Most Ridiculous Moment - July 5, 2015

SALUTE

The Sunday Talk Shows celebrated the Fourth of July by adding some extra panic about terrorists, inviting Rick Perry on to claim Obama is killing jobs, and having Ted Cruz on for a salute to Donald Trump.

On ABC's This Week, Pierre Thomas was a bit let down that there were no terror attacks on July Fourth, but he assured us “the concern did not end with the fireworks last night,” and “it does not end until July 17,” because ISIS has “called on followers to make Ramadan, quote, 'a month of disasters for the infidels'.” and “ISIS urging its followers to carry out attacks including here in the U.S.”

On the possibility an undocumented immigrant who had been deported five times may have murdered someone,” Thomas said “this may be a classic example that bureaucracy can kill.”

Representative Bob Goodlatte this tragedy 

“is repeated every day around the country 

and doesn't get this kind of notoriety”

On Meet The Press, host Chuck Todd expressed amazement that members of the general public were brave enough to leave their homes and celebrate with all these terrorist threats, with White House correspondent Kristen Welker noting “Hundreds of thousands braved the tight security in New York,” but she said “ISIS continues to call for attacks online and through social media including through the holy month of Ramadan,” and “Congress that would require social media sites like Twitter and YouTube to report videos and other content posted by suspected terrorists.”

Chuck Todd warned about “an 80% increase foreign fighters entering Syria and Iraq to fight for ISIS. That's now about 22,000 fighters from over 100 countries.” Reporting from the Turkish border, Richard Engel explained that strong U.S. ally Turkey doesn't actually want to defeat ISIS “Because if ISIS were defeated here Kurdish fighters would take over.”

Shifting to domestic politics, Chuck Todd said “unaffiliated or no-party voters are now the leading political party in 12 states.” and said 

“I am stunned that there hasn't been 

a semi-significant independent candidate.”

George Stephanopoulos said “Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, you've got Trump dominating the Republican side. Bernie Sanders drawing these huge crowds.” Kathleen Parker said “I actually see 

Trump and Sanders as sort of mirror images 

of each other in that they're representing 

the extremes of the base.”

Representative Tom Cole said Donald Trump “helps” the Republican party, while Bill Kristol pointed out people are upset about illegal immigration because they actually murder people.

On ABC, Texas Governor Rick Perry said President Obama and the EPA are killing jobs. When George Stephanopoulos noted that 

12 million jobs have been created over the last six years, and “President Obama’s team points out that the private sector’s added

jobs 64 months in a row. Perry replied, 

“Thanks to Texas!”

But the most absurd moments came when Ted Cruz dropped by Meet The Press.

As noted last week, he called the Supreme Court “five unelected lawyers declaring they are the rulers of 320 million Americans,” and complained that they overruled the people on gay marriage and didn't overturn Obamacare. He called for Supreme Court Justices to be elected, saying “it's the justices who have politicized the Court. They are the ones who have stepped in to try to resolve every policy matter. They shouldn't be rewriting Obamacare,” and “they stopped being an umpire. They became a player on a team. They put on an Obama jersey.”

He also said “I like Donald Trump. He's bold, he's brash” and “I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration. The Washington cartel 

doesn't want to address that. The Washington 

cartel doesn't believe we need to 

secure the borders”

Cruz may like Donald Trump's boldness, but Cruz himself is not such a bold truth-teller. Six times Chuck Todd asked Ted Cruz 

what he would do with 11 million 

undocumented immigrants, and six times he 

refused to answer.

So, although a Democratic President cut Republican unemployment in half, Obama is killing jobs; we can't stop panicking about foreign terrorists, or murderous immigrants; and because a conservative Chief Justice didn't gut a health care laws passed by Congress, we have to amend the Constitution to elect Justices. And although Macy's, Serta Mattresses, Univision, NBC, the PGA, LPGA, USGA, PGA of America, NASCAR, and many prominent Republicans all distanced themselves from Donald Trump, Ted Cruz thinks he's terrific, bold, brash, and deserves a salute.

And that's the most ridiculous thing that happened this Sunday.