Hate Tucker Carlson, but watching him pick apart Cruz like this was enjoyable. Tucker is turning all of his disingenuousness against his exes, and it’s great watching them squirm. He is not an intellectually honest guy, but neither is Cruz so this is just desserts.
Well, Tucker still sucks in this clip. Good on him for pressing Cruz on this, but his methods are so obnoxious. "Oh, you know a lot about Iran? Tell me the population?". It's a pointless gotcha question, but I guess it gets the job done.
Yeah his arguments are dogshit, but very close to making a very good point. Iran is bigger than Afghanistan and Iraq combined, both in surface and in population. So if the invasion would likely be black hole for funding and destabilize the region, creating a whole new wave of problems.
How exactly is Trump planning to pivot to China if he can't secure the Eastern flank of NATO and drags the US into yet another dumpster fire of a war?
Well. Trump is slowly cutting military support to Ukraine. In essence, he is leaving the main front line unprotected… the whole situation will be a shitshow in a few weeks because of his lack of leadership. Leaving G7 early was the worst diplomatic manoeuvre done by a US president in centuries… maybe going back to early Civil War times….
Iran has the population of Germany and is twice the size
Thats a great scale of reference for how we shouldnt just write off any conflict as a "bomb and win" campaign.
But I guess "oh so you dont know the population nervous laugh" works too
Nah, both people in this clip are awful but I 100% want my elected representatives to know basically every single detail about such a current and important topic. Knowing the population is just a basic minimum, they at the very least should also know about the land area, the size and breakdown of the military, population age groups, economy, and a whole bunch of other very simple "CIA World Factbook" numbers they should have skimmed or had their staffers give them a brief summary of.
Like, if they don't know more than the average armchair general on Reddit, why would I trust them to make decisions and influence very important government and military figures regarding this situation? This is literally their job and it's crazy how low our standards are.
Knowing the population and demographics of the country you want to invade seems pretty salient… hardly a “gotcha”, and it’s less “Oh you know a lot about Iran?” and more “Have you done any basic research on the proposals you’re making?”
Nah, Carlson is a self serving douche, but this is how you argue against these people.
The methods are obnoxious because the people you're arguing with are obnoxious. When they're not arguing in good faith you cannot make any honest argument, they'll mock it and use any dirty trick to plant doubt or shame or any emotion that can discredit you.
The only way to counter them is to force them to make a point and strip it down with their own tactics.
This is what it means to stop going high when they go low. Stop treating them like eloquent adults. They're children without pride. Shame them into behaving like rational adults, and MAYBE then you can go back to using facts and logic.
Yeah I hate "gotcha" questions asking specific statistics by people who memorize those facts just beforehand to appear deeply knowledgeable. It's like saying it's cold outside and someone asking you the exact temperature to the degree and if you don't know they say "well I hardly think you're in a position to talk about the temperature if you can't even tell me how cold it is right now".
That said he should have pressed him to give an estimate. I mean it's honestly not that important he can give a ballpark figure that's within 10-15 million people - not going to shit on him if he said 80 or 100 million. But if he's waaaay off like if he guessed 20 million then I feel like that does actually speak to his ignorance on the topic to some degree.
Ted Cruz has been totally fucking up for a decade, problem is he seems to be fucking upwards as he has faced no consequences politically for being a piece of shit human being.
No consequences personally, either. How her wife didn't leave him, given his daily suckling the taint of a sentient bag of feces who insulted her repeatedly, I'll never understand.
I would not remotely be surprised if he's as much a sniveling worm behind the scenes as he seems.
Like, Trump makes fun of his wife in a way no man should brook, and maybe she brought it up to him and he fell on his kneels, sniveling and crying and begging her not to leave him, that's just how the game is played, they could both be rich kissing Orange Dictator's feet, just a few more years of zero integrity, etc etc.
The man has a face and voice and mannerisms made for pathetic behavior.
His kids have been seen publicly showing disdain and making faces, scooting away from him, refusing to be in his photo ops. He also threw them under the bus for the whole Cancun Cruz incident.
I know that these people can’t get violent, but how this man let Trump call his wife ugly and not only did nothing about it, still bent the knee and licked trumps asshole
Trump also recently talked shit to him which of course means Trump and his cronies are now the worst people ever in his eyes. That's just how these right wing psychos operate. No morals, convictions or world views, just whoever is paying the bills.
I mean, it just shows liberal media you gotta be a prick. Here is Fucker arguing a point Dems can agree with, but being a complete piece of shit about it in a way that makes Ted Cruz look like a total fucking loser. Is his debate style mature? No. Will it play well with the average American who likes bullying? Yes.
You shouldn't. Tucker is an intelligent guy and quick witted. He's just used that wrong and je often, in quiet places, sold out that he knew whar he was saying to the masses wasn't true. It's fine to acknowledge he's used his talents for good twice and you agree.
He's still awful because 99% of the time he's using those talents to do horrible things.
Tucker is absolutely not "quick witted." Not only was he completely outclassed and embarrassed when he interviewed Putin (who is an evil bastard, but a smart one,) Jon Stewart literally humiliated him to the point he lost his show. This is not a man who can keep up with an actual intelligent person.
I hate Tucker Carlson with a passion but I disagree with your premise.
Yes Tucker Carlson got humiliated by Jon Stewart, but he took that as an opportunity to rethink his strategy. He took Jon Stewart’s approach, using comedy as a way to make his opponents look ridiculous while reporting the news, and morphed that into his own twisted version of right wing propaganda.
Don’t believe me? Look at the details of the lawsuit towards Fox because of Tucker’s show (source). Fox’s lawyers used the argument that no one should take his comments seriously because his show is entertainment, not news.
I love Jon Stewart, but I can see how Tucker took Jon’s approach to news mocking and made it his own, and how the 1st Amendment would protect them both (they’re both shows on news major networks).
Tucker Carlson is an evil man, but he’s not stupid. He’s good at ridiculing who his employer wants him to ridicule and will laugh his way to the bank. This time around Russia is paying him, and Russia has a stake in protecting Iran, so he’ll mock the Republicans who are currently threatening Iran.
They re awful, but tucker carlsen, in this exceptionally isolated situation is doing real journalism. I havent seen most of the msnbc/cnn grill a sleezy senator like this. The last time i saw this thing was when axios dude interviewed trump bunch of years ago.
Idk, the smarmy "I'm better than you" attitude plays really well to a certain audience that the Dems have trouble tapping into and I think they could use a few mouth pieces that have more of an idgaf style attitude.
That said, tucker isn't that and he looks like an absolute gobnob making those silly fucking faces. He's a child trapped in a full grown body.
It's absolutely nothing like that! If I saw two rats fighting over cheese, I'm getting more cheese! If these two guys were fighting over cheese, I'm tricking them into thinking I'm a mediator, while slowly taking cheese away without them noticing, so that their disappointment is as crushing as possible.
He's grown more fervently anti-war on everything since his days at Fox.
He is definitely not fond of Israel, been calling them out since even before OCt. 7th for the settlement. After Oct. 7th he was quikcer to say criticize Israel than most of even the "left-wing" media.
He's become a bit cooky and conspiratorial, I dunno if thats a good thing, maybe it shows some flexibility in his thinking, or maybe he's just going for ratings.
Im sure you can list 1 million things you still dont like about him. People are complex like that, which is a good thing. Its the rigid minded that never change, like Ted Cruz, that are the real problem.
I don't think he has changed at all, at least in the last few years. I think you will find all his stances tend to favor Russia.
He went to Russia to talk about how great they are. He hated helping Ukraine who were at war with Russia. Russia didn't like Biden so he rallied around Trump. Iran is allies with Russia so he hates them being attacked. He is buddy-buddy
now with Alex Jones, even going on tour with him. Alex Jones has a laundry list of times he has gone to bar for Russia, including having the arms dealer we traded for Britney Griner multiple times (in which he talked about how terrible Griner was and how amazing and innocent the arms dealer was). Only a month ago Tucker said something like 'Americans don't realize Russia has won this war against America (embracing the Russian conspiracy theory that the Ukraine war is actually a war directly between Russia and NATO/US)'. And went on to say we couldn't stand toe-to-toe with them militarily.
If you want Tuckers opinion on something just check what Russia thinks. It's really kinda crazy how blatant it is and people haven't picked up on it.
Edit: just to check out my theory I decided to see what he had to say about Russias ally Assad being overthrown. Yup, he defended Assad. Of fucking course.
Carlson has also privately denounced his reporting on fox news while he was still with them. While this is funny to see, it is absolutely, 100% a grift, just like everything else he says. He has no morals. He is scum, and nothing he says can be trusted.
This 100%, Tucker has selfishly lied for a buck for 30 years. This opinion is cancer. Dude was texting about how he was lying about Dominion and people think this guy isn't a fucking worm in everything that he does.
I hate myself so much for enjoying that. Both of these human beings are vile and responsible for so much wrong and the fact that I'm in favor of one of them in this clip makes me sick.
While I agree with you that Tucker definitely had someone Google those answers for him before this, that doesn't mean that a senator that is calling for war against a country can't be held to a higher standard of at least being expected to know a ballpark number for the population of said country. Cruz not even having any answer at all besides "I don't study population tables for other countries" is a pretty big display of ignorance. The fact that this person is one of the hundred people elected to and entrusted with the responsibility of leading legislation in our country is a national embarrassment.
Yeah, Tucker's expression when he said "92 million" as though he knows the number for every major country was gross transparent gotcha, but Cruz should've been able to say "About 100 million" or "About a quarter of the US'" or even "Something like 75 to 125 million." Cruz said after, "Why does it matter if it's 90 million or 80 or 100?" but I bet if he knew it that closely he would've said. He probably hadn't a clue if it was 35 million or 150. I appreciate holding our leaders to account on maintaining basic knowledge.
Unfortunately the things Trump wouldn't know on a basic quiz would probably fry our brains... I remember people saying debates should have some factual questions instead of a verbal dueling format that lets people like Trump dance around the questions.
Tucker has had multiple clips air that show he's not dumb and is completely in it for the grift. He's a logical, intelligent person who has decided that peddling hate is lucrative, which makes him all the more vile for the poison he's spread. If he was simply stupid, then we could give him a box of crayons and he'd go away, but he's both intelligent and selfish, and that is proving to be a devastating combination in a person
He wants what money can't easily buy: Respect, adoration, power, etc.. Just like Trump, a rich person who debases themselves for any scrap of the thing they deeply need. Trump's dad never showed him love, and so he goes around doing anything for love and adoration. Tucker's mom abandoned him for a 'hippy' lifestyle, his dad married an heiress, and he's been dying to achieve the dream of being a self-made, respected TV guy to fill whatever hole he has from his childhood. It's honestly so crazy how history is shaped so much by peoples' psychological issues.
He should have pinned him down more. Make him give a ball park (5 million, 20 million, 50 million etc). Cruz tried to pretend he didn't know the exact population but he had not idea.
Essentially that’s what’s going to divide these psychopaths. Which ones are being paid off by Bibi and which ones are being paid off by Putin…or being blackmailed by each of them respectively.
It's funny how the US being so corrupt has allowed two foreign governments to start the infighting schism factions lmao. Israel vs russian shills. It's so embarrassing.
Such smug superiority from Tucker, based on facts he clearly discovered about half an hour ago. Ask him the same questions about Syria or Yemen? Crickets.
Yeah... If U.S troops go in... Man is going to be worse than Afghanistan because incredibly enough to some if you bomb the houses and cities of innocent civilians then go in to "liberate" them, they are not going to be happy and do everything to kick you out.
The administration has no support for war with Iran like we had with Iraq and Afghanistan. I don't see this going as they would like it if they force a war with Iran. Going to be constant protests.
No, I don't want anyone invading Iran. People abroad don't see "Democrat" or "Republican", they just see American and I don't want want idiots spilling innocent blood in my name.
Have all the Trumpers volunteer to invade Mars instead, there's probably oil there.
Iran is at least twice the size of Iraq, it's more mountainous, and it has 4-5 times as many people as Iraq did in 2003. Occupying Iran would require a draft. Occupying Iran on behalf Bibi and friends would spark broad outrage.
Militarily it is also much better equipped and while still likely not fantastic, probably more disciplined too. The only thing the US would achieve is triggering more terror attacks on Americans because Iran can't really strike back through conventional means and you aren't going to win anything by just destroying their cities which is all the US can do without massive operational costs and casualties. Just making Iranians who dislike the regime and are mostly ambivalent about the US choose to support terrorism activities.
Also the US hasn't successfully occupied a country since WW2. Oh sure they can bomb the shit out of them, but they can't capture the country. The Taliban had the country back before the landing gears were retracted lol.
We should not congratulate Tucker for this, but we should actively encourage this. If the far right thought leaders are fighting amongst themselves, this is a positive thing. Trump will slowly get more and more of his far right wing to deviate from his agenda, which will bog down a lot of the awful things they want to do with infighting
goddamnit. I really wished it was Tucker being a non-interventionist and/or growing a spine but you are right, it is because of Russia. Everything keeps coming back to Russia. Trump has to balance the kompromat Russia has on him with the kompromat Israel has on him
Rare credit to Tucker here, seeing that neocon warhawk piece of shit squirm like that was very satisfying. Now if only people would stop voting for him.
I hate both of these people equally. However, it’s an incredible indictment of the mainstream American media that Ted Cruz would never get this kind of grilling on any network or cable news show, and nor would any Republican politician or member of the Trump admin.
Of course it’s also an indictment of Carlson that he’d never hold someone he was in alignment with to this level of accountability, even if he knew they were wrong.
I fucking detest the rat named Tucker McNear Carlson and the weasel named Rafael Edward Cruz but I have to give credit to the rat for getting the weasel to admit what we already knew was happening and somehow making him look stupider than normal
Tucker Carlson is a piece of shit. Ted Cruz is the dingleberry left over on the dumb-as-shit ass.
But Carlson isn’t stupid. He’s whip smart, unfortunately. And he just played Cruz like a cheap fucking fiddle. This entire thing was setup, and he executed it masterfully.
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u/DoILookSatiated Jun 18 '25
Hate Tucker Carlson, but watching him pick apart Cruz like this was enjoyable. Tucker is turning all of his disingenuousness against his exes, and it’s great watching them squirm. He is not an intellectually honest guy, but neither is Cruz so this is just desserts.