praises his cruz often praises his father as a symbol of the american dream from coming from cuba to the united states. maybe we should send both cruz krarkts back to cuba by way of canada. there's a trip for you. rafael cruz thinks if he thinks bashing the president of the united states is living the american dream, he can keep on pretending. er ] 1.21 gigawatts. today, that's easy. ge is revolutionizing power. supercharging turbines with advanced hardware and innovative software. using data predictively to help power entire cities. so the turbines of today... will power us all... into the future. ♪ help the gulf when we made recover and learn the gulf, bp from what happened so we could be a better, safer energy company. i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-t

rafael cruz is a cuban immigrant and pastor and a hero to a number of tea party groups, so those comments from mr. cruz senior here, senator ted i want to bring in two people to break this down. democratic strategist chris kofinas joins me from washington and the hot list anchor, amy holmes, joins me from new york. welcome to both of you. chris, let me begin with, shouldn't we call this what it is? you flat out say this is racist. >> it's pretty hard to see it any other way. listen, politics is a hardcore business and you will get punched when you're running for office and i think we all kind of accept that in this business. i think you run for office, you kind of accept that reality. but there are certain lines that are consistently being crossed by this fringe, you know, with the tea party or the fringes in the tea party, where it's not simply they attack the president in terms of what they dislike about his policy. they attack him personally, his belief in god, the notion that he's not american. how else would you describe it? it is beyond the pale that people think this is acceptable. i just don't understand why you can't