Conservatives are up in arms today by a controversial cartoon the Washington Post carried on Tuesday night that depicts pro-life Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s children as monkeys. The Washington Post retracted the editorial cartoon after Cruz scolded the newspaper and a massive conservative backlash online.
The cartoon depicts his grade-school daughters as dancing monkeys for their appearance in a presidential campaign ad Cruz ran talking about conservative Christmas book selections.
Here’s more:
The animated cartoon featured a Santa Claus-costumed Cruz winding a music box as two leashed monkeys danced in elf costumes. The monkeys represent Cruz’s daughters Caroline, 7, and Catherine, 4.
“Classy. @washingtonpost makes fun of my girls. Stick w/ attacking me–Caroline & Catherine are out of your league,” Cruz tweeted Tuesday with a link to the cartoon.
Classy. @washingtonpost makes fun of my girls. Stick w/ attacking me–Caroline & Catherine are out of your league. https://t.co/N61ys6z8w1
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 22, 2015
On Tuesday evening, a note from editor Fred Hiatt appeared on the Washington Post’s website reading: “It’s generally been the policy of our editorial section to leave children out of it. I failed to look at this cartoon before it was published. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree.”
The offensive cartoon should not be surprising given that the Post editorial cartoonist, Ann Telnaes, won an award from Planned Parenthood. The Maggie Award is named for racist Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger and is given to media outlets and reporters who push its abortion agenda.
This will surprise no one, but the childless woman who mocked Ted Cruz’s children won a Planned Parenthood award. pic.twitter.com/CRbGkAYHqU — Sean Davis (@seanmdav) December 23, 2015
Meanwhile, Cruz is turning the offensive editorial cartoon into a chance to raise money for his campaign.
Cruz launched an “emergency” appeal seeking to raise $1 million in 24 hours in response to a Washington Post online editorial cartoon depicting his two young daughters as dancing monkeys. The Republican presidential candidate also criticized the paper for its “tasteless attack” on his children. “My daughters are not FAIR GAME,” he wrote in a fundraising email sent late Tuesday. “I’m sickened … I knew I’d be facing attacks from day one of my campaign, but I never expected anything like this.” Cruz accused the “liberal media” of attempting to “attack and destroy me (and my family) by any means necessary.” “This is an emergency — all hands on deck,” his fundraising letter added. “Click here to make an instant, emergency contribution and help me fight back.”
The cartoon crated such a dustup that pro-life Republican rival Marco Rubio tweeted his support for his pro-life colleague:
Wash Post cartoon featuring @tedcruz’s children is disgusting. The Post saying the kids are “fair game” is even worse.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 23, 2015
Cruz recently voted to de-fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business and supports de-funding along with the other pro-life Republican presidential candidates.
